12/01/2022
Two Comedians Sue Over Racism, Uncover Ugly Facts About Policing
These plaintiffs are exposing the racism we face when we travel
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"Demoralizing, dehumanizing, racist and traumatic." That's how comedian Eric André described being stopped and questioned by police at an Atlanta airport in 2021. Fellow comedian Clayton English experienced the same jet bridge harassment in 2020. Now the two of them are doing something about it. They filed a federal lawsuit against Clayton county police. André and English's case reveals that 56% of passengers searched by Clayton police are Black - and the search program has only found drugs 3 out of 402 times. Not to mention the police are known for legalized theft. They seized over $1 million and rarely returned the money, even if passengers weren't caught with drugs. This lawsuit exposes a blatant systemic violation happening to the broader public. André asked, "If Black people don't speak up for each other, who will?"
