MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis City Council in a meeting Tuesday discussed the death of Tyre Nichols and the firing of the five officers involved.
Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis was not in attendance, but those who were there opened with a prayer for the family and friends of Nichols, the 29-year-old man who died Jan. 10, three days after his interaction with Memphis Police.
“Right now, we lift up the Tyre Nichols family. We just pray for strength and comfort for them,” said Rhonda Logan of City Council District One.
They also prayed for the investigation to go well and reminded everyone that because the investigation is ongoing, council members are limited in what they can say.
Members of the council also said they are pleased with how transparent MPD has been since Nichols’ death. “I would like to thank MPD administration for your communication and hope that there will be an opportunity for open dialogue within the next few weeks,” said Logan.
City Council Chair Martavious Jones says, just like MPD, all council members can do at this point is wait for the legal process to play out.
“A lot that is out of the city administration’s hand. There is even more that is out of the council’s hand, so we are having to be spectators like everybody else, but we want transparency,” Jones said.
Jones says he hopes MPD takes another look at how they train officers and address any deficiencies.
In the summer of 2020, The Memphis City Council voted overwhelmingly on a wide range of new rules to limit the use of force by police known as “8 Can’t Wait.” The policy bans police from using chokehold, requires officers to intervene when they witness misconduct and use de-escalation tactics and other measures.
Jones says a part of the reason the officers were fired so quickly was due to some of the policies the city council implemented.
“I applaud the council for taking action on that, and the council will be open to any other recommendations that can help us resolve situations like this,” he said.
