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Internet skeptical as Ben Crump calls Tyre Nichols beating video 'watershed moment for America'

'Shame on us if we don’t use Tyre Nichols' tragic death to finally get the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act passed,' Ben Crump said

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: The lawyer representing Tyre Nichols, who was murdered by five Memphis cops, said he was not sure if all the suspects will be convicted of murder. Ben Crump, however, did say that the incident was “a watershed moment for America” after watching the beating video.

“Whether all of them will be convicted of murder, we have to dissect this video,” Crump told CNN's Dana Bash. “One thing is for certain Dana; all of these officers failed their oath. They failed their oath to protect and serve. Look at that video," Crump added.

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Five former Memphis cops have been fired and charged with murder in the death of Nichols, a Black man who died three days after being brutally beaten up by them at a traffic stop. The five officers who have been charged are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith, all of who are Black. The officers were members of the Scorpian unit, a group the department created to tackle street crime. A video footage of the brutality was released, following which his family urged demonstrators to protest peacefully. Meanwhile, the MPD has disbanded the Scorpion special unit following the murder of Nichols. 

'This will be a 'blueprint going forward'

“Was anybody trying to protect and serve Tyre Nichols? “How many of these tragedies do we have to see on video before we say, ‘We have a problem America'," Crump said. Crump said he hopes the fact that charged were swiftly brought against the cops will be a “blueprint going forward, whether the officers are black or white". “Shame on us if we don’t use his tragic death to finally get the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act passed,” Crump said.

“We haven’t had federal police reform since President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s Great Society,” Crump said. “It didn’t happen with Rodney King, it didn’t happen with Michael Brown of Ferguson, and it didn’t happen with George Floyd.”

'Black and Brown citizens bear the brunt of the brutality'

Crump also appeared on ABC’s 'The Week', where host Martha Raddatz pointed out how Memphis already has reforms in place that require officers to intervene or de-escalate if a fellow cop is using excessive force. "As I've said, I believe it's part of the institutionalized police culture that makes it somehow allowed that they can use this type of excessive force and brutality against people of color," Crump said. "And it doesn't matter if the officers are Black, Hispanic, or white, it's part of the culture, this biased culture that said this is allowed. And so just as much as those officers are responsible for the death of Tyre Nichols, so is the implicit, biased police culture that exists in America." 

"It is not the race of the police officer that is the determinant factor whether they're going to engage in excessive use of force, but it is the race of the citizen. And oftentimes, it's the Black and Brown citizens that bear the brunt of the brutality," he added. "You don't see videos of our White brothers and sisters who are unarmed having this type of excessive force levied against them." 

'ZERO faith this will change anything'

Social media users, however, are skeptical about whether the incident is indeed a watershed moment, as Crump pointed out. "They said that when Rodney King was beaten up by the police. Almost 32 years have passed since then, nothings changed," one user said. "Based on following US news for decades, I can say nothing will be a "watershed" moment. School shootings, mass killings, police brutality - are quite recurring," another wrote. One said, "I unfortunately have absolutely ZERO faith this will change anything. They practically beat John Lewis to death 58 years ago on the Edmund Pettus Bridge and here we are doing it again and ignoring it again."

"There are 10's of thousands of living Black Americans if not more, who have experienced assault under cover of law and/or from private security forces or individuals who have not received justice. This does not count the millions over centuries who have been ignored," one user said, while another wrote, "Phrases like "watershed moment" and "let me be clear" should be banned from political discourse". "Stop with the " watershed moment" . It has overflowed.Stop with the "conversations " , how long can a conversation go on about the same subject with zero positive outcome. From the beginning of hire , cops should not be guaranteed a pension and informed that their behavior," said one user.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.