Lansing Branch NAACP Condemns Brutal Killing of Tyre Nichols

courtesy of Hindustan Times

LANSING, Mich. – On Friday night, Memphis Police Department released footage of the brutal beating by police that led to Tyre Nichols' death earlier this month. Lansing Branch president Harold A. Pope released the following statement.

“The condolences and prayers of the Lansing Branch NAACP are with the family of Tyre Nichols, who was brutally beaten and killed by police at a routine traffic stop. The video released to Americans and people around the world was disturbing, disgusting, and horrifying,” said Pope. “What we watched yesterday on video was another lynching of a Black man by corrupt police officers. We rely on the police to serve and protect our communities. Instead, all too often, we witness examples of the systemic hatred that Black Americans experience daily at the hands of corrupt police officers. The local and national NAACP offices are calling on Congress to take immediate action to stop this. Too many unarmed Black people are dying at the hands of police officers. The time to act is now. We are done dying."

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. On April 14, 1919, the Lansing Branch was chartered under the leadership of Branch President C.A. Campbell. Lansing Branch is one of 2,220 branches in the association with the mission to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.