Black woman’s tooth was knocked out by a Chicago cop. One day after her $280,000 victory, she was hit with death threats
A victory can close a case without closing what came with it
Getting compensation after being hurt by a police officer can bring some measure of accountability, but it cannot erase what happened. And for one Chicago woman, reaching the end of a years-long fight only brought a new reason to worry about her safety.
Being hurt during an encounter with law enforcement was only the beginning for Miracle Boyd. According to Atlanta Black Star, Chicago approved a $280,000 settlement over an encounter that left her missing a tooth. But the money wasn’t the last development she would have to deal with.
Just one day after the settlement was approved, something addressed to Boyd arrived at the social justice organization where she works. It came without a name or return address, and what was written inside turned a legal victory into a frightening new chapter.
What came after the $280,000 settlement?
Boyd was 18 when she attended a protest at Chicago’s Grant Park in July 2020. Demonstrators had gathered near a Christopher Columbus statue, with some attempting to bring it down as tensions with police escalated. Boyd began filming after seeing an officer making an arrest.
While Boyd was recording, Chicago police officer Nicholas Jovanovich swung his arm and knocked the phone from her hand. The phone struck Boyd in the face hard enough to knock out one of her front teeth, and the encounter was captured on video.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability later concluded that Jovanovich used excessive force. The agency also determined that he tried to stop Boyd from recording police and made false, misleading, or incomplete statements about the encounter. Jovanovich resigned from the Chicago Police Department in 2022 after the agency recommended his firing.
Boyd reported nerve damage and ongoing pain even after reconstructive dental surgery. She pursued legal action against the officers involved, and nearly five years after the incident, the case moved toward a settlement.
On March 10, 2025, the City Council’s Finance Committee voted 22-7 in favor of paying Boyd $280,000. Two days later, the full Chicago City Council approved the settlement 34-15, resolving the lawsuit over the Grant Park encounter.
The following day, GoodKids MadCity, the social justice organization where Boyd works, received a typed letter addressed to her. It threatened that Boyd deserved to be “knocked unconscious” and “hanged from a tree.” The anonymous writer also claimed she “got what she deserved,” referring to the 2020 police encounter.
The letter also contained racist slurs and profanity directed at Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and mentioned Boyd’s partner. With no sender’s name or return address, the identity of whoever wrote it remained unknown.
Boyd described the language as talking about “modern-day lynching.” She questioned why the writer had mentioned her partner and the mayor, arguing that the situation had grown beyond what happened between her and the officer.
The timing also carried an important detail. Although the letter arrived after the settlement was approved, its postmark showed USPS received it in Carol Stream, Illinois, on March 11—one day before the final City Council vote. That makes it unclear what prompted the sender to write it.
GoodKids MadCity had also dealt with racist harassment before. Executive Director Carlil Pittman reported that the organization received roughly 10 calls from anonymous racist callers over the previous year. For Boyd, receiving an anonymous racist message came at an especially vulnerable time.
Boyd was pregnant with her first child, a daughter she expected in May. While concerned about her safety and what the threat could mean as she prepared to become a mother, she maintained that she would not be intimidated.
“I’m not letting it get to me because I’m strong and brave,” Boyd said. She added that although it felt like her safety was on the line, she still had “a whole community of folks” ready to support her and her first child.
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