DALLAS — Tyre Nichols’ death after being continuously beaten by Memphis police officers continues to reverberate across the nation.
Days after the 29-year-old’s funeral, his parents attended the State of the Union address, and received a standing ovation from members of Congress. President Biden also told the American public “equal protection under the law is the covenant we have with each other in America.” And he called on police departments to hold officers accountable when they “violate the public trust.”
And the Memphis City Council is now discussing several public safety proposals and police department reforms. Among the 11 proposals is an ordinance that would create guidelines for independent reviews of police training.
But will Nichols’ death at the hands of police – and the subsequent response by the Memphis Police Department – be a blueprint for cities and police departments moving forward?
“I don't remember the last time that we saw officers being fired, or indicted, this quickly,” David Henderson said on the latest episode of Y’all-itics.
Henderson is a former prosecutor turned civil rights attorney in Dallas. He even helped train police during his time in the prosecutor’s office.
Henderson says the Nichols case should be a blueprint moving forward, and he hopes it is, but he says there’s one big problem.
“It's great that you have this blueprint, but it's a blueprint without any specific plan or funding to actually build the house,” said Henderson. “And I think that brings me back to something we discussed earlier and that is Memphis PD isn't doing this solely out of the goodness of its heart. It’s also doing this to avoid future liability for the feds coming in and conducting an investigation.”
Tyre Nichols was stopped by Memphis police on January 7 and continuously beaten after a traffic stop not far from the family’s home. He died three days later.
The initial reason for the stop, which unfolded over two locations, remains unknown to this day. Video of the violent interaction contradicts what was reported in initial public statements made by police.
The Department immediately fired five officers involved in Nichols’ death, all of them black. They’re facing many charges, including second-degree murder.
And in the weeks that followed, two more police officers, including one who is white, and two sheriff’s deputies have been relieved of duty. Three members of the Memphis Fire Department, including two EMTs, were also fired. These were individuals who also responded to the scene, or filed paperwork related to the incident. No charges have been filed against any of them, but prosecutors say those investigations are ongoing.
Henderson says the fact that the majority of the officers were black should change things, but won’t because he says America is so bad at discussing race.
“I feel like to a degree, there's almost been a sigh of relief as people have seen, oh, these officers are black. That means that all these issues with policing aren't based specifically on race, which they absolutely, positively are,” he argued.
And Henderson went on to say that black motorists don’t necessarily feel any safer when they’re pulled over by a black officer.
“You don't breathe a sigh of relief. None of us think oh, no problem here because the officer just so happens to be black. You’re talking about a system where racism plays a structural role long term,” said the attorney.
After the public learned of Nichols’ death, we didn’t see widespread protests. That is perhaps in part because the five officers were swiftly let go from their jobs and charged with murder, before the public even saw the video of the violent altercation.
Henderson says even though some things changed after a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd in May 2020, race remains a factor in police interactions across the country.
“There's no way these officers would beat up a young white man the way that they did to Tyre Nichols. But what you also have to remember is that we are operating in a post George Floyd world and the rules are different now with regard to policing and activism,” Henderson said. “And what's made things unique right now is that so many everyday people took to the streets after George Floyd's murder and demanded change. And that is part of the reason why we saw this quick response.”
More from Y'all-itics: