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The video of Tyre Nichols' arrest is violent. Here are some resources to take care of yourself.
From CNN's Jen Christensen
The newly released video of the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols is difficult to watch — but it may also be hard to avoid. Some people might even feel duty-bound to watch it as a way to pay tribute to Nichols, who died three days after the confrontation with officers.
Psychologists say the best approach to care for mental health is to know your limits – and possibly to avoid watching the video altogether.
Research shows that frequent exposure to violent news events can cause negative stress reactions. Even witnessing vicarious violence can raise a person’s sense of anxiety and fear and, in some cases, lead to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dr. Erlanger Turner, a psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at Pepperdine University, said it’s good to do a self-assessment before watching such videos.
“I oftentimes tell people to know yourself before you consume the content, because everybody responds to these types of images differently,” said Turner, who is an expert in the effects of witnessing police violence on social media and on the perception of police bias in communities of color. “Some people can see it and they can be sort of OK. Other people, it could trigger some really strong emotions.”
Talking to kids: Parents and others who care for children may need to prepare for their questions.
Parents should try to anticipate their kids’ response to seeing or hearing about the video and how to talk about it, Turner said. Will the child be numb to it after seeing so many violent images? Will they be upset? Are they going to be afraid for their parents or for themselves?
Here are some places you can find immediate help:
For resources specific to Black wellness:
Memphis releases video footage of deadly police beating
The city of Memphis has released police body camera and surveillance video showing the traffic stop and violent police confrontation that led to the death of Tyre Nichols.
CNN is reviewing the videos.
Five former Memphis officers are charged with second-degree murder and other counts, including assault and kidnapping.
Two Memphis Fire Department employees who were part of Nichols’ initial care have been relieved of duty, pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
Here's what to expect to see in videos of Tyre Nichols' arrest
Memphis officials will release a little over an hour of footage of Tyre Nichols' deadly encounter with police, according to Shelby County District Attorney Steven Mulroy.
Mulroy, speaking to CNN ahead of the video being made public Friday night, said the material will include three body camera videos. One will be footage from "almost all" of officers' first encounter with Nichols.
This will show the moments shortly after Memphis officers pulled over Nichols' vehicle for suspected reckless driving, according to a statement from Memphis police. Mulroy said the video does include the initial traffic stop.
The other two body camera videos, plus a video showing an overhead view, will show the officers' second encounter with Nichols.
“A confrontation occurred” between officers and the vehicle’s driver — later identified as Nichols — who fled on foot after the initial traffic stop, according to Memphis police. Officers apprehended him and “another confrontation occurred,” resulting in Nichols’ arrest, police said.
Mulroy said people can expect to see "enough" of this second encounter, up until Nichols is taken away in an ambulance.
Five officer involved in the arrest have been charged with murder and kidnapping, Mulroy announced Thursday.
“But I suspect that the average viewer after watching the video will not have too much trouble understanding why all five officers are being held responsible for the death of Tyre Nichols and we are, in fact, confident that we have a strong case," he told CNN.
Biden says Tyre Nichols' mother made "a very strong plea" for peace in wake of video's release
From CNN's Sam Fossum
President Joe Biden spoke to reporters as he left the White House Friday night, relaying more from his discussion with Tyre Nichols' parents.
"She's obviously in enormous pain," Biden told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, referring to Nichols' mother.
"I told her I have some idea of what that loss was like," the president added.
Biden said he told RowVaughn Wells he would continue to urge Congress to pass legislation on policing in the wake of her son's deadly beating by officers in Memphis, Tennessee.
"I expressed my condolences and told her that I was going to be making the case to the Congress to pass the George Floyd (Justice in Policing) Act. We should get this under control. I can only do so much with executive order, at the federal level," Biden said.
The president also said he was "really pleased" that Wells called for "peaceful protest" and "no violence," adding they spoke for about 10 or 15 minutes.
Asked if he was concerned about the potential for civil unrest or violence in the wake of the video's release, the president said: "I am, I'm obviously very concerned about it, but I think she has made a very strong plea" for peace.
Family attorney Ben Crump says officers' actions were "so unnecessary, so uncalled for"
Ben Crump, an attorney for the family of Tyre Nichols, said viewers can expect to see police officers display an "excessive use of force" along with "excessive profanity" in the video footage set to be released tonight of Nichols' arrest.
"It's just so unnecessary, so uncalled for that they continue to escalate the matter," Crump told CNN's Wolf Blitzer Friday. "You were hoping and praying as you watch this video that just one officer would say, 'Hey everybody, this kid isn't a criminal. He's calm. Let us be calm. Let's just de-escalate. Let's just everybody calm down.' But that never happened the entire video."
