Upstate activists, residents react to death of Tyre Nichols and reopen debate on policing and policy

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The death of Tyre Nichols has sent a ripple effect across the nation and here in the Upstate. On Friday, a memorial was set up for the 29-year-old in downtown Greenville, and the people who passed it have a lot of questions about the case. It’s also re-opened the debate on policing and policy.

At the intersection of Greenville’s Broad Street and South Main, it’s a night out as usual for some, but for Bruce Wilson there’s a wound to discuss that hasn’t healed.

“It’s happened again, sadly,” Wilson said.

Wilson is familiar responding with activism. In the summer of 2020, demonstrations in response to George Floyd’s murder were daily.

“I was involved with one a day, at a minimum,” he said.

Fast forward almost three years later and he’s set up a memorial for Tyre Nichols, a FedEx worker and avid skateboarder who died three days after a confrontation with Memphis officers in a traffic stop.

“We don’t have those answers,” he said.

Answers or solutions according to people like Cathey Cawthorne who stopped to offer condolences at the memorial while walking her dog.

“I just can’t believe what Americans are doing to other Americans, I mean the police are here to protect us -- they’re not our military force,” Cawthorne said. “They’re not here to weaponize and harm us. Something’s got to change in this country.”

Both she and Wilson say it’s a fatal reminder of public mistrust, as referenced in a statement by President Biden Jan. 26.

“I think it’s multifaceted, I think there’s many, many parts to this,” Cawthorne said. “I think it’s culture.”

“And then we love to point our finger to other nations, let’s talk about this one,” added Wilson.

Something else they think the nation should be discussing: Legislation.

“There’s a bill right now, The George Floyd Policing Reform Act that has been sitting in Congress ever since George Floyd was murdered,” Wilson said. “Nothing has happened with it.”

President Biden has called on Congress to send the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to his desk, what would be the most substantial federally ordered change to policing in a generation.

“We have to do more than protest. We have to do more than march,” Wilson said. “We have got to get change.”

Wilson also recognizes the legislative start. Back in May 2022, President Biden signed an executive order “Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety.” It was touted to ensure timely and thorough investigations and consistent discipline, and prioritize officer wellness and an updated approach to recruitment and retention.

“It’s beyond just having policies. We have to change the culture within law enforcement to get them to understand that everybody needs to be treated equally,” Wilson said.

“There’s something we’re missing in this country,” Cawthorne added.

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