CONTACTAbout UsCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The city of Philadelphia paid Mayor John Street's gay liaison $15,000 to drop a police brutality lawsuit he filed after being arrested in a 2001 scuffle with officers inside a restaurant, according to a published report. Michael S. Hinson filed his lawsuit even after the police department told him he would not have to appear in court and asked prosecutors to drop charges stemming from the altercation, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in Tuesday editions. Barbara Grant, a spokeswoman for Street, said police sought to drop charges because "they needed to correct their own error." A statement from the city's law department said the suit was settled to avoid "the expense and the inconvenience of further litigation." In his lawsuit Hinson alleged that police officers shoved him to the ground inside a downtown restaurant early on December 31, 2001. Police responded to Sam's Clam Bar, where Hinson had been waiting in line with a friend, upon learning that a man had fired a gunshot inside the restaurant. Hinson was arrested in an ensuing confrontation with police. A written statement prepared by Deputy City Solicitor Jeffrey M. Scott accused Hinson of interfering with a crime scene and asserting authority. "Mr. Hinson acted in such a way to cause a crowd to gather and disrupt the crime scene," the statement read. "As a result of Mr. Hinson's alleged unlawful behavior, he was arrested and charged with a summary offense." The officers were cleared of wrongdoing by a police Internal Affairs Bureau review of the incident. Hinson, who denied interfering with police, alleged in his lawsuit that an officer deliberately shoved a glass door against him even though he had obeyed police orders and left the restaurant. Photographs taken after the incident show Hinson with a bump on his cheekbone and a cut on his wrist from handcuffs.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
31 Period Films of Lesbians and Bi Women in Love That Will Take You Back
December 09 2024 1:00 PM
18 of the most batsh*t things N.C. Republican governor candidate Mark Robinson has said
October 30 2024 11:06 AM
True
After 20 years, and after tonight, Obama will no longer be the Democrats' top star
August 20 2024 12:28 PM
Trump ally Laura Loomer goes after Lindsey Graham: ‘We all know you’re gay’
September 13 2024 2:28 PM
These 15 major companies caved to the far right and stopped DEI programs
January 24 2025 1:11 PM
True
Latest Stories
Worcester: sanctuary city for the transgender community
February 13 2025 6:27 PM
Blame Mitch McConnell if you’re scared and angry
February 13 2025 5:06 PM
Federal judge orders restoration of health agency web pages
February 13 2025 5:02 PM
Kennedy Center scrubs LGBTQ+ Pride concert after Donald Trump takeover
February 13 2025 4:49 PM
BREAKING: Federal judge blocks Trump’s gender-affirming care ban for minors
February 13 2025 4:34 PM
These Blue states are making it easier for transgender people to update their documents
February 13 2025 12:09 PM
These are not ordinary times: How the Human Rights Campaign plans to move forward
February 13 2025 12:01 PM
Democratic lawmakers lead congressional push to reverse Trump’s transgender military ban
February 13 2025 12:00 PM
True