In response to the release of the recordings of Memphis police officers’ brutal assault of Tyre Nichols, Citizen Action of New York Co-Executive Directors Rosemary Rivera and Jess Wisneski released the following statement:
“Yet again, we are mourning the tragic end of a beautiful Black life and left trying to comfort a Black family suffering unimaginable loss. Yet again, we are wrestling with the agonizing reality that Black people face mortal danger while doing the most mundane daily tasks. Yet again, we are confronted with the painful truth that white supremacy is woven into the very fabric of our country.
Our hearts are with Tyre Nichols’s family and friends and with the people of Memphis. We weep for his pain and his fear. We mourn for the decades of life that were stolen from him. And we grieve deeply for the conditions that bring us yet another senseless murder of a young Black man: the dehumanization of Black people, the denigration of the integrity of our fellow human beings, and the decimation of our collective empathy. It is not only inhumane; it is inhuman.
We know that you will hold your loved ones close and we hope that you can find some solace in community. Please know that today we share a moment of quiet solidarity and a collective deep breath, and tomorrow we advance the righteous fight to break the stranglehold of white supremacy culture.
Sadly, we now add Tyre Nichols to the long list of people in whose names we fight to end the scourge of police violence in communities across the country. The violence embedded in the institution of policing is why we push to end the qualified immunity that protects officers who abuse their power and why we work to get police officers out of schools where they do not belong. We will not stop until we achieve true justice and freedom for every person.”