Denver suburb of Aurora has agreed to a $1.9 million settlement to a family of black girls whom police handcuffed three years ago. In this unfortunate incident, the police made four black girls lay facedown in a parking lot and held them at gunpoint.
On what seemed like an average day, Brittany Gilliam took her daughter, sister, and two nieces out for a girls’ day out. The day started with a trip to the nail salon, but they found it closed when they got there. Therefore, Gilliam sat in her car with the four other girls, searching for another salon to visit.
Sadly, the day took a dark turn when police officers approached the car with their guns drawn. Her SUV had tinted windows, so they could not see the other people inside the car. Therefore, they ordered her and the other passengers to roll down the windows and put their hands out.
Gilliam and her girls complied, but the officers were not satisfied. They ordered everyone out and put them on the ground. Amongst the girls on the ground was little six-year-old Lovely, who had a pink tiara on her head.
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At first sight, it was clear to see that this was just a regular family with no ill intentions or dangerous activity. However, the police still treated them like suspected criminals, even with the presence of a minor.
According to reports, they were acting on a tip that claimed that the SUV was a stolen vehicle. This was a huge mistake as the warrant was for a motorcycle which had was reportedly stolen. Sadly, Gilliam’s SUV and the motorcycle had the same plate number.
As the officers began to lay everyone on the ground, Gilliam tried to appeal to them, saying, “You don’t have to do all that. You don’t have to do all that,” the body camera video shows.
“OK. OK, we’ll deal with that,” Darian Dasko, an officer, replied.
“Don’t tell me it’s okay!” Gilliam shot back.
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Several people gathered and took videos as evidence, trying to tell the police to stop. However, they didn’t. Instead, they handcuffed some of the girls while the six-year-old wept profusely. They also handcuffed Gilliam herself and questioned her.
When news of this incident broke, many people voiced their outrage immediately. They likened the incident to that of George Floyd and Elijah McClain, who died thanks to unwarranted police arrests and brutality. They also pointed out the fact that this racist incident took place while an innocent minor watched.
Therefore, the Gilliam family had the public’s support when they took the case to court. Gilliam noted that it affected her family a lot more than they can imagine. Lovely, who was a bubbly child, became withdrawn and silent.
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She could not do anything to help them as it proved that they weren’t safe. The judge ruled in their favor and Gilliam got a bit of justice eventually. Aurora suburb will pay her and the girls a $1.9 million settlement.
They will divide the money evenly among Gilliam and the four girls. They will also place their portions into annuities to enable the money to grow until they turn 18 and can access it, according to their lawyer, David Lane.
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