Over 340 people will share a $9.25 million settlement in a lawsuit filed against the City of Philadelphia in connection with tear gas and other responses to social disturbances in 2020.

The city said Monday that it had struck a deal with a group of plaintiffs who filed a class action lawsuit alleging bodily and emotional harm caused by the city’s response to civil disturbances and demonstrations in the aftermath of George Floyd‘s fentanyl overdose.

Plaintiffs in the complaint include West Philadelphia residents and people who took part in protests on Interstate 676 demanding police accountability.

The Agreement provides for the distribution of $9.25 million among the 343 Plaintiffs.

A grant will also provide Bread & Roses Community Fund with $500,000-$600,000 for free mental health counseling for West Philadelphia residents and not just the protesters who filed in the lawsuit.

Mental health counseling will be provided to all residents in the 52nd Street corridor of West Philadelphia, not just the lawsuit’s plaintiffs.

“After several years of negotiation, we are confident that this settlement will provide an opportunity for the plaintiffs to heal and move forward from the incidents on May 31, 2020 and June 1, 2020,” said Philadelphia City Solicitor Diana Cortes. “We are thankful that as a part of the terms of the settlement, Bread & Roses Community Fund will have the opportunity to provide mental health counseling to affected residents.”

“The mass demonstrations that took place in Philadelphia and across the nation in response to the murder of George Floyd were unprecedented in scope,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw (really?) stated. “The Philadelphia Police Department is a learning organization, and we remain dedicated to moving forward in meaningful and productive ways. Along with city, state, and community stakeholders, we will continue to work non-stop towards improving what we as police do to protect the first amendment rights of protestors, keep our communities and officers safe, and to ultimately prove that we are committed to a higher standard.”

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