Boulder, CO Police Offer Settlement to Zayd Atkinson
Zayd Atkinson
The City of Boulder, CO and Zayd Atkinson, a black Naropa
college student has agreed to settle any civil claims regarding an incident
involving the Boulder Police Department. The settlement has been reported to be a sum of $125,000. In a viral video, Atkinson was
confronted by a police officer while he was picking up trash outside of his apartment
building. The incident resulted in Atkinson being swarmed by at least 8 police
officers after the officer escalated the incident to dispatch.
The Incident
On March 1st, 2019, Officer John Smyly was
conducting patrols when he saw Atkinson seated on a bench of the building that
said “private property.” Smyly approaches Atkinson as he sits on the bench to
ask if he resides in the building. 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 to the building. Officer Smyly did
not want to abide by Atkinson’s request and demanded to see Atkinson’s I.D.
with his date of birth and address. Atkinson handed over his student I.D. as it was his only identification i his possesion. The Student I.D. did not suffice to Officer Smyly.
Atkinson began picking up trash with a metal trash grabber as Smyly kept up the
confrontation. Officer Smyly than called for backup and stated that Atkinson
had a “blunt metal object in his hand.” According to the report, Atkinson
“raised his voice” and Smyly “felt threatened by the trash grabber” and drew
his stun gun and then drew his handgun. Officers were able to talk to Atkinson
and a Naropa employee who responded to the scene and confirmed Atkinson was a
student and lived in the building.
The Aftermath
Officer Smyly resigned prior to the conclusion of the
disciplinary process, but as part of a settlement with the city he remained
under city employment until February, 2020, while he used his holiday, sick and
administrative leave. The result of the disciplinary process found Officer
Smyly to be guilty of breaking at least two department policies. In a joint
statement between Atkinson's attorney and the city, the city acknowledged Atkinson “should not have been stopped,” and
that “the proper protocol would have been for the officer to walk away after
Mr. Atkinson produced his student identification card and explained what he was
doing.”
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