He said cops "brutalized" Nichols, and that in the video, "nobody is trying to render aid to help this young man who's clearly in distress."
On Thursday, a grand jury returned indictments against each of the five ex-cops. Crump said Friday that the charges were brought within 20 days because "that video clearly showed that these five Black police officers committed a crime."
"This is the blueprint going forward for America whether the officers are Black or White that they can't tell us it's going to take six months to a year to investigate before they can take action," he said.
Leaders to Memphis ahead of Tyre Nichols arrest video release: "let your voices be heard in a peaceful manner"
From CNN’s Andy Rose
Local leaders in Memphis are asking for calmness from the community as they prepare Friday night to release video of Tyre Nichols’ fatal encounter with police.
“Let your voices be heard, but let your voices be heard in a peaceful manner,” Shelby County Commission Chairman Mickell Lowery said. “Let's be a model for the nation, because eyes are upon Memphis today.”
Lowery said he had seen the video ahead of its public release.
“Seeing the video firsthand is horrendous,” he said.
Nichols' family attorney Ben Crump said earlier in the day that the relatively quick firing and arrests of the police officers involved and release of video should be a “blueprint” for how police brutality allegations should be handled going forward.
In response, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said that he wasn’t sure this level of speed will be possible in every case, but he was convinced it was necessary in the killing of Nichols.
“This particular case was extraordinary in terms of the public concern, the potential to undermine confidence in the fairness of the system,” said Mulroy. “I think those extraordinary circumstances justified expedited action."
Memphis' SCORPION unit inactivated and put under review following death of Tyre Nichols
From CNN’s Don Lemon
The SCORPION unit of the Memphis Police Department has been inactivated during a review process of MPD’s specialized units, Major Karen Rudolph tells CNN.
“There will be a review over all specialized units. Currently, the SCORPION Unit is inactivated during this review process, but it has not been disbanded. You have to remember, we have about 10 specialized units that work similar to the scorpion unit. It's not the unit, they are necessary. In this case, it's the officers who by chance were assigned to the scorpion unit,” she said.
In a weekly letter to the Memphis community, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland also commented on the unit being inactivated.
“It is clear that these officers violated the department’s policies and training. I want to assure you we are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again. We are initiating an outside, independent review of the training, policies, and operations of our specialized units. Since this event happened, the SCORPION Unit has been and remains inactive,” he said.
About the unit: At least two of the officers charged in Nichols’ death were members of the Memphis Police SCORPION unit, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods, according to their attorneys. The units are not unique to Memphis.
The unit was launched in November 2021.
Earlier Friday, Nichols' family attorney Antonio Romanucci called on Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis to disband the unit immediately, and asked chiefs across the country to review their respective units and disband them as well.
CNN’s Jamiel Lynch contributed to this report.
Memphis mayor says he is "sad and angry" for the Nichols family
From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch
In his weekly letter to the Memphis community, Mayor Jim Strickland focused heavily on the death of Tyre Nichols and the arrest of five police officers on Thursday.
“Since learning of this tragic event, transparency and swift methodical action have been our top priorities because the family of Mr. Nichols and our citizens deserve nothing less. The actions of these officers were awful, and no one, including law enforcement, is above the law. I assure you we will do everything we can to keep this type of heinous act from happening again,” his letter began.
Strickland said the SCORPION unit, which encompassed some of the officers involved in the traffic stop, remains inactive pending an independent review.
“It is clear that these officers violated the department’s policies and training. I want to assure you we are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again. We are initiating an outside, independent review of the training, policies, and operations of our specialized units. Since this event happened, the SCORPION Unit has been and remains inactive,” he said.
Closing the letter, Strickland said he is “sad and angry for the family of Tyre Nichols."
"I am also angry for the many good men and women of the Memphis Police Department who devote their lives to serving our citizens. We must all work to regain the public’s trust and work together to heal the wounds these events have caused.”
Lasting change means "tearing down a culture of police brutality," Tennessee state lawmaker says
Tennessee State Sen. London Lamar, who represents parts of Memphis, said there needs to be a change in the culture inside police departments.
After the death of Tyre Nichols, the community needs to focus on healing, she said, and this healing starts with accountability.
Five former Memphis police officers involved in Nichols' arrest have been charged with murder and kidnapping, the Shelby County district attorney announced Thursday. These charges mean that the "system is actually working," Lamar said, speaking at a news conference Friday.
She said the next step, now that the officers have been indicted, is wider change in the form of "tearing down a culture of police brutality."
"I’m looking at the future at this point, and I want to bring people together who are committed to changing the culture in our police departments," she said.
Lamar acknowledged that this is no easy task — if it was, “every police department in the United States would have done it already," she said, adding that creating "a culture of accountability" starts with police officers themselves.
