Breaking the Cycle of Police Brutality: Tyre Nichols Murder and the Need for Systemic Reform
The shocking murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the police is a painful reminder of the systemic issues that plague American law enforcement. As a European, it is difficult to understand how it must feel to live in a country where the very people who were sworn in to protect you can threaten your safety, especially if you are black. Police violence takes the lives of innocent citizens whose taxpayer dollars are used to fund them.
I have lived in the U.S., traveled in many states, and met bright, inspiring, wonderful people. I grew up with a deep respect for the country that has liberated us from tyranny, where institutional violence and mass murder by the state was the norm. But it pains me to see how deeply rooted problems in American society persist and some cases, get worse. Issues that are not distinctive to American culture but by their scale and lack of policy changes have become unique for the U.S.
Tyre Nichols' murder is not just an isolated incident but a symptom of a more significant problem. Police violence in the United States is structural and pervasive, unlike in other Western countries. Mass shootings and police brutality are almost exclusively American phenomena, and treating them as isolated incidents only perpetuates the problem. While necessary, firing and prosecuting individual officers will not prevent future police violence.
The U.S. can learn from other Western countries, where stricter regulations on using force, better education and training, and independent oversight have decreased police violence. One significant difference is the prevalence of firearms among law enforcement. In the U.S., police officers are much more likely to be armed than their European counterparts, which contributes to the higher rates of police violence. In many European countries, officers rely on less deadly forms of force, such as pepper spray and batons, leading to a less confrontational approach to policing.
Additionally, many European countries have independent oversight bodies that investigate incidents of police misconduct and hold officers accountable for their actions. In the U.S., however, investigations are often conducted by the same department where the officer works, leading to a lack of transparency and accountability and eroding the public's trust in the justice system.
I believe that to truly address police violence in the U.S., structural change is needed. This includes stricter regulations on using force, better training and education, and independent oversight and accountability. Those who have failed to address this problem for years bear responsibility for the continued loss of innocent lives. The five Memphis policemen will be prosecuted, but who will prosecute all those responsible higher up in the system?
A year from now, I might write similar words after another shocking police killing. I will again suggest stricter regulations on the use of force, better training, and greater oversight and accountability to reduce the number of incidents of police violence in the U.S. I fear I may again wonder why the problem is still not solved.
Tyre Nichols was a 29-year-old dad to a four-year-old son. He enjoyed skateboarding, a passion he's had since he was a little boy. And he loved to photograph sunsets.
So instead of a still of the video released yesterday that I decided not to watch, I opened today with a picture of a beautiful sunset on my island.
It's one for Tyre.
Who deserved to live an entire life.
His death is one more tragic reminder of the urgent need for change.
The senselessness, the nightmarish brutality, the heartbreak another family suffers needlessly.
A young man lays dying while calling out for his mother when he should have been sitting at her dinner table. All at the hands of monsters sworn to protect and to serve.
It’s true this is a horror played out in few other countries and certainly not one that’s considered as advanced as the United States. The obsession with firearms is an anathema that is a cancer to our society.
Thank you for your clear analysis of this loathsome curse.
I think sunsets will remind me of Tyre Nichols for a while.
The title you wrote “breaking the cycle of brutality: Tyre Nichols murder and the need for systemic reform” says it all and your article also explain the very sad situation and the solution to it.