Carrington family decries lawsuit settlement
CHAMPAIGN – Kiwane Carrington's father told city council members that he is not satisfied with the $470,000 wrongful-death settlement approved Tuesday night, and Mr. Carrington's sister said she is "not taking it."
"This amount of money you guys offered ... you guys don't need to decide on it because I'm not taking it," is all Kenesha Williams, Mr. Carrington's sister, could tell council members before breaking down into tears.
Albert L. Carrington III, Mr. Carrington's father, said "it's not so much about the money," but he will pursue any means available to seek a larger amount.
The city council unanimously approved the $470,000 settlement, the product of a lawsuit Chicago attorney James Montgomery Jr. filed in November 2009, about a month after Mr. Carrington was fatally shot by a Champaign police officer.
Tuesday night's meeting drew tears from several speakers, including Carrington, who asked that city officials "do something for this town."
"Just think about what's going on," Carrington said. "My son wasn't an insurgent. He wasn't in Afghanistan."
The city will be responsible for $250,000 of the payout. The difference, plus about $25,000 worth of legal fees, would be covered by the city's liability insurance.
While Tuesday night's decision closed a legal chapter resulting from the October 2009 fatal police shooting that sent a shockwave through the city, council member Will Kyles said there's more work to do to close cleavages in the community.
"I do see people coming together," Kyles said. "I do think that we're going to make it out of this."
Council member Michael La Due said the settlement is "not a consummation," his voice cracking toward the end of his monologue.
"There's nothing more profound than the loss of an immediate loved one," La Due said. "There's nothing more permanent."
Jerome Chambers, president of the Champaign County chapter of the NAACP, said the settlement is not enough.
"It is time for us to move on," Chambers said. "It's time for us now to build bridges instead of walls. We've got this facade up that we can throw money at a situation. A Band-aid will not cover a bullet hole."
If you're looking for someone to blame for what happened to this delinquent, blame his father...who wasn't even in the scene until someone mentioned a settlement with the city. Maybe if poor little Kiwane got some discipline once in a while as a boy he wouldn't have turned into a truant, firesetting B&E artist...who would be alive today had he only followed a police officer's directions.
Kiwane was not trying to rob a house. He ate breakfast at that same house that morning. School was not in session, it was rainy, and he was seeking shelter. Did I miss something? Did Kiwane pull the trigger of Norbits' gun and kill himself? No. All of this blaming the victim is making me sick to my stomach. The police have a duty to serve and protect. They should be made accountable when they do not perform their jobs correctly or safely. Truth Teller, live up to your name.
The city manager's finding that Norbits misused his weapon and the decision to suspend him for the maximum amount of days is one report that makes clear Norbits was the sole person responsible for the gun discharging. The blame for the lethal shot fired is on Norbits.
No, Maintaining control also includes the act of controlling your weapon even when a suspect is attempting to disarm you. That both parties can have hands on the weapon and the officer can still be found to not have full control. And when it comes to the city manager. His ONLY concern is to look good in the eyes of the community. I would not trust him any farther than I could throw him. Again they cannot prove for fact one way or the other regardless of what Steve Carter says.
So the father says its not about the money, then why would you ask for more? No amount of money is sufficient enough for any child. He didn't have his son living with him at the time either. So you want to benefit from your son's death? Maybe the state should come back and sue for being a negligent parent/gaurdian.
Unbelievable...but not at all surprising.
"Albert L. Carrington III, Mr. Carrington's father, said "it's not so much about the money," but he will pursue any means available to seek a larger amount."
You are right, it isn't about the money. It is about your failure as a father. Where were you up until this point? What role as a father did you provide your now dead son? You pleaded to the city council to "do something about this town." Well sir, what did you do for this town? What did you do for your son? And where has that gotten us all?
I am truly sorry for the loss of your son. As a father myself I cannot begin to imagine what you and your family must be going through. That said, where were you for son when he needed you most?
Its not about money, but I will persue more. NICE! I hope he does and gets nothing. He should be thankful he is getting anything at all considering his child didnt follow police orders. My honest opinion the police did their job and no money should be awarded at all.
Wow, Mike LaDue was crying? Did he get some smoke in his eye? Why is everyone on that council missing the point??????? HE WAS COMMITTING A CRIME!!! Reported by a next door neighbor!!!! Cofirmed by the homeowner on video until later when the AWARE people talked to her.......Come on people open your eyes!!!
JDMAC44...that is a beautiful point you have brought to the attention of the readers. The Taser would have been a great option for the officer. It is too bad that certain groups had fought so far to prevent the Tasers implementation in Champaign and Urbana. Bottom line, as many have already mentioned in this post and others, had there been compliance on the part of the OFFENDER, yes that was Kiwane, we would not be discussing this matter. And yes, the Taser issue does need to be reconsidered by the city.
The majority of law abiding citizens in Champaign need to voice their opinions, because as you have noticed, the minority that does not care about the law does. So what happens is the city caves in because there is no opposition by the majority.
And every year on the anniversary of Kiwane's death the media, family, NAACP, etc will fan the flames and stir the pot on this ordeal. Apparently it's not about the money because there wasn't enough of it to go around after legal fees. Take what's left and establish a scholarship in his name to encourage young people to stay in school and get an education, unlike Kiwane.
