A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted five former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/memphis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Memphis</a> police officers with federal civil rights conspiracy and obstruction charges connected to the murder of Tyre Nichols earlier this year.
&#8220;Tyre Nichols should be alive today,&#8221; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department&#8217;s Civil Rights Division said in a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/five-former-memphis-police-officers-charged-federal-civil-rights-conspiracy-and-obstruction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news release</a>. &#8220;It is tragic to see a life cut short at 29, with so many milestones unmet, so many words unsaid, so much potential unfulfilled.&#8221;
Emmitt Martin, Tadarrius Bean, Desmond Mills, Justin Smith, and Demetrius Haley — the ex-cops named in the indictment — face four charges each, including excessive force and failure to intervene, deliberate indifference, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice through witness tampering in federal court, according to the Justice Department.
Mike Stengel, a Memphis lawyer representing Haley, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/federal-grand-jury-indicts-five-former-officers-involved-in-tyre-nicholss-death-71fd4ef7?mod=e2li" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Wall Street Journal that his client would plead not guilty.
Blake Ballin, a lawyer for Mills, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/us/politics/tyre-nichols-memphis-officers-federal-indictment.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The New York Times in a statement that his client &#8220;maintains his innocence.&#8221;
William Massey, a lawyer for Martin, told the outlet that his client would plead not guilty and attempt to release more footage about what led to the initial stop.
Lawyers for the other defendants have not made public comments.
Nichols, a black 29-year-old FedEx worker, died on January 10, three days after a brutal beating captured on camera showed the former officers kicking, punching, and tasing him that stemmed from an attempted arrest during a traffic stop for suspected reckless driving.
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Nichols was subdued, but then he fled before being recaptured minutes later, and police allegedly kicked and punched him multiple times. Nichols later died at a hospital, and his death was later reported as a homicide due to blunt-force trauma, according to a medical examiner&#8217;s report reviewed by Nichols&#8217; family through their attorneys, Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/former-memphis-police-officers-charged-death-tyre-nichols-face-federal-indictment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The five officers were fired and subsequently charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and other charges in a separate case in Tennessee. The defendants pleaded not guilty in February to second-degree murder and additional charges in connection to Nichols&#8217; death.
All five former officers were members of a so-called crime-fighting unit with the Memphis Police Department. Although the officers charged in Nichols&#8217; death were all black, and their special unit was disbanded, activists have taken to blaming &#8220;systemic racism.&#8221;
If convicted on the federal indictment, the former police officers could face up to life in prison for the first two counts and 20 years in prison for counts three and four, according to the Justice Department.
Attorneys for Nichols&#8217; family <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/memphis-police-federal-charges-tyre-nichols-death-rcna104699" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> NBC News in a statement that the federal indictment &#8220;gives his family hope as they continue to grieve his loss and inspire change in his honor.&#8221;
The federal indictment comes after the Justice Department announced two months ago that the federal agency would launch a civil rights investigation into the Memphis Police Department after more reports emerged of officers using excessive force.
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.

Rev. Al Sharpton Holds Funeral For Tyre Nichols In Memphis

Five Former Memphis Police Officers Indicted On Federal Charges In Connection To Tyre Nichols Death

Crime

Department of Justice

Memphis

Police Brutality

Police Reform

U.S.

About 180 people in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/france" target="_blank" rel="noopener">France</a> have been arrested as the country has been rocked with violent riots after a police officer shot a 17-year-old boy in a suburb of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/paris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paris</a>.
On Tuesday, 17-year-old Nahel M. was shot <a href="https://apnews.com/article/france-police-shooting-protests-paris-nanterre-nahel-220e30e596ed6ad28e152be3df03ec98" target="_blank" rel="noopener">during a confrontation</a> with police after they attempted to stop a vehicle he was in. Following the shooting, cities across France filled with protesters, with some turning violent. Dozens of cars and buildings were set on fire as police headquarters were targeted for violence. 
“The professionals of disorder must go home,” French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin <a href="https://time.com/6291145/france-to-deploy-40000-police-officers-amid-violent-protests-following-deadly-police-shooting/">said</a>. “There will be a lot more police and gendarmes present tonight.”
Footage online showed the fires as rioters took to the streets and set off fireworks. 
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Situation extrêmement tendue à <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nanterre?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nanterre</a>. <a href="https://t.co/WGtOt5MCCC">pic.twitter.com/WGtOt5MCCC</a>
&mdash; Remy Buisine (@RemyBuisine) <a href="https://twitter.com/RemyBuisine/status/1674170244535836678?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
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Un bâtiment de construction en feu à <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nanterre?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nanterre</a>. <a href="https://t.co/GWWrbLFMhZ">pic.twitter.com/GWWrbLFMhZ</a>
&mdash; Remy Buisine (@RemyBuisine) <a href="https://twitter.com/RemyBuisine/status/1674229100335038464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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French President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/emmanuel-macron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emmanuel Macron</a> said that the unrest was “absolutely unjustifiable.” 
About 40,000 police officers have been activated to deal with the violence, and Darmanin <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/06/29/world/france-police-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> France had witnessed  “a night of intolerable violence against symbols of the Republic.” He said that about 170 officers had been injured so far during the violence. 
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Tensions toujours très importantes à 1H45 à Nanterre <a href="https://t.co/Pp15EUG1zE">pic.twitter.com/Pp15EUG1zE</a>
&mdash; Remy Buisine (@RemyBuisine) <a href="https://twitter.com/RemyBuisine/status/1674203144685862913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
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According to early reports of the precipitating incident, police attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle Nahel M. was in, but he did not stop and drove through a red light. Police later caught up to the vehicle, then stuck in traffic, and told Nahel M. to get out. As the car attempted to drive away, an officer shot the teen, Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said.
The officers said they were “threatened” by the car and concerned it might hit someone, Prache said. The prosecutor said, according to his assessment, “the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met.” 
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Activists have claimed that the shooting is part of a pattern of violence by French police against minorities. 
The shooting, which was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/28/world/europe/france-police-shooting-paris-nanterre.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">condemned</a> by top French officials including Macron, will be investigated by two magistrates. The officer responsible for the shooting has been suspended pending an investigation. 
“An act like the one that we saw, if the investigation confirms the videos that we have seen, is never justified,” Darmanin said of the shooting. 
A French police union responded to the public condemnation by saying that the officers “like any citizen, have the right to the presumption of innocence,”

