Along with our heartfelt sympathies for their loss, we extend our gratitude and admiration to the family of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old father who died three days after a sickeningly savage police beating in Memphis on Jan. 7.
The family’s courageous call for protesters to avoid violence as they demanded justice appears to have helped Americans to process some of the anger and pain of this horrible episode and mercifully maintain peace after the release of the incendiary video.
The video shows Nichols putting up no defense as five police officers drag him from his car and punch, kick, tackle, pepper-spray, shout dozens of contradictory orders at him. They tase the defenseless, 29-year-old FedEx worker — and then laugh about it.
