Another week, another dead Black man dead at the hands of the police.
His name was TYRE NICHOLS
And, he died at a traffic stop.
A traffic stop.
He was just trying to GET HOMEš¢š¢
Just an absolute waste.
Pure police misconduct and brutality.
My heart goes out to Tyre Nicholsā family and to Americans in Memphis and across the country who are grieving this tremendously painful loss. There are no words to describe the heartbreak and grief of losing a beloved child and young father.ā°ā°Here's my full statement. pic.twitter.com/ghROhSGtao
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 28, 2023
Tyre Nichols should be alive today. Tyreās family and the Memphis community deserve transparency and accountability. And all Americans deserve a justice system that lives up to its name.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) January 27, 2023
I will not watch the snuff film of his death.š š š
Please keep the parents of #TyreNichols in your hearts, prayers, and actions. pic.twitter.com/L75CKdpiUY
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) January 29, 2023
Iām not watching #TyreNichols being murdered on video. I canāt bear it. I will leave his beautiful face here and pray we never forget him. pic.twitter.com/lY7wcrz8Hu
— Valerie A. Fitzhugh, MD (@DrFNA) January 29, 2023
No one should lose a love one so unjustly by Police Brutality. RIP #TyreNicholsVideo
#FreshWords pic.twitter.com/5da2S6bZia— Ruben Garcia (@goRubenRuben) January 29, 2023
Tyre Nichols giving a young girl a flower at a Sacramento skatepark š
His friend, Dezmond Sinclair, says this picture sums up Tyre. Always the 1st one to make you feel welcome, protected the kids, and was always hyping you up as you learned a new trick.
A beautiful soul š pic.twitter.com/QqUfnFSsYP
— Mychal (@mychal3ts) January 29, 2023
TYREāS DAD: āThere was a white officer tasing my son ā we donāt understand why his name wasnāt mentioned in this whole fiasco.ā š¤@MayorMemphis @MEM_PoliceDept @SteveMulroy901 @TBInvestigation @FBI pic.twitter.com/xc3sf2Q8ks
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) January 29, 2023
The vicious, unjustified beating of Tyre Nichols and his ultimate death at the hands of five Memphis police officers is just the latest, painful reminder of how far America still has to go in fixing how we police our streets. pic.twitter.com/ITmrNNJhiT
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 28, 2023
He cried out for his mother. When we see #TyreNichols, we see the faces of our sons, our brothers, our fathers, and all Black men who face this kind of white supremacist violence. The terror caused by the police must end. We must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
— Yvette D. Clarke for Congress (@VoteYvette) January 29, 2023
Hereās the original statement Memphis PD released on the horrifying attack 5 of its officers carried out against Tyre Nichols. No mention of pepper-spray, kicks, punches, or torture. Just empty sentences & lies. Police lie all the time. The media must stop printing their reports. pic.twitter.com/d3yvyIYF7C
— Dyjuan Tatro (@DyjuanTatro) January 28, 2023
In one video, Tyre Nichols is shown on the ground with officers around him, and he can be heard repeatedly screaming: āMom, Mom, Mom.ā Lawyers have said that his motherās home was about 100 yards away from where he was beaten. https://t.co/tMdwnrV2Nh
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 28, 2023
5 officers charged with murder in Tyre Nichols' death:
Tadarrius Bean
Demetrius Haley
Emmitt Martin III
Desmond Mills Jr.
Justin Smith2 of the officers, Mills and Smith, posted $250,000 bond & were released: @nbcnewshttps://t.co/4fQX13zp42 pic.twitter.com/kj1IWnFnnX
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) January 27, 2023
"If the (SCORPION) units are set up to deal with an especially egregious crime, then why are you dealing with an alleged traffic violation in the first place?" Rev. Al Sharpton called for an examination and breakdown of special police units following Tyre Nichols' death. pic.twitter.com/EAgSwKUy2H
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) January 29, 2023
People are praising Davis for immediately firing the cops and for soberly describing the horrors of the video ahead of time. (The criminal charges are a function of the DA's office.)
But she created the SCORPION unit as one of her first acts as chief when appointed in 2021.
— George Chidi (find me on Mastodon) (@neonflag) January 28, 2023
This is so eerily reminiscent of the Minneapolis Police initial lie about George Floyd. The coordinated and common practice of this violent beast of a system is hard for people to wrap their heads around, so hard they refuse to come to terms with this this clear indictment. pic.twitter.com/xO57zpxCn4
— D.A. Bullock (@BullyCreative) January 28, 2023
The five police officers who murdered Tyre Nicholas are also representative of an unspoken tradition among some cis hetero black men:
the idea that āblack powerā simply means the power to behave like powerful white men.
read that again. and let it factor into your analysis.
