Atlanta settles for $2M with college students tased during 2020 protests

The city of Atlanta will pay $2 million to two college students who were tased and forcibly removed from their car by police after they got trapped in Downtown gridlock caused by protests against the murder of George Floyd.

The Atlanta City Council approved the settlement at its July 1 meeting, voting 13-1 in favor. Councilmember Alex Wan cast the no vote.

The day after the settlement 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 settlement and express their gratitude for the support they 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 compensate these young people for the traumatic experience that they went through, and that will be forever a part of their life.”

The students were picking up food when they encountered the protests and were unaware of a citywide curfew that had been imposed by then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Young was initially charged with eluding police, but the charges were dropped the following day. Pilgrim was never charged.

Young said he was pleased with the settlement, but “there’s a lot of work to be done.”

“There’s still blood on the streets of Atlanta. The idea of justice that was once lauded has unfortunately crumbled to dust. We will keep pushing forward,” he said.

Pilgrim shared her relief at the settlement.

“This situation occurred four years ago, and it’s a memory that I’ve been wanting to forget, and I’m sure Messiah has too, but unfortunately, it is etched into our memory. I’m happy that this is 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 George Floyd’s death.

According to the lawsuit 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 tried to comply, she was tased twice while still in the passenger seat. An officer then broke the driver’s side window, tased Young twice, and forcibly removed him from the car.

Video footage of the incident showed the force by the officers. The encounter led Bottoms to immediately fire two officers and place three others on desk duty.

However, the dismissals 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, attorney for Pilgrim, said the city had an opportunity to hold police officer accountable for their actions in this case. Instead, the city fought the case for years to the detriment of two innocent young people and now have to pay.

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

The settlement approved by the council stipulates that it is not to be considered an admission of liability.

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