The city's spending board has approved a $100,000 settlement to a 65-year-old man who claimed in a civil suit that he was beaten by police officers who mistook his cigarette for a marijuana joint.
The Board of Estimates voted Wednesday to pay the money and end a $5 million lawsuit filed in Baltimore Circuit Court by Lornell Felder.
Felder contended that in April 2009, he was standing in front of his house on Elmley Avenue rolling a tobacco cigarette when two plainclothes police officers jumped out of an unmarked sport utility vehicle and ran toward him.
Felder said in the suit that he had no idea the men were officers, that he tried to run and yelled to his wife, "Call the police." His suit says that the officers tackled him and one said, " 'We are the police,' as they continued to beat Mr. Felder in his head, face and body."
The title should be corrected -- it's Baltimore taxpayers who paid the man, not the police. Unfortunately, when government officials do wrong, it's usually the taxpayers that end up compensating their victims. The law should be changed to make the people who beat the man responsible for paying him, not the Baltimore taxpayers. Perhaps if police actually had to shell out some money from their own pockets they may have a little more respect for individual rights.
ReplyDeleteI will take that deal. As long as we get paid fairly for what we do right. How much is it worth to you when we raise your kids? Better yet we can operate like any other service industry. We can put out a price list for services rendered and you can pay as you go. If you dont want to pay then dont call. We can make it a cash only business and you will need to pay upfront before any service is rendered.
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