A phone number for Smyly could not be located Thursday. Atkinsons behavior reportedly led Smyly to radio for backup because the resident was being uncooperative and unwilling to put down a blunt object, a police statement obtained by ABC News said. "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. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. The city on Thursday announced the settlement but did not include the terms in a news release. 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. endstream endobj startxref The exchange between Officer Smyly and Mr. Atkinson does not represent the professionalism of the Boulder Police Department nor the community Boulder desires to be, City Attorney Tom Carr said in a statement to the newspaper. On the video, Atkinson responds by shouting: Thats a gun! 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 . City council is set to approve the payout during a special Monday night meeting, the only non . Carr said the resignation agreement allowed the city to provide the community information more quickly, and it transitioned Officer Smyly out of a law enforcement career. The citys bargaining agreement with police officers requires an appeal for any disciplinary action and could have allowed Smyly to return to duty, he added. After Atkinson said he did, Smyly asked for identification with the address on it. Based on the investigation, the Boulder Police Department will start additional training on de-escalation efforts for officers. The settlement allowed the city to provide the community information more quickly, and it transitioned Officer Smyly out of a law enforcement career, he said. Atkinsons attorney, meanwhile, said he was upset that Smyly is allowed to stay on the citys payroll for more than eight months. More officers -- 8 in total -- eventually arrived, some with guns drawn. The city said that an investigation did not find evidence of racial profiling. One officer drew his handgun when he arrived but reholstered it in less than a minute, while Smyly had his gun out until Atkinson put the trash-grabbing tool down, according to the summary. The city added that When Zayde Atkinson refuses, Smyly threatens to . Boulder, CO 80309-0459, University of Colorado Boulder Regents of the University of Colorado Atkinson refused then picked up the bucket and tool and walked away. John Smiley was a Pitcher. "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. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. Published: May. He tries to make his victim sit like a dog, for no reason other than to assert dominance over him. Authorities have completed the investigation into a Boulder police officer who tried to detain a black man cleaning trash around his home, and the police department has released all related body camera footage and reports. Youre gonna shoot a resident on his property for picking up trash?, Smyly drew his gun when the two men reached the back of the building, an investigative summary said. Under the agreement, Smyly resigned . In this undated photo provided by lawyer Siddhartha Rathod, Zayd Atkinson poses for a photo. John Smyly resigned from the BPD after pointing a gun at Black Naropa student Zayd Atkinson, and he was just hired by Boulder County Sheriff. Thats what youre gonna do officer? John Smyly questioned and followed Naropa University student Zayd . 411 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[]/Index[400 19]/Info 399 0 R/Length 74/Prev 280568/Root 401 0 R/Size 419/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream 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. Smyly is a 14-year department veteran was found in violation of two department policies. Under the agreement, Smyly resigned his police role on May 9 but will remain an employee through February without performing any work. 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 drew his Taser and followed Atkinson to the back of the building, repeatedly telling him to sit down on the ground and put the weapon down, referring to the trash tool. Officer John Smyly. 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. Im not tryi. Though National Geographic may have named Boulder the happiest city in America in 2017, that description is more true for some residents than others, the filmmakers argue. 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. We would immediately lose our jobs.. John Smyly, a former Boulder Colorado Police officer detains a man, Zayde Atkinson with no RAS. 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. Boulder Police Officer John Smyly was one of several cops who confronted student Zayd Atkinson as he gathered garbage in his yard on March 1. I found this video of John Smyly, whom I met personally in Japan in 2003 and dont think hes a racist, reason why I decided to make this video. All Rights Reserved. Friday, March 13, 2020 (Updated Monday, March 16) 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. 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. In a documentary filmmaking class during her junior year at CU, Katrina Miller (Jour07) made a short movie about her friend, a Black student whod received a racially charged letter threatening her to step down from her post as student body president. If you or I were to do this, we would be criminally charged. October 1, 2020. Police body camera footage released Thursday provided a full video account of . KQ)csp W,M=--I3&\(4lPb&[ "The city of Boulder is paying this officer nearly $80,000 [71,500] for violating the constitutional rights of Zayd," he said. That footage only showed Zayd Atkinson holding a bucket and a tool for picking up trash as police officers surrounded him outside the dormitory for students at Naropa University, a liberal arts school associated with Buddhism. 2 Followers, 0 Following, 1 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from John Smyly (@reformed_cop) 0 After about eight minutes, more Boulder police officers arrive and form a loose half circle around Atkinson. D.L. And then you make it beautiful, you hope, so that lots of people are moved by it and want to engage with it. In a statement released on Thursday, The city of Boulder announced that an investigation found that Smyly violated two police department policies: City officials said the investigation could not prove that the officer, John Smyly, acted because of Zayd Atkinsons race. I have practiced law for over 28 years, 14 of those years as a federal prosecutor and . The officer, John Smyly, resigned with a severance package, as the City Council and community members were troubled by the incident. View the profiles of people named John Smyly. