Victim Justine Diamond's family gets $20 million while victim Philando Castile's family gets only $3 million.
This is a travesty Blue Light Buzz and I talk about on this blog. It's sad that Black lives don't matter even for compensation. I know monetary compensation won't bring the loved ones back but to give Mr. Castile's family a measly $3 million dollars while Ms. Diamond, whose family hailed from Australia, $20 million. It goes to show how little value we placed upon Black life in America.
Here's an article from the Atlanta Black Star regarding this inequitable treatment of Black and White victims of police brutality in America.
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Public Responds to Minneapolis Handing Out $20M Settlement in Wrongful Death of Australian Woman When Nearby City Gave Philando Castile’s Family Only $3M
The city of Minneapolis on Friday awarded the family of an Australian woman who was shot and killed by an on-duty police officer a $20 million settlement in connection to the 2017 incident.
The payout was announced by Mayor Jacob Frey at a Friday, May 3, press conference and is the largest in the city’s history. It serves as a civil settlement for Justine Damond’s family. Days earlier, Mohamed Noor, the Somali-American officer who opened fire on Damond in an alley nearly two years ago, was found guilty of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges.
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America responds to police killings of Whites done by Blacks, especially a White woman. They automatically arrest the Black police officer and convict him/her in the court of law, then they serve prison terms.
In contrast, White police officers rarely ever get arrested, let alone convicted of killing unarmed Blacks. That's a sad reality.
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Valerie Castile, the victim’s mother who was a trustee in the case, received $3 million in the settlement.
“I am trying to understand how the city of Minneapolis can give 20 mil to Justine Damond family but not give 20 mil to Philando Castile family? 🤔”
“Minneapolis to pay $20M to family of Justine Damond killed by cop … Guess black lives don’t matter. Philando Castile’s family got $3 million for his murder. “
“Ummm yeah… Philando Castile’s family got $3M for his death. Justine Damond’s family got $20M. Her life was worth 7X that of his.”
The municipalities involved in the two cases are not the same. The Castile family settled with the city of St. Anthony, Minnesota, a Minneapolis suburb.
During the fatal incident, Castile had alerted Yanez, who was ultimately acquitted of manslaughter and two lesser charges stemming from the case, that he was armed and licensed to carry. The aftermath of the shooting was captured on video by Castile’s girlfriend, whose young daughter was in the back seat when the elementary school cafeteria worker was shot and bled out.
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That's so sad. What's sadder is the how the city and the police handled the Black victims' families when it comes to lawsuits. Here's another one regarding the victims of serial killer Anthony Sowell. The victims' families only got $1 million dollars from the city and they had to split it up among the surviving family members. The victims' families are still suing the City of Cleveland for it's negligence in the Sowell murders. Here's the article from Cleveland.com regarding this sordid situation:
Why court battle waged by families of Anthony Sowell victims matters to us all: Andrea Simakis
Murder victim Janice Webb sister in the courtroom
CLEVELAND, Ohio - On September 17, Joann Moore will get her day in court.
"It's taken so long," she says. Eight years. But it's worth the wait. Because it's for Janice.
In a 2010 lawsuit, Moore argued cops and prosecutors had Anthony Sowell in their sights when he was arrested for the attempted rape and kidnapping of Gladys Wade in December 2008. They held him less than 72 hours.
Just 10 months later, the bodies of 11 women were discovered in and around Sowell's duplex on Imperial Avenue. Based on reports of when friends and loved ones saw them last, it is believed as many as six were killed after his release.
Moore's sister, Janice Webb, was among them.
Relatives of other murdered women joined her fight to hold the city accountable for the grisly deaths of their kin.
"The city has been fighting us tooth and nail for years," says family attorney Terry Gilbert. "Frank Jackson is the ultimate decision maker here. He can make one phone call and say, 'Give 'em some reasonable compensation so they feel they got some justice.' "
More on this at Court Battle Still Matters to Victims' Families
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This goes to show how American society placed so little value on Black victims of crime. Very sad indeed.
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