A “Protest At Sunset,” for Tyre Nichols is scheduled for Monday, January 30th at 4:30 p.m. at Shelby Farms. The event has been organized by Black Lives Matter Memphis and Decarcerate Memphis.
According to Decarcerate Memphis on Instagram, Nichols loved watching sunsets at Shelby Farms. Participants are encouraged to watch the sunset then protest.
A bail fund has been created for protesters by Black Lives Matter Memphis, which can be accessed here. Donations are also being accepted through Cash App. You may also donate to the family of Nichols through GoFundMe. The GoFundMe page recently passed $1 million over the weekend.
Ja Morant shooting the ball on January 27, 2023 against the Minnesota Timberwolves (Credit: NBAE via Getty Images)
The Grizzlies finished a five-game, season-long road trip winless, after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday by a score of 111-100.
Yes, Memphis has lost five straight games after going on an 11-game win streak to begin the year. The road has not been kind for the Grizzlies as the team is 11-15 this season. However, there’s no place like home. Memphis has one of the best home records in the league at 20-3.
Desmond Bane (right knee pain) and Steven Adams were absent for the Grizzlies on Friday (right knee PCL sprain). John Konchar also is in concussion protocol. With 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, Ja Morant led the Grizzlies, and notched his fourth season triple-double and eighth of his career.
Ja with the behind-the-back dish to BC, who finishes to bring the Grizz within nine. pic.twitter.com/ZN0y4ZUVdm
On the season, Morant is averaging 27.3 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds and will surely be selected as an All-Star reserve by NBA head coaches.
To round off the scoring, Dillon Brooks finished with 17 points, Brandon Clarke added 15 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, and Jaren Jackson Jr. ended with 14 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
The Timberwolves’ Kyle Anderson finished with a season-high 23 points and six assists, including a season-high four 3-pointers in the win against his former team.
Deficiencies
Free-throw shooting reared its ugly head in losses in the losing streak. The team only shot 80 percent or above in two of the five games. The worst outcome was going 26 of 40 against the Los Angeles Lakers and losing 122-121.
Memphis shot 26 of 37 against the Golden State Warriors and lost by 2 points, 122-120. This has become a problem that has cost the team regular season games and if not corrected will haunt them come playoff time.
Memphis tragedy
Prior to the game, a moment of silence was held for Tyre Nichols, who was fatally beaten by Memphis police officers earlier this month. Both the Grizzlies and the Timberwolves issued statements prior to the release of the disturbing videos on the deadly encounter.
After the game Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins spoke to the media:
“There’s way harder things on in the city versus what’s going on with our basketball right now. I’m proud of our guys going out there. We’re playing with heavy hearts, but we’re also playing for our city that’s going through a lot right now.My words will only mean so much. I want to continue to encourage people to put their arms around each other. To put their arms around the Nichols family, the Wells family to remember a beautiful life in Tyre Nichols – who I did not know, but I’m learning about.”
The team’s locker room was closed on Friday after the game and players were not made available to speak with the media. #JusticeForTyre
Up Next
There’s no place like home. The Grizzlies will look to end their slump on Sunday when they return home to take on the Indiana Pacers at 5 pm CT.
Screenshot from video showing Tyre Nichols skateboarding as a teen. Shared on YouTube by WaltCoAct.
The Flyer will not be showing the Tyre Nichols video on our website.
We trust that our readers will be able to find it elsewhere if they choose to watch it.
In this space, though, we want to offer readers a place to celebrate the life of Tyre Nichols and reflect on the words of the Rev. Lawrence Turner of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church: “We demand a system that manifests justice for all, not the privileged few. In Tyre’s name, systemic justice is what we must demand and fight for — each day going forward until we overcome.”
A “Justice for Tyre” protest is planned Friday evening at Martyrs Park Downtown.
Footage of the incident that led to Tyre Nichols’ death is scheduled to be made public today. Officials said the video would be released sometime after 6 p.m. but did not give more specifics.
