HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The video shocked the nation, sparking protests in several U.S. cities. And now, local activists are speaking up.
“They never saw, or never realized or never felt that he was a human being,” said Yvette Lewis, president of the Hillsborough County NAACP.
The video shows officers throwing Tyre to the ground, hitting, punching and kicking him several times. “Seem like Tyre Nichols was in agonizing pain,” said civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. He’s also serving as the attorney for the Tyre family.
“And when I saw that beating, it’s like that’s not the first time they did that because they were so comfortable with what they were doing,” said Lewis.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri released a statement Saturday on Twitter saying, “The Memphis police officers’ actions in the death of Tyre Nichols are appalling. What I saw in those videos was not law enforcement – that was a street beating.”
“And then certainly when he’s sitting against that police car fighting for his life in obvious distress, you would think somebody would’ve went to him to try to offer some aid, some compassion,” said Crump. The officers involved in the beating death of Tyre were fired and are facing multiple charges, including second-degree murder.
Tampa police have a citizens review board that’s meant to enhance trust between the police and the community. The board consists of 11 volunteer members, but the Hillsborough County NAACP chapter is asking for the board to have more authority in cases involving the police. “They’ve been asking for their own attorney and they’ve been asking for subpoena power. This shows that accountability is necessary for the Tampa Police Department. You cannot continue to allow the police department to police themselves,” said Lewis.
