I have seen four video of the traffic stop and beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. It looks horrific especially as the mob mentality takes over the actions of the police officers. Those minutes of violence followed by a half hour of officers wandering about marks a period where time appears to stop and stand still.
Toward the end the adrenaline rush appears to slowly dissipate and time begins to take over again.
Even before the videos were released, there was a great sense of foreboding on the part of the television networks among others that sought to analyze the different angles of the story. One of the fears expressed by many was possible repetition of a George Floyd type national reaction to the incident.
Even the White House got involved as they talked to city mayors and others in order to find a way to successfully face possible demonstrations that could lead to violence in the streets. Most concerning that set this apart from the daily violence in the country is the fact it was the police that again were the perpetrators.
Even more, the videos show that it was Black police officers that assaulted Tyre Nichols and left him withering on the ground. He died in the hospital, a victim of their beating. The national outcry has been significant but nowhere close to the level experienced in the reaction to White officers doing the same thing or even less. The beating by Black officers was much more brutal and instinctive creating what seemed to be a magical moment between the victim and his persecutors.
Octavio Paz in “The Day of the Dead,” a chapter in his great essay Labyrinth of Solitude (first published in 1950) characterizes communal events that lead violence as magical moments outside of time where people “discover that they are brothers, and sometimes, to prove it, kill each other.” The nature of these events and their chaotic characteristics take over with unpredictable results.
Communal understanding is one of the principle reasons we have gatherings and celebrations. It gets us away from the lonely place we experience in a life of walls and routine. The routine is the very essence of institutional work such as that of a police department. We do things a certain way because of institutional memory, thoughts, practices and training.
It is not surprising therefore, that the institutional culture affects everyone in the system regardless of race or ethnicity. For example, many Latino immigrants have the physical and psychological scars from encounters with Latino border patrol and immigration officers.
It seems like these officers have something to prove to the institution and go beyond its precepts to be cruel and exploitative in the way they do their jobs. Many Latino immigrants on the border, when caught, prefer to be in the custody of someone other than a Latino.
Adherence or going beyond the demands of institutional culture can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, we have minority leaders that push for higher standards so that no one can question their performance or that of their subordinates.
On the other hand, we have people that, in any given moment, regress to the dark and unspoken part of negative systemic attitude that calls for differentiating the value of race, ethnicity and culture. It is that innate disregard for equal justice that caused what happened in Memphis.
That is not who we are supposed to be. However, there are moments when that is who we are.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of la Voz bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to news@lavozcolorado.com.
