OAKLAND - The Oakland City Council has agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a dozen Occupy Oakland protesters who said they were the victims of excessive force during clashes with police in 2011.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports the $1.17 million payout follows criticism by outside experts who said the Oakland Police Department was understaffed and not prepared to deal with the demonstrations.
The agreement on Tuesday requires police to adhere to their crowd-control policies.
Plaintiffs Suzi Spangenberg and Sukay Sow say they were injured by flash-bang grenades thrown by officers. Spangenberg will get $500,000. Sow says she suffered a second-degree chemical burn on her foot during the clash at a City Hall camp and will get $210,000.
