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Atlantic
09-05-2025
- Atlantic
Tyre Nichols and the End of Police Reform
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. In January 2023, I traveled to Memphis to report on the killing of Tyre Nichols, an unarmed Black man beaten to death by a group of Memphis police officers. Like most Americans, I have seen far too many videos in recent years of police brutalizing people, and I had reported on the particular failures of justice in Memphis, a city afflicted by both underpolicing—in the form of high rates of violent crime in its poorest neighborhoods—and overpolicing, in the form of widespread abuse. Even so, I was shocked by what I saw when the city released videos. A team of police from a special squad called the SCORPION unit savagely beat Nichols and then didn't bother to provide any medical aid. They did most of this underneath SkyCop, one of the ubiquitous Memphis surveillance cameras, evidently unworried that they would face repercussions for their actions. They were wrong—but not that wrong. Although five officers were quickly fired, and the SCORPION unit was disbanded, it now seems possible that few, if any, will be convicted of the most serious charges in a man's senseless death. This week, at a trial in Memphis, a jury acquitted three of the former officers involved in Nichols's death on several charges, including second-degree murder. Two others have agreed to plead guilty to some federal and state charges, and one testified in the trial. The same three officers were convicted of witness tampering in a federal trial last year, and one was convicted of violating Nichols's civil rights by causing bodily injury. There is still no good explanation for why any of this happened; Memphis Police Chief C. J. Davis said that the officers appeared to have no reason to pull Nichols over in a traffic stop. Yet as soon as they did, some of the officers drew weapons and began pepper-spraying and manhandling him. When he—understandably—tried to escape, police called for backup, gave chase, and eventually caught him. 'I hope they stomp his ass,' one officer, who did not chase Nichols and was not charged, was recorded saying. His fellow officers did, beating Nichols just yards from his mother's house. He died at a hospital. Prosecutors did face some challenges in this case, despite the existence of video evidence. First, officers are seldom charged with murder, and when they are, they are seldom convicted. Second, the three former officers who stood trial were, in the words of the deputy district attorney, the ' least culpable,' compared with the two who agreed to plead guilty. Third, defense lawyers successfully argued that widespread news coverage in Memphis of the killing would preclude a fair trial, so instead of a jury pool from Memphis, which is majority-Black, the jury was all white and drawn from around Chattanooga, on the opposite side of Tennessee. Even so, District Attorney Steve Mulroy seemed shell-shocked after the verdict. 'Was I surprised that there wasn't a single guilty verdict on any of the counts or any of the lesser included offenses, given the overwhelming evidence that I think that we presented?' he said, his voice straining. 'Yes, I was surprised. Do I have an explanation for it? No.' Nichols's mother, RowVaughn Wells, not bound by the same ethical guidelines as a prosecutor, was blunter. 'Those people were allowed to come here, look at the evidence, and deny the evidence,' she said. The outrage that met George Floyd's murder in 2020 seemed at first to be a turning point for criminal justice. After a string of high-profile cases starting in 2015, officials and the public were aligned in demanding law-enforcement reforms that would punish and prevent needless killings. But as I wrote when Derek Chauvin was convicted for kneeling on Floyd's neck until he died, that case was a rare exception—not least because of the stomach-churning video evidence involved and the strong condemnation by the Minneapolis police chief. Although individual prosecutions were important, the greater need, I argued, was for systemic reforms. The verdict in Memphis shows what an outlier Chauvin's conviction was: Despite videos at least as horrifying, despite the police chief's quick action to fire the officers and condemn their behavior, these three former officers escaped murder convictions. Meanwhile, the changing political winds and rising violent crime after 2020 helped the movement toward broader reform stall out, both locally in Memphis and nationally. In early 2024, Memphis city council refused to reappoint Davis, but she continued serving as interim chief. Earlier this year, Davis got her permanent title back. Around the same time, the city of Memphis refused to enter into a consent decree that would allow oversight from the U.S. Department of Justice, which had found 'a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law,' documented in appalling detail. City leaders knew that once Donald Trump took office, the Justice Department would pull back on oversight of local police departments and civil-rights laws, just as his administration had done the first time. Trump has long called for more brutal policing, complaining that cops aren't allowed to fight crime with the necessary toughness. 'Please don't be too nice,' he said in a speech to Long Island officers in 2017. After taking office this time, he closed a database tracking serious offenses by federal police officers, which was designed to facilitate background checks; he also issued an order to 'unleash' police officers and to have private law firms provide pro bono legal defense for officers accused of misconduct. 