Delaware Reaction to the Police-Sanctioned Murder of Tyre Nichols

Today, Tyre Nichols was laid to rest by his family and friends.

After the release of the video of his murder by the Memphis police on Friday, several local Democratic officials and the Delaware Democratic Party released statements, and they are as follows:

Delaware Democratic Party: “Tyre Nichols should be alive today, plain and simple. Our hearts break for his family and friends, who now join the unnecessarily long list of Black communities forced to attend tragically premature funerals due to police violence.

“While the fact that the five police officers who killed Tyre have already been charged is a step in the right direction, some will find this outcome dissatisfying. Firings, arrests, and charges will not reunite Tyre with his mother. Justice goes beyond holding officers accountable after the fact. True justice cannot be achieved until the systems and culture that embolden police officers to brutalize the citizenship that they are sworn to protect are meaningfully reformed. We are committed to working alongside Democrats in Washington and Dover to advocate for and enact policies that help law enforcement better serve the public.”

The House Democratic Leadership (Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, House Majority Leader Rep. Valerie Longhurst, and Majority Whip Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown): “It’s hard to grasp the words at a time like this. We’re absolutely sickened by the actions of these murder suspects, and we’re furious that we’re sitting here less than three years after George Floyd’s killing lamenting the brutal killing of another Black man at the hands of law enforcement officers. Everyone who watched the videos showing Tyre Nichols’ murder should be disgusted, angered and saddened by this tragedy. 

“While we know that it will not change what happened, we hope that justice will be strong and swift to hold these former officers accountable for killing Tyre Nichols. We will continue to support efforts to improve our law enforcement system: to better train officers, put protections in place for the public, increase transparency, and hold accountable and remove those who should not wear the badge. 

“We offer our sincerest condolences for Tyre Nichols’ family and friends and for all those impacted by similar tragedies.” 

Delaware Legislative Black Caucus Chair Rep. Kendra Johnson, Vice-Chair Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha, and Secretary Sen. Marie Pinkney: “When we stood on the steps of Legislative Hall in June 2020 to decry the murder of George Floyd and the multiple other Black men and women who had been killed at the hands of officers, none of us were naïve enough to think that we wouldn’t someday in the near future bear witness to another similar tragedy. But that still couldn’t prepare us for the brutal murder we saw in cold blood this evening. It was a lynching without a rope. It was sickening, disgusting and unforgiveable. 

“Tyre Nichols should still be alive today. He should be able to hug his mother whose name was tattooed on his arm. Instead, we heard him calling his mother’s name on the body camera footage after he had been brutally beaten. 

“Tyre’s killing at the hands of five Memphis Police officers is a reminder that no matter how many positive steps we take, there are always many more strides we must make. It’s yet another wakeup call to those who refuse to believe that there is a pervasive, systemic problem throughout the country, and until everyone recognizes it and commits to taking strong, decisive action, we will continue to eulogize Black Americans in this tragic manner. 

“We must not become discouraged and give up. We passed several important reforms through our Justice for All Agenda, but there are still some unfinished proposals to complete. We must continue pushing for systemic improvements throughout our entire justice system and not rest on those past successes. By continuing to fight for change, we can hopefully reduce these tragedies and ultimately rebuild the system. 

“We are praying for the family and friends of Tyre Nichols at this time and mourn his loss.”