Ben Crump: Lawyer behind slew of police brutality cases takes on Tyre Nichols’ killing
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney, will represent the family of the late Tyre Nichols. In a statement released on Friday, January 27, Crump attributed the death of 29-year-old Nichols in Memphis to the "police culture in America."
Crump urged for systematic reform among all police officers, regardless of their skin tone, in a speech prior to the release of the bodycam footage. "Black people have simple encounters with police [and] they end up dead," Crump said. "We don't hear about these things with our White brothers and sisters. And that's where we got to continue to speak to this police culture in America." Each of the five police officers involved in the incident that resulted in Nichols' death has been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. The family has praised the Memphis police department's quick response to Nichols' attack, but Crump suggested that the quickness of response may have something to do with the fact that the responding officers were Black rather than White, as in other well-known cases like George Floyd, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and others. He said, "We have never seen swift justice like this. Justice didn't move swiftly for them when they were killed by White officers."
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"This is the blueprint going forward": Civil rights attorney Ben Crump praises the swift arrest of officers involved in Tyre Nichols' death and handling of the case by Memphis officials. https://t.co/TpXTODWwcR pic.twitter.com/QpmkbMlCPP
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 27, 2023
Who is Ben Crump?
Attorney Benjamin Lloyd Crump, 52, is a Florida State University graduate who focuses on civil rights and personal injury lawsuits. He is the founder and president of Ben Crump Law in Florida, where the firm's customers are represented by more than 10 of his associate attorneys. At Florida State University, Crump earned his bachelor's in criminal justice in 1992 and his Juris Doctor in 1995. He has nearly 25 years of legal experience.
A look at the high-profile police brutality cases Crump has represented
Crump has worked on both high-profile and low-profile cases, including the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin. The Black Lives Matter movement was started by Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi in response to George Zimmerman's acquittal in connection with the death of Martin.
After that case gained traction, Crump was requested to represent the family of Michael Brown because of the similarities between Brown's and Martin's deaths. Ferguson policeman Darren Wilson shot and killed Brown in 2014. Prosecutor Wesley Bell of St. Louis ultimately decided not to file charges against Wilson because they had determined he had acted in self-defense.
Crump has been actively involved in fighting for the families of George Floyd, Jacob Blake, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor as of 2020. Black communities were outraged by their cases of police brutality, which sparked a national uproar and large-scale protests.
Crump has triumphed in more than 200 lawsuits involving police violence, and his company has received a third of each settlement. He claims to reject a dozen requests for every case he accepts, only choosing ones that will "shock the conscience" of the American people.