Minneapolis Zombies Get Their Payday

In a recent ruling, the City of Minneapolis has decided to pay $165,000 to Zombies.

The payout was approved by the Minneapolis City Council after a Federal Lawsuit was filed by seven people who were arrested and jailed in 2006 for wandering the downtown shopping district dressed as zombies, in protest of “mindless” consumerism.

“Zombie Crawls” are gaining popularity not only in the U.S., but worldwide.  The following is an article about this zombified phenomenon: International Zombie Day

At the time of their 2006 arrest, the zombies were reportedly “walking in a lurching manner” and had in their possession what law enforcement called a possible “WMD”.  They were thrown in jail, and when it turned out that the weapon of mass destruction was actually just a radio (which was in one zombie’s backpack with only the antenna showing), they were kept in jail anyway.  The undead revelers  actually spent 2 nights behind bars.  They were never charged with a crime and ultimately released.

The Minneapolis Zombie Mug Shots

After the Federal case was initially dropped, the Court of Appeals resurrected the zombie case in February of this year, claiming that police lacked probable cause for the arrest and detainment of all seven members.

The $165,000 settlement was reached on Friday, August 20.  Because the case is settled, it will not go to trial.  In a statement to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, one of the zombies, Raphi Rechitsky, 27, of Minneapolis, said, “I feel great that the city is being held accountable for the actions of their police.”  Rechitsky is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the University of Minnesota.

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