There is no comparison between what Tyre Nichols endured and Rodney King. Rodney King lived to tell his story!
This is a lot to process! How can any human being treat another with such vitriol, lack of empathy, disregard for life, and at such a disadvantage, five men on one?
First and foremost, our condolences to Tyre Nichols’ family. No parent should outlive their child and have to witness their tragic death with the world. We want to share Tyre Nichols’ story because although hard to hear and see, he deserves justice.
On January 7th, 2023, at approximately 8:30 pm, Memphis Police officers pulled over 29-year-old Tyre Nichols in a traffic stop around Raines and Ross Roads in Memphis, Tennesee, sighting reckless driving.
While stopped at a light and boxed in, Tyre is forcefully removed from his car and ordered to “get on the ground,” no questions asked. On the ground, wedged up against a vehicle, three officers ordered him to roll over on his stomach and to give them his hands. A scuffle ensues, and Tyre breaks free, running while a white officer, now identified as Officer Preston Hemphill deploys his taser, rendering it ineffective. He was quoted saying, “I hope they stomp his ass” on bodycam while flushing another’s eyes out who came in contact with the pepper spray.
Shortly after, Tyre Nichols is hunted down approximately eighty feet from his home by the same officers, with others driving up onto the scene.
Bodycam shows an officer running up to Tyre, being held down by two officers, ordering him to give them his hands, when suddenly, the bodycam appears to be obstructed. You can hear scuffling, moaning, and Tyre screaming out for his mother.
Another officer’s bodycam shows Tyre being pepper sprayed directly in his face and hit with a baton while held on the ground. Officers then start flaring him around while punching him like “a human piñata,” quoted by attorneys for the family.
Pepper sprayed, kicked in the head, hit with the baton, punched numerous times in the face, abdomen, and beaten beyond recognition. Taking it approximately 30 minutes for paramedics to arrive and take Tyre to the hospital, where he died three days later.
The official cause of death is still underway. However, attorneys for the family issued a statement from an independent autopsy, reading: “Tyre suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.” The cause of his injuries is consistent with the fatal beating received by those sworn to protect and serve.
We can’t glaze over the fact that the alleged officers are Black. Does it matter? It does, in our opinion! It hurts even more, as that could have been their son, brother, or father. Knowing the racism, brutality, and discrimination that Black people endure globally and to inflict that same pain on one another is infuriating. The end result is more devastating than any justification because there isn’t one.
These five former police officers were immediately fired and charged with murder. Typically we hear officers being suspended until further investigation, leave (paid or unpaid), and administrative duty. Excuse us for getting the “pandering to the public” feeling. Suppose we could have those in law enforcement, White, Black, or other, accused of a crime or brutality treated in the same fashion across the country.
Each of the five officers are charged with the following:
The Commercial Appeal reported Tyre’s death is the “fourth death associated with Memphis police department since District Attorney Mulroy was elected in August 2022.”
Cerelyn Davis, Memphis Chief of Police, vocalized making transparency a priority during this investigation to earn the trust back of the community. While some are demanding her resignation for this incident, also in light of her sketchy past reported by the NEW YORK POST that’s surfaced. Ironically, it’s also come to the public’s attention that some of the officers involved are part of the SCORPION unit, reported CNN. SCORPION, short for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods formed in 2021 to battle high-level crime areas. With the gruesome death of Tyre Nichols, the unit has now been permanently deactivated as it should be!
ABC reported that two additional Memphis police officers were fired, including three unidentified Memphis Fire personnel who have also been relieved of their duty.
Given the disposition of every law enforcement officer and EMT in the video, more needed to be done. No one rendered aid before the ambulance arrived, while Tyre is seen injured, disoriented, and unable to gain his composure.
Footage of the event was released Friday, January 27th, and it’s hard to watch! The video caught on CCTV (Video #2) is the most disturbing.
WARNING VIEW DISCRETION IS ADVISED
This has been hard to grasp, and we can only imagine how the family is holding up!
Again, we are sending healing prays to the family, friends, and especially his mother, who he called out for during this heartbreaking ordeal.
Tyre, originally from Sacramento, California, leaves behind a son, friends, and family. He enjoyed photography and skateboarding. In an interview from the Commercial Appeal with long-time friend Angelina Paxton, “Tyre was someone who knew everyone, and everyone had a positive image of him because that’s who he was.”
Although it doesn’t matter, Tyre Nichols didn’t have a criminal record, but when asked, no one had anything negative to say about him. He just wanted to go home.
It seems these five former police officers were, in our opinion, out that evening not to catch bad guys but to instill fear within the community and torment anyone in their path.
Arraignment for the former Memphis police officers is scheduled for February 17th at 10 am. ET before Judge James Jones, and we will be watching.
Should you choose to demonstrate, it’s your right, but remember to do it peacefully!
REST IN PEACE, TYRE NICHOLS
