The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota has reached a settlement with the city of Minneapolis for police mistreatment of protesters, which includes a $600,000 payment and numerous reforms. The U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota today accepted the agreement and entered an injunction, ending the class action lawsuit brought by ACLU-MN, Fish & Richardson P.C., and Gustafson Gluek PLLC on behalf of 12 protesters who were injured during peaceful demonstrations over the murder of George Floyd.

The agreement prohibits the city from arresting, threatening to arrest, or using physical force including but not limited to chemical agents, flash bang/concussion grenades, and foam-tipped bullets against people engaging in lawful protests, assemblies, or demonstrations. The injunction also limits the use of chemical agents by police to disperse peaceful protests and requires that officers deployed to protests have their body-worn cameras recording and unobstructed. The $600,000 payment will be split among the plaintiffs.

“People who are demonstrating peacefully should never be met with police violence as they were in Minneapolis during protests over MPD’s murder of George Floyd,” said ACLU-MN Legal Director Teresa Nelson. “Tear gas, foam bullets and pepper spray became weapons for intimidating and hurting protesters, making it dangerous for people to exercise their First Amendment rights. We hope this settlement sends a message to law enforcement across Minnesota that this violation of our constitutional rights will not be tolerated.”

“We are grateful for the outstanding work of our legal team in achieving this important and unprecedented outcome,” said plaintiff Nekima Levy Armstrong. “As plaintiffs in this case, our primary focus was on holding the city accountable for the abuse and mistreatment of peaceful protesters by MPD. It’s our hope that the injunction will result in greater protection for protesters and fewer incidents of harm and bodily injury.”