Fresno leaders, clergy plead for calm after ‘inexcusable’ Memphis police beating video

Leaders of Fresno churches stood with city and county law enforcement officials Friday to urge calm amid the prospect of protests in the wake of the beating death of a Black man earlier this month by five police officers in Memphis, Tennessee.

Pastor B.T. Lewis of the Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church organized the Friday afternoon gathering on the steps of Fresno City Hall. He was joined by Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, Police Chief Paco Balderrama and District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp “to affirm our commitment to liberty, justice and peace for everyone in our city.”

Cities across the country anticipated possible protests as police in Memphis released body-camera video of the Jan. 7 beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols at the hands of five police officers following a traffic stop. Nichols died Jan. 10, three days after the beating. The officers involved, who are also Black, have since been fired and face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault and other crimes.

Nichols’ family spoke out earlier Friday to encourage any protests of their son’s death to be peaceful rather than disintegrate into violence. “We want peace. We do not want any type of uproar,” Nichols father Rodney Wells said in a live-streamed press conference. “We do not want any type of disturbance. We want peaceful protests. That’s what the family wants. That’s what the community wants.”

Lewis said he believes Fresnans will maintain a peaceful demeanor if any protests arise.

“I’m not against protest. I’ve protested a little bit in my time,” Lewis said. “But we do want our protest to be considerate and kind while making a firm statement about how unacceptable this behavior was in Memphis.”

“If we have protests in this city, we’re confident that it will be led by people who are sensitive to protesting peacefully,” he added. “You may see some candlelight vigils. … We love the people that we live with in this city, and by the same token we want to make a statement about the violence and the hatred that continues to pop up in our community and in our nation.”

Actions of Memphis police ‘inexcusable’

Balderrama decried what happened in Memphis, and urged any protests to be peaceful. “The actions of these officers are inexcusable. They cannot be justified,” he said. “The abusive and criminal actions we have seen in Memphis can easily paint a negative picture on all of law enforcement personnel.”

But, he added, “I encourage everyone who plans to exercise their right to protest to please do so peacefully and respectfully of others.”

“Everyone can agree that what happened in Memphis was wrong, and we condemn those actions, Balderrama added. “We do not need to turn against one another. We must peacefully stand together to support justice, positive change, and each other.”

The potential for protests recalls the nationwide reaction to the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. That incident, in which the police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck as he lay face-down in the street, sparked major marches in cities across the country.

“Incidents like these spark a great deal of emotion in all of us as well as anger,” Dyer said. “I know at times that emotion which is fueled by anger can cause people to react in ways that are not healthy for our community. I’m proud of how our community has responded in years past, when these situations have occurred, by uniting and coming together … to voice our concerns and conduct peaceful protests and marches.”

“I am hopeful that this is how we will respond again,” Dyer added.

Dyer and Balderrama both said that after watching the videos released by Memphis police from the officers’ body cameras, as well video captured by a camera mounted on a nearby pole, they had a gut reaction of shock and disgust.

Balderrama said that having seen the video, he has no desire to watch it again “because it’s disgusting.“

“No family should have to see their loved one brutally beaten and murdered, especially by those who are entrusted to uphold the law,” Dyer said. “After watching the … video, my stomach was sickened. I am shocked as a human being, as mayor and as a former police chief.”