The agonizing footage of Memphis police officers kicking and punching Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old man, during a Jan. 7, 2023, traffic stop horrified the city and the nation.
Fallout was swift: Five officers were fired and charged in connection with Mr. Nichols’s beating and death.
The Police Department disbanded the street crime unit the officers belonged to.
And the City Council approved a series of new policing ordinances, including one to reduce traffic stops for minor infractions.
But as three of the former officers are set to stand trial for civil rights and obstruction charges in federal court on Monday, there is a sense for some in Memphis that progress has stalled.
“We’ve been able to grieve a little and heal a little — however, now that this trial is coming up, we’re going to have to relive all of that again,” said RowVaughn Wells, Mr. Nichols’s mother, in an interview.
She still has not watched the videos showing what happened to her son.
Mr. Nichols’s stepfather, Rodney Wells, added, “We’ll never fully heal, but justice for Tyre is a step in the right direction.” Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
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The horrific video showing Tyre Nichols, 29, being punched and kicked by Memphis police officers during a Jan. The country and the city were appalled by the traffic stop on July 7, 2023.
After Mr. Nichols was beaten and died, there was immediate fallout: five officers were charged and fired. The officers’ unit, the street crime unit, was dissolved by the Police Department. A number of new police regulations, including one that will decrease traffic stops for infractions, were also approved by the City Council.
Nonetheless, some in Memphis feel that progress has stopped as three of the former officers are scheduled to go on trial in federal court on Monday on charges of obstruction and civil rights violations. Republicans in the state have threatened to escalate the ongoing dispute between the city and them by depriving the latter of a portion of the revenues generated by the state’s sales tax. The dispute revolves around the city’s public safety and policing policies.
Furthermore, given that states and cities have not yet addressed many of their police accountability objectives, the violence at the core of the charges is likely to rekindle the conversation about police tactics and the frequently brutal way in which Black men are treated by law enforcement.
RowVaughn Wells, Mr. Dot Nichols’s mother, stated in an interview that although they have had some time to grieve and heal, they will soon have to go through it all again because of the impending trial. She hasn’t yet watched the videos that depict her son’s ordeal.
Hey, Mr. Rodney Wells, Nichols’s stepfather, continued, “Justice for Tyre is a step in the right direction, but we’ll never fully heal.”. “.
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