Amen to this. There is constant talk of healing but nothing seems to move in that direction. This is about the money and making people pay. No amount of money will bring this child back. Kiwanne had choices and those he made had unfortunate outcomes. Now the family wants paid. The money is for them, not Kiwanne. While attorneys fight over most of it, you could have taken the offering and contributed to something positive in Kiwanne's name. Maybe then, healing might become a reality.
As for the settlement, it doesn't matter what Kiwane Carrington was doing prior to the shooting. It doesn't matter how much his family was involved in his life. All that matters is the moment of the shooting. That's the moment where proper procedure -- what police officers are trained for -- could have prevented a tragedy. The officer had not made the decision to pull the trigger, and yet his gun discharged anyway. That's sloppy police work and the city should pay for it.
That's the point that so many posters here are so afraid to address.
If an CUMTD bus driver - let's call him Ollie Oopsie - was rolling his bus down the sidewalks instead of the streets, and killed a pedestrian, CUMTD would have to pay up, because one of their workers had killed somebody while flouting departmental policy. And nobody would start to cry about how the person who was hit really deserved it, and that no taxpayer money should go to his family.
Here it was CPD, and Officer Oopsie. And, no surprise, a lot of people are trying to do whatever they can to shift as much blame as possible onto the victim. It's pretty revolting.
If the roles were reversed and it was the officer who was accidentally shot and killed, would the city seek a law suit against mr. carrington for losing one of their armed forces staff? The officers family might and would probably get nothing. Mr. Carrington may serve jail time in which tax dollars would still have to be paying for him.
"If the roles were reversed" - you mean, if the CPD had issued Kiwane Carrington a duty weapon, and Carrington's mishandling of that weapon involved the death of an unarmed officer, while Finney was running around screaming and generally pouring as much gasoline on the fire as he could in the minute between the start of the encounter and the "BLAM"?
Sustain continual forward momentum to: 1.) Collect a million if achievable 2.) Reform law enforcement practices with effective "Police Oversight" existing in the hands of the community 3.) Every reform measure implemented should be represented by that child's name 4.) Immortalize Kiwane in some way. Maybe a statue erected in Douglas Park?
I have said this before, and I'll say it again. Chief Fenney cannot be let off the hook, because it was his poor "Officer Safety Tactics" which ignited the chain of events. It's well known in law enforcement circles how administrators get themselves, as well as others in bad situations like the Kiwane Carrington case. In most cases, the administrators just simply fail to dedicate enough time toward training with street personnel (District Cops). I encourage the uninformed citizens of Champaign to visit a website named NACOLE, which will provide information on police oversight, as well as offer a review of different police oversight models in use today. Justice has a ways to go in this case before it prevails, therefore be willing to hang in there for a "long ride". Stay focused..........
Not about money? Then what is it about? MONEY and nothing more! Why was Carrington not in school? When notified of his absence were his father or sisters out looking for him? ( That's rhetorical) , Why did he not live with his "concerned" father? No true parent would ever seek monetary rewards ( and that is exactly what this money is- a reward) that came as a result of the death of their child. How does any amount of money make the situation better? Would you feel better if you had money because your child died, no matter what the circumstances? Is death easier to accept if one has money? Some big city lawyer will be the one to benefit from all this- more power to them- let them use these people to get all you can from the taxpayers, while exploiting this situation. If the "Concerned" Carringtons were really concerned, this kid would have been in school and would have long ago learned to do what a law enforcement officer told him to do. There is just no substitute for good parenting.
Not about money? Then what is it about?
If the City and its insurer felt that a trial would not result in a substantial award they would not have authorized the expenditure of $250,000.00 in taxpayer's funds along with $220,000.00 in insurance company's money to keep witnesses from testifying in public.
It isn't about the money. Its about preventing the testimony in open court about the details of the forensic pathologist's findings. It is about preventing the sworn testimony of the surviving eye witness from seeing the light of day. It is about what the City and its insurer believe it is worth to suppress evidence of what happened and keep it from the public view. It is about their fear of the public learning the truth.
I for one am glad that the fact that a kid died has not deterred most of the commenters on this article to preach about Kiwane's lack of character and how today's youth need more guidance and discipline and whatnot. Good job of not letting basic human decency towards a tragic situation get in the way of your self-righteousness.
This democracy runs on itself meaning if a monetary settlement is to be paid, it must do so with enough impact to change the causes of this incident. From what I understand that would be the chief of police Finney for hiring Norbits and for parents/guardians to better raise their children. Both side have responsibilities. The situation could easily have been reversed. When all done it is not a endless stream of money that pays for these damages and changes, it is the tax payor that ultimately foots the bill. The larger the pay out is the less impact tax dollars have on improving the city for everyone. This is in no way to lessen the value of Mr Carrington or any one else but am simply making a pertinent fact that must be considered when making changes to improve. Not just compound problems by increasing taxes on citizens or reducing pay or standards of quality police chiefs or officers but to accurately address the issues at hand and maintain an excellent quality of life for all living and or protecting. My prayers are with all involved, very, very difficult and sad. We are humans, humans make mistakes. Just sayin...
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