Whenever an African-American dies in a confrontation with police officers, the media and activists scream “RACIST”! But when the five police officers charged with criminal conduct in a death are also African-American, there is not a sound of an outlet charging racism.
The reality is that this is not an issue of race, rather it is an issue of color. The color BLUE!
A jury will decide whether or not the death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee was criminal. It is noteworthy that NONE of the members of that jury will represent law enforcement. Police officers and their families will be excluded by challenge and will not serve in judgment of their “peer.”
Any death resulting from a confrontation with police is a tragedy. A mother has lost a son and loved ones will miss a special part of their lives, but the officers also must live with the fact that a human life was lost.
The specific facts of this case are coming out slowly and the charged officers have constitutional rights which need to be protected. They deserve a FAIR trial, just like any other citizen of the United States. The release of the video which is over an hour long should help to answer some of the questions being asked. However, the video will only be a true and accurate depiction of what the lens sees, not necessarily a true depiction of the event.
What will be interesting to watch is whether the DOJ will indict the five black officers, the same as they did with the four white officers in the George Floyd case. The betting line is that they will sit on the sideline and take no action.