Many expect unrest after the footage is seen by the public. Many schools, businesses, and government offices announced they are closing early Friday in anticipation of possible civil unrest.
The Justice For Tyre protest is slated to start at 5:30 p.m. It’s the first organized gathering made public for this evening. On Facebook, the event is tagged #blacklivesmatter but it was not immediate clear who organized the event. However, the organizing group offers a toolkit for activism and gives a list of demands on the invitation. Here’s what it says:
Demands of the Family
1. Release the body cam footage
2. Charge the officers
3. Name all officers and public personnel Memphis, Tennessee that were on scene
4. Release the officers’ files
Community Demands
1. Pass the Data Transparency ordinance
2. End the use of pre-textual traffic stops
3. End the use of unmarked cars and plainclothes officers
4. Dissolve the [Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods – SCORPION], [Organized Crime Unit – OCU], and [Multi-Agency Gang Unit- MGU]. End the use of tasks forces
5. Remove police from traffic enforcement entirely
“My name is Tyre D. Nichols. I am an aspiring photographer.
“Well, I mostly do this stuff for fun but I enjoy it very much. Photography helps me look at the world in a more creative way.
“It expresses me in ways I cannot write down for people.”
That’s the intro to the “about” section of Tyre Nichols’ photography website called T. Nichols Photography. The section is headlined “Welcome the World Through My Eyes.”
“Since learning of this tragic event, transparency and swift methodical action have been our top priorities.
“Because the family of Mr. Nichols and our citizens deserve nothing less, the actions of these officers were awful, and no one, including law enforcement, is above the law, I assure you, we will do everything we can to keep this type of heinous act from happening again.
“In this case, I want to thank [Memphis Police Department Cerleyn] Davis and her team for moving quickly with the administrative procedure resulting in termination and [Shelby County District Attorney] Mulroy for taking deliberate actions in bringing these indictments forward.
“We have worked to get a resolution to these matters in record time because we take them extremely seriously.
“As we have said all along, we wanted to ensure the proper legal steps were followed and that the family of Mr. Nichols had an opportunity to view the video footage privately before we released it to the public.
“In light of those matters occurring, we will be releasing the video to the public sometime Friday, tomorrow after 6 p.m.
“It is clear that these officers violated the department’s policies and training. But we are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again. So we are initiating an outside, independent review of the training, policies and operations of our specialized units.
“Lastly, I am sad and angry for the family of Tyre Nichols. I am also angry for the many good men and women of the Memphis Police Department who devote their lives to serving our citizens. We must all work to regain the public’s trust and work together to heal the wounds these events have caused.”
A prayer vigil will celebrate the life of Tyre Nichols tonight, and the community is welcome to attend, according to an invitation sent by Nichols’ family attorneys Thursday.
The vigil will begin at 7 p.m. at Tobey Skatepark (2599 Avery Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38112).
“Tyre died on January 10th, days after he was involved in a traffic stop conducted by the Memphis Police Department that left him critically injured,” reads the invitation. “Nichols fled the traffic stop scene, and the police began to chase him. Police brutalized him to the point of being unrecognizable.
“Officers were indicted by a grand jury and charged with second degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression on January 26th.”
Nichols’ funeral is slated to be held Wednesday, February 1st at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church.
Video of the Tyre Nichols incident will be made public sometime after 6 p.m. Friday, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said during a Thursday press conference.
The video belongs to the city of Memphis, Mulroy said. It is a mix of body-worn police camera footage and footage from a nearby SkyCop camera, he said.
Much has been made of the video, with Nichols’ family and members of the public pushing for it to be made public immediately. Many have worried that once the video is made public, civil unrest may follow. That’s one reason that nearly every public leader who has spoken about the situation and the video has asked that any protest that follows be non-violent.
The timeline of the video’s release was not made public by Mulroy Thursday. The exact timing of its release is in the hands of city leaders. But Mulroy expected a statement from the city Thursday afternoon.
