Tyre Nichols: A Good Son and a Bad Father. The Memphis Police Beat and Saved His Son, a Memorandum
As protesters gathered across US cities over the weekend following the Memphis police beating that led to the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, officials have said the investigation into the incident will continue amid questions over whether there could be additional charges.
The aftermath of the January 7 encounter was relatively swift. The five Memphis officers involved were fired and charged with murder and kidnapping in Nichols’ death and the police unit they were part of was disbanded.
The case is still being investigated and the family attorney said he thinks there will be more damage but that it will not result in criminal charges.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said he can’t comment on whether there might be additional charges brought, but “nothing we did last Thursday regarding indictments precludes us from bringing other charges later.”
Mulroy said officials knew releasing the video without charges for the officers would be incendiary. The best way to speed up the investigation and consider the charges was to do so as soon as possible. He said that the video would be released.
Video of the encounter is difficult to watch. It starts with a traffic stop and goes on to show the officers punching and kicking him, including at one point when his hands are restrained behind his back.
He was left slumped to the ground in handcuffs, and 23 minutes passed before a stretcher arrived at the scene. He died three days after he was hospitalized.
The police officers did not pass their oath, according to the officer who spoke to CNN. “They failed their oath to protect and serve. Look at that video: Was anybody trying to protect and serve Tyre Nichols?”
As a makeshift memorial grew on the corner where he was beaten, marchers in cities from New York City to Atlanta to Boston held signs with his name on them.
A good son and father were remembered by the family, who now are at the center of unfamiliar media attention. They remember his smile and hugs, and felt sad at the times they won’t have again.
Memphis Police Disbandment of the Supercopiation Unit SCORPION, and Memphis City Councilwoman Laura Easter-Thomas (R-Memphis)
Memphis police announced Saturday that it will permanently deactivate the unit, saying that “while the heinous actions of a few casts a cloud of dishonor on the title SCORPION, it is imperative that we, the Memphis Police Department take proactive steps in the healing process for all impacted.”
That behavior was not only reprehensible but part of the culture of the SCORPION unit. “So we demanded that they disbanded immediately before we see anything like this happen again.”
The mayor is correct in shutting it down. These kinds of actions are not representative of the Memphis Police Department,” Colvett said.
Memphis City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas also commended the move and said the case should give the city a chance to “dig deeper” into community and police relations.
Easter-Thomas thought that there was a peaceful sense of protest in the city of Memphis, because they think that the system will get it right this time.
The officers charged in the encounter with Nichols – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr. – are expected to be arraigned on February 17. They face a number of counts, including murder and kidnapping.
The attorney for one of the officers indicted, Mills Jr., put out a statement Friday night saying that he didn’t cross lines “that others crossed” during the confrontation. Mills was a victim of the system he worked within, according to the attorney.
Two Memphis Fire Department employees who were part of Nichols’ initial care were relieved of duty, pending the outcome of an internal investigation. Two people in the sheriff’s office have been put on leave.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/us/tyre-nichols-protests-monday/index.html
A Congressional Black Caucus Calls for Action to End the Tyre Nichols Killing Law, Protect Public Mental Health, and Protect Police Integrity
In order for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to pass in congress, it must be passed by the evenly split Senate.
The Congressional Black Caucus is requesting a meeting with President Joe Biden this week to push for negotiations on police reform, caucus chair Steven Horsford wrote in a news release Sunday.
The President of the Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP praised Memphis Police Chief Davis for doing the right thing by not waiting a year to fire the officers who beat up Tyre Nichols.
She had no applause for Congress, who she called to action saying, “by failing to craft and pass bills to stop police brutality, you’re writing another Black man’s obituary. You have the blood of Black America in your hands. Stand up and do something.
The Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee plan to file police reform legislation by the general assemblys Tuesday filing deadline. The bills would seek to address mental health care for law enforcement officers, hiring, training, discipline practices and other topics, said Rep. G.A. Hardaway, who represents a portion of Memphis and Shelby County.
The legislation should be passed by both sides of the legislature, because it is not partisan, said Rep. Joe Towns Jr.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/us/tyre-nichols-protests-monday/index.html
The Memphis Police Officers: Against the Disregard of the Cop for a Dog that Has Bought Me, or What Have They Don’t Have to Do?
“You would be hard-pressed to look at this footage (of Tyre Nichols) and see what happened to that young man, OK, and not want to do something. What the hell would happen to a dog that was beaten like that? Towns said.
Experts say the actions of the Memphis police officers were an egregious example of a longstanding problem in policing in which officers physically punish civilians for perceived disrespect or disobedience — sometimes called “contempt of cop.” The practice was notoriously prevalent decades ago.
It was more prevalent in the 80s than it was in the 2000s, according to a Professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina. “Even before body cams, cops were getting more professional and wouldn’t make it personal, like it seemed to be in this case. It is so far out of the norm.
To mitigate the potential for escalation and confusion during police encounters, today’s police training typically calls for a single officer at the scene to issue clear and specific commands. Police officers have to respond proportionately to any perceived act of defiance.
There isn’t any sign that the officers were intervening to stop the aggressive use of force. If anything, it shows the contrary.