Comedians Eric André and Clayton English are suing a police program at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Lawyers for the pair took legal action on Tuesday in federal court, accusing Clayton County police of illegally stopping and racially profiling the men.
André and English claim that their constitutional rights as airline passengers were violated through intimidating searches right before they were going to board their flights. They also said officers chose them during different stops six months apart because they are Black.
The comedians stated they were interrogated about drugs as fellow passengers watched. André opened up about the experience in a recent interview. “People were gawking at me, and I looked suspicious when I had done nothing wrong.”
He also called the process “dehumanizing and demoralizing.” The program says their goal is to combat drug trafficking. However, the lawsuit insists that drugs are hardly ever found, usually no one is charged and the cash they seize is kept by the police department.
Though police say the encounters are “consensual” and “random,” their tactics “rely on coercion, and targets are selected disproportionately based on their race,” the legal team for Eric André and Clayton English argue.
From August 2020 to April 2021, police documents show there were 402 jet bridge stops. The races were listed for 378 of those stops, with 211 (56%) of them being Black. People of color made up 258 (68%) in total, the lawsuit stated.
In addition, the 402 stops resulted in just three reported drug seizures with two of the people being charged. The stops yielded more than $1 million in cash and money orders from 25 passengers.
A total of 8 people challenged the seizures, with Clayton County police settling the cases and returning most of the money, the lawsuit states.