My mom is a news aficionado, and as such, she has CNN on a lot. This past week, the bulk of the air time was dedicated to the Tyre Nichols beating and subsequent murder, with the quantity of announcements about the release of the police body cam footage bordering on the ridiculous. Officials were obviously wary of the potential riotous reaction the Memphis community might have with the video's release, and the three of us shared plenty of conjecture about what the video would reveal. I will say that the media-infused lead-up to the actual release of the video was ludicrous, almost like they were trying to incite a strong reaction.
The release of the hour long shocking footage happened Friday night. The Memphis Police chief reportedly waited for the prime moment to release it, in an effort to mitigate consequences of a negative reaction.
To say that we were impacted by the images flashing before us would be a gross understatement, as we stared incredulously at the TV screen as the scenario played out, our brains blazing with questions of why ... how ... what ... who.
Why in the Lord's name did this play out the way it did?
How in the world could a group of police officers act in this manner?
What was going through Tyre's mind? The officer's mind? The EMT's minds?
Who was ultimately responsible for this?
Probably the number one discussion item was why would the Memphis Police choose to release the obviously edited footage? What did they hope this would accomplish? Did the general public need to witness this egregious transgression of police brutality? The disgusting, horrific misuse of power on full display would surely result in reaction from the community. If we were Tyre's parents, how would we be affected by the whole sordid affair available to billions following the footage's upload to the Internet? Surely they pleaded that it not be released ... once it hits the Internet, it'll be there forever, haunting them like a Poltergeist. I can never put myself in their shoes, but I am completely in the camp that it would change me forever.
It is my understanding that this particular group of officers were a part of some "elite" group called Scorpion, the name standing for "Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighbourhoods", a 50-person unit with the mission of bringing down crime levels in particular areas. How ironic is it that that this very unit demonstrated the complete antithesis of their mandate? As the days following the video's release play out, it will be of keen interest that the actual reason Tyre Nichols was initially pulled over for comes to light. IMHO, he attempts to cooperate with the officers in the beginning, remaining calm, asking for clarification, but at some point he runs from his captors in what I can only imagine is honest fear for his safety. The beating that he receives for this is mindbogglingly disturbing.
In the most remote sense, I can understand that this squad of officers has been significantly impacted by the individuals they deal with on a daily basis, the only reason I can fathom for the magnitude of their vindictiveness, boorish attitudes, and repulsive language. I cannot for the life of me understand the mindset of the EMT's that arrive on the scene, standing idle as Tyre is in obvious distress, waiting what appeared to be 15 minutes before physically offering aid, a full 20 minutes before he was loaded into an ambulance bound for a hospital. While the authorities have charged 5 officers ... so far at least ... with 2nd degree murder after summarily firing them for their direct involvement, I personally feel that the EMT's behaviour is worthy of legal repercussions too. I believe they have been fired, but IMHO that's not enough.
I was very interested in one of the CNN experts whose voice-over during the muted footage from the streetlight pole clearly outlined one massive issue that requires attention ... the lack of supervisory official for this supposedly "crack" squad. Obviously, additional charges need to be filed all the way up the chain in an effort to ensure the root of the situation is pulled. I'm not at all sure that the Memphis Police's decision to permanently disband the Scorpion unit will be the sole solution.
In the end, none of this can give Tyre Nicholls is life back.
It's a sad day for the human race, folks.
Sad that the whole affair occurred.
Sad that a young man paid the ultimate price.
Sad they felt compelled to broadcast this calamity.
It's just plain sad.
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