Two HBCU students could receive $2 million in civil lawsuit settlement

Two Atlanta HBCU students who were pulled from their car and tased by police during a Black Lives Matter protest back in 2020 could receive a $2 million settlement. The students, Messiah Young and Taniyah Pilgrim, attended Morehouse and Spelman College in 2020.

The two were stuck in traffic during the protest that occurred on May 30, 2020, as the streets were filled with protesters. The protest in downtown Atlanta was a direct response to the tragic death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin just a few days prior.

Young and Pilgrim were not participating in the protest; they took out their phones and began to record what was going on around them. Atlanta police pulled the HBCU students from their car and proceeded to tase them. This was all caught on a video that went viral at the time.

“I just can’t stop thinking about if cameras weren’t there or if they would have went a little bit further,” Pilgrim told WSBTV in 2020. “It’s all that can cross my mind.”

Sgt. Lonnie Hood and Officer Armon Jones were charged with aggravated assault and battery and were later fired. While Officers Roland Claud and Willie Sauls were placed on administrative leave, all officers involved, with the exception of Claud, were charged with criminal damage for punching the windows of the car.

Not long after the incident, the officers were reinstated to their positions.

“In two consecutive weeks, they have experienced the pain of the justice system continuing to fail them as victims of police brutality,” Young’s family wrote in a statement provided to WSBTV in 2021. “The family is grateful for those who continue to organize and protest to change a system that remains unjust where ‘Black Lives’ are concerned. They will not stop demanding justice for Messiah, Taniyah, and all of the victims of police violence.”

Young and Pilgrim filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Atlanta, stating they wanted city officials to take responsibility for the incident that occurred. The Atlanta City Council will vote on whether or not students will receive the $2 million settlement in today’s meeting. The vote will begin at 1 o’clock.

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