National Urban League and Memphis Affiliate Condemn Acquittals in Tyre Nichols Fatal Beating

NEW YORK and MEMPHIS (May 7, 2025) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial and Memphis Urban League President and CEO Gale Jones Carson issued the following statement in response to the acquittal of three former police officers charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols:

"It is baffling that anyone could watch the sickening footage of these former officers recklessly inflicting violence for the sake of violence and conclude their brutality was justified.

"This verdict sends a dangerous message that police officers who violate their own departments' code of conduct, not to mention basic human decency, will not be held accountable for their malicious actions. This was not simply excessive force in defense of public safety; it was wanton cruelty and indifference to suffering.

"There is at least some measure of justice in the fact that all three former officers, along with their two accomplices, face federal sentences in connection with the beating and its coverup. Furthermore, Tyre's death shone a light on the illegal patterns and practices of the Memphis Police Department and prompted the disbanding of the "Scorpion Unit" within which these rogue officers operated with impunity.

"Tyre's tragic death and the conduct of the MPD represented an egregious breach of trust. The National Urban League developed 21 Pillars for Redefining Public Safety and Restoring Community Trust as a framework for reimagining the relationship between police and the communities they serve.

“The National Urban League and the Memphis Urban League remain committed, along with our affiliates around the country, to working with police departments to achieve lasting change.”