TBI Director David Rausch said he’s been policing for 30 years and has devoted his life to the profession. But at the moment he was grieved and “shocked by what I saw.”
“I’ve seen the video and as [Mulroy already] stated, you will, too,” Rausch said. “In a word: it’s absolutely appalling.”
Mulroy kept a tight lid on details of the incident that led to Nichols’ death, focusing mainly on the charges made against the five officers directly involved in the incident.
However, the timeline of that evening’s events got a bit more color (but not much) after a question from a reporter. Here’s what Mulroy said.
“I suspect that all of your answers along those lines will be forthcoming once you have a chance to view the video for yourself,” Mulroy said. “I know that a lot of this has already been publicly released, but there was an initial traffic stop. And we won’t comment right now on the presence or absence of the legality of the stop, but there was a traffic stop.”
Mulroy continued: “There was an initial altercation involving several officers and Mr. Nichols. Pepper spray was deployed … Mr. Nichols fled on foot. There was another altercation at a nearby location at which the serious injuries were experienced by Mr. Nichols. After some period of time of waiting around afterwards, he was taken away by an ambulance. Beyond that I don’t really think we should go into any further details.”
A reporter asked if the police waited to call an ambulance, to which Mulroy replied, “I believe that if you watch the video, you’ll be able to make that judgment for yourself.”
Mulroy’s main goal with the news conference was to outline the charges against the officers and explain how those charges were made. He said his office and a team of other law enforcement offices worked “quickly to expedite this investigation because of the extraordinary nature of the case compared to the average investigation and prosecution. For decisions in a case like this, we worked swiftly, but also fairly, and most importantly, in a way calculated to ensure that we have a strong case.”
For this, Mulroy said he quickly called in the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to ensure the case had an independent investigation. He also called in the newly formed Justice Review Unit within his office, but that works separately and independently, “to make a truly objective recommendation about whether criminal charges were appropriate.”
On Thursday, the grand jury returned indictments on the five former MPD officers involved in Nichols’ death: Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith.
They were charged with second degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping resulting in bodily injury, aggravated kidnapping involving the possession of a weapon, official misconduct through unauthorized exercise of power, official misconduct through failure to act when there is a duty imposed by law, and official oppression.
”While each of the five individuals played a different role in the incident in question, the actions of all of them resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols, and they are all responsible,” Mulroy said.
Reactions to charges filed against five Memphis Police Department officers in the death of Tyre Nichols believe the charges are a good place to start but not the end of justice in the case.
(Credit: Ben Crump | Twitter)
Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, attorneys for the Nichols family:
“The news today from Memphis officials that these five officers are being held criminally accountable for their deadly and brutal actions gives us hope as we continue to push for justice for Tyre.
“This young man lost his life in a particularly disgusting manner that points to the desperate need for change and reform to ensure this violence stops occurring during low-threat procedures, like in this case, a traffic stop.
“This tragedy meets the absolute definition of a needless and unnecessary death. Tyre’s loved ones’ lives were forever changed when he was beaten to death, and we will keep saying his name until justice is served.”
Tennessee state Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Raumesh Akbari:
Raumesh Akbari (Credit: Senator Raumesh Akbari | Facebook)
“While I applaud the swift action of the district attorney, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Memphis Police Department, there is no justice for Tyre Nichols today.
“Justice would be Tyre living to see his next birthday. Justice is people in this community having trust that our police officers will first police themselves. No one should fear for their life during a simple traffic stop or be afraid to even engage with our officers.
There is no justice for Tyre Nichols today.
Sen. Raumseh Akbari
“So instead, today we begin the long act of healing our hurting community, Tyre’s mother and family, and ourselves.
“We cannot move forward together unless we are willing to do the work to hold our police department to the highest ethical standards and uproot any existence or acceptance of police brutality. This is our call to action and we must be vigilant.”
Tennessee state Sen. London Lamar, chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus:
(Credit: London Lamar | TN State Government)
“Like many of us, I feel traumatized by Tyre Nichols’ death and I am disturbed by the actions of the officers who were involved.
