NEW YORK — Law enforcement and public officials, including those from the Memphis Police Department, who watched the Tyra Nichols video expressed dismay across the board, a unified condemnation that appears to plague what appears, at times, to be the depravity of But he looked on in disbelief.
A day before the planned video release, federal prosecutors charged five ex-Memphis police officers involved in the Nichols case with murder and other crimes, perhaps another tacit acknowledgment of their concern that the material could provoke an extreme public backlash. . Five officers who were fired after an internal investigation this month are also black.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams says it has been particularly difficult for him to digest, both personally and professionally.
When Adams was asked about this, he said, “I advocated for 100 blacks in law enforcement at the time and for years as a civil rights activist… To see that five black officers are involved, it really shocks me.” personally hurt.” Nichols at an unrelated Metro safety briefing on Friday. “I have always believed that diversifying our departments with different ethnic groups will allow us to provide the level of oversight we all deserve.”
Adams, who during his years as an NYPD officer co-founded an organization that advocated for police diversity and spoke out against abuse of power, said he felt “betrayed” by the officers accused in Nichols’ death in Memphis.
“Any officer who engages in violence and brutality tarnishes all the work we do to keep communities safe,” he added. He added: “They make it difficult for brothers and sisters in uniform to do the incredible work they do day in and day out.”
The mayor said the video “will cause pain and sadness for many of us. It will make us angry.”
After the video was released, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the department “and the communities we serve are collectively outraged by the death of Tyre Nichols,” and criticized the officers’ actions, which you see in the video. Can
Reiterating the department’s support for “peaceful protests,” Sewell said in a statement, “The shameful actions depicted in the posted video are a clear violation of our oath to protect the people we serve and basic human decency.” ‘s failure.”
Rev. Al Sharpton said the video was “all the jury needs to convict each of the five officers who killed Tyr Nichols in a sustained beating. Justice must be served for Tyr and his family. I don’t think Anyone can bear it.” I do not agree to pass on this footage.”
Updates from Carolina Ardilla.
