Tyre Nichols's death and the cycle of police violence
Today on Front Burner, 29-year-old Black American Tyre Nichols loved skateboarding and his mom. The video of the police beating that led to his death has reignited calls for police reform.
29-year-old Tyre Nichols was on his way to his mother's house when Memphis police pulled him over. Police body cam footage and other video show officers punching, pepper-spraying, hitting him with a baton, and kicking him. He died three days later in hospital.
Officials in Memphis have fired the five officers who were involved, who are all Black, and charged them with second-degree murder. They've also disbanded the special unit the officers were part of that had been created to bring down crime in certain neighbourhoods.
Today we'll be talking about how Americans have reacted to yet another police beating of an unarmed Black man. We'll also talk about what needs to happen to fix the ways police treat Black Americans.