zayd atkinson officer name
zayd atkinson officer name
2701 Lawrence Street, Suite 100 (credit: CBS) Colorado police officer John Smyly who pulled his gun on Zayd Atkinson, a student at Naropa University picking up trash in front of his apartment building, has resigned. Based on the history of race relations and law enforcement in the United States, and the particular circumstances of the encounter, Mr. Atkinsons anger was justified. and our Although Zayd is a little-known and marginal figure in the standard account of the rise of Islam, he was originally a key figure in the Islamic foundation narrative, according to David S. Powers, professor of Near . During the 16-minute standoff, multiple officers politely and calmly asked Mr. Atkinson to drop the trash grabber and sit down so they could talk, the report read. Copyright 2023 KGO-TV. There are still liberal snowflakes trying to stir up indignation over the overblown drama of the Zayd Atkinson incident. Such is the case of Boulder, Colo., police officer John Smyly over his interaction with Zayd Atkinson on March 1st this year. An officer had drawn his gun as Atkinson picked up trash outside his dorm. Fax: 303-578-4401. The City of Boulder concluded the investigation into a March 1, 2019 incident involving an encounter between Zayd Atkinson and Boulder Police officers. According to city records included in Lawrences lawsuit, Lolotai used force on residents 81 times between January 2017 and June 2020, including using his firearm to gain compliance 38 times. The city of Boulder is offering a $125,000 settlement to Zayd Atkinson, the black Naropa student who was confronted by armed police officers last year while picking up trash outside his home. An attorney for Atkinson called the agreement with the city of Boulder "ridiculous." "Boulder is essentially saying we're going to pay this officer and let him resign for threatening Zayd's life . All Rights Reserved. Boulder police said there is no evidence Atkinson was racially profiled. Atkinison sued, and in March of 2020 he was awarded $125,000 in a settlement with the City of Boulder. The body camera videos, the police reports . "Mr. Atkinson and the . This settlement affords some measure of justice to Sammie Lawrence, said Dan Williams of Hutchinson Black and Cook, LLC, co-counsel for Cookie Notice Looking back on the incident, Atkinson says that when he saw the officer get out the stun gun, he thought 'Oh my gosh, he's going to shoot me.". Zayd Atkinson, a student at Naropa University in Boulder, . The incident began on March 1 when Boulder Police officer John Smyly approached Zayd Atkinson as he cleaned up trash outside his townhouse complex. The (Professional Standards Unit) investigation resulted in a complete, thorough, impartial report package, the independent report reads. Click here to sign up for a weekly newsletter, from Boulder Beat. The film centers on a recent incident that made headlines around the world: In March 2019, Boulder police officer John Smyly confronted and, ultimately, pointed his gun at Zayd Atkinson, a Black man and a student at Naropa University who was picking up trash outside of his dorm as part of his work-study job. "Boulder is essentially saying we're going to pay this officer and let him resign for threatening Zayd's life, for racially profiling Zayd," said Atkinson's attorney, Siddhartha Rathod. Here are some ways you can help. The city added that Smyly resigned . I asked Atkinson if he had anything with his address listed on it. Boulder and Zayd Atkinson, a black Naropa student who was confronted by a police officer while picking up trash outside his apartment, have agreed to settle any civil claims involving the incident. In this undated photo provided by lawyer Siddhartha Rathod, Zayd Atkinson poses for a photo. At one point, Atkinson said he turned his back and walked around to the back of the building as the officer followed him with a Taser in his hand, he said. When Smyly asked for more information, Atkinson refused and walked away. "Officers ultimately determined that the man had a legal right to be on the property and returned the mans school identification card," the department said in a statement last month. Boulder Police Department. Zayd Atkinson, 26, told ABC News he's still fighting to overcome the "traumatic experience" of being racially profiled by Colorado police officers. Hundreds of people marched Sunday to the Boulder Police Department, passing near the site where an officer detained 26-year-old Zayd Atkinson on March 1. We should know where he is and if he's allowed to work as a cop or in a field that requires public trust. After other officers arrived Atkinson berated them for many minutes for their response to a non-situation. Lawrence, in a prepared statements. Officer Smyly, an Anglo male, decided to question why Zayd Atkinson was there. * The officers arrived and later left after they determined Atkinson had the right to be there. But with the question about which specific unit he lived in, Mr. Atkinson paused, looked around, and began to become exasperated.. The officer decided to self-initiate contact with Mr. Atkinson, According to the incident summary, the reason Smyly decided to monitor the student is that he saw Mr. Atkinson manipulating an unknown object in his left hand as he held it close to his mouth, prompting him to drive closer to Mr. Atkinson to see what he was doing.. Smyly, a 14-year veteran of the department, resigned from active duty on May 16. Mr. Atkinson and the City are settling any potential claims arising from this interaction so that the parties may focus on the continued healing of both the community and Mr. Atkinson. ), Want more stories like this, delivered straight to your inbox? I felt obliged to set 'em straight:https://t.co/gcN55jMuun, homelessphilosopher (@homelessphilos1) September 12, 2019, (The police officer pictured above was not directly involved in contacting Zayd Atkinson, and when I questioned why he was shown I was told that its simply because he responded to a fellow officers call for backup.). Officers in the two cases resigned from Boulder Police Department. That's when the tense 22-minute stand-off ends. approval of past meeting minu, which historically does not receive discussion. It is city policy that settlements involving payments exceeding $10,000 require Council approval. