On the evening of the 27th local time, the police in Memphis, Tennessee, USA released the video of the death of an African-American man, Tyre Nichols, who was violently enforced by the police on the 7th of this month.
After the video was released, protests broke out in many places across the United States, condemning the deep-rooted problems of police brutality and racism in the United States.
In Memphis, local people took to the streets to hold rallies. Protesters once occupied a local interstate bridge and demanded that the police involved be severely punished.
Ripley, a protester in Memphis: I think it is not enough to arrest the police involved. We need to make systemic changes to prevent such things from happening again.
In Washington, D.C., protesters gathered outside the White House demanding justice for the victims.
In Detroit, Michigan, protesters braved the wind and snow to take to the streets to speak out for the victims.
Detroit protester Lewis: It is infuriating that this kind of tragedy happens again and again, and it keeps causing trauma and destruction.
In New York, a large number of people held a protest in Times Square. They played slogans such as “End Police Violence” and shouted slogans such as “No Justice, No Peace”. Some protesters also clashed with the police. At least three protesters Arrested.
New York protesters: In the United States, at least one minority is killed by police or racists every 28 hours. This means that almost every night a “Nichols” is killed.
New York protesters: I think the most frustrating thing is that in 2020, there have been many large-scale protests in the United States. But so far, little progress has been made on many fronts.
On the same day, protests broke out in Chicago, Atlanta and other cities. According to US media reports, rallies and demonstrations are also planned in Boston, Portland, and Oregon.
Victim’s family calls for police to be brought to justice
On the 28th local time, the American media released a video of an interview with the parents of Tyre Nichols, the victim who was killed by police violence. They said that the actions of the Tennessee police must be punished as they should.
Tye Nichols’ mother said police told her only after the incident that her son had been shocked and pepper sprayed. However, when she arrived at the hospital and saw her son’s injuries, she realized that her son had suffered unimaginable violence from law enforcement.
Tyre Nichols’ mother Lovaughn: Doctors put him on all these breathing machines and he’s in cardiac arrest, kidney failure. This came as a total shock to me because it was nothing like what the police told me.
The video released by the police showed that after the traffic interception of Nichols, the police involved used a stun gun and pepper spray on him, and beat him with batons. Nichols’ stepfather said that those involved in violent law enforcement must be punished as they should.
Rodney, Tye Nichols’ stepfather: I just want people to understand why these cops are being charged with murder. My son was only 136 pounds and the abuse by five police officers was appalling. We need the public to see this so they can make their own judgement.
Tennessee lawmaker calls for thorough investigation into incident
On the 28th local time, some Tennessee state lawmakers held a press conference to protest the death of African-American man Tyre Nichols by police violence and called for an in-depth investigation of the police violence involved.
Tennessee Rep. Downes: I’m calling for an in-depth investigation into this, and it looks like there might be something else behind it. They dragged a guy out of a car for no reason and beat him to death as if something else was hiding behind it.
Faced with the video of violent law enforcement released by the police, the congressmen present said that the case must be thoroughly investigated before it could touch on the deep-seated problem of excessive use of violence by the American police in law enforcement. During the speeches, some congressmen present couldn’t hide their disappointment with the police system and their dissatisfaction with the police’s brutal law enforcement.
Tennessee Congressman Hardaway: There is a so-called “elite army” roaming the streets, but we don’t know who this army is responsible for. This makes no sense.
Congressman Downs of Tennessee: When you see your colleagues doing something wrong, you should step forward to stop them, instead of having ten people (onlookers) let five people torture and kill others in person.
News Observation丨Why are police violent law enforcement incidents frequent in the United States
According to the tracking data of the US police violence website, in 2022, violent law enforcement incidents by the US police will cause 1,186 deaths, a record high in 10 years, and 26% of the victims are African Americans.
Many people can’t help but wonder, the death of Freud, an African-American man who was “kneeled on his neck” by the police in 2020, has triggered protests against police violence in the United States. Why has everything remained the same after more than two years?
More than two years of police reform have had little effect
After the Floyd case, there was a wave of protests against police violence and racial discrimination across the United States, demanding reform of the police system. Over the past two years, the U.S. police have indeed carried out some reforms. For example, the police are required to use law enforcement cameras extensively during law enforcement, prohibiting direct intrusion without declaration, and must intervene when colleagues engage in violent law enforcement.
The Memphis Police Department, which was exposed to violent law enforcement this time, has also carried out reforms, but the tragedy is still happening. It can be seen that the police reform in the United States has had little effect, and violent law enforcement incidents against ethnic minorities still occur frequently.
The police system has a deep-rooted tradition of racism
The most fundamental reason behind this is probably the deep-rooted tradition of racial discrimination in the police system. Therefore, some people believe that the most needed reform of the American police system is to change the institutionalized police culture that uses excessive violence against ethnic minorities.
Broad police arrest powers, increasingly aggressive day-to-day enforcement
Some analysts believe that another core problem that leads to the frequent incidents of police violence in the United States is that the police have broad arrest powers, and even minor violations can meet the conditions for arrest, which has led to more frequent, unnecessary and aggressive behavior. Statistics show that since 2017, American police have caused nearly 600 deaths in traffic inspections alone.
The proliferation of guns, the police are used to pulling out their guns to protect themselves when enforcing the law
In addition, the proliferation of guns is also a factor that cannot be ignored for the frequent occurrence of police violence in law enforcement. The number of private guns in the United States is too large, and there are more guns than people. This makes it easier for the American police to draw out their guns to protect their own safety when law enforcement.
