Tyre Nichols was not a criminal.
He was a skateboard enthusiast, avid photographer, and proud father of his 4-year-old son.
Yet, on January 7, police stopped Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, two minutes away from his home at a traffic stop for “reckless driving.” Nichols was yanked out of the car and surrounded by officers, who wielded pepper spray and tasered him as he struggled on the ground.
Attempting to flee, he was then pursued by officers who eventually caught up to the distressed individual, aggressively kicking, punching, and striking his head with a baton. Three days later, on January 10, Nichols died in the hospital.
In a nation shattered by yet another incident of police brutality, Americans have joined hands to demand justice and put an end to the violent assaults on civilians by the police. Following the release of surveillance and police body camera footage earlier this week, peaceful protests manifested in major U.S. cities, including Memphis, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Detroit. In 2023, this familiar sequence of events is all too cyclical: an incident of police brutality occurs, protests flare across the country, and talks of police reform and calls for legislative change eventually fizzle out.
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a crucial example of this recurring phenomenon. Following George Floyd’s cold-blooded murder in 2020, this act sought to drastically increase accountability for police misconduct and ban racial profiling by law enforcement. Congress considered this act but failed to pass it based on concerns of bankrupting officers and flooding the courts with illegitimate cases. The death of Tyre Nichols has refueled arguments to pass this Act, yet obstacles remain. The current Democrat majority in the Senate and the Republican majority in the House complicate the matter and lower the prospects for the bill to be passed. Time and time again, federal leaders have refused to enact sweeping police reform despite recurring cases of police brutality and murder.
Tyre Nichol's death was no accident. The date on which he died spotlights the irony of a murdered Black man by law enforcement on the eve of two celebrations honoring the lives and history of African Americans. He died less than a week away from Martin Luther King. Jr. Day and less than a month away from Black History Month. MLK day is a federal holiday honoring the life of one of the nation’s most influential leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. Black History Month, which began across the nation this past week celebrates the achievements of Black Americans and the central role they played and will continue to play in transforming our country.
Tyre Nichols is a stark reminder of a nation unwilling to take the proper, actionable steps necessary to remedy an urgent and pressing matter. His death once again proves that holidays and celebrations are entirely inadequate in honoring and protecting the lives of Black people in the United States. Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Tyre Nichols, among countless others, continually remind us of a grave problem that plagues our nation. Police brutality will continue in a nation capable of change but unwilling to make the necessary steps to protect the lives of Black civilians. The deaths of these individuals will continue to represent a mere statistic unless drastic measures are taken and commitments are made to put an end to police brutality in America.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.