Yeah, it was every bit as bad as the Memphis police warned everybody it would be. The beating that those five testosterone soaked thugs laid on Tyre Nichols was a blast from the past, it was pure Klan. But there are two points I want to make tonight.
First, I sincerely hope that when I get up tomorrow morning, I turn on MSNBC to see massive nationwide protests, and I pray that they are all peaceful. Because, due to the rise and strategic intelligence of BLM, change is coming for black America. Not as fast as any of us would like, but change is coming. Here’s why.
For the last 40 years, the response to an officer involved shooting, especially when a black man was involved was routine. Here’s how it went. The city announced an internal investigation, and that the officers involved were on administrative leave. The investigation dragged on for 12-18 months, and after everybody forgot about, there was a news story stuck back in the obituaries that the officers were cleared and returned to duty. It went that way because that’s how the all powerful police union wanted it to go, and the city administrations were terrified of the union.
But then the paradigm changed. The emergence of body cam video, dash cam video, and civilian cell phone video made it harder for the police and city to deny the obvious. And that’s where the ascension of BLM made all the difference. nobody was going to forget. And the BLM organizers were smart enough to keep their protests strictly non violent, to keep the police from labeling them as rioters. And cities, even ones not involved in the issue suddenly cities were facing weeks of downtown traffic and pedestrian disruption by lawful, peaceful protests.
It started with George Floyd. Thanks to cell phone video, there was no real question as to what had happened. The offending officers were summarily fired the next day, which infuriated the police union. MN AG Keith Ellison named a special prosecutor, and criminal charges were swiftly brought. Floyd’s murderer, Derek Chauvin is now modeling an orange jumpsuit.
Before the BLM protests over Floyd were even done, this tie it was officer Kim Potter, in a town about 12 miles from Minneapolis, who shot an unarmed black motorist, mistaking her gun for her taser, and unbelievable as that is. She was summarily fired, charged, and convicted.
And now it’s poor, innocent Tyre Nichols. But again justice was swift, at least administratively. Nichols was beaten on January 7th, died in the hospital three days later. Within a week all five officers were summarily fired, and within 15 days charges were filed. Again the police union went berserk. But an MSNBC law enforcement analyst said yesterday that the corner has been turned. This kind of speedy investigation and resolution of officer involved brutality is going to be the rule, not the exception. Because the cities are more afraid of weeks of peaceful civil unrest in their downtowns than they are of the police union. The tide is finally changing. But BLM needs to show up again en masse, nationally over this senseless crime in order to keep the pressure on.
Now for the second topic, and the one that the article title deals with. The
DA really threw the book at the five heartless merchants of death in this case. 2nd degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, and armed assault. But they also slapped them with some local laws. And a local law requires that an officer intervene when he sees illegal activity, even if it is a brother officer that is committing the crime. And since not one of the officers stepped in to stop any of the others from beating the shit out of Tyre Nichols, they are all guilty of that crime.
Which is where the worm turns, and brings us to our as yet unidentified co-conspirator. The key is the footage from a city surveillance cam on top of a pole or stop light. You’ll notice as you watch that horrendous video that several times the camera shifts and centers to keep the action in the middle of the camera. That’s not an automated response, and it means that the actual camera was not moored to film only one specific location and view.
Which means that somewhere, there was a live person watching the action unfold. And since it was almost certainly a police surveillance camera, it means that it was highly likely that it was a duly authorized police officer who was monitoring the event live, in real time.
Which would mean that the person had a duty and responsibility to intervene in a clearly illegal activity. Which would be as simple as picking up the phone, calling dispatch, and ordering s supervisor unit to immediately proceed to the scene and reestablish control. Of which happening there is no record.
What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. If you’re going to charge the murderous thugs with failure to intervene, then the Memphis PD really has no other option but to seek out, identify, and charge the person behind the monitor that night that simply sat and watched as an innocent man was beaten to death. The DA even hinted at that very prospect today when he said that The investigation was ongoing, and further charges, including against additional people were possible. Stick a pin in this, I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this yet.
BREAKING: MSNBC just broke that the DA has suspended two additional deputies who showed up on the scene after the beating, but while Nichols was still on the scene. The DA is looking to see if they violated their Oath to render aid and assistance, since the video shows that while the officers arrived, there is no video showing that they went over to check on Nichols, nor render assistance. I stand by my previous statement. I don’t think this thing is anywhere near done yet.
No words! I’m just glad the 5 cops were charged with second degree Murder, along with other charges. What the F is wrong with people? Not all Cops are bad Cops, but these 5 Cops were!
Police Unions are still formidable. And in too many departments a cop who wants to stand/speak up and do the right thing literally risks their own life from others. We will only gradually see improvement until city/town councils start re-working union contracts and the cop’s UNIONS are at least partially on the hook for damages paid out in civil lawsuits. Hit them in their retirement wallets and they will start clearing out their bad cops post haste. I don’t see a major jurisdiction, or even a small one willing to take such a step. I’m sure cops would retaliate in some way. But it’s time the idea started getting floated, if only by talking heads on news shows.
VERY GOOD ANALYSIS – hit ’em in wallet and then they respond!
As a former cop (retired 2004), they only have as much power as the city leaders give them. The citizenry, by and large, could care less about the police unless it directly affects them. For years, cities and other governmental bodies have been content to settle lawsuits for wrongful death, assault, etc rather than deal w/ the underlying problems and issues. Some officers get fired, some get demoted, some get reassigned. It is up to aldermen, council members, mayors et al to rein in the police. They (police) are public servants and when they fail to serve the public they should face the consequences.
tuckedd, thank you for your thoughtful comment, and thank you for your serviece…I come from a police family, my grandfather and uncle were both on the job…obut from wherre I’M sitting, so called community policing went off the rails when cities stopped having BEAT offucers, who waljked their beat and became familiar and comfortable with the residents, who became comfortable with them, and when they instituted “police cruisers”, where the officers sat in cars in teams, and had minimal contact with the residents they were sworn to serve and protect…That’s just my opinion…
Fucking police unions give unions a bad name. Union membership is down, way down, in our country. I wonder how much of it is due not to crappy legislation, a large part is, but to crap like various unions taking completely asinine stands. Protesting the firing of murderers who belong to your union is about as insane as anything the Q kooks come up with.
Wasn’t the guy who used the baton white? Charged? I hope there are a few more indictments. And….I’m pissed that it takes black on black to make changes. Philando Castille’s death – meh. George Floyd – meh. (More white cops killing blacks – meh.) Having black cops shows police brutality – no matter the race of the cop. No proof Tyre was driving erratically. None. Didn’t matter. These guys were on fire with ego, roids(?), power……what??
Why would our elected officials be afraid of the cops? What are they afraid of?
Unfortunately a lot of society operates on the who-knows-who principle – the people who get the choice jobs are those with the clout.