NEW YORK, NY (TIP): New York City is to pay $17.9 million to rest the case of civil rights claims of those arrested during the Republican Convention protests of 2004 that nominated George W. Bush for a second stint as President. NYPD arrested more than 1500 protestors including bystanders and journalists during the event. Over 600 people filed a lawsuit against the city and the police after they were put into unhygienic, overcrowded and dirty rooms that were converted as temporary jails.

Another 1,200 were included in a class-action lawsuit. According to the city law department, New York and the New York City Police Department defended itself against the lawsuits, maintaining that the conduct of the police had been constitutional and that its goal was to keep order and prevent the protests from spiraling.