Comedians settle lawsuit over ‘demoralizing’ search program at US airport

Comedians settle lawsuit over ‘demoralizing’ search program at US airport Both men said officers at the airport singled them out because they were Black and grilled them about drugs while other passengers watched during separate stops about six months apart - Bookmark Comedians Eric André and Clayton English have reached a settlement in a lawsuit challenging an airport law enforcement initiative in Atlanta, which they stated used racial profiling and coercive searches as travelers, particularly Black passengers, prepared to board their flights. Originally submitted in October 2022, the claim alleged that both men were unlawfully stopped and racially profiled by Clayton County officers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Legal representatives for the pair announced the resolution on Tuesday. While the agreement contains no admission of fault or liability, county authorities have permanently shut down the program and have no intention of reviving it. Both comedians said that officers singled them out because they were Black and questioned them about drugs in full view of other passengers during separate encounters six months apart. Following the initial court filing, André described the experience as "dehumanizing and demoralizing." Intended to combat drug trafficking, the operation rarely yielded illegal substances or resulted in prosecution, according to the lawsuit, which claimed confiscated funds instead provided a lucrative financial windfall for the police department. "It’s a major victory that Clayton County has confirmed that it has ended this program and is now taking steps to prevent this type of abuse from happening in the future," André said in a press release. "What happened to me was wrong, and I wasn’t willing to let it happen to other people," English said in the release. A county spokesperson did not immediately respond on Tuesday to a request for comment concerning the settlement agreement. According to minutes from an August 4 meeting, the county Board of Commissioners authorized a $30,000 settlement payment, with the sum split equally between the two performers. The county also agreed to require police officers assigned to the airport to wear body-worn cameras and undergo training regarding constitutional limits on police encounters in airport settings. Police records cited in the suit revealed that officers made 402 jet bridge stops between 30 August 2020 and 30 April 2021, with race documented in 378 instances. Among those recorded, 211 travelers—or 56 percent—were Black, while people of color accounted for 258 of the total stops, or 68 percent, the lawsuit stated. Those 402 stops led to just three reported drug seizures: around 10 grams of drugs from one passenger, 26 grams of "suspected THC gummies" from another, and six prescription pills without a prescription from a third, the lawsuit stated. Only the first and third individuals were charged. Furthermore, those 402 stops yielded over $1m in cash and money orders from a total of 25 passengers. All but one were allowed to continue traveling, and only two—those also found with drugs—were charged, according to the lawsuit. Eight of the 25 challenged the confiscations, leading Clayton County police to settle every case and return most of the funds.