“Let’s start a riot,” one Denver cop posted to social media, along with a photo of officers in riot gear.
“If anyone moves, light ‘em up,” said another, according to a legal complaint filed against the Denver Police Department.
“If you wanted to breathe, you should have stayed home tonight,” an officer told a person having an asthma attack after being sprayed with tear gas.
Five years ago, as COVID-19 ravaged the country, thousands of protesters took to the streets to decry the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Elijah McClain, Tony McDade and many other Black people nationwide.
Lawsuits filed in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd demonstrations tell the story of how officers used violence against largely peaceful protesters, lawyers, medics, bystanders and journalists, hitting crowds with projectiles, pepper spray, tear gas and batons.
People suffered a swath of health problems from the police violence: difficulty breathing and burns on their skin, lost eyes, brain injuries, fractured skulls and bones, a ruptured testicle and a slew of psychological issues, from post-traumatic stress disorder to anxiety and nightmares.
Over the past five years, cities scrambled to settle the cases and avoid losses in court by paying out millions in settlements — $18.3 million in Denver and $1.4 million in Aurora. Meanwhile, the Denver and Aurora police departments enacted reforms.
