Now, 15 years later, Miller is once again using documentary film as a vehicle for social change. Such is the case of Boulder, Colo., police officer John Smyly over his interaction with Zayd Atkinson on March 1st this year. Smyly said he noticed Atkinson on the buildings rear patio and wanted to see if he lived or worked there. is a native Washingtonian and resides in the Greater Washington area. 2023 BBC. One officer can be seen holding a rifle; the investigative summary says the weapon fires bean bags. Put that down, Smyly said on the tape. Now, the creators are fielding requests to screen the film in Boulder and beyond; theyre also creating accompanying study guides to help people understand and discuss the themes depicted in the film. NAACP Boulder County Chapter: Dear President James and colleagues, Based upon your concerns over the hire of former Boulder Police Department Officer John Smyly in the computer support section of the sheriff's office, the hire was given another review. By Ben Kesslen. Im picking up trash, and youre holding a gun!. Cellphone footage shot by a neighbor showed Smyly holding his firearm amid the confrontation. Most young women are not. Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Smyly is a 14-year department veteran was found in violation of two department policies. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Chandler is a veteran of the Washington D.C. metro writing scene, working as a journalist, reporter, and culture critic. %PDF-1.6 % Smyly is resigning but will "exhaust" his paid leave. Atkinson was picking up trash outside his dormitory when a white police officer in Boulder, Colo., detained him in March, 2019. hbbd```b``>"gk`G`vd "Y rdle`bd`u$300 * My life right now is kind of restless, unsettled, he said. Atkinson repeatedly said he had not done anything wrong.Your hand is on your weapon and youre gonna shoot me, Atkinson shouted. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The report released with the video said Smyly had no authority to detain Atkinson or probable cause to charge him with any crime and should have left once Atkinson provided his name, address and his reason for being there. October 1, 2020. Investigators found Smyly violated two department policies: police . "I don't have a weapon. A white Colorado police officer who confronted a black man picking up trash around his dormitory resigned this week under an agreement that lets him collect $69,000 in salary despite violating department policies.Body camera footage released Thursday provided a full video account of the tense encounter, which gained national attention based on video shot by someone inside the building. In a settlement, Smyly lost his gig but still will collect $69,000 in salary and wont see a blemish on his work record. Lawmakers trounce Lobbyists in annual charity hockey game, These four House Republicans broke with the GOP to oppose inflation estimates bill, Biden mocks Rep. 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City officials said the investigation could not prove that the officer, John Smyly, acted because of Zayd Atkinson's race. Atkinson said he did, and Smyly asked for identification with the address on it. To make matters worse, Smyly gets to chill at home with pay until Feb. 9 of next year while Atkinson says hes been plagued with anxiety by way of the trauma of the exchange. They left after determining that Atkinson had a right to be on the property. Stop!. The officer, John Smyly, was identified Thursday as the 14-year department veteran seen in a 16-minute video posted to YouTube after confronting Zayd Atkinson outside a Naropa University dorm in . {mosads}While the finding likely would have resulted in suspension or possibly termination, Officer Smyly resigned prior to the conclusion of the disciplinary process, the statement said. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. window.addEventListener( 'loadOrInteraction', function() { The independent review, conducted by former U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, Bob Troyer, will soon be released by the city. Smyly said he noticed Atkinson on the rear patio and wanted to see if he lived or worked there. Join Facebook to connect with John Smyly and others you may know. . The city added that I thought that once the firearm was out that that meant that he was going to try to kill me, Atkinson said. He will receive commensurate pay and benefits during that period and a single, lump sum payment for any accrued and unused vacation time when his employment officially ends Feb. 9.A phone number for Smyly could not be located Thursday. Boulder Police Department's investigation found Mr Smyly had violated the department's rules on police authority, public trust and conduct. But none of those officers, including Smyly, pointed their weapons at Atkinson, the report found. One officer can be seen holding a rifle; the investigative summary says the weapon fires bean bags. ABC News noted that other officers arrived on the scene soon after. The report released with the video footage said Smyly had no authority to detain Atkinson or probable cause to charge him with any crime and should have left once Atkinson provided his name, address and his reason for being there. "The city of Boulder is paying this officer nearly $80,000 [71,500] for violating the constitutional rights of Zayd," he said. The Boulder police officer who confronted a black Naropa student picking up trash outside his residence in March was . Youre gonna shoot a resident on his property for picking up trash?An investigative summary said Smyly drew his gun when the two men reached the back of the building. The city offered to settle with Atkinson for $125,000. Under the agreement, Smyly resigned his police role on May 9 but will remain an employee through February without performing any work. Authorities also released body camera footage from officers at the scene. When he refuses to ID the way the cop wants him to, John Smyly escalates the situation. @O $6(|a*P`t@dLYYo&$ ()lTA johhUCWLe8*%BsS@35,\4'Jaqm>$BlvR6 Kazeem Oyeneyin answers the door at his home in Raleigh, N.C., on Aug. 17. Embattled NC sheriff resigns again before DA details accusations against him in court. "That just pisses me off that my tax money is going there to this guy to hang out for a year after breaking the law and breaching my rights," Atkinson said. !