(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Memphis Blues Timeline [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-01 Sorry about all the miscues, but maybe you can get something out of it anyway. January 7 1a) “..suspicion of reckless driving.. .” What “suspicion?” Either the guy is driving recklessly or he isn’t. Pick a side and go with it. If I were behind someone driving crazy I’d sure as hell know it. Even if it was from, say, ill health I’d recognize it as reckless. I damn sure wouldn’t say, “You know, that guy’s run over the last three stop signs. I’m beginning to suspect he’s driving recklessly.” Even more, if I saw five (5) police officers punching, beating, kicking and clubbing a man for minutes on end, I wouldn’t stand around musing about the possibility of cruelty and inhumanity. I’m not a Rodney King juror. I know exactly what I see when I see it. This whole, “..suspicion..” thing sounds like a one-size-fits-all phrase, like any old excuse will do. We will see what develops on this later. 1b) The police said that there were two (2) confrontations. The first was when Tyre was pulled over. The second was when he was chased down later. In other words, there were two initiations of contact, and both were by the police. In all liklihood, a minute before he was pulled over, initiating confrontation with anyone was the last thing Tyre had on his mind. He initiated zilch. Nada. Nothing. He was violently yanked out of his car and forced to the ground. Lord knows what thoughts were screaming through his mind. The terror and disbelief must have been paralyzing. Nothing but the sheer instinct for life could have kept him going. I understand fully that law enforcement must investigate that which they determine to be lawfully questionable. But to make up a case whole cloth exceeds all boundaries of discretion. This was these Memphis Blues failure To Serve And Protect. They did what so many, but nowhere nearly all, police personnel have done. They took the short cut. They circumvented all protocol. They skipped, merrily it seems, past investigation, arrest, booking and trial. Instead they opted to carry out the sentence they themselves invented on the spot. They didn’t know it at that moment, but it became a death sentence in the end. January 10 Tyre’s death becomes official. https://twitter.com/TBInvestigation/status/1612962207070920704 January 14 Memorial event and protest at nearby police precinct. https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/local/2023/01/15/family-of-man-who-died-after-mpd-traffic-stop-speaks-out-tyre-nichols/69809392007/ January 15 MPD announces internal investigation. MPD had already alerted the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) on the night (Jan 7) of the beating. https://www.memphistn.gov/news/statement-regarding-mpd-internal-investigation/ January 16 Nichols family retains Ben Crump, noted lawyer. “Nobody should ever die from a simple traffic stop —” Ben Crump He calls on MPD to release body cam footage. https://twitter.com/BenCrumpLaw/status/1615017699742212100 January 18 U.S. Department of Justice announces civil rights violation investigation. https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/pr/statement-united-states-attorney-kevin-g-ritz January 20 MPD announces five (5) officers have been fired. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/26/us/tyre-nichols-memphis-thursday/index.html#:~:text=’A%20failing%20of%20basic%20humanity,the%20position%20in%20June%202021.&text=The%20five%20Memphis%20police%20officers,render%20aid%2C%20the%20department%20said. January 23 Nichols family views footage. https://twitter.com/BenCrumpLaw/status/1617672834763063298 January 24 Preliminary findings of an autopsy commissioned by Mr. Nichols’s family showed that he “suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.” Memphis Fire Department (MFD). Two employees involved in Mr. Nichols’s “initial patient care” were being “relieved of duty” pending an internal investigation. Link will basically say, “No comment.” https://www.memphistn.gov/news/statement-regarding-mfd-personnel-and-tyre-nichols-investigation/ January 25 The Memphis police chief, Cerelyn Davis, condemned the police officers’ actions as ..“a failing of basic humanity”.. . A particularly good statement that must have helped to quell violent emotions. She speaks of meeting with Tyre’s parents. Moving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpD2FDjBBr8 January 26 The five fired police officers were arrested in connection with Tyre’s death. This is 19 days after the beating. Seems like a lot, but compare to other such cases. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/26/us/tyre-nichols-memphis-thursday/index.html January 27 Video released. I have seen the 26 minute version. Getting ready to go through the 1 hour version with a fine tooth comb. Am seeking a typed transcript if such exists. https://apnews.com/article/tyre-nichols-video-memphis-police-e3ee8e6698faae16df3f41d09234b09f January 30 MPD suspends two more officers. MFD fires two (2) EMTs and one (1) Lieutenant supervisor. If you’ve seen the video on these EMTs, you know why. Tyre might have gotten more help from a passing derelict. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/us/tyre-nichols-protests-monday/index.html February 1 Tyre Nichols laid to rest. What can I say except to echo the the words from the song, “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” “When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?” I hope to be back soon with more of, “Memphis Blues.” My next attempt will be to parse the video. I hope to return soon. Either that or I’ll be the one in the strait-jacket. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/1/2150606/-Memphis-Blues-A-Timeline Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/