The body camera footage of Tyre Nichols’ death has restarted conversation regarding police reform. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died three days after police pulled him over for reckless driving and beat him when he tried to flee the scene.
“First, it’s about making sure that the president knows that this is an important enough issue for him to talk about at the State of the Union,” Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said. “I’ve invited the Nichols family as the guests of the Congressional Black Caucus so they will be there on that day to hear from the president and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle how we will finally take action.”
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., tweeted, “I’ll never stop working to create the coalition necessary to pass policing reform and to help end this.”
While some are calling for legislative change, House Oversight Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, doesn’t think that’s the solution.
“Well, I don’t know that there’s any law that can stop that evil that we saw—that is just difficult to watch,” Jordan said. “What strikes me is just the lack of respect for human life.”
The most recent effort to advance police reform legislation in Congress came in 2021 after Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of second and third-degree murder charges for the death of George Floyd. Sen. Booker worked across the aisle with Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., to negotiate the legislation, but they ultimately failed to come to an agreement. The sticking points reportedly included qualified immunity and disagreement from police unions.
