A settlement was officially reached this morning between the Cumberland County district attorney and the 17 protestors who were arrested during a Black Lives Matter protest in Portland, Maine, in July 2016.

Attorney Stacey Neumann of Murray Plumb & Murray, represented one of the protestors pro bono.

As part of the settlement, the 17 protestors will sit down with Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck and the Portland Police Department as part of a restorative justice program to share in dialogue – which is a positive resolution for the entire community and precisely the type of dialogue the protestors were hoping for.  All criminal charges were dropped.

The restorative justice dialogue will take place on Wednesday, February 1, 2017, at First Parish Church, with a session in the morning and a session in the afternoon. Fred Van Leiw of the Portland Center of Restorative Justice will facilitate the dialogue between the 17 protestors and the Portland Police Department.

In addition to participating in the restorative justice dialogue, the 17 prosecutors were charged with a single violation of the city ordinance of disorderly civic conduct and will make a $140 donation to the Victim’s Compensation Fund, as well as pay $60 toward the cost of the restorative justice program.