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? A phone number for Smyly could not be located Thursday. Video of the incident from Smyly's body camera shows him detaining . While we have no proof racial bias was a motivating factor, the internal affairs investigation resulted in sustained violations of police policies.. The officer "did not have authority to detain Mr Atkinson", the department wrote in their report. Smyly resigned on May 15, before the conclusion of the disciplinary process. And then you make it beautiful, you hope, so that lots of people are moved by it and want to engage with it. When Zayde Atkinson refuses, Smyly threatens to tase him. "Boulder is paying this officer nearly $80,000 in taxpayer money, giving him a year's paid vacation for what he did," Rathod said, adding that if any other citizen had done what Smyly did, they would be fired from their job and charged criminally. (Siddhartha Rathod via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Video shows Smyly approaching Atkinson in a partially enclosed patio area behind a private property sign, prompting the officer to ask if the man had a right to be there. Maybe he got a suspicious call or saw something but things escalated. Most young men are single. Im picking up trash and youre holding a gun!. Mr Smyly attempted to detain Mr Atkinson . 418 0 obj <>stream IE 11 is not supported. 0 Initially freelancing at iOne Digital in 2010, he officially joined the iOne team in 2017 where he currently works as a Senior Editor for Cassius Life and Hip-Hop Wired. Smyly asked for Atkinsons date of birth. Police body camera footage released Thursday provided a full video account of the tense encounter, which had gained national attention based on video shot by someone inside a student dormitory at Naropa University, a liberal arts school associated with Buddhism in the city of Boulder. This is a bucket! 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Thats what youre gonna do officer? /9YmNx7|:900w40e =:(xe:`L01[ J @45aG1V !@ %ISB&=@I!IB=@w30=s The Associated Press reports he will earn benefits and a salary during this time and will be compensated for any unused holiday he accrues. Atkinsons attorney, meanwhile, said he was upset that Smyly is allowed to stay on the citys payroll for more than eight months. He said Boulder either lacks the ability or will to root out racism from this police department. DENVER (AP) A white Colorado police officer who pulled out his gun during a confrontation with a black man picking up trash around his dormitory resigned this week under an agreement that lets him collect $69,000 in salary despite violating department policies. Smyly approached Atkinson on March 1 in front of the condo-style building, where he was using a metal tool with a claw at its base to put trash into a bucket, according to the new footage. Shortly before 8:30 a.m. on that day, Officer John Smyly spotted Atkinson sitting in a partially enclosed patio area directly behind a "Private Property" sign and spoke to him to find out if he . setTimeout( function() { Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. Smyly attempted to detain Atkinson, a student at Naropa University in Boulder, asking him to prove he lived on the property. Privacy Legal & Trademarks Campus Map. (Facebook . Millers video didnt make it out of the classroom (though her peers did give her a standing ovation), but Miller never forgot the pride and passion she felt drawing attention to injustice. The officer, John Smyly, resigned this week under an agreement with city officials who found he had violated department policies. Mr Smyly called for backup because Mr Atkinson was "unwilling to put down a blunt object". They hope that after viewing the film, people will feel motivated to take action or start down a path of self-education, however they feel compelled to whether thats by joining the Boulder County branch of the NAACP, reading books on white privilege, having difficult conversations about race and ethnicity or something else entirely. The body camera footage of Officer Smyly shows the exchange between go sour after Atkinson told him that he was a resident and offered to show him his access . The officer, John Smyly, resigned this week under an agreement with city officials who found he had violated department policies. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Atkinson, 26, said he believes Smyly should have been fired immediately. In a statement, City Attorney Tom Carr said firing the officer, John Smyly, would have led to a drawn-out appeal and potentially allowed him to keep his job. The Boulder City Council has also created a task force to study police oversight. The citizens of Boulder should be outraged that Boulder either doesnt have the ability or the will to fire this officer and root out discrimination from this police department., 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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Check out footage of the exchange between Smyly and Atkinson. City officials said the investigation could not prove that Smyly acted because of Atkinsons race. Since Live PD and Cops was cancelled, James Freeman does LIVE STREAMING COP WATCHES. hb```*f Carr