OPINION:
Thank heavens there are now body cameras for police officers in many jurisdictions in the country. Without them, we would not have first-hand information about how Tyre Nichols was brutalized by Nashville police officers — and we would likely not have been able to secure justice for the decedent and his family (“Family of Tyre Nichols prepares to lay him to rest,” Web, Feb. 1).
How can police officers continue to commit acts against black men that result in their deaths? How could five black officers beat a black man to a pulp? And how could they have done so knowing their cameras were rolling?
Nashville authorities have handled this ugly event exceedingly well, immediately firing the five officers and subsequently filing second-degree murder charges against them. Nichols’ grieving mother said it all when she said no mother should have to ensure what she is going through. The family is deserving not only of our sympathy, but commendation for urging those outraged by Nichols’ death to protest peacefully, not to burn down the city or engage in looting.
The name of Tyre Nichols will be forever etched in our consciousness, along with other victims of police savagery, including Rodney King and George Floyd. May his death not have been in vain. May a powerful lesson have finally been learned.
OREN SPIEGLER
Peters Township Pennsylvania
Please read our comment policy before commenting.