Death by American Brutality

THE BEATING OF TYRE NICHOLS IS HARD TO WATCH. BUT WE MUST BEAR WITNESS

- JANELL ROSS

WE FIND OURSELVES, AS A NATION, IN A nauseating position.

In the hours before Memphis police released video of the beating death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, cable-news anchors, filling some of their copious time, spoke of the police footage as “hours away from release,” “soon to come,” and with other terms typically reserved for sporting events, major political speeches, and moments of scandal. The city, newscasters said, was on edge. Memphis’s Black female police chief, Cerelyn Davis, and surrounding Shelby County’s District Attorney Steve Mulroy, a white man and Democrat, have been lauded for their comparatively swift, decisive action. Before footage of the beating was released, the five Black officers involved in Nichols’ Jan. 7 beating were fired and indicted on multiple charges including official misconduct and oppression, second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated kidnapping. In the hours and days after its release, two more police officers and two sheriff’s deputies were suspended, at least one of whom is white. And three EMTs, two Black and one white, were also fired. Davis described the contents of the tapes as revolting, reflecting a disregard for human life.