— Dr. Frank Leon Roberts (@DrFrankRoberts) January 28, 2023
Thereās a lot of talk surrounding police brutality, however, this country has invested billions into training. Any other industry would have defunded the institution for its poor performance. Not policing. Theyāve had 300 years since the first slave patrol & still get it wrong. pic.twitter.com/OtvUaJB8Y3
— Lady Whistledown in the Hood (@colorfullstory) January 29, 2023
Statement by Memphis PD: pic.twitter.com/VE6qaBIu8s
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) January 28, 2023
Research shows that Black folks suffer PTSD from watching videos of Blacks being killed by police.
Itās a phenomenon called ālinked fateā, where we see ourselves and loved ones in the place of the victim.
Be careful watching the Tyre Nichols murder video. Protect your mind.
— Jason Nichols (@drjasonnichols) January 26, 2023
I understand the inclination to attack the personhood of law enforcement but righteous grievance alone canāt solve a failure in public policy.
We need 3 things.
1. Accountability
2. Public Safety
3. Reform of standards & practicesRead the Justice in Policing Act.
Vote locally— Terry Lee ēēę°šš (@TerryWatkinsJr1) January 29, 2023
āLove you son, you take care of yourself,ā he said. āLove you too,ā I told him. My daddy isnāt a very emotional person. Tonight, he was very emotional. Vicarious suffering is a real thing. So is the love that refuses to allow this world to rob us of it.
— DantĆ© Stewart (Stew) (@stewartdantec) January 28, 2023
āMany black men with hostility toward the white male power structure are often eager to gain access to that power. Their expressions of rage are less a critique of the white patriarchal social order and more a reaction to not being allowed full participation in the power game.ā pic.twitter.com/DVIVcg0XFG
— Dr. Frank Leon Roberts (@DrFrankRoberts) January 29, 2023
āThere are no circumstances under which a Black body cannot be blamed for its own murder or maiming.ā -The Rice Rule, @AdamSerwer https://t.co/fyRLcb4BVG
— G O L D I E. (@goldietaylor) January 28, 2023
Usually, when I raise hell about police officer conduct, I get swarmed by the Back, the blue crowd with their pushback. I think I saw one or two comments, tops, in the last couple of days… Don't be obvious with it, guys; it's not the blue; you back, it's the āWhite,ā isn't it? pic.twitter.com/gzkr029bdK
— Kenny Akers (@KeneAkers) January 29, 2023
I have seen a picture of #TyreNichols holding up his infant Son this way. It nearly broke me. Such is the power of imagery.
Take care of yourselves today, Yāall. For my own part I will seek out the power of Nature to soothe the spirit and heal and heal body and Soul.
Amen. š
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) January 28, 2023
#TyreNichols You didnāt deserve to be taken out like that. May we all be inspired by your sacrifice. May your immortal Soul be at peace. pic.twitter.com/ZqzlASCLhx
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) January 29, 2023
Where is the lie? pic.twitter.com/t5H5mHnrxF
— Blšck B@rbies (@Its_The_Barbies) January 29, 2023
š š š š š
Letās remind you that there was a move on Police Reform with two Black Senators, one R and one Dem.
When the discussion turned to ending qualified immunity for cops, the Black Republican ended the discussion and thus no real Police Reform is coming from the US Senate. pic.twitter.com/NqUD3jto8g— Kevin D. GrĆ¼ssing (Pronounced Grew-sing) (@KevDGrussing) January 28, 2023
https://twitter.com/BryanRAnderson/status/1619019969542651904?s
Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) tweeted at 6:08 PM on Mon, Jan 30, 2023:
3 Memphis paramedics FIRED for their response to the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols.
Three fire personnel who responded to the scene “failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment,” the Memphis Fire Department said Monday: @DohaMadani, @NBCNews
https://t.co/BVTO9tFI2g
(https://twitter.com/shomaristone/status/1620212342897401857?s=02)
Dyjuan Tatro (@DyjuanTatro) tweeted at 7:30 PM on Fri, Jan 27, 2023:
To be clear, the Memphis PD is just as responsible for the murder of Tyre Nichols as those 5 officers. 5 cops didnāt randomly decide to murder him. They committed a murder they assumed would be sanctioned by the department. The surveillance video screwed them. Not their actions.
(https://twitter.com/DyjuanTatro/status/1619145768899866624?s=02)
Terry Lee ēēę°šš (@TerryWatkinsJr1) tweeted at 9:54 PM on Fri, Jan 27, 2023:
Another sentiment, if the Police chief wasnāt a Black Woman I doubt it wouldāve been dealt with so quickly.