said investigators found Smyly violated two department policies: police authority and public trust and conduct. We would immediately lose our jobs.. Read about our approach to external linking. More from The Latest Hip-Hop News, Music and Media | Hip-Hop Wired, Your email will be shared with hiphopwired.com and subject to its, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Loses Reelection Bid, Larsa Pippen Shares She Hung Out With Her Beaus Dad Michael Jordan, Dreamville & Daily Paper Launch Dream Daily Collection. PUBLISHED: May 16, 2019 at 9:28 a.m. | UPDATED: May 16, 2019 at 11:48 a.m. Stop!. Learn more about John S.'s . If you have information about the department Smyly is working for now, please email the information to realjamesfreeman@gmail.com, so I can publish it, warning potential new victims of his presence. How many strikeouts did John Smiley have? 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.async=true;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs'); "If you or I did what Officer Smyly did to Zayd Atkinson, not only would we be immediately fired, we would be criminally prosecuted. The police officer who pulled a gun on a man picking up trash outside his own home in Boulder, Colorado, has resigned, city officials said Thursday . May 17, 2019, 6:17 AM PDT. Its hard to believe now, but there was a time when there was no Google in Boulder. He did not mention the incident in his resignation letter.According to the new video footage, Smyly approached Atkinson on March 1 in front of the condo-style building, where he was using a metal tool with a claw at its base to put trash into a bucket. "If you or I were to do this, we would be criminally charged. John Smiley had 1,284 strikeouts over his career. @dlchandler123. Youre on my property with a gun in your hand, threatening to shoot me because Im picking up trash, the man said to the officer. By Breanna . City Attorney Tom Carr said firing Smyly would have led to a drawn-out appeal and potentially allowed him to keep his job. It was a frightening experience. 1202 University Avenue, 459 UCB DENVER (AP) A white Colorado police officer who pulled out his gun during a confrontation with a black man picking up trash around his dormitory resigned this week under an agreement that lets him collect $69,000 in salary despite violating department policies. Police body camera footage released Thursday provided a full video account of the tense encounter, which had gained national attention based on video shot by someone inside a student dormitory at Naropa University, a liberal arts school associated with Buddhism in the city of Boulder. What position did John Smiley play? Thats what youre gonna do, officer? Atkinson provided his school ID, which did not have an address and then offered to let himself into the building as proof. endstream endobj startxref This is a clamp!" The City of Boulder concluded the investigation into a March 1, 2019 incident involving an encounter between Zayd Atkinson and Boulder Police officers. John Smyly, a former Boulder Colorado Police officer detains a man, Zayde Atkinson with no RAS. Atkinson provided his school ID, which did not have an address and then offered to let himself into the building as proof.Smyly next asked for Atkinsons date of birth. "Boulder is essentially saying, 'We're going to pay this officer and let him resign for threatening Zayd's life, for racially profiling Zayd,'" Rathod told The Associated Press. A Colorado police officer, John Smyly resigned after an incident he had with a local resident where he approached this black man who was picking up trash around the residency he lived at. A video showing part of the scene went viral on the Internet, sparking outrage in the progressive Colorado city. That means the city will pay him roughly $69,000 between now and February 9, 2020 his official final day on the job. On March 1, 2019, back when few mainstream politicians used the term "systemic racism" while discussing law enforcement aimed at people of color, Boulder Police officer John Smyly starred in a . Under a settlement with the department, Mr Smyly will stay on the city payroll until February 2020. A white Colorado police officer who confronted a black man picking . We would immediately lose our jobs.. An independent review conducted by former U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado Bob Troyer will be released once its complete, which is expected to be next week. John Smyly questioned and followed Naropa University student Zayd Atkinson near his home in Boulder. Atkinson was picking up trash outside his dormitory when a white police officer in Boulder, Colo., detained him in March 2019. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, executive summary of the internal affairs investigation, body camera videos, police report and dispatch tapes, Activists call for citizen review board after Boulder officers detain black man. And others you May know and public trust and conduct in Boulder vehicle for social change to connect with Smyly... 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University in Boulder, asking him to, John Smyly, resigned this under., however, remain an employee through February without performing any work rights reserved police policies police role May. Boulder police department 's investigation found Mr Smyly had violated department policies: police authority, trust... Detain Mr Atkinson was `` unwilling to put down a blunt object '' is! Does Live STREAMING cop WATCHES for $ 125,000 however, remain an employee through February without any! 2019 / 5:17 PM / CBS Colorado, Mr Smyly will stay on the property weapon fires bean.. Prove he lived or worked there and Cops was cancelled, James Freeman does Live STREAMING cop....

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