If The 5 Black Police Officers Who Killed Tyre Nichols Were White, There Would Be Riots Everywhere

The whole country erupted in violent riots in the summer of 2020 when George Floyd died at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin. He was apprehended for attempting to use a counterfeit dollar bill and after resisting arrest for quite some time, he was finally put on the ground and restrained by Chauvin, who kneeled down on his upper back/neck area. Some of Floyd's last words were, "I can't breathe." His death became headline news for months on end and on April 21, 2021, Chauvin was found guilty on three counts: second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

It matters greatly that Chauvin is white and Floyd was black. The mainstream media quickly spun the incident into an example of the white supremacy that is supposedly rooted in the police industry and our country as a whole. Black Lives Matter raised millions of dollars and violent riots broke out in countless cities across America. The internet even banded together to coordinate something called Blackout Tuesday, which was nothing more than a bunch of celebrities and influencers posting a black square on Instagram to stand in solidarity with George Floyd.

However, Floyd's death was hardly the most violent death at the hands of unruly police officers. In fact, there have been many incidents over the last decade that show police officers brutally beating or unnecessarily killing suspects at a routine traffic stop or basic arrest. And yet none of this bodycam footage has been released because there's one small detail that makes these stories insignificant—the person who was killed is white. At the start of 2023, another black man was killed at the hands of police officers. This time, he was black. Tyre Nichols' brutal death has been headline news for weeks, but the response across social media and the culture as a whole has been minuscule compared to the reaction to Floyd's arrest and death.

What Happened to Tyre Nichols?

On January 7 in Memphis, Tennessee, Tyre Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving. Various footage captured from police body cameras and street cameras captured the confrontation which lasted for about an hour. Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, was seen trying to run away until the police caught him and violently beat him. The footage is extremely graphic and difficult to watch. All the police officers take turns kicking and punching Nichols. If the men weren't wearing their police uniforms, it would appear to be some sort of brutal gang attack with the sole purpose of killing someone on the side of the street. Three days later, Nichols died from the severe injuries sustained from the beating.

The autopsy report found that Nichols "suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating," as reported by his family's lawyers. Other than the brief moment when he attempted to run away, it seems as though Nichols did not attempt to fight back or resist the officers. Before he is beaten on the ground by the cops, he was pepper-sprayed and one of the officers fired a Taser gun at him. Nichols' head was kicked into the ground and one officer used a baton to hit him several times.

Nichols was an employee at a FedEx facility and the father of a 4-year-old boy. His mother said that he had her name tattooed on his arm. “That made me proud,” she said. “Most kids don’t put their mom’s name. My son was a beautiful soul.” Reportedly, Nichols was heard screaming for his mother while he was being viciously beaten. Her home was a mere 100 yards away from the scene.

Who Were the Officers That Killed Tyre Nichols?

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were the officers involved with this violent incident. They have all been charged with multiple felonies, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. The local police department in Memphis has fired all of them.

Files show that officers Haley, Mills, Martin, and Smith all had records of disciplinary complaints brought against them in the past. For example, on June 17, 2021, Haley was accused of excessive and unnecessary force after an arrest in which he put handcuffs on a female suspect. He was accused of dislocating her shoulder. He received a written reprimand.

It's important to note that all five of these police officers are black. There is a sixth officer who is suspected to have been involved with this incident. He's a white officer named Preston Hemphill and although he wasn't present at the scene of the beating, he is apparently under investigation for his use of a Taser in the initial contact with Nichols.

Allegedly, the first police report that was filed after Nichols was apprehended and beaten didn't match the footage that was later released by the police. The report stated that Nichols attempted to fight the officers and even grabbed at one of their guns, but none of the footage corroborated this report.

Tyre Nichols' Death Would Have Caused a National Uproar if the Officers Were White

One can't help but compare the brutal death of Nichols to the death of Floyd. By just about every measurable metric, Nichols' death was even more violent, harrowing, and heartbreaking. Even though President Joe Biden and various other politicians have addressed the issue and there have been headlines and articles about Nichols' death in just about every media publication, the response to this incident hasn't been nearly as loud as the country's response to George Floyd's death. And we all know why that is.

There is no way to spin this story into a tale of white supremacy and racism, even though some publications like CNN have tried their very best to do so. And because this story can't be spun into an example of white supremacy, many organizations and influencers aren't able to capitalize on Nichols' death the same way that they were able to capitalize on Floyd's. Just as importantly, because Nichols' killers were the wrong race, there won't be riots in the streets on his behalf, no coordinated efforts on social media to remember his name, and no protesters who spend hours in the streets.

Our culture has bred a whole generation of consumers who will jump up to protest or riot at the first command. But that command only comes when the situation is advantageous from a racial perspective. There were thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people who posted about George Floyd on their social media accounts, carried his picture into fiery urban riots, and promoted intricate flower wreaths with the phrase "I can't breathe" on them. They stood in line, followed orders, and loudly showed their support for Floyd, claiming that this is a turning point in our history that forces us to come face to face with the devastation of police brutality. But hardly any of these people have come forward to show their support for Tyre Nichols. No social media campaigns. No organized riots. No catchy merchandise. Suddenly, police brutality—to be more specific, some of the most vicious police brutality we have ever witnessed on camera—isn't worth fighting for. It's not worth getting out of bed for or changing your social media feed for. And that's because it doesn't fit the racial narrative that is constantly hustled by influencers and politicians.

There are likely many of you reading this who were chastised and even unfriended by people in your life who acted deeply hurt that you didn't post a black square on your Instagram in support of ending police brutality. Now is the time to message all those friends who claim to care about the safety of black men and ask them where their Tyre Nichols posts are. Ask them why they have suddenly thrown in the towel on fighting police brutality. Inquire about why they don't find the vicious beating of Nichols to be heartbreaking. We already know the mainstream media is only out for clicks, views, and pushing a convenient narrative that peddles the story of racism in America, but the influencers, celebrities, and friends who have remained entirely silent about Nichols' death should be confronted and asked why they have chosen to stop fighting for a cause they were so passionate about just two short years ago.