TMZ.com
Comedian Clayton English is thanking Tyler Perry for putting a brighter spotlight on his racial profiling lawsuit … and says his run-in with airport cops has him thinking some Black cops absolutely discriminate against Black citizens.
The comedic actor filed suit against the Clayton County Police Department — along with fellow comedian Eric André— for separate incidents of alleged racial profiling they experienced at Atlanta’s Harstfield-Jackson Airport.
English says he was walking down the jet bridge to board a flight — having already gone through security and getting his ticket scanned — when officers stopped him and hit him with a barrage of questions.
Clayton says he remembers the incident so vividly because of the officers’ races — a tall Asian man and a short Black man … a situation English jokingly refers to as a “reverse ‘Rush Hour.'” Shout out to Jackie Chan and Chris Rock.
They asked to search his bag, and Clayton complied … and although he was not arrested, Clayton says the interaction left him completely confused.
Later, when he saw Eric posting about his own encounter, he reached out — and, they decided to do something about it — hence the lawsuit.
When asked if he found it surprising a Black officer profiled him in such a way, Clayton says he wasn’t — he suggested some cops are hardwired for prejudice, claiming they’re “more blue than Black.”
That said, Clayton doesn’t know if it was just racial profiling … adding he thinks the cops were really looking for rich travelers from whom they could seize cash in a civil asset forfeiture.
4/21/21BACKGRID
Tyler spoke out about the lawsuit in an op-ed Thursday … and, listen to the end of the clip to hear Clayton explain how the mogul got involved.
Bottom line … Clayton’s not at all surprised the cops didn’t stand up for him — and, he’s clearly determined to see this lawsuit through to the end.