FRANCE-CRIME-POLICE-DEMO

France Rocked By Violent Riots After Police-Involved Shooting During Attempted Traffic Stop

Emmanuel Macron

France

Paris

Riots

World

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said Monday all individuals involved in the events leading up to, during, and after the beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, could face additional charges.
&#8220;This includes the officer present at the initial encounter who has not — so far — been charged, Memphis Fire Department personnel, and persons who participated in preparing documentation of the incident afterward,&#8221; the district attorney&#8217;s office told <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/6th-officer-involved-tyre-nichols-death-relieved-duty/story?id=96764687">ABC News</a>.
Mulroy spoke to &#8220;<a href="https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/cnr/date/2023-01-29/segment/05">CNN Newsroom Sunday</a>,&#8221; saying he could not comment on an ongoing investigation or an ongoing prosecution when asked if the public could see other individuals charged in the case.
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to need time to allow the investigation to go forward in further consideration of charges,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But I will say this, nothing we did last Thursday regarding the indictments precludes us from bringing other charges later.&#8221;
At least two Memphis Fire Department employees and two Shelby County Sheriff&#8217;s deputies are being investigated, according to a report by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/28/us/tyre-nichols-beating-video-takeaways/index.html">CNN</a>.
Memphis Fire Department spokesperson Qwanesha Ward told the news outlet two fire department employees who were part of Nichols&#8217; &#8220;initial patient care&#8221; were relieved of duty &#8220;while an internal investigation is being conducted.&#8221;
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said two deputies &#8220;who appeared on the scene following the physical confrontation&#8221; have sparked an internal investigation, adding both deputies &#8220;have been relieved of duty&#8221; pending the investigation&#8217;s outcome.
Dave Aronberg, Palm Beach County State Attorney in Florida, told <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/crime/shelby-county-da-wont-rule-out-charges-being-filed-against-additional-people-for-tyre-nichols-death2/">Mediaite</a> that if the district attorney&#8217;s office pursues additional charges against the Memphis Fire Department or Shelby County deputies, it would &#8220;hinge&#8221; on their official job duties.
&#8220;The big question from a criminal and civil standpoint is &#8216;did they have a legal duty to intervene?'&#8221; Aronberg said. &#8220;That duty exists because of the position they are in. It wouldn&#8217;t apply to a civilian bystander but would definitely apply to a police officer or EMT who stood by and did nothing.&#8221;
However, Aronber noted the charges would depend on Tennessee law and would not speculate as a Florida prosecutor on another state&#8217;s law.
Mulroy&#8217;s comments come days after announcing charges against five former Memphis Police Department officers who were arrested and charged in connection to the incident for their alleged involvement in the death of the 29-year-old male, who died earlier this month in a hospital days after the confrontation.
Those officers include Emmit Martin III, Justin Smith, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Desmond Mills for Nichols&#8217; death.
Authorities charged each officer with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping involving the possession of a weapon, aggravated kidnapping resulting in bodily injury, official misconduct through unauthorized exercise of power, official misconduct through failure to act when there is a duty imposed by law, and official oppression.
Memphis Police Department representatives told ABC that authorities relieved a sixth officer Preston Hemphill of duty during an ongoing investigation, which found the officer deployed his Taser during the confrontation.
Hemphill, the third officer at Nichols&#8217; initial traffic stop, was heard on his body camera video saying twice, &#8220;I hope they stomp his a**,&#8221; ABC reported.
&#8220;As per departmental regulations Officer Hemphill activated his bodycam,&#8221; Lee Gerald, an attorney representing Hemphill, said earlier in a statement to ABC. &#8220;He was never present at the second scene. He is cooperating with officials in this investigation.&#8221;
Police body camera footage was released Friday evening, showing the confrontation between former Memphis Police Department officers and Nichols after officers pulled him over for &#8220;reckless driving&#8221; on January 7.
Nichols ran away from authorities on foot as they attempted to apprehend him.
Nichols died three days later on January 10.

US-POLICE-JUSTICE-DEMO

Shelby County D.A. Says All Individuals Involved In Tyre Nichols Confrontation Could Face Charges

