TN Politics: Officials Blast Not Guilty Verdict, But Must Shoulder Outcome of Nichols' Beating

WKNO TRANSCRIPT

CHRISTOPHER BLANK (Host): The not guilty verdict for the three Memphis police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols has left many in the Memphis community trying to make sense of it. With us to talk about the fallout is political analyst Otis Sanford. Welcome back.

OTIS SANFORD: Thank you, Chris. Thank you for having me.

BLANK: You'll remember when this incident happened back in 2023. It was so egregious that then-Mayor Jim Strickland and Police Chief C.J. Davis started warning the public about the videos well before they were released. Even the city realized something had gone wrong with the culture of policing here. Which leads to this court decision contradicting what most people interpreted in those videos. Mayor Lee Harris called the verdict "salt in the wound." But his was one of many reactions. Why do you think so many lawmakers felt compelled to make strong statements, and is there a political goal?

SANFORD: Well, I don't necessarily see any political goals from the ones I've heard from. I think they were just reflecting how the entire community is feeling about this, Chris. Sadness, indignation really, for the most part. The only one that I think you can make a case that may have a political goal, perhaps, is State Sen. Brent Taylor because he was highly critical of D.A. Steve Mulroy and a lot of people are sharing that criticism today. I just think that from the politicos involved here, they are just expressing what the entire community seems to be expressing, and that is outrage.

BLANK: And let's talk about Steve Mulroy. Obviously, he was disappointed in the outcome. Of course, in the the aftermath, everyone's going to have a different opinion on how the trial might have gone differently. But what does it mean for him? You mentioned Brent Taylor. Brent Taylor already has planned to oust him from office. So, what about [Mulroy's] future here?

SANFORD: The good thing for him is he's not up for re-election anytime soon. He has an eight-year tenure and he got elected in 2022. But this has opened him up to a lot of criticism, and he is getting it. And I think some of it is because the prosecution seemed to not put on a very robust case here, Chris. They only put up five witnesses and the fact that the [officers] who are on trial appear to be less culpable than the two who had already pleaded guilty, the prosecution should have gone heavy with the notion that they at least were guilty of official misconduct and official oppression. I don't think anybody can dispute that there was official misconduct going on out there by everyone involved. And so to get a not guilty verdict even on that is reflective of what some are saying -- and I'm one of them-- that the prosecution did not do a good job of bringing in witnesses who can talk about the misconduct that the police officers did that night.

BLANK: And I have to say outside of the courtroom where the media were positioned, there was a lot of talk -- at least, in private, maybe not so much in public -- about this jury that was brought in from the Chattanooga area. Because as District Attorney General Steve Mulroy pointed out, folks there had the least knowledge about about the case. But I wonder if you think there were some -- we'll call them "cultural differences" --that affected this decision to acquit these officers?

SANFORD: Oh, absolutely, I do. This was a police-friendly jury. It was virtually all white and the culture of Chattanooga is certainly not the culture of Memphis. I just think it was wrong to go get a jury that was not a jury of anyone's peers -- certainly not Tyre Nichols's and not even the police officers'. And I do think cultural differences here played a part in the jury's decision.

BLANK: Tyre Nichols' death did have a huge impact on local government. The police chief nearly lost her job. It affected the Memphis mayor's race. The DOJ investigated. There's a $500 million civil lawsuit. So this verdict didn't do much in the way of closure, I think. How do you think it could impact local government in the short-term, maybe some upcoming elections?

SANFORD: Criminal justice, police, community relations will be an issue, even though there are no city elections involved. Candidates will be talking about this, but how much of a factor it plays into who gets elected and who does not, only time will tell. It's very difficult to say.

BLANK: Mayor Paul Young did inherit this issue and he released a video along with his police chief who he chose to keep in office. What did you think about that video and is it enough?

SANFORD: No, it is definitely not enough. These days releasing videos putting out social media statements have replaced going in front of reporters and discussing issues. I think the mayor should have a press conference here, or the police chief should have a press conference here, and answer questions about 'what are you going to do?' I mean, you can make a video and say that we are committed to keeping the community safe and protecting and serving and all of that. But there's some questions that need to be answered here.