'Unjust beating': Barack Obama says Tyre Nichols’ death is 'painful reminder' of America's police issues
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Former President Barack Obama along with his wife Michelle Obama has reacted strongly to Tyre Nichols’ killing by five police officials. In a joint statement, the couple pointed out how American policing needs an overhaul, and referred to the fatal beating as 'unexplainable'. They further said: “The vicious, unjustified beating of Tyre 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 in fixing how we police our streets.”
In another tweet on Saturday, January 28, the first Black president said, “Along with mourning Tyre and supporting his family, it’s up to all of us to mobilize for lasting change.” Obama shared the link to his website and asked people to work together to fix the issues, “To learn more about how communities can reimagine public safety to prevent both crime and injustice.”
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The vicious, unjustified beating of Tyre 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 in fixing how we police our streets. pic.twitter.com/ITmrNNJhiT
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 28, 2023
Earlier, Rodney King’s daughter Lora Dene King, expressed her grief on Nichols’ brutal death at the hands of police officers, “I think it’s very sickening. The benefit of the doubt is like, why are we still here? This doesn’t make any sense to me.”
She further said, “It’s very sickening. My stomach has been in a knot since I first heard about this. That man doesn’t deserve that, he didn’t, and I am scared to watch that video, but I know what’s to come. He probably begged for his life ... guess we are still here [in 2023]. And when they say, 'I hope justice is served,' I don’t believe in that because this man is dead.” Lora lost her father some 30 years ago, after being arrested for DUI, and assaulted by the police. The tragic incident was recorded by a bystander and shared with the media, reports ABC News.
The clip showed that King was heinously beaten by police while he was unarmed and on the ground. “There is no justice, and I just got word that officers are out on bail. That’s a slap in the face, and that’s highly disrespectful, I don’t even know how to feel. That’s sick to me; that’s very sickening,” Lora continued, "You know I have hope in the sense that they didn’t release that video to everyone all at once, unlike my dad. That police video was released to everyone [and] we had to watch it with everybody; that’s indescribable..."
