$30 Million in Claims Filed in Easter Melee

Nearly $30 million in claims has been filed against the city by people who contend they were manhandled by police during an Easter week made riotous by vacationing students.

The city declared a state of emergency and called in 150 police officers from other Southern California jurisdictions to quiet the disturbance during the last week in March. All downtown streets were cleared and 105 people were arrested. No one was seriously injured.

The 16 claims filed against the city and its police department during the last month range from $369 to $10 million and allege injuries from violation of constitutional rights to assault and battery and bites by police dogs.

Deadline Near

Palm Springs Risk Manager Wendy Hamilton said the deadline for filing claims resulting from the clash is July 7. The city has agreed to pay two of the 16 claims, both for property damage of less than $600, she said.

Most of the remaining claims have been rejected, clearing the way for the claimants to file civil lawsuits, Hamilton said. But she said the city may still offer to settle some or all of those rejected claims after it investigates the circumstances of each one.

The conflict began when students, who traditionally pour into the desert resort for their Easter holiday, blocked streets downtown and harassed occupants of passing vehicles.