Chicago woman wins $280,000 in settlement after cop knocked out her teeth. Then she starts getting death threats: ‘be hanged from a tree’
A year on, nothing has changed.
In 2025, Miracle Boyd was hit with a racist death threat calling for her to “be hanged from a tree” one day after Chicago approved a $280,000 settlement for the 2020 police assault that knocked out her front tooth. The typed letter, mailed to her organization’s West Englewood office, didn’t stop at threats, it also called Mayor Brandon Johnson the n-word and referenced a bizarre scene from the 1983 movie Trading Spaces to dehumanize him.
According to The Triibe, Boyd, who was seven months pregnant at the time of the threat, told reporters the timing felt like a political attack, especially since the FBI under Kash Patel had shifted focus toward investigating groups like Black Lives Matter instead of right-wing extremists. The settlement itself was contentious. The City Council approved it 34-15 on March 12, 2025, but not before Ald. Nicholas Sposato argued Boyd didn’t deserve the payout.
The officer involved, Nicholas Jovanovich, had already resigned in 2022, avoiding any real accountability. Boyd made it clear she never pushed for his arrest or pension loss, just compensation for the injuries she suffered while filming an arrest at a Grant Park protest. The phone Jovanovich allegedly swung into her face left her with lasting damage.
The death threat wasn’t even Boyd’s first brush with harassment
The Fraternal Order of Police had once called her a “spoiled little brat,” and a 2023 mayoral candidate, Paul Vallas, claimed that police deserved settlements more than protesters. It was also suggested that child protective services should intervene once Boyd’s daughter was born. GoodKids MadCity, the organization Boyd works with, has received about 10 racist calls since 2024, including one that Pittman suspects came from the same person who sent the letter.
The group had since tightened security, advising Boyd to avoid going out alone and to share her location with members. The threat to Boyd’s life remains relevant today as we see Chicago’s police misconduct payouts skyrocket. According to WTTW, in just the first four months of 2026, the city has already spent over $175.6 million on settlements – more than double the $82.5 million budgeted for the entire year.
Wrongful convictions alone account for over $106.5 million of that total, including a $9.5 million payout to Carl Reed, who spent 19 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Another $45 million went to 180 people wrongfully convicted due to fabricated evidence from disgraced former Sgt. Ronald Watts. Botched police pursuits added another $40.6 million to the bill, with insurance covering an additional $9 million.
Boyd’s case highlights the backlash that comes with demanding accountability
The city’s willingness to settle doesn’t always translate to justice, especially when officers like Jovanovich can resign without facing consequences. Meanwhile, activists like Boyd face threats that echo the violent rhetoric of decades past. Speaking out against police violence can make you a target.
The city’s settlement might cover Miracle Boyd’s medical bills, but it doesn’t erase the trauma caused by the assault or the impact of the threats that followed years after she got some justice with the settlement. As Chicago’s misconduct payouts climb, Boyd’s story is a reminder that the cost of police violence isn’t just financial. It’s measured in fear, in lost teeth, and in the chilling effect on those who dare to demand change.
The letter’s postmark from Carol Stream, a suburb about 30 miles from Chicago, suggests the sender wanted distance but not anonymity. The lack of a return address doesn’t hide the intent. Boyd had even specifically asked for the FBI to investigate, but with Patel’s focus on left-wing activism, her request wasn’t given the importance it warranted.
Since the whole incident, Boyd found solace and safety in leaning on her community. Asked for a response at the time, she had said, “I’m not letting it get to me because I’m strong and brave. I’m brave enough to know to make smart decisions, but it seems like my safety is on the line, and I’m about to bring a child into the world that people just are not going to accept. I still have a whole community of folks who will support me, my first child, and everything else that comes with it.”
A year on, and with more people protesting the policies of the Trump administration, her worries remain relevant. The question that lingers now is how many more activists will face this kind of backlash before the system finally stops treating them as the enemy?
(Featured image: Fibonacci Blue)
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