Defund The Police

General

Police

Some of the fired police officers charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols were reportedly hired after the Memphis Police Department lowered its job requirements.
Nichols died on January 10, three days after Memphis police pulled him over in a traffic stop, local media reported. Nichols, and the five former police officers accused of murdering him, are black.
Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmit Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith have all been charged with two counts of official misconduct, local media reported, with one count of official oppression, second-degree murder, aggravated assault-act in concert, and two counts of aggravated kidnapping.
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/01/28/memphis-cops-in-tyre-nichols-murder-hired-after-pd-relaxed-job-standards/">reported</a> that Bean and Haley joined the Memphis Police Department during the summer of 2020 as riots related to the death of George Floyd rocked the nation.
Bean and Haley&#8217;s hiring by the department in August 2020 came two years after the department significantly lowered the education required to join the force.
The lowered standards meant that recruits no longer needed an associate&#8217;s degree or 54 college credit hours to join, the report said, and could instead get by with just work experience.
Experts who spoke to the Post said the lowered requirements meant &#8220;less desirable&#8221; candidates were being brought on by the department.
A LinkedIn post by law enforcement official Karan Parmar claimed that sources inside the department said that the officers were not hired through the normal process that the department had implemented.
&#8220;According to a source within the Memphis PD, the 5 charged officers weren’t hired through the usual structured PD hiring process,&#8221; Parmar claimed. &#8220;City leaders felt the existing process was too strict and kept certain people from getting jobs at the department. City leaders began their own hiring process and then pushed new hires into the agency, bypassing the testing procedures in place at the department. You can read between the lines what that all means.&#8221;
&#8220;All 5 of the charged officers were hired by the City, and didn’t go through the rigorous PD testing process,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;This is what quota hiring looks like. Lawsuits and dead innocents. The city should pay (sic) the lawsuits instead of the Police department. This Murder wasn’t created by old school policing or by &#8216;white supremacy&#8217;. This murder was directly facilitated by liberal policy.&#8221;
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You get what you ask for. <a href="https://t.co/j6GlyvSzsN">pic.twitter.com/j6GlyvSzsN</a>
&mdash; Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarinaMedvin/status/1619521924329242624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Tyre Nichols

Cops Charged With Murder Of Tyre Nichols Hired After Job Requirements Lowered: Report

Tennessee

Five former Memphis Police Department officers are in custody and face several charges after their involvement in the death of a 29-year-old male, who died earlier this month in a hospital days after a confrontation with authorities.
Tyre Nichols died on January 10, three days after Memphis police pulled him over in a traffic stop, local media <a href="https://www.actionnews5.com/2023/01/26/5-former-officers-custody-connection-death-tyre-nichols/">reported</a>. Nichols, and the five former police officers involved, are black.
Authorities stopped Nichols on January 7 for &#8220;reckless driving&#8221; near Raines Road and Ross Road in Memphis, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/tyre-nichols-case-5-former-memphis-police-officers-charged-second-degree-murder">reported</a>.
Police told local media that during the stop, a &#8220;confrontation occurred,&#8221; at which point Nichols ran away from police on foot as they attempted to apprehend him.
&#8220;While attempting to take the suspect into custody, another confrontation occurred; however, the suspect was ultimately apprehended,&#8221; MPD said. &#8220;Afterward the suspect complained of having shortness of breath, at which point an ambulance was called to the scene.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_494119" style="width: 624px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-494119" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-494119 size-full" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screenshot-2023-01-26-at-2.33.32-PM.png" alt="Memphis police officers charged in death of man" width="614" height="196" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/Screenshot-2023-01-26-at-2.33.32-PM.png 614w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/Screenshot-2023-01-26-at-2.33.32-PM-300x96.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px" />From left: Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Emmit Martin</div>
Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmit Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith have all been charged with two counts of official misconduct, local media reported, with one count of official oppression, second-degree murder, aggravated assault-act in concert, and two counts of aggravated kidnapping.
Local media reported authorities were charged with &#8220;official misconduct [through] unauthorized exercise of official power, official misconduct [through] failure to perform a duty imposed by law, official oppression, second-degree murder, aggravated assault &#8211; act in concert, aggravated kidnapping causing bodily injury, and aggravated kidnapping while possessing a weapon.&#8221;
Local media reported that Haley and Martin are in jail on a $350,000 bond, while Smith, Mills, and Bean were booked on a $250,000 bond.
Attorney Bill Massey, representing Martin, told local media he was indicted and turned himself in to authorities.
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BREAKING: The 5 former Memphis Police Department officers have been indicted by a grand jury on charges ranging from second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression for the death of Tyre Nichols. <a href="https://t.co/mkPLf4CCHU">pic.twitter.com/mkPLf4CCHU</a>
&mdash; Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/AttorneyCrump/status/1618682947980369923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis issued a statement Wednesday night about the investigation.
&#8220;In light of the horrific circumstances surrounding the death of Tyre Nichols, it is absolutely incumbent upon me, your chief, to address the status of what the Memphis Police Department is doing, has done, and will continue to do in furtherance of finding truth in this tragic loss, ensuring we communicate with honesty and transparency, and that there is absolute accountability for those responsible for Tyre&#8217;s death,&#8221; Davis said.
&#8220;This is not just a professional failing,&#8221; Davis said, according to Fox News. &#8220;This is a failing of basic humanity toward another individual,&#8221; adding the five officers involved in Nichols&#8217; death, &#8220;failed our community, and they failed the Nichols family.&#8221;
Davis further <a href="https://wreg.com/news/local/tyre-nichols/memphis-police-chief-releases-statement-as-tyre-nichols-investigation-continues/">noted</a> Nichols&#8217; death as &#8220;heinous, reckless, and inhumane,&#8221; saying the video footage of Nichols&#8217; confrontation with authorities would be released in the coming days &#8220;in the vein of transparency.&#8221;
&#8220;I expect you to feel what the Nichols family feels,&#8221; Davis said. &#8220;I expect you to feel outraged by the disregard for basic human rights as our police officers have taken an oath to do the opposite of what transpired on the video.&#8221;
Davis asked the public to refrain from violently reacting upon the release of the footage.
Family members of Nichols viewed the police body cam footage on Monday.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Nichols&#8217; family members, called the video &#8220;appalling, heinous, violent, and troublesome&#8221; in a press conference, adding that Nichols&#8217; mother could not sit through more than a minute of the video.
Memphis residents told The Daily Wire about concerns surrounding protests and riots from groups like Black Lives Matter and antifa activists in the aftermath of the video of Nichols&#8217; confrontation with authorities.
Since the Shelby County District Attorney confirmed its new George Soros-backed district attorney, Steven Mulory, residents have claimed crime in Memphis has increased while punishment for criminals has decreased.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told The Daily Wire authorities have &#8220;no insight&#8221; on reports of protests or riots forming.

