The second-grade student who was arrested by police for kicking a cart has been awarded $40,000.
Cameron McCadden was seven years old when he was handcuffed for kicking a cart and running onto the bleachers in 2015.
The young boy, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), was forced to remain in handcuffs for over an hour as the police officer who arrested him did not bring the key.
The family shared a video of the arrest, which shows Cameron sitting on a bench with his hands cuffed as an officer waited for the keys to be delivered to the school.
Cameron’s mother, Crystal McCadden, can be heard saying in the 2015 clip: “You put my kid in handcuffs and you don’t even have the keys to get him out.”
In 2018, Crystal filed a lawsuit against the Flint-Genesee Chamber of Commerce and Flint Police Department for police use of excessive force against her son.
The lawsuit finally closed with a $40,000 settlement for Cameron’s family.
The settlement agreement will also see Flint Police Department and the after-school program adopting new policies.
Attorney Mark Fancher for Racial Justice Project of the ACLU said in a statement: “What happened to Cameron is highly alarming and we don’t want any other child in Flint to have a similar experience.”
He continued: “We have been greatly encouraged by the willingness of the after-school program and the Flint Police Department to, as part of this settlement, give high priority to the protection of very young children, and to recognize that the role of police officers does not include tasks best performed by educators, counselors, therapists and other trained professionals.”
According to the settlement, Flint and the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce have agreed to pay $20,000 each.
Jonathan Marko, one of the attorneys who represented the family, said: “We are happy to have put this behind Cameron so he can move on with his life.”
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