Tyre Nichols (photo, left), 29, was beaten to death by 5 police officers (photo at bottom) on January 7, 2023 (details here).
All the cops involved, like Nichols, were black; this wasn’t a white-on-black incident, but it is a case of police brutality and misconduct.
On October 3, 2024, a jury convicted 2 of the cops on federal charges of witness tampering and another of inflicting bodily injury; 2 others previously took plea deals (see story here). All 5 cops have been fired and decertified, and likely are facing lengthy prison sentences.
Meanwhile, Nichols’ family has filed a lawsuit against the city of Memphis and its police (see story here). They’ll probably get several million dollars, most likely paid by the city’s insurers, and then passed on to the public in higher insurance premiums.
Defunding the police was always a cockamamie idea, and never more than a street protest chant; liberal politicians didn’t embrace it. We need police to keep our communities safe; without them criminals would have free reign, and anarchy would rule.
But we don’t want bad cops. They’re worse then no cops at all. Cops are human, but we have to hold them to a higher standard. Violent and abusive cops, lying cops, and those who cover up misconduct deserve to be, and should be, kicked off our police forces.
