It is almost unfathomable that all five men, officers, who beat Tyre Nichols to death participated in such a disgusting, hideous, inhumane act. All five of them .. on one unarmed man. Spraying, tasing, Kicking him in the head! Repeatedly. So far, it appears there was no justification for the traffic stop. Is there really any wonder he ran for his life? His last words were Momma… momma, momma… who’s house was 100 yards away. Every mother was called right then.
When I heard about this I admittedly assumed these officers would be white… because we have heard that narrative before, haven’t we. Shockingly, they were all black. Which makes this even more heartbreaking if that’s even possible .
So many things wrong here. Why such murderous violence, of course… why is skin color ever a part of the equation and yet it’s one of the first assumptions we make when we hear a story like this, am I right? Many layers too- violence and crime numbers are up, we idolize and elect politicians who promote violence, we sell video games that promote violence, we can’t even pass sensible gun laws in this country ( for the 1,oooth time, no one is looking to take away the guns of law abiding citizens). How many mass shootings in the US in the past week alone? We don’t address poverty or mental illness effectively.
Another layer- the distrust and distain these hideous events cause for all the law enforcement out there who put their own lives in jeopardy every day and with the best of intentions and sometimes put in the worst of situations to protect us all. Having two members of our family serving or served as police officers, the danger they and their families live with, the crap they have to put up with and many do with integrity and good will and tremendous courage and grit , it’s also amazing anyone is still willing to put themselves in that position.
And how it’s lost on anyone that violence and damage and looting to protest violence is just one wrong after another and feeds the flame and the stigma .. is beyond me. It’s no solution, it’s simply an excuse for more of the same. But when you feel you are repeatedly unheard, what are your options? More layers.
I hesitated to post about this because what does my two cents really matter, but Jesus, just ignoring something so awful feels really wrong.
I agree whole heartedly. But we all must speak up, otherwise the loudmouths will be the only ones heard.
It was so sickening to read this in the news and like you, initially I thought it was white Cop on black victim. Surely they of all people, know what racism is. To just pick on someone at random and then murder them, as that was what this is, beggars belief. I can only hope there is justice and that someone will stand up and speak out – and be heard.
Our disgust and outrage must be spoken outloud. Thank you for not shying away from the difficult topics and providing a forum.
Two particular things broke my heart: the victim’s words: “What did I do?” and that no medical aid was given for 20 minutes. He suffered great cruelty, and he never knew why.
The only good thing coming from Mr. Nichols’ death is that the Memphis Scorpian unit was immediately disbanded -although too late for him. My apologies and deepest condolences to his family.
My belief is the current framework for our police departments needs revamping entirely. I’ve been paying very close attention to this problem since the 70s frankly! I’ve also dated a couple of police officers in my past and they get burnt out and jaded so quickly (I also live in the Minneapolis/St Paul area of Minnesota and up close observed the George Floyd tragedy). I’m no expert, but it could benefit if the criteria for being a police office was more stringent and I additionally believe the pay structure needs to be upgraded to attract quality. More money for better quality. Again, what the heck do I know! It seems blindingly obvious to me, but again, it is way more complicated than I’m seeing I’m sure. Who even knows why people act as they do? If the past seven years has taught me anything is just when you think you’ve seen the worst, someone disabuses me of that thought. 🙁
The looting is even more complicated. I don’t know what it’s like to be a black person in the United States, but I’m imagining that the anger, deeply seated anger – anger from the get that you’re going to be treated differently no matter what. Does that excuse? No, but it gives me the reason perhaps. I’m an older white woman living in a fairly diverse area of my state and still, I have a bit, but mostly very little, knowledge around people of color. Again, the past seven years have had me looking much closer at my personal ingrained thoughts and realizations around my previously unknown white privilege.
It makes my head ache and my heart hurt almost every day when I see the flags at half-mast nearly every day for reasons like this one and more.
It is most definitely a crying shame what our world had come to. That situation for those of us who care is heartbreaking. And yes crying for his momma. How very, very sad. 🙁