During the church service, Thomas offered a prayer for Nichols’ family, asking God to “fill them with your blessings.”
The loss is “still very emotional” for the family, an attorney representing them said Sunday, but they are using all their energy to advocate for reform both in Memphis and at the federal level.
“His mother has trouble sleeping but she continues to pray with understanding, for she believes in her heart that Tyr has been sent here on a mission, and that there will be a greater good that will come from this tragedy.” , said attorney Ben Crump. said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Crump welcomed the disbanding of the city’s so-called Scorpion Unit, announced Saturday by Police Superintendent Cerelyn “CJ” Davis, citing a “cloud of dishonor” in the newly released video.
Davis acted a day after the heartbreaking video emerged, saying she listened to those close to Nichols, community leaders and officers not involved in the decision-making. His announcement came as the nation and city struggled to deal with violence from officers, who are also black. The video renewed outrage over repeated deadly encounters with law enforcement that continue to occur despite nationwide demands for change.
Crump told “This Week” that Nichols’ case highlights a systemic problem in how people of color are treated, whether officers are white, black or of any other race.
The culture of “implicit and biased policing” that exists in America is just as responsible for Nichols’ death as the five black officers who killed him, Crump said.
“I believe it’s part of the institutionalized police culture that kind of allows that they can use this type of excessive force and brutality against people of color,” Crump told “This Week.” “It’s not the policeman’s race that is the determining factor if he’s going to use excessive force, but it’s the citizen’s race. »
He alleged that other members of the Memphis community were assaulted by the now closed Scorpion Unit, which consisted of three teams of approximately 30 officers whose stated purpose was to target violent offenders in areas with high crime. The unit had been inactive since Nichols’ arrest on January 7.
Scorpio stands for Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods.
The five officers involved in the beating of Nichols – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith – have been fired and…
