City pays $1 million to mother of homeless man beaten to death by police

[timsatx]

The City of Fullerton, California, has reached a $1 million settlement with the mother of a mentally ill homeless man who died last year after a beating he received at the hands of police officers.

The settlement comes a week after a California judge ordered that two Fullerton police officers stand trial in the beating death of Kelly Thomas. The city council unanimously approved the award during a closed-door session Tuesday.

"To lose a son at the hands of rogue police officers is an indescribable horror," said Brian Gurwitz, the attorney representing Cathy Thomas, Kelly's mother. "There is nothing this council could ever do to compensate her for the loss she's suffered."

The city and Cathy Thomas said in a joint statement that Thomas agreed to drop any potential legal claims against the city in exchange for the $1 million.
Kelly Thomas: "I can't breathe!"

"Resolution of Ms. Thomas' claim at this time allows her to begin the healing process and avoid what would likely be protracted, expensive and difficult litigation," the statement says.

The city noted in a separate statement that the city did not admit responsibility for Kelly Thomas' death as part of the settlement.

The settlement will not affect a separate wrongful death suit filed by Thomas' father.

"I'm not in the money game, whatever money ... I will get ... is going to go to the foundation that I started for Kelly," the father, Ron Thomas, told CNN affiliate KCAL-TV.

Officer Manuel Ramos is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, and Cpl. Jay Patrick Cicinelli is charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony use of excessive force in the July 5 incident.

More to the story here: http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/16/justice/california-police-beating/index.html?iref=obinsite

[gPink]

Why are they paying a woman who left her mentally ill son homeless?

[timsatx]

Probably because the beat him to death.

[OCK913]

Why are they paying a woman who left her mentally ill son homeless?

My thoughts exactly ..... She didnt care enough about him to get him off the street, but she sure saw dollar signs when the opportunity presented itself.

[timsatx]

Kelly Thomas was an outgoing child who loved to play the guitar, participated in Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts and aspired to be a wildland firefighter, said his father, who raised him alone after he and Thomas' mother divorced.

After his diagnosis, he went to a live-in facility that provided meals and monitored his medication, his father said. Thomas was able to hold down a job at a gas station and then a printing facility and even started to train with the California Department of Forestry and Protection.

But each time he began to improve, he stopped his medications and wound up back on the streets, moving between Yorba Linda, Placentia, Fullerton and Cypress – all places where he had once lived or had family and friends. One of the hardest parts of his death has been hearing their son described as homeless, the father said.

"That's the heartbreaking part for all of us. We all have ideas of what we'd like our kids to be like and to do in life. With Kelly, we didn't get to realize that and it constantly broke our heart," his father said. "Kelly wasn't homeless at all, he had so many homes, but he wanted to be a drifter and he did."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/03/kelly-thomas-fullerton-ho_n_917713.html

[VirginiaJim]

How can policemen (here to help us) wind up killing a man because he wasn't compliant enough?  I can see using stronger force but beating him in the face with his taser?

We have something similar in my area (Culpeper, VA) where a woman was shot to death by a policeman for not stopping when ordered.

I think the whole thing is so very sad.  Sad for the victims and sad for the officers involved.  Only people winning here is the lawyers.

[AZBiker]

The popular thing for the MCSO is to beat the prisoners AFTER they are secured in a restraint chair.

[Elfmaze]

I think the whole thing is so very sad.  Sad for the victims and sad for the officers involved.  Only people winning here is the lawyers.

I think it is a terrifying concept.  If you came across this on the street or heaven forbid you have a friend or family member involved in the actions of  a runaway officer.   

If it was a random person off the street.  OK ,  we can try fight back,  maby even use deadly force if need be.....   What do you do when you are facing the almost unlimited resources of the government and trained fighters when they are mercilessly beating someone you care about one way or another?  Do you take notes and take them to court after a person has been beat to death?  If you try to get the officer to stop beating someone you are either going to jail or going to get shot to death. 

Officers NEED to be held to a much higher standard!