DANA L. BOOTH: MEMPHIS POLICE KILLING OF TYRE NICHOLS

 

1-28-23

I saw the Rodney King beating and I saw the video of George Floyd's murder but somehow the murder of Tyre Nichols was even more horrific. These cops were totally out of control and apparently feared no retribution for their actions. They acted like a gang of mad dogs. Who continues to beat, kick and stomp a handcuffed man ?? Who responds to a traffic violation like this ?? Not one of these 5 police officers should ever see the light of day again. Everyone of them deserve a long prison sentence in general population ..

Most of you know I was a police officer while I was an undergraduate student. I worked the 12-8am shift while attending classes during the day for 3 years. In 3 years I was in some tight situations but only drew my service weapon once. I was a 5-8", 120 lb young woman and I took down criminals a lot bigger than me without ever abusing my authority. My badge and gun gave me NO permission to treat anyone like what I saw in that video.

I guarantee this wasn't the first time these 5 police officers abused their authority. What we witnessed had probably happened several times before but hadn't been caught on camera or caused the death of someone. I've said many times before, police officers should be forced to pass psychological evaluations before ever wearing a badge. Many police officers are bulked up on steroids making them a time bomb. Many are often accused of spousal abuse. Police recruiters get a lot of these cops returning from war zones. Many come home with serious mental problems so giving them a badge and a gun is a recipe for disaster. Then there are bad cops who are terminated in one municipality only to get hired somewhere else. There's no registry listing police officers with performance problems so they just relocate. Good cops who say nothing when they witness bad cops are just as guilty. What happened to Tyre Nichols is a recurring problem in almost every major city where cops have been allowed to get away with abusive behavior for too long. Hopefully, the D.A. will throw the book at the animals who killed this young man. These police officers were in the wrong from the time they pulled up behind Mr. Nichols at the stop light. The 2 EMTs who responded should also be terminated and never allowed to work for another ambulance service. My heart goes out to the Nichols family and I hope they get justice but there's nothing that will bring this young man back.................... This was a senseless loss of life that should have never happened................

Dana L. Booth