Skateboarders rally outside of city hall
Nichols’ family invited his fellow skateboarders to the gathering while Memphis waits for footage to be released
On a cold but sunny Monday morning, family members of Tyre Nichols were ushered inside of Memphis City Hall to view footage of the traffic stop and ensuing actions of five Memphis officers that resulted in Nichols’ death.
Outside, at least a dozen skateboarders gathered with supporters of the family and cycled through familiar tricks — ollies, tic tacs, and kickflips among others. The skaters were there at the request of Nichols’ family. Nichols himself was an avid skateboarder and his friends described skating culture as one of the most important aspects of Nichols’ life, aside from his young son.
Since Nichols died from his injuries on Jan. 10, a call to release any footage of the fatal encounter has only increased. But officials have declined to do so, citing multiple ongoing investigations that could be compromised should the footage be released too early.
A skateboarder named Rico, who declined to give his last name, said he “automatically wanted to come out,” when he heard about the call for skateboarders. That Nichols is another Black man killed by police, and a skateboarder, brought a host of emotions out for Rico.
Aside from honoring Nichols on the board, Rico hopes Memphis will honor Nichols and others killed in police confrontation by going after the legal mechanism that sometimes protects officers from seeing charges from circumstances that would normally bring charges for any civilian — qualified immunity.
“I would love for Memphis to become one of the first cities in the nation to combat qualified immunity. Because essentially, that’s why we’re here. We’re here because these cops just lose their jobs. Very rarely do you see true justice,” Rico said.
Not long after the small crowd in front of city hall dispersed, the City of Memphis and the Shelby County District Attorney’s office released statements referencing ongoing investigations and promising the eventual release of the footage from the encounters.
Shelby County District Attorney
Steve Mulroy said his office is working with Memphis Police and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on releasing the video of the incident. Mulroy said the video could be released “this week or next.”
But for the family of Nichols, Monday marked the day where they gained a fuller understanding of Nichols’ last moments. And after the meeting with city and police officials, they headed to Mt. Olive Cathedral CME Church, where they addressed Memphians and media alike.
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn (CJ) Davis, Crump said, expressed dismay over the footage the Nichols family saw. And Crump had his own words for the video as well.
“It is appalling, it is deplorable, it is heinous, it is violent, and it’s very troublesome on every level. Because you have to ask yourself, yet again, we’re seeing evidence of what happens to Black and brown people from simple traffic stops,” Crump said.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the FBI are investigating the circumstances of the stop and Nichols’ death.
Family attorney Antonio Romanucci said the five officers fired on Friday were part of the department’s Organized Crime Unit.
“This has to stop,” Romanucci said during a press conference Monday afternoon.
Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering issues tied to access and equity. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.