Tyre Nichols Family Holds Press Conference

5 Former Memphis Police Officers Charged In Man’s Death; City Braces For Possible Riots

5 Former Memphis Police Officers Charged In Man's Death; City Braces For Possible Riots

A police officer in Tampa, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida</a>, was let go after body-cam footage showed him literally dragging an uncooperative female in handcuffs through a parking garage on her way to jail.
The Tampa Police Department fired officer Gregory Damon after an internal investigation into the incident, claiming that even though the woman had refused to cooperate — and had even instructed him to go ahead and drag her — he had failed to remain &#8220;professional&#8221; throughout their interaction.
WATCH:
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Tampa officer terminated after video shows him dragging woman into jail <a href="https://t.co/v3QxdjPkiz">https://t.co/v3QxdjPkiz</a> <a href="https://t.co/Kl9zWjQwFY">pic.twitter.com/Kl9zWjQwFY</a>
&mdash; WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WFLA/status/1607853879734976515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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According to a <a href="https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/tampa-officer-terminated-after-video-shows-him-dragging-woman-into-jail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from local NBC News affiliate WFLA, the incident had occurred just over a month earlier — on November 17 — after police were dispatched to the Tampa Family Health Center, where a woman was allegedly sleeping outside and had refused to vacate the property.
The woman, who has not been publicly identified, was reportedly warned about trespassing at the health center a month earlier — so when Damon arrived on the scene and she still refused to leave, he arrested her.
After their arrival at the Orient Road Jail, the woman <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/tampa/2022/12/27/tampa-police-officer-loses-job-after-dragging-woman-into-jail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused</a> to get out of the vehicle and would not walk to the door under her own power. Damon told her: &#8220;I&#8217;m going to drag you out of this car,&#8221; and she could be heard yelling back, &#8220;I want you to drag me!&#8221;
In addition, she continued to hurl obscenities and insults at Damon as he proceeded to do exactly what she had told him to do — drag her by the arm through the parking garage from his vehicle to the door. WFLA noted that she was not injured by the officer.
Once the two reached the door, Damon reportedly called on booking officers to assist him in getting the woman to her feet and through the booking process.
When the department announced <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/12/28/tampa-police-officer-fired-after-dragging-woman-into-jail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Damon&#8217;s termination</a> on Tuesday, however, they said that he had violated a number of department policies when he delivered the woman to jail. First, they said that he should have called for assistance from the booking officers as soon as she refused to get out of the vehicle. And in addition, they noted that he had responded to her insults by making rude and insulting comments about her — and they said that it was his responsibility to remain professional in spite of her comments and actions.
&#8220;Throughout the incident, the female repeatedly used vulgar and obscene language. Rather than remaining professional, Damon himself made rude and derogatory comments to the arrestee,&#8221; investigators reported. Additional reports noted that department policy — as of 2013 — explicitly stated that dragging an uncooperative person was not acceptable behavior. Damon had been with the department since 2016.
When <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/tampa/2022/12/27/tampa-police-officer-loses-job-after-dragging-woman-into-jail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigators determined</a> that there had been no just cause for Damon&#8217;s policy violations, interim Police Chief Lee Bercaw announced Damon&#8217;s termination and issued a statement of his own.
&#8220;Professionalism is not only expected, it is demanded, in every encounter our officers have with the public, regardless of the arrestee being uncooperative or unpleasant in return. As law enforcement officers, we are held to a higher standard,&#8221; he said.
Bercaw went on to say that he believed letting Damon go was the right decision, explaining that he could not allow one officer&#8217;s actions to &#8220;tarnish the work&#8221; of other officers who did follow proper procedure and behave professionally in the face of similar circumstances.
&#8220;This former officer’s actions were unacceptable and are not tolerated at this department, which is why we acted swiftly in initiating an internal investigation, relieving him of his duties, and ultimately terminating his employment,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.tampa.gov/news/officer-terminated-due-policy-violations-made-during-arrest-112356">said</a>.

Key in Jail Cell Door

‘I Want You To Drag Me’: Woman Refuses To Walk To Jail, Cop Gets The Axe Over What Happens Next

Woman Refuses To Walk To Jail, Cop Gets The Axe Over What Happens Next

Florida

Law Enforcement

Akron, Ohio, city officials canceled its annual Fourth of July festival this weekend following the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-akron-police-release-bodycam-footage-of-chase-that-led-to-jayland-walkers-shooting">video release</a> of police officers shooting and killing a Black DoorDash driver who allegedly ran from authorities last week.
For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city’s infamous Rib, White, &amp; Blue Festival was scheduled to run from Friday through Monday. But city officials called off the event as law enforcement continues to handle ongoing protests of the officer-involved shooting death of 25-year-old Jayland Walker.
“I completely understand that some residents and guests will be disappointed by the decision to cancel the festival this holiday weekend,” Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.akronohio.gov/cms/news/e3d26ad1717297c5/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “Independence Day is meant to be a celebration and a time of gathering with friends and family. Unfortunately, I feel strongly that this is not the time for a city-led celebration.”
Horrigan said the video of police killing Walker is “heartbreaking” and “hard to take in” while calling for calm during the investigations.
The Akron chapter of the NAACP planned a march and rally downtown Sunday afternoon to coincide with the release of videos. Bobby DiCello, an attorney for Walker’s family, called the video “brutal.”
“It’s going to stir up some passion. It’s going to make people uneasy,” DiCello said ahead of the video’s release.
Primary source documentarian Ford Fischer tweeted on Sunday that “fully peaceful” protests have formed in Akron.
“Activists divided into two groups &#8211; some at a planned program outside city hall emphasizing voting, reformism etc; other half outside police station,” he <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://twitter.com/FordFischer/status/1543682007011663874" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
On June 27, Akron authorities said they pursued Walker because the car he drove was involved in a crime the previous day. After refusing to stop, speeding through a residential neighborhood, and shooting at officers, Walker jumped out of the car in motion at a barricade.
Police said they fired up to 60 bullets at Walker after he jumped out of the moving vehicle and shot at the officers.
Although he did not have the gun with him as he ran, Police Chief Stephen Mylett said the video showed Walker reaching for something at his waist and turning as he ran, prompting the police to fire.
“It was difficult to watch, and shocking,” Mylett said of the bodycam video, which showed police converging on Walker’s car. “I’m not going to pass judgment [until the investigation is completed].”
The Beacon Journal obtained an investigative worksheet by the medical examiner’s office, which reported officers shot Walker in the face, torso, and upper legs.
The report and video from the crime scene confirmed that Walker had a handgun in his silver Buick. The Akron Fraternal Order of Police said in a statement that traffic cameras had captured a muzzle flash from Walker’s car and that a shell casing had been found from the same location.
“This incident is a tragedy for our entire community, including the family of Jayland Walker, as well as all of the officers involved,” the Akron FOP said. “Many officers work their entire career without discharging their weapon. A split-second decision to use lethal force is one that every police officer hopes he or she will never be forced to make.”
Authorities have placed all eight officers involved in the incident on paid administrative leave.
Greg Wilson contributed to this report.

