Pulled over while driving home, a violent gang pulls a man from his car and beats him in the street. Surely this sounds like a documentary on domestic terrorism unleashed by the Ku Klux Klan in the early-twentieth century, of a time long since passed.
In reality, this scene is from 2023, the outcome of an aggressive racial profiling program intended to increase police presence in specific neighbourhoods.
On January 7th, members of the Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION unit stopped Tyre Nichols seemingly without justification and acted out the above scenario. Tyre died three days later due to his injuries. The level of malevolence and brutality demonstrated by the involved police officers has drawn international outrage and resulted in their dismissal and the laying of criminal charges, including kidnapping and murder.
Supporters of the police claim that these sorts of incidents arise from behaving in an “antagonistic” manner. The Memphis Police Department has released footage from body and nearby surveillance cameras highlighting some moments of the vicious attack on Tyre. In it we see a man who did everything “right”: He did not resist. In fact, he cooperated as best as he was able. Tyre behaved like a model citizen. This did not matter as the men assaulting him clearly were not interested in what was legal or fair.
This is the legacy of an institution that has not evolved past its roots of deputized slave-catchers. Policing is inextricably bound to violence against racialized groups. This culture of supremacy is so toxic and so pervasive that public services organizations such as the Fire Department no longer provide the aid they swear to deliver, choosing instead to side with those that dispense brutality over basic human decency.
The killing of Tyre has caused a shockwave of anger and sadness across the world. Body cameras show us the precise extent of police brutality – but they did not save Tyre’s life. Multiple internal “checks and balances” also were not able to save Tyre’s life. It is abundantly clear that no amount of superficial tweaks to an inherently oppressive institution can effect fundamental change.
The CSRA understands that the police are only one part of a system of oppression. Paramilitary forces patrolling the streets primarily exist to control the working class – claims regarding public safety are secondary and disingenuous at best.
We at the Canadian Socialist Rifle Association stand in solidarity with all victims of police violence and would like to offer our condolences to the entire Nichols family and the Black community.
We believe in a world where there is no requirement for policing, and that is what we continue to strive towards.
A memorial and support fund for Tyre’s family has been launched here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tyre-nichols
Yours in solidarity,
From the Central Committee of the Canadian Socialist Rifle Association