document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. 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. 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. City officials said the investigation could not prove that the officer, John Smyly, acted because of Zayd Atkinsons race. John Smyly, a former Boulder Colorado Police officer detains a man, Zayde Atkinson with no RAS. Officer John Smyly. Smyly is a 14-year department veteran was found in violation of two department policies. Most young men are single. Smyly violated police authority and public trust and conduct, according to the review process that wouldve likely ended in his suspension or termination had he not already resigned from the department, police told the newspaper. The Boulder City Council has also created a task force to study police oversight. More officers -- 8 in total -- eventually arrived, some with guns drawn. And then you make it beautiful, you hope, so that lots of people are moved by it and want to engage with it. 418 0 obj <>stream The officer, John Smyly, resigned this week under an agreement with city officials who found he had violated department policies. 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. }, 2000 ) } ); John Smyly, a former police officer in the city of Boulder, Colo., will not face harsh penalties after he racially profiled, harassed, and threatened a Black man doing a good deed in his community. "I will not sit down, I refuse to sit down, until you guys put your (expletive) weapons away," Atkinson said. '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'); One of the officers involved in the latter scenario, John Smyly, resigned from the BPD earlier this month. 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 . Under the agreement, Smyly resigned his police role May 9 but will remain an employee through February without performing any work. If you or I were to do this, we would be criminally charged. He said Boulder either lacks the ability or will to root out racism from this police department. 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. It was a frightening experience. 0 My life right now is kind of restless, unsettled, he said. John Smyly, a former police officer in the city of Boulder, Colo., will not face harsh penalties after he racially profiled, harassed, and threatened a Black man doing a good deed in his community . Atkinsons attorney, meanwhile, said he was upset that Smyly is allowed to stay on the citys payroll for more than eight months. Recordings emerged of Greene referring to deputies in his department as "Black bastards" and "snakes.". 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. Join Facebook to connect with John Smyly and others you may know. 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. One officer can be seen holding a rifle; the investigative summary says the weapon fires bean bags. Boulder is essentially saying were going to pay this officer and let him resign for threatening Zayds life, for racially profiling Zayd, said Atkinsons attorney, Siddhartha Rathod. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Atkinson then started to walk away and continue picking up trash after Smyly asked for his address and date of birth, leading Smyly to radio for help. "If they don't have the ability to terminate racist officers, that's Boulder's problem not taxpayers' problem," Rathod said, pointing to new data that showed black and African-American people in Boulder were more than twice as likely to be arrested during a routine police stop than their white counterparts. Atkinson then raised his voice, causing the officer to become threatened by the trash grabber, according to the report. View the profiles of people named John Smyly. One officer can be seen holding a rifle; the investigative summary says the weapon fires bean bags. Atkinson was picking up trash outside his dormitory when a white police officer in Boulder, Colo., detained him in March, 2019. We would immediately lose our jobs.". Investigators found Smyly violated two department policies: police authority and public trust and conduct, the city attorney said. has worked in the past for MTV News, Billboard, and several other publications. Associated Press / May 17, 2019. During the incident the man gave officers his university ID and said repeatedly that he lived and worked at the shared occupancy building. "The city of Boulder is paying this officer nearly $80,000 [71,500] for violating the constitutional rights of Zayd," he said. A police internal affairs report said that Smylys choice to detain Atkinson was not supported by reasonable suspicion that Mr. Atkinson was committing, had committed, or was about to commit a crime.. 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 . We have concluded this hire was not helpful to our equity work, and I wish . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. A police officer in Colorado has resigned after confronting a black student picking up rubbish outside his shared accommodation. Drought, dry grass and gusting winds lead to wildfire. The officer, John Smyly, resigned this week under an agreement with city officials who found he had violated department policies. After about eight minutes, more Boulder police officers arrive and form a loose half circle around Atkinson. John Smiley had 1,284 strikeouts over his career. After Atkinson said he did, Smyly asked for identification with the address on it. John Smiley was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 12th round of the 1983 MLB June Amateur Draft from Perkiomen School (Pennsburg, PA). 