Say His Name: Tyre Nichols

Dear SCOR Family. 

Over the weekend, video footage released by the Memphis Police Department confirmed what many of us already knew to be true. Unarmed 29 year-old Tyre Nichols was unjustly, brutally beaten by five Memphis police officers. The injuries he sustained from this attack ultimately lead to his premature death. Tyre was a loving son, a  proud father, an avid skateboarder and had a passion for photography. His death, like the deaths of so many others at the hands of police, is indicative of our deeply flawed, biased and broken system of policing in America. He deserved so much better. 

The aftermath of these violent police attacks can be especially hard on Black and Brown people who are disproportionately targeted by police use of force. We encourage you to give yourself the time and space needed to reflect on this tragedy and begin to heal. We also encourage you to think about how you can help build a more fair and equitable justice system here at the University of Michigan. GEO, the Graduate Employees Organization, is currently negotiating a new contract that will affect all graduate students (even if you’re on fellowship). Among their proposals is a plan to establish an unarmed emergency response force to reduce the number of student interactions with campus police. You can learn more about GEO’s platform and how to get involved with their police reform efforts here. 

In solidarity, 

The SCOR Executive Board