Jamele Wright, Sr.
Atlanta
“My perspective is that it is not surprising. The system, the culture, of policing is the same around the country. It doesn’t matter what their physical attributes (race) are, they are being taught the same thing. As far as them being Black and being immediately charged, I think that’s the thing we should be thinking about; all being immediately charged. If that’s what we want to do for one group, we should do that for all groups. It just shows that the system is capable of doing the right thing. So let them continue to do the right thing across the country. Let that be the precedent.”
Christina McQueen
Atlanta
“It’s a total disgrace. It speaks to multiple cultural problems. A lot of people are speaking to the problems of police culture and that its obvious, considering you can be any color and all roads lead to bad policing. The mother of Tyre Nichols said that they should be ashamed not only for themselves but for their families. And they do have a responsibility as Black men to not turn the same behaviors that our culture has suffered from and beat their brother to death. That was their brother and they betrayed him and they betrayed us.”
Nobella Powell
Atlanta
“I was shocked that it was Black men that did this awful murder. Now we can’t just say it’s a color thing. I just feel like it’s power. They want to feel power. They have to have power to beat you, take your life. It’s like our lives are in their hands. I couldn’t even watch the video because I know how traumatizing it is. I already feel like I’ve seen so much of it that it’s numb to me. It kind of feels like it ‘oh well it’s just another person.’ I don’t think I could take anymore of us getting killed in the streets.”
Myesha Cotton
Atlanta
“I’m very disgusted. How did you join the system to become the system? I wasn’t expecting it from my kind at all. May the Earth eat you up and spit you out… It was crazy how fast they got indicted. They would not have been indicted as quickly if they were white. We’ve seen it, blatantly on film, and nothing happens for months and they only get suspended.”
Compiled by Vincent Christie