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. A phone number for Smyly could not be located Thursday. The city said that an investigation did not find evidence of racial profiling. City officials said the investigation could not prove that the officer, John Smyly, acted because of Zayd Atkinson's race. 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. . Miller, along with Beret Strong (Engl83) and John Tweedy (Engl82), are sparking important conversations about race and inclusion with their film This Is [Not] Who We Are, which explores the disconnect between Boulder's self-proclaimed commitment to diversity and Black residents lived experiences. Im not tryi. When demonstrators took to the streets to show support for Atkinson and protest racism, the filmmakers grabbed their cameras and got to work. John Smyly was found in violation of department policies and resigned in May 2019 after an internal investigation into Smyly's encounter with Zayd Atkinson in Boulder on March 1, 2019. Supervised 25 different police officer trainees, evaluating job performance and developing training plans to encourage professional growth and improve deficiencies. TwoFeather. (Siddhartha Rathod via AP) 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. Follow @dlchandler123 Its hard to believe now, but there was a time when there was no Google in Boulder. Atkinson and BPD patrol officer John Smyly (and, subsequently, other responding officers) ("the Incident"). 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. The man he tried to bully and intimidate, Zayde Atkinson, NEVER gave in. Carr said investigators found Smyly violated two department policies: police authority and public trust and conduct. Colorado police confront man picking up trash on his lawn. Your hand is on your weapon and youre gonna shoot me, Atkinson shouted. 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. 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John Smyly was found in violation of department policies and resigned in May 2019 after an internal investigation into Smyly's encounter with Zayd Atkinson in Boulder on March 1, 2019. His first big break in journalism came with the now-defunct Politically Black in 1999, the nation's first Black political news portal. The Associated Press reports he will earn benefits and a salary during this time and will be compensated for any unused holiday he accrues. Under the agreement, Smyly resigned . The officer, John Smyly, resigned this week under an agreement with city officials who found he had violated department policies. 2 Followers, 0 Following, 1 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from John Smyly (@reformed_cop) 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. "I don't have a weapon. We do not know the motive of the officer on why he approached this black man. Atkinsons attorney, Siddhartha Rathod, said he thinks Smyly is getting off too easy. The investigation report said that while Mr Smyly had not used racial language during the incident and had "specifically" told them his actions were not based on Mr Atkinson's race, the student had disagreed. Boulder officials conducted an investigation of the March incident of officer John Smyly confronting Zayd Atkinson outside his home. 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. 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. Cellphone footage shot by a neighbor showed Smyly holding his firearm amid the confrontation. On March 1 st, 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. City officials said the investigation could not prove that Smyly acted because of Atkinsons race. A phone number for Smyly could not be located Thursday. /9YmNx7|:900w40e =:(xe:`L01[ J @45aG1V !@ %ISB&=@I!IB=@w30=s Chandler is a veteran of the Washington D.C. metro writing scene, working as a journalist, reporter, and culture critic. 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. (Facebook . According to the summary, one officer drew his handgun when he arrived but re-holstered it in less than a minute while Smyly had his gun out until Atkinson put the trash-grabbing tool down. Im picking up trash, and youre holding a gun!. 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. Boulder Police Officer John Smyly quit . Film is the tool you can use to help other people say what they need to say, said Strong. Atkinson echoed Rathod's remarks in an interview with Denver7. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. 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 He currently heads the SPIRIT.ED column for Cassius Life, which focuses on adult beverages and their history. IE 11 is not supported. "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. City Attorney Tom Carr said firing Smyly would have led to a drawn-out appeal and potentially allowed him to keep his job. John Smyly questioned and followed Naropa University student Zayd Atkinson near his home in Boulder. A documentary at this year's Denver Film Festival is challenging the City of Boulder's inclusive reputation. A police officer in Colorado has resigned after confronting a black student picking up rubbish outside his shared accommodation. 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