Veterans Demand Justice for Tyre Nichols

MEMPHIS – On Friday, Memphis Police released a video of the arrest and beating of 29 year old Tyre Nichols. Earlier last week, five police officers were charged with his kidnapping, because the arrest was unlawful, and murder. 

In light of yet another police killing of a black man, Common Defense’s Executive Director, Jose Vasquez, Released the Following Statement: 

“I watched the deeply disturbing video footage coming out of Memphis on Friday showing the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols resulting in his unnecessary death. Another young black man murdered by police after a traffic stop. 

“As I watched Tyre’s parents, I thought about my own two sons. My soul is heavy with the weight of this and so many police instigated tragedies in the recent past against black, brown and poor white communities.

“The same communities that military recruiters focus on. I feel wounded, furious, and in search of answers to a long list of questions.

“It’s clear to me that our country needs the kind of courage, focus, and strategy that was mustered during the critical times of the civil rights movement. A period when black leadership was trying to save the very soul of this nation.

“While the officers in this case are black, history shows us that the system these officers are a part of, like the wars many veterans served in, are fundamentally flawed and unjust.

“I am convinced that the only way to change this is not through incremental reforms but revolutionary transformation rooted in love for our communities.

“Our work is essential right now. It’s literally life and death out there. We choose life. We chose love. We chose solidarity.”