A Lot — And Very Little — Has Changed In Memphis Since Tyre Nichols’ Death

“The fact that you cannot put any finger on any type of real change is deafening," said one Memphis activist.

Tyre Nichols was about two minutes from his home on the night of Jan. 7, 2023, when Memphis police stopped him. Police vehicles surrounded him, and officers shouted threats and demanded he get out of his car.

In the next moments, all caught on body-worn cameras, officers pulled the 29-year-old from his vehicle, then took turns punching, beating, kicking, pepper-spraying and hitting him with a stun gun as he called out for his mother.

Nichols died in the hospital three days later.

Demonstrations broke out across the country following Nichols’ death. The five officers, who were all Black, were swiftly fired from the police force; the elite tactical unit they belonged to, which specialized in street crime, was disbanded. One officer, Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty to civil rights and conspiracy charges in November. The other four officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith — are still awaiting trial on murder charges and federal civil rights violations.

Nearly a year after Nichols’ death, Memphis finds itself at a crossroads — and at the center of a national debate about what police reform can or should look like. The city has a new mayor, progressive district attorney and ordinance meant to put an end to the kinds of traffic stops that preceded Nichols’ death. But many question whether Memphis has made, or can make, real progress.