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Colorado police confront man picking up trash on his lawn. When he refuses to ID the way the cop wants him to, John Smyly escalates the situation. We do urge caution as this video could trigger some. A Colorado police officer who detained a black man picking up trash in his yard is resigning after being found in violation of department policies. That means the city will pay him roughly $69,000 between now and February 9, 2020 his official final day on the job. A white police officer who pulled out his gun during a heated confrontation with a black college student picking up trash outside his Colorado dorm is resigning and will continue to collect his paycheck for the next eight months, city officials said. We would immediately lose our jobs.. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. Put that down, Smyly said on the tape. 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. "That means you can do whatever you want and break the law and get away with it.". (Siddhartha Rathod via AP) 1 of 2. hb```*f Smyly later said he believed his stun gun would be ineffective in subduing Atkinson because of the heavy coat he was wearing at the time, according to the report. Im picking up trash and youre holding a gun!After about eight minutes, more Boulder police officers arrive and form a loose half circle around Atkinson.One officer can be seen holding a rifle; the investigative summary says the weapon fires bean bags. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, How 10% of Nigerian registered voters delivered victory, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip. 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. The Associated Press reports he will earn benefits and a salary during this time and will be compensated for any unused holiday he accrues. He said he has had trouble sleeping since and spends time outdoors or with friends to calm him. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Atkinson was picking up trash outside his dormitory when a white police officer in Boulder, Colo., detained him in March, 2019. What Smyly did should have incurred harsher charges but here we are. endstream endobj 401 0 obj <. Investigators found Smyly violated two department policies: police authority and public trust and conduct, the city attorney said. Smyly attempted to detain Atkinson, a student at Naropa University in Boulder, asking him to prove he lived on the property. The officer, John Smyly, resigned this week under an agreement with . Atkinson, who was holding a trash picker at the time, then told Smyly that he both lived and worked there before giving the officer his ID card. Boulder officials conducted an investigation of the March incident of officer John Smyly confronting Zayd Atkinson outside his home. Film is the tool you can use to help other people say what they need to say, said Strong. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Boulder Police Department's investigation found Mr Smyly had violated the department's rules on police authority, public trust and conduct. Atkinson said he did, and Smyly asked for identification with the address on it. These four House Republicans broke with the GOP to oppose inflation estimates McCarthy, GOP pump brakes on release of Jan. 6 footage to Tucker Carlson. Despite the documentarys bleak outlook, the filmmakers remain optimistic, due in large part to the positive reception of the film so far. This is a bucket. We still have people who really believe that Boulder is just this perfect town, who believe that what happened to Zayd was an isolated incident, so I want to reach every single resident somehow, some way, Miller said. The officer, John Smyly, resigned this week under an agreement with city officials who found he had violated department policies. Atkinson provided his school ID, which did not have an address and then offered to let himself into the building as proof. 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. Atkinson repeats he's provided his identification but Smyly wants more proof. WEST POINT, N.Y. Army head coach Jeff Monken is giving a history lesson. His first big break in journalism came with the now-defunct Politically Black in 1999, the nation's first Black political news portal. PUBLISHED: May 16, 2019 at 9:28 a.m. | UPDATED: May 16, 2019 at 11:48 a.m. When demonstrators took to the streets to show support for Atkinson and protest racism, the filmmakers grabbed their cameras and got to work. Police body camera footage released . Learn more about John S.'s . Judge says Starbucks committed egregious and widespread labor violations Zero-calorie sweetener popular in keto diets linked to strokes, heart attacks, Trumps polling strength causes heartburn for Senate GOP, Senate group wades into tough talks on Social Security, China, Belarus call for cease-fire, negotiations in Ukraine. A police officer in Colorado has resigned after confronting a black student picking up rubbish outside his shared accommodation. Facebook gives people the power to share. Advertisement. D.L. Boulder PD releases body camera footage, reports. John Smyly questioned and followed Naropa University student Zayd Atkinson near his home in Boulder. The student's lawyer, Siddhartha Rathod, told local newspaper the Denver Post that he was disappointed Mr Smyly had not been fired and would still be paid. Mr Smyly called for backup because Mr Atkinson was "unwilling to put down a blunt object". (Facebook . The independent review, conducted by former U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, Bob Troyer, will soon be released by the city. 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. But the movie goes much deeper than this moment, exploring how Boulders earliest history made it nearly impossible for people of color to succeed in the idyllic city in the shadow of the Flatirons. John Smyly questioned and followed Naropa University student Zayd . 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