Atlanta agrees to pay $2 million to students tasered during 2020 protests

The city of Atlanta will pay $2 million to two college students who were electrocuted and forcibly removed from their car by police after getting stuck in a downtown traffic jam sparked by protests over the killing of George Floyd.

The Atlanta City Council approved the deal at its July 1 meeting, with a vote of 13-1. Councilman Alex Wan voted against it.

The day after the agreement was approved, Messiah Young and Taniyah Pilgrim, along with their attorneys, held a press conference at the Southern Center for Human Rights to discuss the agreement and express gratitude for the support they have received over the past four years.

“Our presence here today is a testament to the courage and perseverance of these two young people, Taniyah Pilgrim and Messiah Young,” said Young’s attorney, Harold Spence. “But nothing can make up for the traumatic experience they endured that will forever be etched in their lives.”

The students were picking up food when they were confronted by the protesters and were unaware of the curfew imposed by then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Young was initially charged with eluding police, but the charges were dropped the next day. Pilgrim was never charged.

Young said he was pleased with the settlement but said there was “a lot of work left to do.”

“There is still blood in the streets of Atlanta. The idea of ​​justice that was once held has unfortunately collapsed. We will continue to move forward,” he said.

Pilgrim shared his relief at the colony.

“This situation happened four years ago, and it’s a memory that I wanted to forget, and I’m sure Messiah did too, but unfortunately it’s etched in our memories. I’m happy that it’s finally settled. I’m happy to close this chapter of my life,” she said.

The incident occurred on May 30, 2020, when Young and Pilgrim, then students at Morehouse College and Spelman College respectively, were caught in downtown traffic during protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.

According to the complaint filed in June 2021, the students were approached by six Atlanta Police Department officers, who ordered them to open their car doors and exit the vehicle.

When Pilgrim attempted to comply, she was tased twice while still sitting in the passenger seat. An officer then broke the driver’s side window, tased Young twice and forcibly removed her from the car.

Video footage of the incident showed the force with which the officers used their weapons. The confrontation led Bottoms to immediately fire two officers and place three others on desk duty.

However, the firings were overturned in February 2021 by the Atlanta Civil Service Board, which found procedural errors in the city’s actions. Charges against the officers were dropped in May 2022 by a special prosecutor.

Chris Stewart, Pilgrim’s attorney, said the city had an opportunity to hold the officers accountable for their actions in this case. Instead, the city fought for years at the expense of two innocent young people and now has to pay.

“This is not a handout. This is not something that these kids didn’t deserve,” he said. “These two kids were innocent victims who were caught in traffic that night and mistaken for someone who was breaking the law. The city would not pay $2 million for no reason.”

The regulation approved by the council states that it should not be considered an admission of liability.