Connecticut leaders, police condemn action of ex-Memphis officers in beating death of Tyre Nichols. They must ‘be held accountable.’
Connecticut police and officials across all branches of government are condemning the acts of the now ex-Memphis officers who brutally beat Tyre Nichols in a fatal case the president said is a “painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.”
Memphis authorities Friday released more than an hour of footage of the violent beating of Nichols in which officers held the Black motorist down and struck him repeatedly as he screamed for his mother.
The video was released one day after the officers were charged with murder in Nichols’ death.
The release of the video drew immediate and powerful reactions from officials across the nation and in Connecticut.
President Joe Biden said he was “outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols’ death.
“It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.,” Biden said in a statement from the White House. “My heart goes out to Tyre Nichols’ family and to Americans in Memphis and across the country who are grieving this tremendously painful loss. The footage that was released this evening will leave people justifiably outraged. Those who seek justice should not to resort to violence or destruction. Violence is never acceptable; it is illegal and destructive. I join Mr. Nichols’ family in calling for peaceful protest.”
The footage shows police savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes. The Nichols family legal team has likened the assault to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.
The five officers are charged with murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. One of the officers was a Bloomfield High School graduate.
Protests were planned in Connecticut and elsewhere, as occurred following the killing of George Floyd. Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after a white police officer pinned the Black man to the ground with his knee on his neck for 9 1/2 minutes. Floyd’s death touched off protests around the world and forced a painful national reckoning with police brutality and racism.
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said in a statement that the severity of the charges brought against the officers and their swift dismissal from the police force is a “step toward accountability” but cautioned that more work must be done.
“Under no circumstances should the outcome of a routine traffic stop be the death of an innocent Black man,” Murphy said. “32 years after the nation was transfixed by eerily similar footage of the beating of Rodney King, it’s time to ask: have we made any progress at all? Last year, killings by the police in the United States reached an all-time high. Congress must recognize that without systemic reform that addresses the root causes of this violence, Tyre’s death will just be one of over a thousand fatal police interactions in 2023.”
The condemnation of what occurred and the action of those police officers drew statement Hartford’s police chief and policing officials across Connecticut.
Here are portions of those statements:
Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody
“As someone who has dedicated most of my life to this profession, I will say that what occurred on January 7th in Memphis Tennessee is an absolute outrage, and I am angry beyond words. We have worked tirelessly with our community over the past few years to be better, to show that we are better, and to build and strengthen a relationship that is based on trust. The actions of the five police officers in Memphis were sickening not only to myself, but also to the men and women of the Hartford Police Department.
“What those officers in Memphis did was deplorable and a fundamental violation of the oath they swore to uphold. In this case, those sworn to protect and maintain public safety became violent criminals while wearing a badge of public trust.”
The officials offered apologies and prayers to the Nichols family.
“Those five officers broke their solemn oath to protect and serve. They betrayed the entire profession for all of us who put on a badge every day to proudly protect and serve. They should be held accountable and anyone else like them,” Mellekas and Rovella said.
Connecticut Police Chiefs Association
The organization called the brutality “incomprehensible.”
“The actions of the officers, and equally as disturbing, the inaction of others, is inexcusable and an insult to the work of hundreds of thousands of police officers who do their jobs to the best of their abilities in service to their communities each and every day,” the association said in a statement Friday. “Professional police officers know that treating every person with dignity, respect, and compassion regardless of their creed, color, gender, ethnicity, or any of the countless ways that people self-identify is fundamental to our role in society.”
Joint statement by New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson
The officials condemned the “abhorrent acts of police brutality and violence” and said they are “glad” the involved officers will be held accountable.
“The heinous beating, treatment and (alleged) murder of Tyre Nichols by officers of the Memphis Police Department is both sickening and enraging – and, like others, we watched the videos that were released last night with horror and disgust,” Elicker and Jacobson said.
“Police officers swear an oath to protect and serve their fellow residents and the community, and we must do everything in our power – whether in Memphis, New Haven or elsewhere – to ensure that our police departments and criminal justice system live up to that solemn promise and treat everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of their race or background,” they added. “In New Haven, we remain committed to that goal and we are resolved – in our policing, policies, and practices – to provide fair and impartial treatment of all residents and to ensure equal justice under the law.”
Stamford Police Chief Timothy Shaw
“We at the Stamford Police Department are angry, as is our community, from the senseless death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five disgraced police officers from Memphis. There are no words to describe what we all have seen in the recent release of the video of the officers beating Tyre.”
“I can tell you that the Stamford Police Department stands with our community in condemning the officer’s disgusting, brutal behavior and we will pray for the Nichols family. As a Police Chief, and a parent, no family should ever go through something like what we saw.”
East Lyme Police Chief Michael Finkelstein
Finkelstein said the “criminal act” shown in the video of Tyre Nichols’ deadly assault “was not policing” and “not representative of law enforcement.”
“This was not policing and this is far from what we train and expect from Officers in our society. Watching it evoked feelings of anger, disgust and disappointment,” Finkelstein said.
“Incidents like this undermine the trust that Police Departments work hard to build each day with the communities they serve and violates the oath we all take when entering the profession.” he added. “The men and women of the East Lyme Police Department join in the condemnation of this incident by law enforcement around the world and will continue our work to maintain the strong mutual trust and respect we share with the East Lyme Community. We will continue to select the highest quality Officers and train our officers to the highest possible standards to ensure that we are always providing the policing that our community deserves.”
Torrington Police Chief Bill Baldwin
“The actions of these officers was deplorable, sickening and inhumane. The Torrington Police Dept. stands with our community and all of our state and nation in condemning these officers brutal, disgusting and criminal actions.”
“As with the tragic events surrounding George Floyd, these officers have once again shaken the trust and legitimacy of the majority of officers throughout our state and nation and especially here in Torrington, who work so hard every day to ensure that the best service in public safety is provided and that people are treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Nichols family.”
