Tyre Nichols – news: Poll shows declining trust in police as 20 hours of body camera video missing

When asked this month whether police were adequately trained to avoid excessive uses of force, 60 per cent of respondents to a Washington Post-ABC poll said they were not “very” or “somewhat” confident, while only 39 per cent answered in the affirmative.

A similar dynamic played out on the matter of race, with 57 per cent saying they weren’t confident police treated Black and white people equally.

Both of these markers represent further declines in public trust in police since the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.

More details in our full story.

Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey is staying tight-lipped about any efforts on policing reform in light of the killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, as President Joe Biden meets with the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss the topic.

Mr Booker, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had been the lead negotiator for the Democratic side for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in the previous Congress. But his negotiations with South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican senator, ultimately fell through.

“I don’t want to say (anything) about the momentum shift, but I will say that this is a horrific, yet another horrific act of violence committed by people wearing uniforms and police officers,” he said of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. “It’s tragic and gruesome and awful.”

Skateboarders across the country are holding a series of skateboarding events and rides in honour of Tyre Nichols on Saturday, with support from professional legends like Stevie Williams, a massively influential Black skateboarder who has called on skateboarders around the world to “ride in unity” in Nichols’ memory.

The rides will “celebrate his spirit, life and love,” Mr Williams wrote on his Instagram. “The entire world is angry and they have every right to be. We are not asking people not to protest, however, we want to make sure that Tyre’s life is remembered for what it was, not for how it tragically ended.”

On 4 February, skateboarders across the country will ride in honour of Tyre Nichols, an avid skateboarder remembered for endless his kindness, encouragement and support for younger riders and other skaters in his communities.

His death has hit skateboarding communities, particularly among Black skateboarders, especially hard; skateparks have turned into places of mourning for the tight-knit but welcoming groups whose passion is built on trust in their ability to pull off the impossible, and who view urban landscapes for their endless possibilities despite police harassment towards a sport and lifestyle seen as a nuisance to polite society.

A series of group rides to “Keep Pushing for Tyre” will begin in two cities whose skate communities helped shaped him as a teenager and young man.

In Memphis, skateboarders will ride from the National Civil Rights Museum.

In Sacramento, California, a local skate shop will host a memorial skate session.

And in Nashville, skateboarders are invited to attend a vigil at Public Square Park before a group ride.

The rides will “celebrate his spirit, life and love,” according to professional skateboarder Steve Williams, who paid tribute to Nichols on his Instagram. “The entire world is angry and they have every right to be. We are not asking people not to protest, however, we want to make sure that Tyre’s life is remembered for what it was, not for how it tragically ended.”

One day after a Memphis funeral for Tyre Nichols, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus – including senators Raphael Warnock and Cory Booker – to discuss “shared priorities, including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the path forward on police reform in Congress,” according to a statement from the White House.

It is not the first time that the group convened in the Oval Office on the issue.

The legislation named in honour of George Floyd passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but has stalled in a deadlocked Senate under Republican opposition, despite bipartisan negotiations and a working group with the White House to ensure its passage. The president initially gave Congress a deadline to pass the bill on the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s murder, but negotiations stalled and the bill was effectively dead.

In their meeting on Thursday, the group’s discussion covered executive actions taken up by the president in the wake of those stalled efforts, “including the banning of chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and requiring the use of body cameras at the federal level” but underscored that “no executive action can substitute for federal legislation, and the necessary changes at the state and local level will require Congress to act.” “President Biden and Vice President Harris remain committed to doing everything in their power to achieve meaningful police reform in Congress,” according to a White House statement on the meeting.

A one-minute and 44-second montage of Tyre Nichols on his skateboard has been shared thousands of times following the publication of brutal footage of a group of Memphis Police Department officers fatally beating him in early January. Nichols, 29, died three days later, on 10 January.

As his friends and family mourn, and as the nation recovers from the shock of another act of violence against a Black American by police officers, his skateboarding videos have taken on a new life, capturing a joy and expression that resonates with skateboarding communities across the US.

“His videos are playing everywhere,” Jermone Neal, an avid skateboarder and one of Nichols’ childhood friends, told The Independent. “Tony Hawk shared his video. Stevie Williams shared his video, bro. If Tyre is seeing that, bro, he’s going crazy. Seeing his idols watching his video? He would be screaming right now. I’m so glad we have them.”

Alex Woodward reports:

The only known white officer involved in the brutal beating and subsequent death of Tyre Nichols was “shielded and protected” by Memphis Police Department, attorneys for the family said.

“The news today from Memphis officials that officer Preston Hemphill was reportedly relieved of duty weeks ago, but not yet terminated or charged is extremely disappointing,” they said in a joint statement.

The Memphis Police Department announced that a seventh officer – Preston Hemphill – was being put on administrative leave “pending the outcome of the investigation”.

Shweta Sharma reports.

The release of footage of the fatal assault of Tyre Nichols graphically depicted the prolonged and savage fatal beating that was meted out by five Memphis Police Department officers.

But questions persist that the edited footage failed to answer, most notably the claimed traffic violation that had led officers to pull Nichols over in the first place, and what caused the officers to respond so violently.

The four videos from the officers’ bodyworn cameras and CCTV were taken between 8.24pm and 9.20pm on 7 January. It shows the 29-year-old FedEx worker being pulled over, dragged from his car, pepper sprayed and beaten during a traffic stop.

They are taken from two locations, the corner where Nichols was initially pulled over near the intersection of East Raines and Ross Rds, and about a half a mile away at Castlegate Lane where he is beaten with punches, kicks and baton strikes, and pepper sprayed.

Bevan Hurley has the story.

Tyre Nichols‘ mother expressed some of the “unimaginable” pain she is going through as she spoke at his funeral in Memphis.

“Tyre was a beautiful person, and for this to happen to him is just unimaginable,” RowVaughn Wells said at the pulpit.

In her emotional speech, she said: “I promise you, the only thing that’s keeping me going is the fact that I really truly believe my son was sent here on an assignment from God.

“I guess now his assignment is done, he’s been taken home.”

US vice president Kamala Harris was among those in attendance.

Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the life of Tyre Nichols on Wednesday evening in a ceremony inside a Mississippi Boulevard Baptist Church in Memphis.

The 29-year-old Black man was fatally beaten by a group of Memphis Police Department officers last month, and horrific footage of the incident released last week has revived an urgent demand for reform.

Reflecting on the far-reaching shock of his death, those in attendance at his funeral included vice president Kamala Harris, filmmaker Spike Lee and members of Congress, with a eulogy from the Rev Al Sharpton. There was also a “call to action” from civil rights attorney Ben Crump demanding “swift justice” against police who commit violence against Black Americans.

In their remarks, faith leaders struck a delicate balance, urging support for a grieving family while reflecting on the sadness and anger of a nation just days after witnessing yet another attack against a Black American by police.

Alex Woodward has the details.