US-POLICE-JUSTICE-RACISM-SHOOTING

Akron Officials Cancel Fourth Of July Celebrations Amid Ongoing Protests For Jayland Walker

Black Lives Matter

Fourth of July

Ohio

Protest

More than two years after Breonna Taylor&#8217;s death, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-doj-looking-under-every-stone-regarding-federal-crimes-in-breonna-taylor-case-crump">federal investigation</a> grinds on. Yet retired Louisville Metro Police Department Sgt. John Mattingly, one of the officers who served the arrest warrant that night in March 2020, says he and his fellow officers have been tried in the court of public opinion and convicted on the basis of perjury. The following is an excerpt from his new book, &#8220;<a style="font-style: italic;" href="https://www.dailywire.com/shop/products/12-seconds-in-the-dark-by-sgt-john-mattingly">12 Seconds In The Dark: A Police Officer’s Firsthand Account of the Breonna Taylor Raid,</a>&#8221; available from The Daily Wire. See also my <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-interview-sgt-john-mattingly-exposes-the-media-lies-about-breonna-taylors-shooting">exclusive interview with Mattingly</a> and my <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sgt-john-mattingly-the-cop-wounded-in-breonna-taylor-shooting-tells-his-story">brief summary of portions of his book</a>. No complete account of the evening can omit his story from the conversation. – BJ.
When the videos of George Floyd surfaced from Minneapolis, the entire country gasped. I remember getting calls and texts. My response was that this was bad, really bad. I remember every police officer I talked to about this disagreed with the way things were handled, at least with the limited information and edited videos we saw. Being right in the middle of a situation that was perpetuated based on lies and misinformation, I was careful not to play “Monday morning quarterback,” but even with that in mind, it was hard not to accept what I saw. I knew that was NOT our policy on how to maintain control. Even if it were a tactic to gain control, I’d hope one would have enough common sense to reposition someone who was not an active aggressor or resisting. …
The common denominator between both tragedies is Benjamin Crump. He seems to sniff out the national stories that can make him a buck, get some screen time, and gain him more notoriety. He gets on TV like a televangelist and piggybacks the tragedies these families are going through. Maybe his intentions are good, but telling the truth to go along with those intentions is something he’s allergic to, evidently. You can’t say you are fighting for justice while causing injustice to others along the way.
Now we had the Breonna Taylor tragedy sandwiched between two other divisive national news stories that involved black and white in which Crump is controlling the narrative and has free reins to the media. These other cases were caught on camera, and both appeared to be injustices. The perfect storm was brewing, not only for Louisville, Kentucky, but for America and across the world. We have media and social media platforms that thrive off of divisiveness and hate. Americans will devour their own for the sake of a like or share. Americans are now WOKE, and you better be on their side or they will seek to destroy you. Myself and my coworkers were now on that radar, and the mob was out to destroy us.
On May 28 the recording of Kenneth Walker calling 911 was released to the media. In that phone call, you hear a person crying out that someone broke in and shot his girlfriend. The emotions sound real and could pull at your heartstrings if you didn’t know the entire story and the context of the call. The money-seeking attorneys that released the call knew exactly what they were doing. If they manipulated the way the evidence was released, then they would win the case in the court of public opinion. When that happens, there is a better chance of an out-of-court settlement, which means no additional discovery and depositions, which would have shed light from the other side of the story.
There are just a few problems with the narrative that was attached to the phone call and story surrounding it. This 911 call was placed over six minutes after the fatal encounter with police. The lawyers and media set up the narrative to imply that, while we were banging on the door attempting to make entry, Kenneth Walker called 911, not knowing we were the police. The facts are that we knocked and announced for so long that he had time to get dressed, obtain his firearm, and take a position in the hallway waiting for us to enter. Once the door was breached, we continued to announce ourselves as the police—all before the encounter. None of this was mentioned each time the call was shared on the news and social media. It was deflating to watch and hear one side presented while gag orders had been placed on us officers.
Let me play devil’s advocate for a minute. Let’s say Walker didn’t hear us announce and thought we were breaking into his home. Let’s say after he shot me, he still didn’t know we were the police. If that was indeed true, then why didn’t he call 911 during the minute the door was being banged on? Why didn’t he have his girlfriend hide while he addressed the perceived threat? Breonna had a phone in her hands when the tragedy happened, so why wasn’t she calling 911? Was she calling or texting someone else during the raid? That phone was locked and was never accessed to see its activity. Walker claims that, once fire was returned, after his “warning shot,” that he threw his gun under the bed in the sister’s room. Again, if he indeed did not know we were the police, then why in the world would he throw his only source of protection into another room? Walker claims he helped Breonna to the floor after she was tragically shot. Impossible. The bullet holes in the wall where he was originally standing would’ve struck him.
No. In reality, he shot his gun and dove to safety, leaving poor Breonna stranded in that narrow dark hallway. He waited over six minutes to call 911 and still claimed, implausibly, that he didn’t know who was outside. Within a few minutes of the shooting, many marked units were outside the apartment with lights and sirens. And who calls their mother before 911 if they think they’ve just been home-invaded, watched the love of their life murdered, and could still hear the people that did it outside their apartment? All the while he claimed to be holding Breonna with his door wide open. The position of her body in the hall makes the scene he’s described in his many interviews impossible. Lastly, who blames the love of their life as being the person who shot a cop so as to not incriminate himself? Who does that?? Logic and common sense combat all these lies that Kenneth Walker claimed.
There are recordings from jail just a few days after Kenneth lost the “love of his life.” He was so torn up about it all that he was trying to convince the girl on the other end to have phone sex with him. A few days later, he was recorded telling another girl that he loved her and was going to marry her. That doesn’t sound like a guy who was getting ready to propose to the love of his life. If so, he got over her pretty fast.
There are a lot of unanswered questions as to the phone calls made by Kenneth Walker before he surrendered. He was in that apartment for fifteen minutes after the initial incident. What was he doing that entire time? Was he flushing evidence? Was he staging his scene? Was he hiding an additional firearm, maybe the one he claimed Breonna shot? We’ve been accused of some outrageous claims, so I’d like to know the truth. He tells us, and phone records corroborate, that he called his mother, 911, and then Breonna’s mother before surrendering with no blood on his body or clothes. Does that sound like someone who held Breonna’s bloody body as she passed?
One very important interview that wasn’t discovered until the investigation was over was with LMPD Officer Donavis Duncan, conducted by the Public Integrity Unit in May of 2020. Officer Duncan lived in the same apartment complex as Breonna Taylor. He also went to middle and high school with Kenneth Walker and is a self-admitted friend. He knows Kenneth’s mother and came out of his apartment to the scene after the shooting. He stated that Kenneth Walker’s mother approached him on scene and said, “Kenneth called me and said they’re at the door.” She told Duncan that she replied, “Who’s at the door, baby?” She stated that Kenneth responded, “The police. I don’t know what they want.” She said, “Then he hung up.” I don’t know why this wasn’t a point of interest during the investigation or weighed in before dropping the charges on Walker since it clearly points to the fact that Kenneth Walker KNEW the police were at his door.
Minnesota had already begun to boil over from George Floyd’s death. The strategic timing in the release of the 911 call along with the manipulation of the events in the timeline caused Louisville to erupt. Ben Crump, Sam Aguiar, and Lonita Baker, all attorneys for Breonna Taylor’s family, were using the media as their mouthpiece to propagate their narrative and raise tension levels in the city.

