See our sidebar to better understand the complex history of Tyre Nichols' Memphis neighborhood, Hickory Hill. Pexels
In their
Letter to the Community addressing the murder of Tyre Nichols, the National Civil Rights Museum led with a quote from who else but Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. From his speech “Beyond Vietnam” at New York City’s Riverside Church on April 4, 1967, Dr. King said, “Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.”
The museum and Dr. King were spot on, of course. This past weekend, Memphis and many communities throughout the country would protest the brutal killing of Nichols by Memphis police officers in myriad ways, both in anticipation of and a reaction to the release of police bodycam footage that documented the brutal beating of Tyre on Saturday, Jan. 7. He would die as a result of those injuries just three days later.
Communities expressed their anguish, anger, and exasperation by taking to the streets, by creating art, by providing safe spaces, and by sharing critical resources with one another.
“Watching the horrible circumstances that resulted in Tyre Nichols’ death is hard to stomach,” Russ Wigginton, President of the National Civil Rights Museum, said in his letter. “It’s never okay to normalize the beating of Black bodies, regardless of the aggressor. It is understandable to feel outraged. We can be both emotional and strategic to realize the better world we want to see.”
Here are some of the ways that Memphis (and beyond) turned out for Tyre Nichols, a Black man who was a father, son, and one of Memphis’ own.
Follow Memphis Crisis Center on Twitter @901Crisis7 or dial 988 in case of a mental health emergency.
Follow D'Angelo Connell on Instagram @dcthesnapper.
Follow Live On Lake Street on Instagram @liveonlakestreet.
Follow Kelly English on Twitter @kelly_english.
Follow Black in Memphis on Instagram @blackinmemphis.
Follow The King Center on Instagram @thekingcenter.
Follow Nikkolas Smith on Instagram @nikkolas_smith.
Follow Panhandle Slim on Instagram @panhandle_slim_.
Follow Earle J. Fisher on Instagram @pastor_earle.
Follow Playback Memphis on Instagram @playbackmemphis.
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