Eric Andre & his co-plaintiff Clayton English allege they were racially profiled and illegally stopped at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Lawyers for the two men filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Atlanta alleging that they were racially profiled and illegally stopped by Clayton County police at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.The two men, well-known comedians and actors, say officers singled them out during separate stops roughly six months apart because they are Black and grilled them about drugs as other passengers watched.
Clayton County police officers and investigators from the county district attorney’s office selectively stop passengers in the narrow jet bridges used to access planes, the lawsuit says. The officers take the passengers’ boarding passes and identification and interrogate them, sometimes searching their bags, before they board their flights, the lawyers say in the lawsuit.
Police records show that from Aug. 30, 2020, to April 30, 2021, there were 402 jet bridge stops, and the passenger’s race was listed for 378 of those stops. Of those 378 passengers, 211, or 56%, were Black, and people of color accounted for 258 total stops, or 68%, the lawsuit says. Carrying large quantities of cash doesn’t mean someone is involved in illegal drug activity, the lawyers argue in the lawsuit, noting that people of color are less likely to have bank accounts and are more likely to carry large sums when they travel.
“I felt completely powerless. I felt violated. I felt cornered,” English said at a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Atlanta. “I felt like I had to comply if I wanted everything to go smoothly.” right after it happened. Clayton County police said at the time that it was “consensual.” “I have the resources to bring national attention and international attention to this incident. It’s not an isolated incident,” he said. “If Black people don’t speak up for each other, who will?”
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Eric André, Clayton English Sue Over Drug Search Program at Atlanta AirportThe two men, well known comedians and actors, say officers singled them out during separate stops roughly six months apart because they are Black and grilled them about drugs as other passengers watched.
Read more »
Comedians sue over drug search program at Atlanta airportLawyers for Eric André and Clayton English filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court alleging that they were racially profiled and illegally stopped by Clayton County police at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Read more »
Former Los Angeles Angels employee Eric Kay convicted in Tyler Skaggs' overdose deathEric Kay was convicted one count each of drug distribution resulting in death and drug conspiracy.
Read more »
Pro-Russia hacking group targets US airportsKillnet, a hacking group, listed 14 websites, including LAX and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, among the U.S. airports that it was targeting, according to reports.
Read more »
Ex-Angels Employee Sentenced to 22 Years in Tyler Skaggs’s DeathA federal judge sentenced former Angels communications director Eric Kay for his role in the death of former Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs on Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas
Read more »