“While today we send our heartfelt condolences to the Nichols family, tomorrow we work toward achieving continuous accountability for law enforcement.
“This may be the most egregious act of police brutality in our nation’s history. It shows exactly how much work we have to do to build trust between our people and the officers who pledge to serve and protect our community.
“This may be the most egregious act of police brutality in our nation’s history.”
Sen. London Lamar
“Accountability for the officers involved in Tyre’s death is the first step. The next step is for law enforcement, state and federal officials, and local leaders to investigate why this happened. We have to fix the root causes of police brutality and then do the work to make sure it never happens again.”
U.S. Rep Steve Cohen
Cohen/Credit: U.S. government
“Right now, much of the national media is looking at Memphis as there was an awful killing of a 29-year-old African American man by five police officers within the last few weeks.
“The five police officers have been fired by the police department for violating their oaths…It could be a situation where people want to exercise their First Amendment rights to protest actions of the Police Department, and people should. But they should be peaceful and calm.
“We have a new D.A. We have a new U.S. Attorney. And we have a new police director. They are the right people at the right time to bring about reform and to deal with this case to see that justice is rendered.
“I grieve for the life of Tyre Nichols, whose life should not have been extinguished. He was an outstanding young man and it’s extremely sad that he was killed.
“I pray for my city.”
Rhonda Logan/Facebook
Memphis City Council member Rhonda Logan, chair of council’s Public Safety Committee
“I’d like to share my deepest condolences, love, and prayers of comfort to the family and loved ones of Mr. Tyre Nichols. The death of Mr. Tyre Nichols has been deeply felt and particularly painful because it was in every way heinous. It was inhumane and, in my view, absolutely a crime.
“At the city council Public Safety Committee meeting on January 24th, 2023, I opened with a prayer for Mr. Nichols’ family and shared that I ‘…hope there will be an opportunity for open dialogue within the next few weeks once the investigation has concluded.’
“There are many unanswered questions, as well as new information we are learning about this case every day. As the Public Safety chair, I have not received any additional information from the Memphis Police Department or other law enforcement agency that has not been shared with the public.
“I want to assure members of the public that as chair of the Public Safety Committee, I am committed to holding public conversations with Memphis Police and Memphis Fire leadership about the failings of this tragic event.
“We will consider any and all legislation proposed by the city council and/or administration that could aid in the prevention of any other tragedy such as this one. We will increase regular reporting and transparency with the public, as well as continue to urge community policing.
As a council member elected to represent the citizens, that has and will continue to include Tyre Nichols.”
Rev. Jason Lawrence Turner, pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, and leader of the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis
Rev. Jason Lawrence Turner/Twitter
“Today’s indictment against five Memphis police officers involved in the beating death of Tyre Nichols is also an indictment against the systemic injustice and abuse of power still rampant throughout the United States criminal justice system.
“Tragically, Tyre is now its face. But it has thousands of faces in thousands of communities across this country. The color of the officers who’ve been indicted is beside the point. They must be held accountable as must any person and any system that would abuse marginalized people.
“We must demand policy changes nationwide that finally pull systemic injustice out by the roots. We will start today in Memphis. Today can mark the beginning of the Second Civil Rights Movement: beyond individual equality to systemic equality.
“We demand a system that manifests justice for all, not the privileged few. In Tyre’s name, systemic justice is what we must demand and fight for — each day going forward until we overcome.”
Memphis Police Department/Shelby County Government
Five Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers have been charged in the death of Tyre Nichols, each of them appearing in the Shelby County Inmate Lookup database.
Here are their mugshots, alongside their official MPD photos. Their charges are below the photos.
Tadarrius Bean
Memphis Police Department/Shelby County government
Demetrius Haley
Justin Smith
Memphis Police Department/Shelby County government
Desmond Mills Jr.
Memphis Police Department/Shelby County government
Emmitt MartinIII
The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office is expected to release a statement about the charges this afternoon.
