More Questions Than Answers

Posted on by under Law and justice, Personal, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

This man, Tyre Nichols …

… is dead.  He died at the hands of police officers who used excessive force at a routine traffic stop on January 7th.

All five of the officers were charged on seven counts yesterday:  one count of second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct, one count of official oppression and one count of aggravated assault while acting in concert.

My initial thought was that here we go again, white cops killing an unarmed Black man.  And then … I saw the picture of the five officers and … my jaw dropped.

Clockwise from top left: Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith, and Desmond Mills Jr.Credit…Memphis Police Department, via Associated Press

I’m not proud of the fact that I automatically jumped to a conclusion about the colour of the officers’ skin … what does that say about my own prejudices?  A topic I shall need to ponder on in a bit.

Meanwhile, I don’t know much about the incident, but I have questions.  Why were five officers involved in a single traffic stop?  I’ve been stopped before, but never by more than one or two officers.  It is said that they pulled him over in suspicion of reckless driving, there was a skirmish, the police used pepper spray, and Mr. Nichols left the vehicle and ran.  The officers caught up with him and beat him so severely that he died three days later.  What caused five supposedly well-trained police officers to severely beat a man … any man? There is video … presumably body-cam footage … that will be released sometime after 6:00 p.m. tonight.

Why the delay, you ask?  Because of the near certainty that once the public sees what has been said to be horrifying, shocking video, protests are expected, so the timing is critical … Friday night, when most people have left work and are home, safe & sound for the weekend.  Not only Memphis, but the entire nation seems to be braced for a huge public backlash.  Officials are telling people that it’s fine to exercise their right to protest, but to please do so peacefully.  Everyone from Nichols’ own mother to President Biden is calling for peaceful protest …

“As Americans grieve, the Department of Justice conducts its investigation, and state authorities continue their work, I join Tyre’s family in calling for peaceful protest. Outrage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable.  Violence is destructive and against the law.  It has no place in peaceful protests seeking justice.”

In the coming weeks, questions will be answered in this most puzzling, tragic case.  Meanwhile, I hope that protests are peaceful, but I won’t be surprised if they are not.  People seem not to have learned that you cannot fight violence with violence.  I hope people will remember what Dr. Martin Luther King said …

“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars … Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

24 thoughts on “More Questions Than Answers”

  1. I don’t know that the five officers that best him were the same ones who pulled him over. Another officer approached the car and opened the door. And we don’t know how badly he was driving before he was pulled over. Considering the way the officer approached the car, it must gave been pretty bad and reckless. The five were probably called for backup to apprehend a running suspect. Lot of things from the officer’s viewpoint and belief are unknown at thus point. It gas to be analyzed from the viewpoint of the police to understand what happened and why it happened. That us why you don’t convict people before you have a trial.

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    • Agreed that you don’t convict people without a trial. However, he was unarmed, and they beat and pepper-sprayed him for a period of several minutes. Given what we’ve seen on the body cam footage, I think there can be no reasonable doubt that it was excessive force on the part of the police.

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  2. It saddens me deeply to know in 2023 the same fears face us today that did a century ago. A traffic stop could be a life ending experience and that scares me so much! I’ve seen video of white cops abusing white men and women and black cops abusing black men and women. As was mentioned in a previous comment, it’s not the race of the officer in uniform, but seems to be the uniform itself. The quote comes to mind that “absolute power, corrupts absolutely.” I know there are plenty of good cops out there but the bad ones are ruining the system for everyone, civilians and cops alike. I pray for the family to endure this difficult time and look forward to the time when we won’t have to worry about tragedies like this (Psalms 37:10,11).

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    • You’re right … for some, the uniform gives them a sense of power, of superiority. This is why it is SO important that police departments do a thorough background check, AND psychological testing. Along with sensitivity training, it would help weed out those who choose to abuse their power. But there IS also the racial aspect and far more unarmed Black people are killed by police every year than white people.

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  3. An arrest by police should not be a life ending experience and violence from any police officer is unacceptable. I will say however that as police in the US are expected to take their chances and guess if a suspect or a traffic stop person is carrying a firearm. These police would be under a certain kind of pressure most of us would never have to endure in our workplaces. I have always considered that US police officers would suffer similar psychological problems that some military people suffer such as “combat fatigue.” If so this may answer some of the violence by policemen if they have been stressed out over a long period of time.

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    • I agree with you on all counts. There is no excuse for so many of the incidents of police killing unarmed men, usually Black men (and women, too … remember Breonna Taylor?). It’s one thing if the suspect has actually committed a crime and if he/she is armed, but in the case of Mr. Nichols, they stopped him for a POSSIBLE traffic violation, he was NOT armed, and 5 cops beat the heck out of him while still others stood around and watched. Unconscionable! Combat fatigue is one possible answer in some cases, but … all those cops? I think not. And even so, it’s just no excuse.

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  4. TYRE NICHOLS!
    On tonight’s news we were told all 5 suspects (Given the video, can they still be called suspects?) were charged with 2nd degree murder. I personally think they should all be facing 1st Degree Murder charges, the death came in the commission of a crime. It is even worse that these guys were police officers… And Black!
    I have theories about why, one of which I gave in my comment of ClayToonz today, but here and now is not the time to stir up people’s feelings. Peaceful protest is the desired play here. But I saw some of the video! I would not bet on everyone being peaceful…

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      • In Canada any death occurring during the commission of a crime is 1st Degree Murder. But we do not have the death penalty, nor do we have sentences that extend beyond 25 years unless under certain special circimstances. We believe every life is salvageable. There is a limit to how a person long can be punished.

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    • It’s the law that they be called ‘suspects’ and that they be reported as ‘allegedly’ having committed the crime, until they are tried and found guilty. That old “Innocent until proven guilty (in a court of law) thing. But, in my mind, and given the evidence that is insurmountable, they are guilty. First degree murder applies only when it was planned, when there was “malice aforethought”. I’m surprised they are even charged with 2nd degree murder, for so many other cops have killed without justification and not been given more than a slap on the wrist. My best guess, much as I hate to have to say it, is that had they been white cops, the charges would have been much less. I usually read the comments on Clay’s posts, but I haven’t for the last day or so. I’ll go back and check it out.

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    • He makes a good point! Thanks for sharing that article … I subscribe to The Week, but I missed that one … only so much reading a person can do in a day! I hope you have a good weekend as well. I hope this weekend will be peaceful, but the nation is on edge at the moment, after the release of the video in the Tyre Nichols case.

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  6. Pingback: More Questions Than Answers — Filosofa’s Word – The Ivory Tower of My Mind

  7. So, basically, it’s, the uniforms, that made these officers, murderers, not the, skin colors. A study from back in the days showed, that a colored person is more than likely to be misinterpreted with holding something dangerous than a Caucasian person, so, not much had, chsnged, since the study was conducted from, way back when, and that, is, problematic!

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  8. I obviously share yiur prejudices as I was gobsmacked to see the Afro American faces of the officers accused of this crime.Not that they can”t be violent but that I thought they’d see enough violence towards their own people by the white officers.
    Cwtch

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    • My thoughts exactly! And though I’ve read a number of stories/articles about the incident, I still have no idea why 5 officers set on a single, unarmed driver and beat him, literally, to death. There HAS to be something we’re not being told. Sigh. I, too, was gobsmacked, as is everyone I’ve talked to about it.
      Cwtch

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