The Editorial Board
On Saturday, Jan. 7, six Memphis police officers restrained Tyre Nichols in a traffic stop and proceeded to punch him, deploying batons and tasers. Nichols died from his injuries three days later after being brought to the hospital in critical condition due to the beating. Nichols, who was 29, is remembered as a skateboarder, nature photographer and father to his four-year-old son.
The police body camera released this past Friday showed the police brutality against Nichols in vivid detail, conjuring painful memories of the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Books and other Black Americans which sparked global protests nearly three years ago. Many media outlets and organizations were also quick to forget the death of Keenan Anderson, a DC-based English teacher who died in Los Angeles police custody on Jan. 3 of this year after being stunned with a taser for over 40 seconds.
The Daily Campus stands with the Black community at the University of Connecticut and around the country, who should not have to tolerate a single death by police violence; nor should they have to endure constant, viral circulation of Black death on the news and on social media. As an organization, The Daily Campus reaffirms its commitment to covering ensuing demonstrations and memorials in solidarity with victims of police killings with care and accuracy.
After the national reckoning with police brutality and white supremacy in 2020, we saw the importance of protests in galvanizing communities against systemic oppression. We also witnessed both the outcry by elected officials and their sense of urgency die down as public mobilizations decreased in number alongside reforms such as body cameras, challenging qualified immunity for police and other attempted changes which have failed to end police brutality and violence.
We encourage community members who are interested in combating white supremacy and demanding fundamental changes regarding policing and prisons to be global citizens and remain aware; to exercise their rights to demonstration and speech; to not choose silence when social inequity runs rampant. Most importantly, whether it’s from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic or militarized responses to protests, keep yourself and your community safe.
