MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council this week approved a $600,000 payout to a freelance journalist who lost her eye to a police projectile while covering protests in the wake of George Floyd's murder in spring 2020.
Photojournalist Linda Tirado filed a federal lawsuit nearly two years ago accusing the city and police officials of conspiring to deprive journalists of their constitutional rights during the unrest.
Tirado's matter is the second such settlement approved by council this month.
Earlier in May, City Council approved $1.5 million plus attorneys' fees to Jaleel Stallings. The 29-year-old St. Paul man sued the city and police saying they violated his constitutional rights by using force to intimidate and deter him from protesting police brutality and racism. Stallings filed the suit after a jury found him not guilty last year on charges related to shooting at police officers during the unrest that followed Floyd's killing.
And last month, City Council approved a total of $1.8 million to two women who say police shot them in the face with projectiles as they protested Floyd's murder.
The settlements are among a string of expensive payouts from the city to victims of police misconduct. In the past 15 years, Minneapolis has spent more than $71 million to settle officer misconduct claims and lawsuits. The money comes from the city's self-insurance fund, according to city officials.
City officials could not be reached for comment Friday. Representatives of Tirado's attorney's opted not to discuss the settlement until it is finalized. The settlement awaits a final approval from Mayor Jacob Frey.
In the lawsuit, Tirado — who had traveled to Minneapolis to cover the unrest — said police targeted her on May 29. She was outside a police precinct in south Minneapolis taking photos when officers ignored her press credentials and struck her in the face with a foam bullet, shattering her protective goggles, according to the complaint.
Protesters escorted the bleeding Tirado to onsite medics who then took her to a local hospital, where she underwent an emergency operation. Tirado woke up the next morning to doctors telling her that she was permanently blind in her left eye. Since the incident, Tirado has undergone two surgeries and would need more, including medical visits to address ongoing complications, the lawsuit said.
Tirado is now one of at least two dozen people around the country who have suffered traumatic eye injuries during recent protests. The projectile has also caused the mother of two school-age children to lose hearing in the left ear, the suit said.
One of Tirado's attorneys, Davida Williams, said previously that her client intends to donate a portion of the settlement money to social justice causes. Tirado, a published author whose memoir "Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America" led her to become a journalist covering wide array of issues, including race in America, said she will keep doing her work, though it will be challenging at times.
"I'm a frontline journalist, that's what I do," Tirado said in a video interview with Mashable. "I don't think losing an eye necessarily has to stop me."
