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A group of protesters who sued Humboldt County, California Law Enforcement officials have been awarded $750,000 this past Saturday. The lawsuit stemmed from an incident in 1997 when several protesters had “chained” themselves together and refused to leave the properties at two sites: Rep. Frank Riggs'' Eureka office, and the Scotia offices of the Pacific Lumber Co.

During those incidents, the group was protesting nonviolently and had locked themselves together using complicated armbands that were made with steel. The police were videotaped in the incident wiping swabs of pepper spray directly on the eyes of the protestors who began to scream in pain.

The protests surrounded the logging industry in the redwood areas of Northern California. Pacific Lumber and then Representative Frank Riggs were seen as acting together in ramping up the number of old-growth redwood trees that they were logging. Some redwood trees can live over hundreds of years old, but many of the older generation of trees have disappeared due to over-logging in the Pacific Northwest.

As part of the suit, the protestors accused the officers of using excessive force by wiping their eyes with the substance. The lawsuit showed that the officers did have alternative means at their disposal, including cutting saws that wouldn''t have cut the protestors themselves.

The lawsuit''s end comes as a relief to many, especially because it took so long to try. The case was tried several times without any outcome over the past eight years. The award was significant, however, and many are hopeful that it will change illegal police practices in California and around the country.