Instead of writing about me this week, I dedicate my space to someone who can no longer share his beauty with the world. Tyre Nichols was 29 years old when he was brutally beaten by 5 policemen for, quite literally, no reason. He should be taking photographs, skateboarding, and loving his family. But instead, he called out for his mom as he was beaten to death.
Tyre Nichols should be alive.
Racism killed him. I understand that the cops who beat the life out of Tyre Nichols were Black, but racism is ultimately to blame. His death is a product of the systemic racism apparent in America. Apparent and given permission by the far-right fascists and white supremacists to burn through our communities from the top down. Black police can hold racist thoughts about the people they are sworn to protect. They were indoctrinated under the same system of oppression that once enslaved their ancestors. Those five killer-cops, and others who feel powerful when sent to occupy the neighborhoods deemed dangerous, operate from a race fueled premise of “white is right.”
If “white is right,” then “black must be bad”, and innocent men like Tyre Nichols end up beaten in the street. This sounds simplistic but it’s that obvious. Those cops are not to blame for all of America’s systemic racism, but they are to blame for murdering an innocent man. They are to blame for not seeing Tyre as a human worthy of dignity. Cops are to blame for killing him because they could.
Unchecked power is dangerous. Racism is dangerous. Combined, they are lethal.
“Police are operating on trends that have been popularized based on racism and its effects on this county,” Vaush explains in his YouTube video linked below. Racism pervades our communities and infects our children. Racism stains our past and if not stopped, it will defeat our future.
NOW is the time to change. We can no longer afford to passively watch another human die from police brutality. We need to challenge the notion that “white is right.” We must start understanding each other as equal, or Tyre Nichols will not be the last innocent man murdered because of his skin color.
One response to “Tyre Nichols”
I made the mistake of watching the footage – Strong words Michelle but very accurate ones