A proposed $2.2 million settlement of a case that started with the arrests of hundreds of protesters back in 2002 is going to change the way U.S. Park Police handle the issue of mass protests. The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, which is representing several plaintiffs in said case, publicized on Monday that U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan issued preliminary consent for the settlement of the 12-year-old class action suit last week. The partnership calls the proposal a massive victory for First Amendment Rights and makes the suggestion that the changes be adopted more widely. U.S. Park Police referred all questions and comments to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which refused to comment. The suit stems from about four hundred arrests during International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in 2002. Most claims arose from the arrests, in which demonstrators were captured in Pershing Park near the White House and then tied from wrist-to-ankle. A previous $8.25 million settlement with the D.C. police proclaimed all arrests in the case invalid. U.S. Park Police (a National Park Service unit) have jurisdiction in all federal parks, and officers in the D.C., New York City and San Francisco metropolitan areas.
