An unarmed Black man dies after a videotaped beating by police. The officers involved are fired. After a thorough review of the evidence, criminal charges are swiftly filed against the offending officers.
Investigation, accountability and charges.
This is often the most Black citizens can hope for as the deaths continue. Nationwide, police have killed roughly three people per day consistently , according to academics and advocates for police reform who track such deaths.
fatal encounter with police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, recorded in , is a glaring reminder that efforts to reform policing have failed to prevent more flashpoints in an intractable epidemic of brutality.
Nearly 32 years ago, by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change. TheyB次元官网网址檝e been repeated in a ever since, punctuated by the deaths of in New York, in Oakland, California, in Ferguson, Missouri, and so many others.
was so agonizing to watch, it summoned a national reckoning that featured federal legislation proposed in his name and shows of solidarity by corporations and sports leagues. All fell short of the shift in law enforcement culture Black people in America have called for B次元官网网址� a culture that promotes freedom from fear, trust in police and mutual respect.
B次元官网网址淲e need public safety, right? We need law enforcement to combat pervasive crime,B次元官网网址� said Jason Turner, senior pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis. B次元官网网址淎lso, we donB次元官网网址檛 want the people who are sworn to protect and serve us brutalizing us for a simple traffic stop, or any offense.B次元官网网址�
The and other crimes in the Jan. 10 death of Nichols, a 29-year-old skateboarder, FedEx worker and father to a 4-year-old boy.
From police brass and the district attorneyB次元官网网址檚 office to the White House, officials said NicholsB次元官网网址� killing points to a need for bolder reforms that go beyond simply diversifying the ranks, changing use-of-force rules and encouraging citizens to file complaints.
B次元官网网址淭he world is watching us,B次元官网网址� Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said. B次元官网网址淚f there is any silver lining to be drawn from this very dark cloud, itB次元官网网址檚 that perhaps this incident can open a broader conversation about the need for police reform.B次元官网网址�
President Joe Biden joined national civil rights leaders in similar calls to action.
B次元官网网址淭o deliver real change, we must have accountability when law enforcement officers violate their oaths, and we need to build lasting trust between law enforcement, the vast majority of whom wear the badge honorably, and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect,B次元官网网址� the president said.
But Memphis, whose 628,000 residents celebrate barbecue and blues music and lament being the place where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, The city took steps advocates called for in a B次元官网网址淩eimagine PolicingB次元官网网址� initiative in 2021, and mirrored a set of policy changes reformers want all departments to implement immediately, known as B次元官网网址�8 CanB次元官网网址檛 Wait.B次元官网网址�
De-escalation training is now required. Officers are told to limit uses of force, exhaust all alternatives before resorting to deadly force and report all uses of force. State law now requires officers to intervene to stop abuse and report excessive force by their colleagues.
, the MPD now publishes accountability reports that include the race of people subjected to use of force each year. They show Black men and women were overwhelmingly targeted for rougher treatment in 2019, 2020 and 2021. They were subject to nearly 86% of the recorded uses of guns, batons, pepper spray, physical beatings and other force in 2021, the total nearly doubling that year to 1,700 cases.
Seven uses of force by Memphis police ended in death during these three years.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know how much more cumulative Black death our community should have to pay to convince elected officials that the policing system isnB次元官网网址檛 broken B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 working exactly as it was designed to, at the expense of Black life,B次元官网网址� said Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, co-executive director of a Tennessee-based civil rights leadership training school.
The Nichols case B次元官网网址� just one of the brutality cases to make national news this month B次元官网网址� exposes an uncomfortable truth: More than two years since the deaths of Floyd, and touched off protests, policing reforms have not significantly reduced such killings.
States approved nearly 300 police reform bills after FloydB次元官网网址檚 murder, creating civilian oversight of police, more anti-bias training, stricter use-of-force limits and alternatives to arrests in cases involving people with mental illnesses, according to at the University of Maryland.
Despite calls to B次元官网网址渄efund the police,B次元官网网址� an nationwide found only modest cuts, driven largely by shrinking revenue related to the coronavirus pandemic. Budgets increased and more officers were hired for some large departments, including New York CityB次元官网网址檚.
Still stuck in Congress is which would prohibit racial profiling, ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants, limit the transfer of military equipment to police departments, and make it easier to bring charges against offending officers. Biden said he told NicholsB次元官网网址� mother that he would be B次元官网网址渕aking a caseB次元官网网址� to Congress to pass the Floyd Act
The Rev. Al Sharpton said his eulogy at NicholsB次元官网网址� funeral on Wednesday will include a call for new laws. NAACP President Derrick Johnson also took Congress to task.
B次元官网网址淏y failing to write a piece of legislation, youB次元官网网址檙e writing another obituary,B次元官网网址� Johnson said. B次元官网网址淭ell us what youB次元官网网址檙e going to do to honor Tyre Nichols. B次元官网网址� We can name all the victims of police violence, but we canB次元官网网址檛 name a single law you have passed to address it.B次元官网网址�
Advocates want state and federal legislation because local changes vary widely in scope and effect and can be undone by a single election after years of grassroots activism. But some say strict regulations are just the start B次元官网网址� and the video of NicholsB次元官网网址� agony proves it.
B次元官网网址淐hanging a rule doesnB次元官网网址檛 change a behavior,B次元官网网址� said Katie Ryan, chief of staff for a group of academics, policing experts and activists working to end police violence. B次元官网网址淭he culture of a police department has to shift into actually implementing the policies, not just saying thereB次元官网网址檚 a rule in place.B次元官网网址�
The five officers charged B次元官网网址� Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith B次元官网网址� were part of the so-called Scorpion unit. Scorpion stands for Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods.
The Memphis police chief, Cerelyn B次元官网网址淐JB次元官网网址� Davis, on Saturday.
B次元官网网址淚t is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the Scorpion unit,B次元官网网址� she said in a statement.
Prior to the move by Davis, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said it was clear that the officers involved in the attack on Nichols violated the departmentB次元官网网址檚 policies and training.
B次元官网网址淚 want to assure you we are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again,B次元官网网址� Strickland said in a statement. B次元官网网址淲e are initiating an outside, independent review of the training, policies and operations of our specialized units.B次元官网网址�
The Memphis police union extended condolences to NicholsB次元官网网址� family, saying it B次元官网网址渋s committed to the administration of justice and NEVER condones the mistreatment of ANY citizen nor ANY abuse of power.B次元官网网址� The statement also expressed faith that the justice system would reveal B次元官网网址渢he totality of circumstancesB次元官网网址� in the case.
Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, pushed back against the conclusion that policing must change. This was not B次元官网网址渓egitimate police work or a traffic stop gone wrong,B次元官网网址� Yoes said. B次元官网网址淭his is a criminal assault under the pretext of law.B次元官网网址�
Protesters turned out again Friday night after the city released the video footage. Turner, the Memphis pastor, called the images B次元官网网址渇urther proof that our cityB次元官网网址檚 and our nationB次元官网网址檚 criminal justice systems are in dire need of change.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not like weB次元官网网址檙e short on concrete, reasonable recommendations,B次元官网网址� said the Rev. Earle Fisher, senior pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church. B次元官网网址淲hat weB次元官网网址檙e short on is the political will and the commitment to making the structural changes.B次元官网网址�
___
Associated Press reporter Noreen Nasir contributed from Memphis, Tennessee. Adrian Sainz also reported from Memphis. Aaron Morrison reported from New York, and Claudia Lauer from Philadelphia.
Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer And Adrian Sainz, The Associated Press
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