The City Of Charlotte Releases Financial Cost Of Uptown Protests

CHARLOTTE, NC– An activist group has filed a Federal lawsuit about the use of force by Charlotte Mecklenburg Police.

It asks for a temporary restraining order to stop officers from using tear gas, smoke bombs, and intimidation against protesters.

The suit from Charlotte Uprising names the City of Charlotte and Police Chief Kerr Putney. A city spokesperson told us tonight they have no comment on the suit.

That lawsuit comes just hours after we learned how much protests and rioting following the deadly officer-involved shooting of Keith Scott are costing Charlotte taxpayers.

The city puts the total at just over 4.5 million dollars. Most of that cost comes from overtime for CMPD officers, who worked 12 hour shifts.

The protests lasted roughly three weeks.

The city plans to use capital reserves and operational savings to cover most of the costs.