City to pay Republican National Convention protester $50K

CLEVELAND – An attorney for a protester arrested during the 2016 Republican National Convention says Cleveland will pay his client $50,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit.

Attorney Subodh (soo-BODE’) Chandra (CHAHN’-druh) says Richard Newburger in July 2016 joined fellow protesters preparing to burn an American flag when Newburger and others were assaulted by police and sprayed with fire retardant.

The flag burning was led by Gregory Lee Johnson, whose arrest at the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas led to a U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidating state flag-burning laws.

Misdemeanour charges filed against Newburger, of Chicago, and Johnson, of San Francisco, were eventually dismissed.

A Cleveland spokesman declined to comment Saturday about the settlement.

Cleveland previously agreed to pay Johnson $225,000 and protester Stephen Fridley $50,000 to settle their lawsuits.