'What I do know is this: Tyre Nichols is dead, and deserves to be alive,' Mulroy said on Wednesday. The failure of courts to convict the former officers who beat him of murder, and of politicians to bring greater accountability, means that he will not be the last to suffer an unjust death. Here are four new stories from The Atlantic: Today's News A federal judge ordered the U.S. government to immediately release from federal custody Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University doctoral student who was arrested in March. The judge said that the only rationale the government has provided for her arrest is an op-ed criticizing Israel that she co-wrote last year. The Trump administration is planning to accept and help resettle a group of white South Africans because of allegations that they are experiencing racial discrimination in South Africa. They are the first white South Africans to be granted refugee status in America. David Souter, a former Supreme Court justice, died at 85 years old. Dispatches Evening Read AI Is Not Your Friend By Mike Caulfield Recently, after an update that was supposed to make ChatGPT 'better at guiding conversations toward productive outcomes,' according to release notes from OpenAI, the bot couldn't stop telling users how brilliant their bad ideas were. ChatGPT reportedly told one person that their plan to sell literal 'shit on a stick' was 'not just smart—it's genius' … But this was not just a ChatGPT problem. Sycophancy is a common feature of chatbots. More From The Atlantic Retell. Making the film Warfare (in select theaters) was an exercise in exposure therapy for the veterans whose memories it reconstructs, Shirley Li writes. Read. These stories offer a starting point—and perhaps some insights—for those trying to understand their mom, Sophia Stewart writes. Play our daily crossword.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Local leaders react to Tyre Nichols verdict
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — All three former Memphis Police officers charged in a state criminal trial after the death of Tyre Nichols were found 'not guilty' on all charges Wednesday by an all-white jury brought in from the Chattanooga area. Memphis leaders are now reacting. Some are calling the verdict 'heartbreaking.' NOT GUILTY: Jury returns verdict in Tyre Nichols trial Tennessee Rep. Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis): 'Although we all watched the horrific death of #tyrenichols unfold before our eyes, a jury found the former officers involved not guilty. All I can think about is the family of Tyre Nichols and how incredibly heartbreaking this must be for them. A truly unfathomable pain.' Tennessee Rep. Torrey Harris (D-Memphis) 'Today's verdict in the Tyre Nichols case left me shocked and surprised, as 'liberty and justice for all' proved to be empty words on a paper. The most important thing to remember, first and foremost, is that all of the officers have already been found guilty on numerous charges in federal court and are awaiting sentencing on those charges. Today's verdict does not change the fact all are facing considerable time in prison. For those who watched the video and were sickened by the savage beating of Mr. Nichols, we all must remember that our faith—or lack thereof—in the system has been justified. Justice is still being served federally, and today's verdict does nothing to change that. To Ms. RowVaughn Wells and to every family member and friend, you know we will keep fighting.' Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis): 'I am heartbroken—and I am angry. What happened to Tyre Nichols was not just a tragedy; it was a brutal injustice. The world watched as his life was stolen in a horrific, senseless beating. And now, his mother, Mrs. RowVaughn Wells, and his loved ones are left to carry a pain no family should ever endure. We should not have to keep witnessing this. We should not have to keep burying our sons, our brothers, our friends. We are tired of demanding justice that comes too late, if at all. Tired of asking if our lives truly matter in a system that continues to treat them as disposable. Days like these are unbearably cruel. They leave us searching for answers—about the worth of a life, the unbearable weight of losing one, and whether justice truly exists for us all. Tyre deserved better. And we will fight for his name, for his memory, and for the justice that still feels too far away.' Tyre Nichols: The video evidence the jury saw Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis): 'I am shocked. I am gutted. This verdict is a devastating blow to a community still grieving the brutal killing of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died after being violently beaten by members of the Memphis SCORPION police unit. We all saw the video. We saw Tyre cry out for his mother. We saw officers act without humanity or restraint. This case was supposed to show that police can be held accountable. Instead, this jury's decision leaves too many of us wondering if justice is ever possible. My heart is with Tyre's family and everyone in our community carrying the weight of this painful outcome. More than ever, Memphis—and communities across our state—need police officers who protect and serve, not intimidate and harm. As difficult as today's news is, I take some comfort in knowing that all five officers involved still face sentencing in federal court. That process must reflect the seriousness of their actions and the value of Tyre's life. We have so much work to do to rebuild trust, reimagine public safety, and ensure that accountability in policing is not the exception, but the expectation.' Tyre's life was stolen, and his family was denied the justice they so deeply deserve. We are outraged, and we know we are not alone. We thank the Memphis community and people across the nation who have stood by Tyre's family, lifted their voices, and demanded accountability. Your solidarity has been a beacon of hope in this painful journey. We remain fiercely committed to civil justice and ask for your continued support as we press forward with the civil trial and push for meaningful, lasting reforms needed to stop the cycle of police brutality. Let this be a rallying cry: we must confront the broken systems that empowered this injustice and demand the change our nation — and Tyre's legacy — deserves.' Shelby County District Attorney's Office: 'The verdicts mark a pivotal moment in a case that has deeply impacted our city, state, and nation. From the beginning, we believed the evidence supported the charges and pursued this case in the interest of justice and accountability. Tyre Nichols should be alive today. His death was a preventable tragedy that devastated his family and deeply affected our entire community. We respect the jury's decision and appreciate their service. While this is not the outcome we hoped for, our commitment to justice and to the people of Shelby County remains unwavering. I hope we can learn from this tragedy as Memphis continues to work to improve its policing practices. We remain committed to transparency, justice, and the work of building public trust. Our office will continue to pursue accountability wherever the facts and the law lead us.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
