Americans are reacting to the release of graphic body cam footage showing the killing of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police in Memphis.
State officials across the country released memos condemning the actions of the police. Here in Minnesota, activists expressed outrage at the beating.
“What we saw last night, was a mafia-style execution,” DJ Hooker said. “And we continue to see this, just like [with] George Floyd, there were four of them working together to kill a black man, and last night it was five of them.”
Minnesota based support group Families Supporting Families held a press conference to call for action on and also express skepticism. Hooker believed that the reason the police officers were dealt with so quickly was due to their race, and not necessarily their actions.
The five officers that beat Tyre Nichols were all Black. The Memphis police department fired all of them, and they have been indicted on murder and kidnapping charges.
Gov. Walz released a statement stating, “As we grapple with the pain of another Black life lost at the hands of law enforcement, we must recommit to stopping this pattern of violence.”
Michelle Gross, President of Communities United Against Police Brutality, said that the Democratic Party needs to use the power it has now in the Minnesota Legislature to pass bills addressing qualified immunity, civilian oversight of police and other forms of police accountability.