Chicago settles two police related lawsuits

A lawsuit from 2003 where war protesters were arrested without warning for demonstrating without a permit was finally settled this week.   Chicago agreed to pay out a total of $6.2 million dollars which is to be divided amongst more than 700 people.   It comes out to about $8,700 per person.   Many may think that is fair, since no one was injured, but if you think about it, imprisonment is in itself an injury.

Another lawsuit, this time from 2006 was settled this week.   The family of Kenneth Elrod received $1.25 million dollars for the wrongful shooting death of their son by an off-duty police officer.   They received an additional $100,000 for the excessive force used.   Daniel Centera was also killed by the same officer that night, but the family dropped out of the lawsuit in 2008.   The police officer, Edward Yerke was driving his Hummer around Chicago, when he claimed two youths in a pickup pointed guns at him, and he fired in fear of his life.