Police at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport have been accused of excessive racial profiling. It is an epidemic several notable Black celebrities, including Tyler Perry, are saying has to end.
There are several occasions that prove racial profiling is still rampant. Two happened at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and involved two comedians, Eric André, and Clayton English.
The pair filed a lawsuit that named the Clayton County Police Department as a defendant in October 2022. It happened to the two comedians but at different times.
Perry wrote an op-ed for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on June 6 discussing the subject. He stated that what happened to the comedians is proof of the “association of their race and potential criminality.”
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Perry claimed that what transpired between André, English, and the cops who challenged them is nothing new. But neither is the attempt of law enforcement agencies to hide the truth about it.
According to him, every time it happens, every Black person is reminded of how the government sees them. He claimed it is proof that Black people are considered “less worthy of respect and constitutional protection” than their white counterparts.
Perry said it is even worse when the police single out people of color, bringing them face to face with the potential horrors of “what can and all too often does go wrong” when cops and black people interact.
Eric André and Clayton English say that cops harassed them on jet bridges as they boarded their flights. André’s experience happened in 2021, while English’s came six months before in 2020.
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André tweeted about the experience, revealing the two cops who challenged him asked for a “random” search for drugs. He reportedly declined and warned his followers always to exercise caution while traveling.
English’s experience was similar to André’s, leaving him feeling “completely powerless, violated, and cornered.” According to him, the passengers who saw what happened kept “gawking” at him throughout the journey. Their stares made him worry he would be in cuffs upon landing.
53 people will be watching the outcome of the case, which the court of appeals will handle. Some of those names include actors Sterling K. Brown, Jamie Foxx, Taraji P. Henson, Jodie Turner-Smith, and director Antoine Fuqua.
They all have a vested interest in protecting their right to move around without experiencing racial discrimination. Perry pointed out the likelihood of such encounters increasing in his piece now that Atlanta has become the “Black Hollywood.”
He wrote that when it occurs unchecked, racial discrimination becomes a threat to growth as it discourages creative and other industry professionals from wanting to work in or travel to and from Atlanta.
Already, statistics based on the issue show that 56 percent of passengers challenged at the city’s airport are Black, while only 8 percent are white. According to Perry, cops may also deem it necessary to question passengers who carry cash.
The law supports confiscating money during such a search. They call it civil asset forfeiture, and the cash goes to the department’s coffers. About $1 million went into those coffers during André and English’s encounters with the cops.
Perry reminded everyone that racial discrimination is an affront to the dignity of Black people and a shadow of a history America needs to leave behind. He wrote: “This must stop.”
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He hopes civic leaders can end the tyranny. But if they fail, the judiciary will have to step in to right the wrong of racial discrimination by law enforcement.
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