The city of Tacoma has agreed to a $6 million settlement with the family of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who died following a physical altercation with police officers in 2020. This resolution comes after the Ellis family filed a wrongful death lawsuit highlighting the fatal encounter and the systemic issues it underscored within law enforcement interactions, particularly with communities of color, as reported by FOX13 Seattle.
Family attorney James Bible reflected on the gravity of the settlement, noting its implicit admission of fault and the broader necessity for reform in law enforcement practices. "This settlement in and of itself is recognition of wrongdoing and recognition that there needs to be improvement in the interactions between law enforcement and specifically communities of color and those that find themselves in poverty,” Bible said in a statement to KOMO News. He also touched on the challenging power dynamics at play, stating, “There’s a question as to how much power minorities and people with little means have in our system, which makes lasting change difficult. But I think we are on our way.”
Expressing a sentiment of deep loss and the enduring impact of the event, Marcia Cartepatterson, Manny’s mother, alongside her children, acknowledged the settlement during a public response. Speaking five years after her son's death, they conveyed it as an acknowledgment that the city and the county should’ve done better than they did.
