Commentary: What finally sunk me on the Memphis videos? 5 Black officers’ embrace of racist depravity

This one hurts.

Of course, they all do, all the deaths of Black people at the hands of police, deaths that continue to be among the most painful and potent reminders that racism is not some abstract problem but a precept of American life that’s particularly evident in street-level law enforcement. The death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols joins too many other, similar reminders, from Michael Brown to Breonna Taylor to George Floyd. These are deaths that simultaneously stoke our national conscience and grow our national shame.

But this tragedy is also different. I know because my reaction is different. Usually — terrible to even have to say that — these excessive-force scandals outrage me. I want to hash out the details immediately with other people, post comments, attend a protest. But Nichols’ death had the opposite effect. After watching the video, I collapsed.