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Boulder is set to issue a $125,000 settlement payment to Zayd Atkinson, the black Naropa University student who was confronted by a now-former city police officer last year while picking up trash outside his school housing unit. Zayd gave his name and confirmed that he lived at the location. The City of Boulder released a statement Thursday saying, "while the finding likely would have resulted in suspension or possibly termination, Officer Smyly resigned prior to the conclusion of the disciplinary process. Zayd Atkinson, the Naropa University student who was detained on his front doorstep . Following the incident, the City of Boulder promptly took steps to address the communitys concerns, including publicly apologizing to Mr. Atkinson, and holding a community listening session. They said they didn't find any evidence of racial profiling. Zayd Atkinson was among the more than 600 protesters in Boulder on Sunday who marched from . New video shows the heated encounter that went viral back in March -- a black man confronted by a Boulder police officer while picking up trash in his own yard. In their report, released today, the investigators backed the findings of the Boulder Police Department internal affairs investigation into Officer John Smyly and his interaction on March 1 with Naropa student Zayd Atkinson. Will Denver voters elect a mayor who will stop enabling homelessness. Box 21315 Boulder, CO 80301. Telephone: 303-578-4400 Boulder Beat. . A black man in Colorado said he hasn't slept well since he was traumatized by a group of white police officers who held him at gunpoint and detained him while he was picking up trash in front of his home. Mr. Atkinson should not have been stopped. Though the (Professional Standards Unit) only investigates about three Class 1 cases a year, those cases will be handled under much less stress, and the risk of error due to time pressure and workload will be reduced, if trained support staff is ready when needed.. The former Boulder police officer who resigned after pointing a gun at a Black Naropa student has agreed to leave his temporary civilian position with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office after complaints from the Boulder County NAACP chapter.. John Smyly was found in violation of department policies and resigned in May 2019 after an internal investigation into Smyly's encounter with Zayd . Body camera video of the incident that was released on Thursday shows Atkinson getting upset after the officer asked him what unit he lives in and asking him to provide identification that showed his address. Here, the PSU sergeant and command staff did not succumb to it.. Mr. Atkinson raised his voice and yelled., Smyly said he felt threatened by the trash grabber. He drew his Taser and later transitioned to his handgun, both weapons were pointed in a downward direction in front of the officer., The subject officer said that he did not believe that the Taser would be effective, because Mr. Atkinson was wearing a heavy coat, the summary states. Smyly resigned prior to the conclusion of the disciplinary process, but police indicated the process would have likely resulted in suspension or termination. The Boulder Police Department says the rules that were violated were conduct and violation of police authority and public trust. Atkinson was holding a bucket and a metal trash picker in front of his residence on March 1, when a Boulder police officer confronted him and asked him if he was permitted to be there. More officers -- 8 in total -- eventually arrived, some with guns drawn. City council is set to approve the payout during a special Monday night meeting, the only non-coronavirus item on the agenda. "Not only that you know I'm a black man, I have dreads. 0:24 - Zayd A. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News . The city of Boulder is offering a $125,000 settlement to Zayd Atkinson, the black Naropa student who was confronted by armed police officers last year while picking up trash outside his home. Atkinson was allegedly racially profiled by a Boulder Police officer for picking up trash on his own property. In a statement released on Thursday, The city of Boulder announced that an investigation found that Smyly violated two police department policies: The police department has also released all related body camera footage. Funny he changed his display name to John S., but didn't change the URL from his full name. During this period, the subject officer repeatedly asked Mr. Atkinson to stop and advised him that he was obstructing a police officer. "Give him his ID back and we're outta here," one of the officers is heard saying. He and his lawyer, Siddhartha Rathod, spoke to "Good Morning . . University of Colorado Boulder Officer Drew Matthews (image via department) Under the anonymity of the internet, a University of Colorado Boulder police officer trolled . The City of Boulder concluded the investigation into a March 1, 2019 incident involving an encounter between Zayd Atkinson and Boulder Police officers. Atkinson showed a Naropa ID but at one point refused to comply with the officer's orders anymore and began picking up trash once more. Printed By: RAABP1, 05/14/2019 12:19 Page 4 R_CS3NC REPORTING . First published on May 16, 2019 / 5:17 PM. The department issued a statement saying the "officer's decision to attempt to detain Mr. Atkinson was not supported by reasonable suspicion that Mr. Atkinson was committing, had committed, or was about to commit a crime, therefore he did not have authority to detain Mr. May 17, 2019, 6:17 AM PDT. This news doesnt write itself. When demonstrators took to the . FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) A Florida man left paralyzed when a police officer shot him after mistaking his handgun for his stun gun filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the city, the officer and . "This is an all-white community that has historically treated minority communities differently. He said he still hasn't received an apology, and the new report is just Boulder police's way of covering their backs. It was a frightening experience. The community member is being identified as he was previously publicly identified. Several officers responded, including a supervisor, according to the police department. He asked Smyly if he would fire the weapon if he didnt put the trash grabber down. While the report said Atkinson was justified in his confusion and frustration, it said at no point in the entire incident did anyone use racial language, slurs or innuendo.. I was having very strange dreams and couldn't really sleep," Atkinson said. He is originally from Hawaii and enjoys the beach, camping, golf, beer and writing third-person bios about himself that exaggerate how outdoorsy he is. Whether movers in Fort Collins are helping you Sam Lounsberry covers Longmont and the Carbon Valley. It has historically had problems with minority communities," Rathod said. They unanimously approved the payout Tuesday. The body camera videos, the police reports . "He's at home being paid for racially profiling Zayd for illegally stopping him and for threatening his life.". The officer eventually pulled out his gun and called for backup. 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