The city of Aurora, Colorado, reached a $1.9 million settlement with a Black lady who was detained at gunpoint with her underage family members after police officers incorrectly believed she had stolen her automobile.
Brittney Gilliam filed a civil rights complaint against the city and police officials in 2021, claiming that cops searched her and her family members at gunpoint with no reasonable cause or evidence of wrongdoing. She claimed in the lawsuit that they were targeted because they were black.
David Lane, the family’s attorney, said Tuesday that he believes the settlement would lead to improvements in how law enforcement handles similar cases.
“Aurora cops should spend less time at the shooting range and more time at the law library. Our aim is that police officers across the country will realize that law enforcement must exercise common sense, particularly when dealing with children,” Lane said in an emailed statement. “A robo-cop mentality will lead to huge liability.”
He went on to say, “We feel that unconscionable racial profiling occurred in this case as well. When the race of a vehicle’s occupants causes guns to be drawn, a line is crossed that will have far-reaching ramifications for the police.
Michael Brannen, a spokesperson for the city, said, “The Aurora Police Department remains committed to strengthening the relationship with the community through accountability and continuously improving how it serves the public.”
The family was having a “Sunday Funday” in August 2020. Gilliam had taken her 17-year-old sister, her 6-year-old daughter, and two nieces (ages 12 and 14) out for nails and ice cream. When the party arrived at the nail salon, they discovered it was closed, so they sat in Gilliam’s car to hunt for another location, according to the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, officers approached the van and asked everyone to get out. Gilliam, her sister, and her 12-year-old niece were handcuffed, according to the lawsuit. The handcuffs were too big for Gilliam’s 6-year-old daughter, according to the lawsuit, so authorities forced her and Gilliam’s 14-year-old niece to lift their hands over their heads with their faces on the pavement.
The family was detained for almost two hours until a sergeant came, according to the lawsuit. Witnesses filmed the encounter and shared it on social media.
The Aurora Police Department originally stated that police conducted a traffic stop on the suspicion that Gilliam had stolen her automobile because it had the license plate of a stolen motorcycle. Police then discovered that the motorcycle had plates from another state.
The girls were traumatized by the encounter, according to the lawsuit, and the four minors sought weekly therapy.
Lane said Tuesday that the family is delighted with the settlement sum and relieved that the daughters will not have to “relive this nightmare” during the trial. The youngsters, who will not receive any money until they are 18, are “still skittish around police but otherwise fine,” according to their attorney.