(https://twitter.com/TerryWatkinsJr1/status/1619182185780772865?s=02)
Don Lemon (@donlemon) tweeted at 6:19 PM on Fri, Jan 27, 2023:
āThey beat my son like a piƱata. My son, he had Crohnās disease, he had surgery in 2013. My son weighed a buck 50.ā
Tyre Nicholsā parents speak, ahead of the release of the police beating video of their son tonight to the public. @CNN @CNNThisMorning https://t.co/OmIvspGwO1
(https://twitter.com/donlemon/status/1619128117557334016?s=02)
Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) tweeted at 6:32 PM on Fri, Jan 27, 2023:
A younger Baltimore cop texts me after watching Memphis video: āThis barely reaches the level of active resistance on our use of force continuumā¦ These guys look like they’ve never made an arrest in their livesā
(https://twitter.com/justin_fenton/status/1619131158893297664?s=02)
Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) tweeted at 3:01 PM on Thu, Jan 26, 2023:
My interaction with Black cops have always been as potentially fraught as my interaction with white ones. At no point does “help a brother out” work. Because if they were really trying to “help” me, they wouldn’t have stopped me in the first place.
(https://twitter.com/ElieNYC/status/1618715798046150656?s=02)
Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) tweeted at 3:00 PM on Thu, Jan 26, 2023:
I feel like people who are *surprised* that the cops who did this are black are about to learn a part of “the Talk” that my parents at least always emphasized: The race of a cop is “cop.” *Never* be under the illusion that a Black cop is less likely to brutalize you or kill you.
(https://twitter.com/ElieNYC/status/1618715439235993600?s=02)
Dakarai Turner īØ (@Dakarai_Turner) tweeted at 4:43 PM on Fri, Jan 27, 2023:
Traffic stops in Memphis, from 2017 to 2021ā¦
Black drivers were twice as likely to get cited for multiple infractions in one ticket.
Of nearly 500 criminal cases resulting from traffic stops, about 90% were people of color.
Via ā¦@phillej_ā© https://t.co/eUMumx9OD2
(https://twitter.com/Dakarai_Turner/status/1619103936488538113?s=02)
Air Harp (owner of NattyGirl apparel) (@AirHarp) tweeted at 11:12 AM on Sun, Jan 29, 2023:
āŖļøfolk think ā«ļøcops treat us like āŖļøcops treat them.
(https://twitter.com/AirHarp/status/1619745396326268928?s=02)
Bridgett K ššØ (@bridgettk1) tweeted at 2:16 PM on Sun, Jan 29, 2023:
And they thought we were going to twist ourselves into knots making excuses for bad behavior like they do.
(https://twitter.com/bridgettk1/status/1619791725521936386?s=02)
From September 2020:
…Craig Robinson, recalled for the former first lady and their mom, Marian Robinson, the āheartbreakingā time police officers accused him of stealing his own bike when he was about 10 years old.
āIt was terrifying only because I was always taught that the police are your friends and they’ll believe the truth,ā Craig, now 58, said on..
āI was telling them the truth and this guy would not believe me,ā said Craig..
āThis guy grabbed my bike and he wouldn’t let it go,ā Craig said, recalling that the officers were asking him questions to purposefully trip him up. āI was like, āOh you got this all wrong, this is my bike, don’t worry, this isn’t a stolen bike,ā and he would not believe me.”
“I was absolutely heartbroken,” he continued, “And I finally said to him, āListen, you can take me to my house and I will prove to you this is my bike.ā
So the two officers brought Craig back to the Robinsons’ house, where Marian was waiting for them at the front gate.
āYou know how mom is,ā Craig told his sister. āMom was like, āGo in the house.ā You know how when she’s ready to talk to somebody, she’s like, āAll right go in the house.ā And all I could think of was: This dude’s about to get it.ā
Marian, 83, said she confronted the police officers, who were both Black, about why they continued to press Craig about the bike after one of the officers admitted they knew the boy was telling the truth.
āWhat you did was cancel out a whole lot of things that we had been teaching them,ā Marian remembered telling them. āAnd I think you need to come back here and talk to them and at least admit you made a serious mistake, so that you won’t cancel out everything we’ve been trying to teach our children.ā
During the podcast conversation, Craig remembered the incident as both āterrifyingā and āheartbreaking,ā as Obama added that those harrowing experiences are āsuch a way of lifeā for Black youth in the U.S.
āNobody thinks about the fact that we all come from good families that are trying to teach values,” the former first lady said. “But when you leave the safety of your home and go out into the street, where being Black is a crime in and of itself, we have all had to learn how to operate outside of our homes with a level of caution and fear, because you never know.ā
https://people.com/politics/michelle-obamas-brother-craig-recalls-terrifying-time-police-accused-him-of-stealing-his-own-bike/
About Chief Davis.
Bree Newsome Bass
@BreeNewsome
Ā·
Jan 29
Memphis Police Chief Davis was the one who formed the Scorpion unit in 2021 after overseeing a similar unit in Atlanta that was also disbanded over similar conduct. She defended the Scorpion unit even after the killing of Tyre Nichols.
