D.T. Carson
Officials in Memphis are on edge. Despite an internal police probe into the death of Tyre Nichols resulting in the firing and subsequent charging of five Memphis police officers; the U.S. Attorney’s Office launching a federal investigation; the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation looking into the officer’s use; and two fire department employees relieved from duty; they have failed to release video footage of the arrest which by all accounts is horrific and feared to incite protests.
Nichols, a 29-year old Fedex worker, father and skateboarder died on Jan. 10, after he was involved in a traffic stop that led to a confrontation with police officers—Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. Nichols fled the traffic stop scene, and the police proceeded to chase him, overtake and then lawyer say brutalized him to the point of being unrecognizable. He died at a hospital three days later.
The family viewed the video earlier this week. The beating by the Black officers was so savage that Nichols mother, RowVaughn Wells, had to leave the room. Family attorneys Benjamin Crump and Antonio Romanucci were also shocked by the brutality viewed in the three minute video.
Stated Romanucci, “He was a human piñata for those police officers”, while Crump paralleled the incident with that of the beating of Rodney King.
“But unlike Rodney King” said Crump, “Tyre didn’t survive.”
Each of the five ex-officers have been charged with second degree murder in death of Tyre Nichols in addition to aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and oppression in advance of the release of the video which officials hope will curtail violent protests.
Memphis NAACP chapter president Van Turner has said that he joins “the call for peaceful protests as we all work toward making sure that proper measures are put in place to prevent this type of incident from occurring in the future.”
For Turner, it boils down to the brutality of the video.
“If the video is significantly more egregious than what we have seen, then the unrest could still be there.”
“What we can tell you about the video is that it is appalling, it is deplorable, it is heinous… violent,” said Crump. “It is very troublesome on every level because you have to ask yourself yet again, this is evidence of what happens to Black and brown people from simple traffic stops. You should not be killed because of a simple traffic stop!”
Initially, the video was to be released after the family had viewed it. Crump has since revealed that an agreement was reached to not share too many details of that video in the hopes of securing a fair and unbiased investigation and to delay its release.
City police moved swiftly in the wake of the incident.
“After reviewing various sources of information involving this incident, I have found that it is necessary to take immediate and appropriate action,” said MPD Chief CJ Davis in a statement on the same day the department served notice to the officers.
But that was has not been enough for activists who confronted Memphis City Council members during a session this week demanding transparency in the release of bodycam footage as tensions surrounding the case continue to grow.
City and community leaders have expressed concerned about the possibility of civil unrests and protest following the release of the video.
“With the potential of civil unrest, we’re hoping that it won’t happen but we also have to prepare,” said Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner.
That the officers were all Black is of little consequence.
Said Crump, “What I have come to learn from doing civil rights work against excessive force policing is that it is not the race of the police officer that is the determinable factor of the amount of excessive force that will be exerted, it is the race of the citizen, and so we have to have accountability no matter who tramples on the constitutional rights of our citizens.
“It is so regrettable that they didn’t think of Tyre as their brother.”
The video is set for release Friday after 6pm CST. The nation will be watching with police officials across the country on alert.