Eric André, producer, host, and co-writer of The Eric Andre Show, was recently in Charlestown, South Carolina, filming a project. On April 21, he had to fly to Atlanta for a connecting flight back to Los Angeles since there was no direct flight.
André was racial profiled by two plain-clothes police officers while he was boarding a plane from Atlanta to Los Angeles.
Racial profiling is the phenomenon of law enforcement officers discriminating against criminal offenders based on their race, ethnicity, religion, and national origin. André talked about his experience on Jimmy Kimmel Live on April 22.
Eric André’s Story
While the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was inspecting his luggage and tickets at the Atlanta Airport, the 38-year-old said he had no issues. Two white police officers stopped him as he approached the jet bridge to board his plane.
@Atlanta_Police “I was just racially profiled by two plain clothes Atlanta PD police in @Delta terminal T3 at the Atlanta airport. They stopped me on the way down the bridge to the plane for a “random” search and asked they could search me for drugs. I told them no. Be careful.
— Eric Andre (@ericandre) April 21, 2021
They were dressed casually and asked André to step aside while displaying their badges. The comedian had a sinking feeling about what was about to happen because he was the only person of color in the business class. He said that the younger of the two cops began questioning him about his drug possession and whether he was bringing crystal meth to LA.
André’s luggage was subjected to a search by the younger officer. The comedian was aware of his rights and asked the older cop if he could refuse the warrant, which he did. He was then permitted to board the plane. The comedian realized what had happened during his flight and sent a series of tweets to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom, the Atlanta Police Department, and Delta Airlines.
André initially thought the two police officers were from the Atlanta Police Department, but Bottom and the Police Department themselves told him that they weren’t. According to the Atlanta Police Department, they never search travelers who show no signs of illegal activity.
André continued his hunt for the officers who had stopped him, admiring Atlanta PD’s work ethics. The cops were later identified as being from the Clayton County Police Department.
They issued a statement claiming that the search was voluntary and that André wanted to speak with them. They also implied that André volunteered for his luggage to be searched, which the investigators refuted.
This is sad and full of misinformation @KeishaBottoms please help me. @ClaytonCountyPD violated my rights pic.twitter.com/HSza58R7xQ
— Eric Andre (@ericandre) April 22, 2021
André told Jimmy Kimmel that Clayton County PD’s comment was a flat-out lie, and that all they had to do was apologize. He also asked why Delta Airlines, the Atlanta airport, and Clayton County would want a bad reputation.
André also revealed to Kimmel that his other mate, whom he did not mention, had gone through a similar ordeal. The comedian, however, did not say whether it was at the same airport or not.
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