President of the NAACP, Harold A. Pope
LANSING, MI – On Friday, January 28th,2023, Memphis Police Department released footage of the brutal beating by police that led to Tyre Nichols’ death earlier this month.
On January 7, Nichols, a 29-year-old father, was being pulled over by the police as he was driving home after photographing the sunset at one of his favorite parks. It was one of his favorite things to do along with skateboarding. He was stopped, pulled out of his vehicle and he was severely attacked by five Memphis police officers only a short distance from the house he shared with his mother and stepfather. He died three days after the beating.
The disturbing video was released and peaceful protests were held in Memphis, Tennesee, and Sacramento, CA, where Nichols was originally from. Prior to the release of the video, Sacramento Branch NAACP Betty Williams spoke about communities having better communication with law enforcement.
Lansing Branch NAACP president Harold A. Pope released the following statement.
“The condolences and prayers of the Lansing Branch NAACP are with the family of Tyre Nichols, who was brutally beaten and killed by police at a routine traffic stop. The video released to Americans and people around the world was disturbing, disgusting, and horrifying,” said Pope. “What we watched yesterday on video was another lynching of a Black man by corrupt police officers. We rely on the police to serve and protect our communities. Instead, all too often, we witness examples of the systemic hatred that Black Americans experience daily at the hands of corrupt police officers. The local and national NAACP offices are calling on Congress to take immediate action to stop this. Too many unarmed Black people are dying at the hands of police officers. The time to act is now. We are done dying.”
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. On April 14, 1919, the Lansing Branch was chartered under the leadership of Branch President C.A. Campbell. Lansing Branch is one of 2,220 branches in the association with the mission to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.
