Thank you.
Amna:
Welcome to the newshour.
Authorities in Memphis and other
cities are urging peaceful
protest tonight as they release
a graphic video of the fatal
police meeting of tyre Nichols.
Goeff: That is a 19-year-old
that died earlier this month
after a arrest.
Police beat and tased him for
three minutes at a traffic stop.
The police officers are now
charged with his murder.
My friends, family, and
supporters turned out for a
vigil at his favorite skateboard
park.
The police chief said there was
no possible -- probable cause
for his arrest.
Many of the city's top officials
have described the video of his
arrest horrific and difficult to
watch.
His mother has said -- said she
could not watch the full video
of what happened to her son.
And there is some documentation
on the video that is said to be
him calling out for his mother's
help.
She spoke with us.
>> He loved to talk with me.
He was his own person.
He did not follow what everybody
else was doing.
I talked to him one time and he
said mama I do not want to go.
He wants to dance.
You know.
So, I am just telling you guys,
my son was a beautiful person.
He was a good boy.
No one is perfect.
But he was dam near it.
Goeff: We are looking at the --
closer at his killing and how
the community is responding to
it.
We spoke with the senior pastor
of the missionary Baptist church
in Memphis.
Thank you for being with us.
>> Thank you for having me, I
appreciate it.
>> I imagine there is a
heaviness in Memphis, a deep
sense of outrage, anger, hurt,
how are people processing what
has transpired?
>> That is a difficult question.
All of the emotions you
articulated are powerful but
there is a sense of anxiety and
hope there are a few steps that
have taken -- that have been
taken for justice.
True justice would be that he is
still breathing and our heart
goes out to the family and we
stand in solidarity for them, it
remains to be seen, that I do
not think anybody can reveal
what the next few days will
hold.
>> What makes this case of
police violence different is
that all officers involved are
black.
And what also makes it different
is how quickly they were
arrested and charged.
People find a direct connection
between those two things.
And I want to hear what your
reaction about his attorney had
to say today.
>> This is the blueprint going
forward.
Because any time any of us
whether they be black or white
[indiscernible]
No longer can you tell us that
we have to wait six months to a
year.
>> What about that is justices a
new standard and that is meant
this case, the tragedy proves
that it can be done?
>> I definitely agree with him
and I believe the support is
good into context.
The developments that led to
what we have seen over the last
few days I do not think anyone
should be caught up in a
projected benevolence of people
within the system.
Just doing the right thing.
This is the byproduct of several
years of righteous and
aggressive advocacy -- activism
work where Stewart was killed in
2015 for bridge demonstrations
in 2016.
The rule of confederate -- in
2017 the list goes on and on.
But I appreciate what attorney
from said.
He said unique as this case may
be, as far as the heinous and
egregious video is can earn what
we know is this is still part of
a larger system and construction
of policing.
And we been trying to advocate
for righteous reforms for quite
some time on the ground.
They been resistant and they
have been reduced.
Which I think contributed to the
moment we are faced with now.
Our heart goes out to the family
of tyre Nichols and I believe
his mother and father believe
this is not just about this
isolated incident.
It is not isolated it is
connected with what is
happening.
And police are concerned along
with the country.
>> Let me ask about that because
he was pulled over blocks away
from his home from a specialized
police unit known as scorpion
which was set up a little more
than a year ago.
Two police this surge in violent
crime parts of Memphis.
These specialized crime time --
crime fighting groups have been
scrutinized for targeting people
of color.
What is the level of concern
about this team of -- before the
fatal assault?
>> A few things come to mind.
The offices involved had been on
the force for five or less
years.
And he would wonder how they
would be able to get in a
specialized unit with such a
short time span of experience.
Not only that, when you think
about the level of oversight and
supervision that should have
been provided to them.
I do not think anybody is being
objective to what we are seeing
that this is their first time
engaged in this heinous
behavior.
You do not start out with this
level of brutality in your first
rodeo you have to graduate to
this point.
Our question again is who was
responsible for the management
and oversight that should have
been provided to them.
They are connected to the other
issues.
To be fair to law enforcement
[indiscernible]
Because of the your
responsibilities there may be
covert elements involved but at
the same time, there has to be
enough transparency and
accountability to ensure these
development do not reach a
different level because we did
not have to be here today we are
here today because of the
competing philosophies and
ideologies about how to make the
city safer.
Chief Davis, mayor Strickland,
they put this together in the
fall of 2021.
It did not take even 1.5 years
to have a body and we have more
bodies that have been brutalized
by the grace of god that had not
died.
>> His family says he was beaten
beyond recognition.
The police chief says this video
shows and conscionable acts that
define humanity.
The director was appalled by
what he saw.
How do you expect the city of
Memphis will respond to this?
>> That is beyond my pay grade.
I
[indiscernible]
Because of past protests, we
have shown all manner of poise
and passion.
If there has ever been any
escalation in past protests in
Memphis it was the police that
initiated it and escalated it.
I trust the people
[indiscernible]
I urge the citizens to look out
for each other.
If somebody is there and see
somebody doing something I would
hope that they would intervene
with the highest level of love
and appreciation not only for
each other but also the family
of tyre Nichols area I also
think it is not the wisest thing
to release a video that you know
is going to be insightful and
inflammatory on a Friday
evening. I think there could
have been deeper discussion and
dialogue about this -- better
ways to introduce this to the
public.
Those of us who have been on the
ground for the last several
years will be here for the long
H we are hoping for the
best and still trying to prepare
for the worse.
And lastly I would say I think
the error of the city has been
impacted by the way 9th street
-- weight mainstream media has
couched this.
-- Way mainstream media has
couched this.
When they started reporting at
the beginning of the week I was
looking around because I felt
like I was missing something.
It had not been what I felt and
were wet my calling spell.
And we had -- or what my
colleagues felt.
We should prepare for the worst
and hope for the best.
>> He was considered to be a
free spirit enjoying
skateboarding and photography.
He was a father and deep love
his mother.
We were at the vigil last night
and could speak to the family
members.
What did the world want them to
know about their son?
>> What they said the last
several weeks as they want
people to know how human he was.
How much he loved sunsets and
skateboarding, how faithful he
was in his work and his
relationship with his mother,
palmer -- father, family, his
child, anytime we can humanly
ice -- humanize this is great.
And I want to encourage to lift
up those that have's suffered
similar injustices to stand with
these families after the smoke
clears.
Because people continue to bear
the burden and trauma of these
instances.
As his mother was saying, we
should not have to do what we
are doing now.
We will do the best with what we
have.
>> Pastor of a church in Memphis
in it -- Memphis Tennessee.
Thank you for speaking with us.