Tyre Nichols death: Memphis police beating raises discussion about race, police culture, training

NEW YORK — Race has played a role in some high-profile deaths involving officers in the past, but the case of Tire Nichols, who was killed by Memphis police after they stopped him on Jan. 7, sparks a deeper discussion of police culture and education from .

What is disappointing for activists and police alike is that efforts have been made across the country to improve force diversity.

“It was the policing culture in America that killed Tire Nichols,” attorney Ben Crump said Friday.

The death of Tire Nichols has not only sparked outrage at how he died, but also shock at who was involved in his fatal beating.

UPDATE: The Memphis Police Department releases video of the Tire Nichols traffic delay

“To see it reported that five African-American officers were involved has really hurt me personally,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Five officers, all black, face a range of charges including second-degree murder.

For Mayor Eric Adams, this is personal.

“It’s a painful moment for me as a child to be a victim of police violence,” he said. “I have always believed that diversifying our departments would allow us to achieve the level of policing we all deserve.”

The Memphis Police Chief pointed out Friday that it doesn’t matter who wears a uniform.

“It goes off the table that issues and law enforcement issues are about race, and it’s not,” Chief Cerelyn Davis said. “It’s about human dignity.”

RELATED: Memphis Police Chief says video of Tire Nichols traffic stop left her ‘appalled’, ‘disgusted’

“What bothers me the most is that you have five officers and there is an obligation to intervene,” said Dr. Alfred S. Titus Jr. and Associate Professor at John Jay College.

The former NYPD detective says this points to a code that men and women in blue sometimes follow.

“There is a culture that is unable to properly handle the power and authority that a police officer brings,” said Dr. Titus Jr.

The fact that black officers were involved does not surprise Rev. Al Sharpton.

“We’ve seen black cops do this before, especially here in New York with the Sean Bell case.

RELATED: Tire Nichols case will remind people of Rodney King, says Ben Crump

While he says that training and diversification of police departments are still important, he reinforces calls for federal laws on policing.

“If you don’t know that what you have is at stake, you will be going against your worst demons,” Sharpton said.

In New York, both Mayor Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul have called for peaceful demonstrations.

“We should be able to express our sadness in our anger, but we have to take all of that pain and turn it into meaning,” Adams said Friday before the Tire Nichols video was released.

After the video was released, protesters took to the streets of Times Square on Friday night.