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Eric André Sues Atlanta Police Department For Alleged Racial Profiling
Eric André and Clayton English have sued Clayton County police for alleged racial profiling at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Comedians Eric André and Clayton English have sued Atlanta's Clayton County police department. On Wednesday (October 12), it was announced that the two have pursued legal action against the department for alleged racial profiling while both were boarding their flights at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport last year. The lawsuit names Clayton County, their police chief Kevin Roberts, four officers and a district attorney's office investigator.
At the time of the incident, which happened last April, André says he was stopped on a jet bridge by Clayton County police, prior to getting his ticket checked and going through TSA screenings. Both André and English claim that they were stopped by officers six months apart for coercive drug searches. Lawyers representing André and English claim that these drugs stops “rely on coercion, and targets are selected disproportionately based on their race," despite drugs seldom being found. Instead, cash is seized to financially benefit the department.
"I was the only person of color on the jet bridge," André said during a recent press conference. "They singled me out. They asked me if I was selling drugs, transporting drugs, what kind of drugs I have on me. It was clearly racial profiling. The experience was humiliating and dehumanizing, it was degrading."
\u201c'The experience was humiliating and dehumanizing' \u2014 Comedians Eric Andr\u00e9 and Clayton English filed a lawsuit Tuesday, alleging they were racially profiled and illegally stopped by Clayton County police at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport\u201d— NowThis (@NowThis) 1665545580
André adds that during the search, nearby passengers were "gawking" at him as if he were a "perpetrator."
During the incident last year, André urgently tweeted about being searched by Clayton County officers, even tagging Atlanta's former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
\u201cThey let me go. I\u2019m on the plane in the air. I\u2019m fine now but I want this reported. Please any Atlanta lawyer reach out to me. @KeishaBottoms #racialprofiling #jimcrowgeorgia terminal T3 Atlanta airport.\u201d— Eric Andre (@Eric Andre) 1619032009
\u201cAt that moment, I was the only POC on line. @KeishaBottoms I know this isn\u2019t the PD you want representing in your airports. #racism #racialprofiling #jimcrow #racistwarondrugs @delta\u201d— Eric Andre (@Eric Andre) 1619032359
\u201cHearing it might be @DEAHQ at gate T3 racially profiling passengers and not the @Atlanta_Police does anyone have answers? @Delta @POTUS @KeishaBottoms\u201d— Eric Andre (@Eric Andre) 1619037320
\u201cSo glad to hear Atlanta PD doesn\u2019t operate like this, but who was the agency that interrogated me and why does ATL allow an agency with those kinds of random search rules to operate in one of the busiest airports in the world? @DEAHQ @KeishaBottoms\u201d— Eric Andre (@Eric Andre) 1619041494
\u201cThis is sad and full of misinformation @KeishaBottoms please help me. @ClaytonCountyPD violated my rights\u201d— Eric Andre (@Eric Andre) 1619054522
\u201cI did NOT volunteer to a search and I did not volunteer to talk. You guys flashed your badge and detained me with no probable cause except for racism. This is JIM CROW RACISM @ClaytonCountyPD I DID NOT VOLUNTEER TO A SEARCH. YOU ARE HARASSING ME. THIS IS RACISM! @KeishaBottoms\u201d— Eric Andre (@Eric Andre) 1619055152
