FERGUSON, Mo. — Hundreds of dollars could soon be headed to thousands of people who were incarcerated in Ferguson. A court granted preliminary approval for a settlement to move forward after a civil rights group accused the city of throwing people in jail to make money.
The local protests following the death of Michael Brown not only gave people a chance to be heard, it also prompted action.
"It's thousands of people who Ferguson put in jail,” Maureen Hanlon with the ArchCity Defenders said.
The group filed suit against seven localities in the region: St. Ann, Normandy, Florissant, Edmundson, Jennings, Maplewood and Ferguson.
"Some sort of minor ticket then snowballed where there were fees they couldn’t afford. There were fines they couldn’t afford," Hanlon said. "They were getting additional fines because they didn't come back to court. They were getting locked up, then they had to pay bond to get out of jail … If you had $500, you could walk out the door, and if you didn't have $500, you had to sit there in prison, and we think that was unconstitutional."
All of the localities settled. The court just gave preliminary approval to accept the last settlement to the tune of $4.5 million with the city of Ferguson. All of the settlements combined total to some $20 million.
"If you are a person who remembers sitting in the Ferguson jail because they were holding you there, maybe you’re sitting there because you couldn’t pay your bond or you were sitting there until they released you, you are eligible for money from this settlement,” Hanlon said.
5 On Your Side asked city leaders in Ferguson if the city could afford this settlement and whether some city services could be impacted as a result. A spokesperson said the city is not commenting until the court gives final approval of the settlement.
Anyone who was held by Ferguson from February 2010 to December 2022 is asked to get in contact with the administrator handling the settlement by visiting fergusonclassaction.com. Each person's payout will be based on hours spent in jail.
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