Last year, security camera footage caught a police officer slapping and verbally abusing a handcuffed, kneeling woman during the raid of a Chicago tanning salon. This week, the Chicago City Council Finance Committee approved a $150,000 settlement of a lawsuit filed by the woman against the Chicago Police Department.
City Poised To Pay $150,000 To Salon Manager Cop Berated During Raid
The footage, which became the center of the federal lawsuit, showed a shrieking Jianqing "Jessica" Klyzek, manager of Copper Tan and Spa, pushed face down, dragged onto the floor, handcuffed, and struck in the head by an officer. Another officer is heard screaming racially-charged at her: "You're not a fucking American! I'll put you in a UPS box and send you back to wherever the fuck you came from!"
On Monday, the finance committee authorized the payment of $150,000 to settle Klyzek's lawsuit, which accused the officers of brutality and a hate crime. Klyzek apparently isn't satisfied with the settlement:
Torreya Hamilton, Klyzek’s attorney, said her client was satisfied with the settlement. For Klyzek, an American citizen who emigrated from China, the money wasn’t of paramount importance, Hamilton said.
"It was about asserting her rights, as a valuable, contributing citizen," Hamilton said. "In the video you can hear her saying ‘I’m a citizen, I have rights,’ and that’s what this was about to her."
Meanwhile, Frank Messina, the officer who is seen hitting Klyzek in the video, has been stripped of his police powers but remains on desk duty as Independent Police Review Authority looks into the incident. Turns out, that kind of shitty behavior on the job doesn't automatically get you fired. Accountability, please.
More here: Video leads Chicago to settle police raid case for $150,000