Amanpour

'I’m just trying to go home'

January 30, 2023 2:39 PM

Those were the words of Tyre Nichols as five Memphis police officers violently beat him during a traffic stop. He died three days later, leaving the city of Memphis and the country reeling once again, with protesters taking to the streets this weekend in several cities. His name now joins the long list of Black Americans who have died at the hands of police, a painful reminder of the police brutality that continues to blight America. After the death of George Floyd, change was promised – but the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is still stalled in Congress, and activists ask how many deaths it will take. The five police officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death were part of a special unit to tackle rising crime in Memphis, and that “Scorpion Unit” has now been disbanded. There are still many unanswered questions about the officers’ account of what happened that night, as Sara Sidner reports. 

Also joining the show to discuss the Tyre Nichols killing and its aftermath are Memphis Pastor Earle J. Fisher and UCLA Law Professor Joanna Schwartz. 

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