Tyre Nichols bodycam shows ‘systemic racism’ in non-White people, Black activists say

The Tyre Nichols bodycam footage has led to discussions among Black activists about how systemic racism can guide the actions and attitudes of non-White people.

Authorities in Memphis, Tennessee have released four videos from a Jan. 7 traffic stop that preceded the death of 29-year-old Nichols, who spent three days in the hospital before succumbing to his injuries.

The brutal encounter led to the firing of five Memphis police officers, all of whom are Black and now face numerous charges, including murder.

The race of the officers has led to complex and challenging conversations among Black activists on police reform and claims of pervasive intuitional racism in policing, according to new reports from The New York Times and The Washington Post.

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"The widely viewed videos of the Nichols beating provided fodder for right-wing media ecosystems that routinely blame Black America's maladies on Black America and spawned nuanced conversations among Black activists about how systemic racism can manifest in the actions of non-White people," Robert Klemko, Silvia Foster-Frau and Emily Davies of the Post wrote.

The piece cited several studies that showed how Black police officers use force less frequently against Black civilians versus White officers but only to a "marginal" degree.

Samuel Sinyangwe, the President of Mapping Police Violence, said that initiatives to diversify law enforcement would not solve the issue of police violence. He noted that various factors, including directives to work in neighborhoods of color and internal biases, also lead to a disproportionate response against Black Americans.

Ayanna Robinson, a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant manager, drove nearly seven hours from Indianapolis to Memphis to attend protests following Nichols' death. She was shocked to find dozens, not thousands of protesters calmly voicing their outrage. She attributed the subdued reaction to the race of the officers.

If the officers had been White, "…all hell would have broken loose. The city would have been in war," she said.

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In early 2020, William Green was shot to death while handcuffed by a Black officer in Maryland. His cousin, Nikki Owens, said she felt a similar frustration to Robinson following the incident, which prompted her activism and teaching of institutional racism.

"When I was out in the community and I would talk to people, I could see their reaction when I told them the officer was Black," she said. "And some people would ask what color the officer was, which is another indication of that lack of understanding."

The Times also highlighted Black voices, who said that uses of race and policing are a "function of an entrenched police culture of aggression and dehumanization of Black people" rather than "impersonal racism" among Black and White people.

Robert M. Sausedo, a Los Angeles nonprofit leader, told the paper that it was not racism driving the death of young Black men like Nichols but rather "culturalism."

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One of the activists and organizers working alongside the Nichols family to make policy changes in the Memphis Police Department said that officers of all races are "indoctrinated" into viewing Black and Brown people as "less than." She added that racism is a "clear factor" in police work based on the victims of police violence rather than the race of the perpetrators.

The paper did note that many police reform activists say diversifying police forces have made a difference and "remains a worthy goal." According to a friend, Nichols once considered becoming a police officer to change the system from the inside.

The city's police department last week fired the five officers involved in the incident: Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith.

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Each of them faces more than a half-dozen charges, including second-degree murder, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. All five surrendered to state authorities Thursday and later posted bond.

Sheriff Bonner, whose county encompasses the Memphis area, also announced that he had relieved two deputies of duty hours after the videos became public.