Readers Pass – Johnson – Exclusive- What The Media Didn’t Tell You About Breonna Taylor’s Shooting_216x9

Exclusive: What The Media Didn’t Tell You About Breonna Taylor’s Shooting

Breonna Taylor

John Mattingly

Readers Pass

The Supreme Court sided with police officers in two separate excessive force cases, ruling that the officers in both cases were protected from lawsuits by “Qualified Immunity” legal protection.
“Qualified Immunity” has become a hot topic in debates around police reform. According to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>, Qualified Immunity “shields officers from civil liability so long as their conduct ‘does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.’” 
Qualified Immunity applies to cases “when an official’s conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.” 
The <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/101821zor_4f14.pdf">two cases</a>, Rivas-Villegas v. Cortesluna and City of Tahlequah, Oklahoma v. Rollice, were decided Monday morning in per curiam decisions, made by the whole court. 
In the first case, Rivas-Villegas v. Cortesluna, a 911 operator responded to a call from a 12-year-old girl who said her mother’s boyfriend, the respondent Cortesluna, was using a chainsaw to damage the house, and that the girl, her mother, and her older sister had barricaded themselves in a room because they were afraid that the man was going to hurt them. 
Rivas-Villegas, the petitioner, was one of five police officers who responded to the scene. Officers canvassed the house and spotted a man matching the suspect&#8217;s description. After confirming with the dispatch that the women could not get out, police entered the home and confronted the suspect. Police noticed a knife in the left pocket of the suspect and ordered him to keep his hands up. When the suspect defied orders, police shot him twice with beanbag rounds. The suspect then complied with orders to get on the ground. Officer Rivas-Villages then knelt down, placing his left leg on the suspect’s back, near the pocket where the knife was. Another officer removed the knife from the suspect’s pocket, and, once handcuffed, the suspect was taken away. 
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Rivas-Villegas violated precedent which “put him on notice that his conduct constituted excessive force,” but the Supreme Court ruled that the precedent, LaLonde v. County of Riverside, was materially different from the case, and therefore insufficient to make clear that the officer’s force was excessive. The Court ruled that Rivas-Villegas was therefore covered under Qualified Immunity. 
In the second case, City of Tahlequah v. Rollice, three local police officers responded to a 911 call from a woman whose ex-husband, the respondent Rollice, was intoxicated and would not leave. 
Officers approached Rollice at the house and talked with him. Rollice seemed nervous and said he was worried about going to jail, but the officers assured him they just wanted to give him a ride when Rollice started fidgeting with his hands. He then stepped toward a set of tools on a workbench, while still conversing with officers, where he grabbed a hammer and held it towards the officers. The officers told him to drop the hammer, but he stepped out from behind a piece of furniture, giving him a clear path to one of the officers, and raised the hammer over his head as if he were going to throw it or charge the officers. 
Two officers shot Rollice, killing him.
 The Tenth Circuit Court Of Appeals ruled against the officers, but SCOTUS ruled that the precedent cited by the Lower Court was wholly irrelevant to the case and therefore, the officers were entitled to qualified immunity.

