Monroe County NAACP releases statement on death of Tyre Nichols

Special to the Pocono Record
·1 min read
1

Editor's note: The Monroe County chapter of the NAACP released the following statement on Friday, Jan. 27, after video of Memphis police beating Tyre Nichols was released.

While some try to figure out how this can work for them politically, another mother will figure out how to bury her son. While some rush to Google in hopes of finding a way to smear his life, others rush to grieve another senseless death. Some will regard the violent and inhumane treatment of a human being as just one more loss of life, while others will cry out for justice and an end to the seemingly open season on “just us”.

These acts cannot be normalized, and we cannot continue to accept what cannot be justified.

Mr. Nichols’ life was worth more than becoming another hashtag— but we mourn... again.

We peacefully call for change... again.

Live updates from USA TODAY:Tyre Nichols' parents to attend Biden State of the Union

We call upon the Pennsylvania State Legislature to amend existing law that will automatically transfer cases involving deaths of unarmed citizens by law enforcement to the Attorney General’s office or a bipartisan citizen’s review board without requiring a referral from a local District Attorney’s office...again.

We ask that law enforcement policies concerning citizen engagement be reviewed and revised, if not already the standard, to mandate that non-lethal methods be utilized unless deadly force is the ONLY resort... again.

We call for leadership in law enforcement to publicly disavow these egregious and heartless interactions that continue to occur... again and again.

We are all united as a community in our desire for both shared understanding and zero tolerance for police brutality.

We hold our breaths and wait for someone to be courageous enough... again.

Christa Caceres, President, Monroe County NAACP

What comes next:Tyre Nichols case reignites conversations among lawmakers on federal police legislation

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Monroe County NAACP releases statement on death of Tyre Nichols