Folks,

 

We have to talk about what happened to Tyre Nichols at the hands of the Memphis Police.

 

There are too many incidents where Reverend Al is being asked to give the eulogy for a young Black man lying in a casket in a church next to a grieving mother. It’s sad for all of us to see. And it’s particularly troubling for Black Americans, who wonder: “Could my son or daughter be next? Could I be next?”

 

It’s hard to explain to our white friends and colleagues what it’s like when we see a blue light in our rearview mirror. You tense up. You freeze up. You wonder what you did wrong — or if you did anything wrong at all. It’s a terror that is passed down from generation to generation.

 

Americans of all races and colors are seeing this violence now, thanks to the prevalence of smartphone cameras. It’s a trauma on the psyche of our entire nation — but especially on the psyche of Black people. And in this case, the complexity of the emotions are compounded by the fact that the officers who killed Tyre Nichols are Black.

 

There is a problem with the culture of policing in cities and towns across the country. It’s not an isolated occurrence, and it’s not the acts of just a few bad cops. It’s a culture that promotes brutality and physical force, and we need to change it.

 

I will continue pushing for police reform. Not just small changes in training procedures, not just tweaks to hiring practices, but comprehensive reform to encourage responsible policing in the service of justice and building up communities.

 

We’ve cried so many tears now that no more tears will come. But the anguish deepens. And so must our resolve.

 

– Hank Johnson (he/him)