SCOTUS building

Supreme Court Sides With Cops In ‘Excessive Force’ Qualified Immunity Cases

Supreme Court

Since being benched by the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, former quarterback Colin Kaepernick has become a prominent activist, claiming to work in pursuit of racial and social justice. Kaepernick’s subsequent actions include the now infamous decision to kneel during the national anthem at NFL games, wearing socks depicting police officers as <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-wore-socks-with-police-pigs-on-them/">pigs</a>, and signing a multi-million dollar endorsement <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/colin-kaepernick-net-worth-how-much-will-nike-deal-pay-1103437">deal</a> with Nike.
This week, Kaepernick made headlines yet again, this time for <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/02/10/colin-kaepernick-becomes-latest-athlete-to-join-spac-craze/">becoming</a> the “latest athlete to join Wall Street’s SPAC craze,” teaming up with a private equity investor to form a blank-check company.
The former quarterback has <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2021/02/10/suns-minority-owner-jahm-najafi-partners-colin-kaepernick-investment-venture/6704777002/">reportedly</a> partnered with Suns minority owner Jahm Najafi, with the pair “looking to raise up to $287 million through a special-purpose acquisition company with a social purpose in mind.” Kaepernick will serve as co-chair and co-sponsor of Mission Advancement Corp., a “social justice-focused special purpose acquisition company.”
Known as SPACs, these are publicly traded companies which raise money to identify and purchase a “profitable and fast-growing company,” with the goal of merging with that company which then takes over the SPAC’s stock listing.
According to the <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1840148/000121390021007796/fs12021_missionadv.htm">investment prospectus</a> filed by Mission Advancement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, they are looking to raise funds “with the goal of acquiring a billion-dollar, consumer-focused company with the potential to ‘generate a positive social impact.’”
“We believe Mr. Kaepernick’s substantial business experience combined with his long-term leadership on racial equity and justice issues will support our success in identifying a prospective target company and adding transformational value to the combined entity,” the prospectus reads.
“As a reflection of its socially conscious mission, Mission Advancement said its board of directors is composed entirely of people of color and a majority of its members are women,” reported the New York Post. “It also has a crew of advisers that includes Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay and Silicon Valley investor Ben Horowitz.” In addition, its board includes “Katie Beauchamp, the CEO and co-founder of Birchbox, and Omar Johnson, a former executive at Apple and Beats by Dre,” <a href="https://www.axios.com/colin-kaepernick-spac-740e5468-1273-473b-bfd4-7a2324edd2ff.html">and</a> “Attica Jaques, Google’s head of global brand consumer marketing.”
The quarterback-turned-activist is not the first athlete to enter the “booming” SPAC market. Forest Road Acquisition Corp., backed by basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, recently “announced a deal to take the Beachbody fitness brand public,” and former baseball star Alex Rodriguez “filed paperwork last week to raise up to $575 million for a SPAC called Slam Corp. that will seek out acquisition targets in the ‘sports, media and entertainment, technology, and health and wellness industries.’”
Mission Advancement said that it will “emphasize the racial and diversity issues Mr. Kaepernick has championed on and off the field through its investment in the growing environmental, social and governance investment field.”

Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick Jumps Aboard SPAC Craze, Looking To Raise $287 Million For ‘Social Justice’ Company

