MADISON, Wis. – Representative LaKeshia Myers (D-Milwaukee), issued the following statement regarding the death of Mr. Tyre Nichols by Memphis City Police:


“Like most Americans, I was horrified by video footage showing the beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee. The manner in which Mr. Nichols was kicked, bludgeoned, and pepper sprayed, repeatedly, by multiple officers was heinous and downright inhumane. I cannot think of any circumstance where a routine traffic stop includes a civilian being beaten by multiple officers and ends in loss of life. Furthermore, I cannot fathom how or why other officers neglected to intervene to stop the behavior of their colleagues.


Tonight, I mourn with the family of Tyre Nichols; I mourn with the City of Memphis, and I lend my voice to the chorus of public protesters who demand justice for the Nichols family and the disbanding of specialized task forces who operate outside the margins of acceptable policing. We are beyond discussions of de-escalation, proper training, and improved policy. What is needed is a total erosion of long-standing pervasive police culture. This cannot come from civilians, but from officers themselves.


We fought for training, de-escalation, and bodycams, yet with all of these things, here we are again, mourning another life, taken mercilessly by an officer operating outside the color of law.”

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