I was in Memphis when Tyre Nichols was killed. Sacramento turns our tragedy into hope | Opinion
I have seen many killings of unarmed Black people and each time it happens there is a window in which people care about them. A couple of weeks.
The story of Tyre Nichols is both one of tragedy and hope.
For most of the time, since the Sacramento-raised Nichols’ was killed on January 10, 2023, in Memphis, the tragedy of Nichols’ story overwhelmed hope. As we recognize the second anniversary of Nichols’ death, I recall when my life intersected with Nichols.
I worked for the Memphis Commercial Appeal when Nichols was beaten to death by five Memphis Police Department officers following a traffic stop on Jan. 7, 2023. He was severely injured and clung to life for three days before he died. He had moved to Memphis from Sacramento to be closer to his mother. Nichols had lived in Sacramento for most of his life.
But as we know, his time in Memphis ended tragically.
A man brutally killed
Nichols’ death was not the easiest to wrap my head around. This might not be the most proper thing to say but most times officer-involved killings gained this sort of attention because the officer or officers were white and the victim was white. This case was different, as the five men who fatally beat Nichols were Black. Three of the officers even wore a bracelet of Omega Psi Phi.
That stood out to me because the fraternity is one of the staples in the Black community. Being a part of one of those frats meant that you understood the connection and brotherhood of being Black. Yet these police were all convicted of federal felonies for their roles in Nichols’ death.
It was in this case that I realized that the fight to end police brutality is more complex than rigid racial politics. We all must seek to end police violence so that justice can prevail for everyone.
Two years ago, my heart hurt as I watched protesters and community members walk hand in hand chanting and praying, demanding a better day for Memphis.
The Bluff City has struggled with violence and was shaken to its core by Nichols’ killing, particularly with revelations about the unit of police officers - known by the acronym of SCORPION, or Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods - were deployed by their department. The special police task force focused on reducing crime in high-impact areas of the city. It was made up of 40 officers in four teams of 10.
Weeks after Nichols’ death the SCORPION unit was disbanded, a win in the eyes of advocates who’ve seen this group as oppressors.
I had only perceived Nichols’ death for how it brought some change in Memphis and that it was a tragedy. No person should lose their life in such a brutal dehumanizing way.
But when I arrived to Sacramento, I was able to see a different side of Nichols’ story.
A skateboarder and a friend
Nichols was a skateboarding enthusiast when he lived in Sacramento.
Four months after Nichols’ murder the city, through a partnership with the Skatepark Project, the city of Sacramento was able to create the Tyre Nichols Skate Park in North Natomas.
Councilwoman Lisa Kaplan, who found out that Nichols had lived in her district, was a prominent force in getting the park started.
“I could think of no better way to create a legacy for Tyre and a way for generations to come to know his name and know as a society we have got to do better,” Kaplan said.
In her City Hall office, Kaplan has a skateboard with Nichols’ name placed on her bookshelf. It inspires her every day to continue the fight.
“It reminds me I got work to do,” Kaplan said. “It’s not just one thing, it’s not just doing the skate park and moving on. It’s a daily, think about it, remember it, do the right thing.”
As the anniversary of Nichols’s death, I thought about how excited Nichols would be to knowthat the X Games, sports competitions that include skateboarding, will be hosted at Cal Expo in late August.
Many victims of violence are remembered only for the tragic circumstances of their deaths. Nichols’ memory lives on as that of a man who was loved. His death in Memphis shined a light on the worst, most aggressive elements of policing. His memory in Sacramento is linked to a gathering place bearing his name where young kids like the one he used to be can skateboard as he once did.
There is suffering with his story but through love and commitment to his legacy, he will be known for more.
And that’s pretty powerful.
This story was originally published January 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