Bree Newsome Bass
@BreeNewsome
Ā·
Jan 29
The pro-policing establishment very clearly had a plan to put Chief Davis out front as a Black woman, as a representative of progress & reform simply because sheās a Black woman police chief. She is directly implicated in the violence & the initial attempt to cover it up
Bree Newsome Bass
@BreeNewsome
Ā·
Jan 29
The very fact that the establishment regards police brutality as a public relations challenge, with no sincere concern for the violence committed by police until/unless it makes national headlines, tells you all you need to know.
Bree Newsome Bass
@BreeNewsome
Ā·
Jan 29
I watched Chief Davisā interview with Don Lemon where she expressed her horror at the footage of Tyre Nichols being beaten. I knew nothing about her history or the Scorpion unit at the time. Now that I do, it sends chills down my spine. All these people are violent.
This looks bad.
But using common sense, why did those cops beat a young man to death with such impunity, absolutely certain there would be no consequences? Who do they think they are, or were?
The answer is within that PD and it’s going to point straight back to that Police Chief.
She needs to think about what she’s going to do after she gets fired.
I’ve been reading some articles about this today. According to the attorneys for the five former officers charged with 2nd degree murder, these cops “never intended” for Tyre to die.
I guess that’s their defense.
It does make you wonder how much of a beating they thought they could give him and he would still be alive. Were they just trying to maim him, have him go through life in a wheel chair or blind or what was this beating about?
Well, this is the tip of the ‘berg, folks. My gut feeling is that when the Memphis PD is investigated, and it will be, things will get very ugly and the situation there will be more horrific than we imagine.
I hope the five ex-cops charged are scared sh!tless.
OMG. Well, here’s another possibility.
Kenny Akers
@KeneAkers
::UPDATE:: Tyre Nichols worked at FEDEX; allegedly having sexual affairs with officer Demetrius Halys’s ex, and his baby’s mother who also works at the same FEDEX. Get this; officer Haly was seen several times taking photos of Tyre after he was brutalized and sent them to her!
10:10 AM Ā· Jan 30, 2023
from West Jordan, UTĀ·
I don’t even know if this matters…maybe cause we push it up to MURDER ONE from MURDER TWO…but, just for Haly. The rest would be Murder Two.
Yeah I was thinking about that too. If it’s a revenge killing, the core issue is the same. Why did they believe they could do it and there would be no consequences?
But, here’s what is so disturbing. The only other possibility is a thrill kill. Like a gang of teenage thugs beating down a dog to watch it suffer.
What else is there?
This right here:
“When we see #TyreNichols, we see the faces of our sons, our brothers, our fathers, and all Black men who face this kind of white supremacist violence. The terror caused by the police must end. We must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.”
I’m an old white lady. My grandnephew, 25 yrs old, is biracial. His physical appearance is unmistakably biracial (blk/wht). His son is less than three months old. And coincidentally, he works for FedEx.
When I look at pictures of Tyre Nichols, I see family, I see a blood relative.
I don’t know the way forward, this has been going on for so long.
I can’t stop thinking of Tyre’s mother.
Excellent post, Rikyrah. I think you covered everything.
UH HUH
UH HUH
TourƩ (@Toure) tweeted at 9:53 AM on Fri, Jan 27, 2023:
The silence of the Blue Lives Matter folks on the Tyre Nichols murder is deafening.
(https://twitter.com/Toure/status/1619000614238752771?t=bjFij871ayyCjGvc06XcIw&s=03)
RIP Bobby Hull.
Even when I didn’t know anything about hockey, I had heard of Bobby Hull.
HelpMeJaRule (@HelpmeJahRule) tweeted at 5:01 PM on Sat, Jan 28, 2023:
Never forget that one point of friction between the Sussexes and William and Kate is that William and Kate wanted the funds from this cook book to go directly to them instead of the Grenfell community Kitchen. These are the royals that some Brits strenuously defend.
(https://twitter.com/HelpmeJahRule/status/1619470793775411200?s=02)
I have no skin in the game (the Superbowl), but, I just respect Philly. From one working class town to another. There’s a grit and an attitude from Philly that has always had my grudging respect.
Kenny Akers (@KeneAkers) tweeted at 2:15 PM on Sun, Jan 29, 2023:
Black folks; I think it’s time we talk, these five Black officers have encouraged a critical topic in our community. We need to address the self-hate perpetuated by the people that look like us, but don’t act like us! At this point, they are doing the work for White supremacists.
(https://twitter.com/KeneAkers/status/1619791285451390976?t=D06n2x624sh16_xqiEtSzQ&s=03)
Good Morning, Everyoneš¢š¢š¢