Tyre Nichols, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and racism … or not

Re: “A mockingbird — A travesty of justice 93 years after Harper Lee’s mockingbird was lynched,” Feb. 5 commentary

I read Terrance Carroll’s op- ed with great interest, waiting for his tortured explanation of how the killing of Tyre Nichols could possibly be a race-motivated hate crime, much less a lynching. Upon reaching the last sentence, I was stunned. Not only was there no explanation, but he completely omitted (ignored) the fact that all five policemen initially charged with committing this crime are also Black — the same race as the victim! I guess revealing that truth was inconvenient to his argument. Shameful!

Seeing everything through a prism of race is certainly de rigueur these days, especially in the media. When an abhorrent, violent crime occurs, there is a fixation on the race and identity of the victims and of the perpetrator. That’s unfortunate and often unhelpful.

In the case of law enforcement reform, there are other issues that need to be addressed, as brought to light by this tragedy. Recruitment of qualified candidates, adequate compensation and, most importantly, quality training and strong leadership are all essential factors. Trying to force the issue of racism into the narrative of this horrific crime, where it so obviously doesn’t exist, is counterproductive and just plain wrong. — Masten Hamlin, Denver

Having just seen the Denver Center of Performing Art’s presentation of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” I was interested to read Terrence Carroll’s commentary on the play in light of the recent brutal killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. I’ve read the book and seen the movie several times over the years. I knew this adaptation probably would be different from both, which were published and filmed more than 60 years ago. I don’t take offense to a wellknown story set in 1930s Alabama changing a bit for a new generation of audiences; I was intrigued to see a new adaptation and interpretation of such familiar material.

What I was not prepared for were the moments of lightheartedness, particularly in the first act. Carroll felt it allowed playwright Aaron Sorkin’s mostly white audience to be comfortable.

That may be true, but it made me feel quite the opposite. After all, an innocent man is being prosecuted for a crime he didn’t commit. Although I can never know what Black men experience at the hands of the criminal justice system, like Carroll, I, too, left the theater unsettled. Sadly, not much has changed since the fictional Tom Robinson was unjustly convicted and killed more than 90 years ago.

— Teri Spector, Denver