In a terrible way, the death of Tyre Nichols brings vindication to members of the Black community in Memphis who live in constant fear of the police.
The fatal beating of Nichols, 29, by five police officers tells the story many residents know by heart: that any encounter, including traffic stops, can be deadly if you're Black.
A woman who lives in a “safe” northeast Memphis neighborhood yet says her 18-year-old son was hogtied and pepper-sprayed by police several years ago –- while she was with him. He became agitated after police arrived on the scene while he picked up his child from a girlfriend, triggering a mental health crisis, she said.
If you are in the wrong neighborhood “it really doesn’t matter whether you’re part of the violence or not,” said Adams. “I’m less likely to be shot in a gang conflict than I am to be shot by police.” Madkins said the officer, dressed in tactical gear with his face covered and no visible identification, refused to give his badge number, unless he consented to a weapon search of the car.“I had to remind myself, `Chase, this is how people get murdered, in a traffic stop,’” he said. To this day he does not know who the officer was.
People want more police, Demster said, but “what they’re really trying to say is we want more detectives looking for violent criminals.” Black residents make up about 63% of the city’s population of 628,000. In many ways it is two cities: One is Beale Street and blues, barbecue and Elvis. The other is a spiritual center because of what happened here decades ago. There’s the Mason Temple where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous and prophetic speech proclaiming that Black people would eventually reach a world of equality.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Memphis man says he was assaulted by same Scorpion officers charged with Tyre Nichols' deathA 22-year-old Black man says he was beaten up three days before Tyre Nichols was attacked by some of the same officers who were with the now-disbanded Scorpion unit.
Read more »
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Revokes Membership Of Memphis Officers Involved In Tyre Nichols’ DeathNow that Omega Psi Phi has taken definitive action against the former officers, including barring them from any privileges awarded to active fraternity members, social media users say such action should be the standard and immediate response.
Read more »
Sixth Memphis police officer fired after death of Tyre NicholsEarlier this week, police said that former officer Preston Hemphill was under investigation for participating 'in the initial traffic stop and the use of a TASER.'
Read more »
Sixth Memphis officer fired after Tyre Nichols' deathOfficer Preston Hemphill was at the scene of the initial aggressive traffic stop but not at the violent beating that occurred later, his attorney has said.
Read more »