#TakeAKnee

Capitalism

Social Justice

Systemic Racism

Four years ago, five Dallas Police officers lost their lives after they were targeted simply for wearing the uniform. Last September, two officers were shot in the face at point blank range for the same reason. One of them was a young mother. During the months of violent riots that one Democrat politician called the “<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/goodbye-summer-of-love-11607898398">summer of love</a>,” <a href="https://www.policemag.com/585160/more-than-2-000-officers-injured-in-summers-protests-and-riots">more than 2,000</a> officers were injured. By July of last year, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/police-officers-killed-surge-28-year-point-civil/story?id=71773405">officer deaths had risen 28 percent</a> compared to the previous year. 
There have long been violent encounters between police officers and criminals. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-agents-killed-florida-4c5b7cfc67469f9954491a04fdefe96b">Just this week</a>, two FBI agents were killed and three were injured after a standoff with a suspect in Florida, yet another reminder of the deadly encounters law enforcement agents experience every day. 
However, what we witnessed this summer was something new, and far more sinister. This recent wave of violence is the result of a pervasive, disturbing, and ultimately false narrative: the institution of policing itself is corrupt and systemically racist.
This narrative is repeated both casually and often by leaders of Black Lives Matter and Democrat politicians alike. Joe Biden <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/06/10/biden-root-out-systemic-racism-not-just-divisive-trump-talk-column/5327631002/">stated</a>, “For too long, black Americans have lived with a knee on their neck,” in reference to police officers, Kamala Harris <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/09/06/kamala-harris-disputes-barr-on-race-justice-america/5734810002/">said</a> that there is an “unacceptable incidence for generations of unarmed black men being killed” by police, and a spokesperson for President Biden’s State Department <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-state-dept-spokesperson-police-threat-national-security">said</a> that “the largest threat to U.S. national security are U.S. cops. Not ISIS, not Russian hackers, not anyone or anything else.”
Slogans such as “All Cops are Bastards” are chanted at “peaceful” demonstrations, and the claim that black men are being hunted and killed in the streets is promulgated, accepted without question as undeniable fact. 
It is unclear whether the public figures pushing these extreme narratives know — or even care — that they are inflaming the rhetoric which ultimately leads to tragedies like that of Dallas, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. If challenged, they will often backtrack by discussing the underlying problems of poverty and crime in the black community, and the inhumanity of specific injustices such as the abhorrent killing of George Floyd. This is all, of course, true and worth addressing in a rational manner. No one would argue that police officers have always acted perfectly, that there aren’t bad apples, or that certain reforms should be pursued. Why reforms could not make it through Congress is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/25/if-democrats-cared-about-police-reform-they-would-have-advanced-tim-scotts-bill/">another story</a>.
But here’s the problem: if you’re telling people that police are trying to kill them, and that the entire institution of law enforcement is itself systemically racist and oppressive, it should come as no surprise that some people will act upon such an apparent threat. After all, wouldn’t you? If you truly believed it, then violently fighting back would appear to be your only recourse. This also explains the utterly bizarre instances this summer of white activists <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/dc-white-protester-yell-face-black-police-officers-part-of-problem">screaming</a> in the faces of black police officers, telling them they were “part of the problem.” The Black Lives Matter movement has effectively subjugated the cause of black lives in order to achieve their primary goal of labeling all police as inherently evil. 
Words matter. The word “systemic” actually means something, and should not be thrown around casually or carelessly. It means that racism is inherent to the system, thus implicating every officer that wears the badge. It is also used to conclude that any negative incident must be the result of racism, and any context, circumstances or facts that counter that narrative must be ignored.
This narrative creates an emotionally compelling but also unsolvable problem. The conversation rarely, if ever, moves in search of a solution. The word “systemic” is used, but never clearly defined as it might relate to a law, policy, or practice. Disparities in arrest rates or police interactions are offered up as proof of systemic problems, while ignoring all other factors or statistical context. Its intentional vagueness makes the supposed underlying problem unsolvable, and the demands more and more extreme. Thus, radical slogans like “defund the police” transform into actual policy in major cities.
The results of these narratives are undeniably awful. Communities have been destroyed, citizens have been killed, and cops have been hunted down and assassinated. The voice of the black community — where <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/316571/black-americans-police-retain-local-presence.aspx?utm_source=tagrss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=syndication">81 percent</a> polled want the same or greater police presence in their community — has been silenced by the extremists. Crime has spiked in major cities as left-wing District Attorneys refuse to enforce the law, all in the name of social justice. 
In the end, no justice is served. It simply means that criminals are free to prey on the innocent, overwhelmingly in minority communities. While radical white liberals spread these vicious lies, fostering bitter resentment and hatred, the communities that rely on good policing the most are left to suffer. This is the deadly tragedy of the lies being told, and it must stop. 
Representative Dan Crenshaw is a former Navy SEAL who serves Texas’ Second Congressional District in Congress and sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Black Lives Matter Protest

CRENSHAW: The Lie Of ‘Systemic Police Racism’ That Kills

Dan Crenshaw

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Actor Andre Braugher has made a career for himself as a television police officer, from his role in &#8220;Homicide: Life on the Street&#8221; to &#8220;Brooklyn Nine-Nine.&#8221; Going forward, he hopes that he can use this brand to address the topic of police brutality, starting with the hit NBC sitcom.
Speaking with <a href="https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/andre-braugher-brooklyn-nine-nine-1234770581/">Variety</a>, Braugher said that after playing cops and detectives for several decades, he has become almost blind to the reality of police brutality and how departments actually work.
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“I look up after all these decades of playing these characters, and I say to myself, it’s been so pervasive that I’ve been inside this storytelling, and I, too, have fallen prey to the mythology that’s been built up,” Braugher said.
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&#8220;It’s almost like the air you breathe or the water that you swim in. It’s hard to see. But because there are so many cop shows on television, that’s where the public gets its information about the state of policing,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Cops breaking the law to quote, ‘defend the law,’ is a real terrible slippery slope. It has given license to the breaking of law everywhere, justified it and excused it. That’s something that we’re going to have to collectively address — all cop shows.&#8221;
Though &#8220;Brooklyn Nine-Nine&#8221; is a comedy show and Braugher respects the artistic instincts of the writing staff, he would like to see these issues addressed.
“Brooklyn Nine-Nine has to commit itself, as a comedy, to telling the story of how these things happen, and what’s possible to deal with them. I don’t have any easy answers, nor do I have a window into the mind bank of this writing staff,” he said. “Can you tell the same story? Can anyone in America maintain any kind of innocence about what police departments are capable of?”
As to how the &#8220;Brooklyn Nine-Nine&#8221; characters would handle such a storyline, Braugher had a few ideas.
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“It might mean that Holt is a staunch defender of the NYPD, or that he tries to burn the whole thing down. I know that he is a pragmatic man; I do know that he’s a loving, [if] robotic person,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I’m anxious to see what that’s all about, and I have no idea what Season 8 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is going to be, because everything’s changed.&#8221;
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&#8220;It could be a really groundbreaking season that we’re all going to be very, very proud of, or we’re going to fall flat on our face… But I think this is a staff, a cast and a crew that’s willing to take it on and give it our best. I think we have a damn good chance to tell the kinds of stories that heretofore have only been seen on grittier shows,&#8221; he added.
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As reported by <a href="https://people.com/tv/brooklyn-nine-nine-star-andre-braugher-reflects-on-his-cop-roles-amid-black-lives-matter-movement/">PEOPLE</a>, Braugher&#8217;s comments come two months after his co-star, Andy Samberg, said that the writers were &#8220;rethinking&#8221; how to move forward with the show in the current political climate.
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&#8220;We&#8217;re taking a step back, and the writers are all rethinking how we&#8217;re going to move forward, as well as the cast,&#8221; Samberg said. &#8220;We&#8217;re all in touch and kind of discussing how you make a comedy show about police right now, and if we can find a way of doing that that we all feel morally okay about.&#8221;
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“Birthday Candles” Photocall

Andre Braugher: ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Should Address Police Brutality

Hollywood

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