After eleven months of talking in the courts, New York City has agreed to pay Occupy Wall Street almost a quarter of a million dollars.
The lawsuit, filed on May 24, 2012, by lawyers representing OWS, claimed that 3,600 of 5,000 books in the free People's Library were destroyed during the violent raid and eviction of the protest camp in Zuccotti Park.
In addition to books, also destroyed were computers, live streaming equipment and bicycles which were owned and operated by an environmental nonprofit, Time's Up.
The greatest part of the settlement, $186,000-plus, will go to attorneys representing OWS in their claim.
"We're very pleased with the resolution of this suit," said Herbert Teitelbaum, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs. "The city acknowledged that what happened in the park on the night of the Zuccotti Park raid was inappropriate."
"We think that books are important and the destruction of books is a very disturbing thing, particularly when the government does it," said Mr. Teitelbaum
In a rare move, the city accepted liability for the aggressive tactics used by the police.
Nationally known civil rights attorney Norman Siegel said, "This is not just about the money. It is about holding the city accountable."