Another Victim... And Some Lessons
America was again shocked and horrified when Tyre Nichols, a young, unarmed Black man from Memphis, was savagely beaten to death by rogue policemen.
The policemen involved should be fired immediately!
Um, they were.
Well, the policemen should all be charged with murder!
Um, they are.
This represents blatant racism!
Um, the policemen were all Black, just like the victim.
Well then, there needs to be an investigation!
Um, an investigation has been initiated (more on that later).
And so, crowds of angry (mostly Black) citizens descended onto the streets, protesting this horrific event and demanding justice, that, as I pointed out above, has pretty much already happened. It’s a rather predictable response whenever this type of event occurs.
Thankfully, riots have not broken out, such as what usually also occurs. At least not yet. And if the social unrest continues, we will certainly see another Kyle Rittenhouse type of character get involved - someone who is otherwise not connected in any way whatsoever and is not even from the area, attracted by all the media attention, jumps feet-first into the turmoil, and gets into deep trouble.
Meanwhile, the funeral itself turns into a major media and political event, as who shows up but none other than Al Sharpton, America’s most notorious muckraker, who is not connected in any way with Nichols, but somehow always gets himself invited to these (what should be) private family affairs and manages to position himself in front of the cameras.
Next to him was Kamala Harris, also not connected an in way with Nichols, who, as we all know, was selected as Vice President not because of her credentials or qualifications, but rather because she was a Black female. Ah, politics. And I’m sure there were other big-name celebrities at the funeral, also not connected in any way with the Nichols family, and were there mainly to rake muck, not to fix the problem.
The investigation into the event is ongoing. We do not yet have all the facts - an in fact, we may never know everything that happened. The police claim Nichols was “driving recklessly”. The evidence thereof is lacking, but, they had to have some reason to pull him over. However, it is clear that he was not exactly, shall we say, cooperative. He even escaped once, but the police quickly caught him again, and subsequently took it upon themselves to let him know they were displeased.
So, who is at fault here? Answer: all of the above. All of the parties involved had ample opportunities to de-escalate the situation, but failed to do so. You’d think that, by now, with all the other similar deadly confrontations with police over the last several years, that lessons would have been learned.
Some of the cops involved in the Nichols case had a history of excessive violence on their records. You’d think that the police departments would have a system in place to get rid of characters such as these.
Rather than turn Nichols’ funeral into a splashy media event attended by muckrakers and politicians, the family should use this opportunity to teach the youth of America some important life lessons. Starting with: be smart. Choose the time and place to call out police misconduct. They're armed, they have the upper hand in that initial interaction, and the bad apples will use any excuse to abuse their power. Don't give them one. Play their game, and deal with injustices after you're no longer at risk. The justice system may not be perfect, but it’s the best thing you got.
Finally, to all members of the public outraged by this event: Marching in the streets carrying signs and demanding things will not likely bring positive change - especially when the wheels are already in motion for the things you’re demanding. Furthermore, public protests have a knack for attracting the hoodlums, racists, thrill-seekers, and other lowlife scum who are only there to cause trouble.
Instead, do this: Go home. Hug your kids, and teach them good life lessons.
Oh and one more thing: get a dash cam for your car.