Obamas: Tire Nichols murder a ‘painful reminder’ of US policing problem

Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama spoke out on the nation’s latest high-profile police killing on Saturday, calling it a “painful reminder” of the problems that continue to plague law enforcement.

“The vicious and wanton beating of Tire Nichols and his ultimate death at the hands of five Memphis police officers is just the latest, painful reminder of how far America still has to go to fix the way we police our streets.” , the couple said. said in a joint post on Twitter.

Nichols, 29, died three days after being repeatedly beaten and sprayed with pepper spray by a group of officers in the Tennessee city during a traffic stop on January 7. All five have since been fired and charged with second degree murder.

Body camera video released on Friday shows the apparent disregard officers had for Nichols’ life as they repeatedly punched, kicked and hit him with a baton.

“I’m just trying to get home,” Nichols told police at one point. A Taser was also deployed to Nichols as he attempted to flee.

“I hope they trample his ass,” an officer can be heard saying on video.

In a follow-up tweetBarack Obama posted a link to the Obama Foundation that outlines ways to support Nichols’ family.

“In addition to mourning Tyr and supporting his family, it is up to all of us to mobilize for lasting change,” the former president wrote.

On Friday, President Joe Biden said he was “outraged and deeply saddened to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in the death of Tire Nichols.”

Last year, Biden released a 2023 budget proposal asking for $35 billion “to support law enforcement” and to pay for 100,000 new officers.

‘We should all agree, the answer is not to defund the police’, Biden said during his State of the Union address on March 1. “It’s to fund the police.”