A federal district court jury found that Denver police used excessive force against protesters of the killing of George Floyd in 2020, awarding $14 million in damages to 12 plaintiffs. The jury agreed that the police had not been properly trained and violated the plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights. Denver had since changed its approach, eliminating certain projectiles and providing improved crowd control training. (The New York Times, March 26, 2022, by Sophie Kasakove)
It was the first trial in a lawsuit focused on police tactics during the Floyd protests. The Denver protesters were hit with pepper spray and fired on with Kevlar-bags filled with lead shot. One victim was hit in the head by a blast and wound up in intensive care. He was awarded $3 million. (Insurance Journal, March 28, 2022, by Colleen Slevin)