Current:Home > MarketsTennessee governor signs bill to undo Memphis traffic stop reforms after Tyre Nichols death -Prime Capital Blueprint
Tennessee governor signs bill to undo Memphis traffic stop reforms after Tyre Nichols death
View
Date:2025-04-16 15:00:11
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed off on the repeal of police traffic stop reforms made in Memphis after the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by officers in January 2023, despite pleas from Nichols’ parents to GOP lawmakers and the governor to give them a chance to find compromise.
The Republican governor’s signature means the law immediately renders some of Memphis’ ordinances null and void, including one that outlawed so-called pretextual traffic stops, such as for a broken taillight and other minor violations. Lee echoed arguments from Republican lawmakers who argued Nichols’ death needed to result in accountability for officers who abuse power, not new limits on how authorities conduct traffic stops.
“I think what’s most important for us to remember is that we can give law enforcement tools, but we’ve got to hold law enforcement to a standard of using those tools appropriately, where there’s an appropriate interaction with the public,” Lee told reporters Friday, earlier this month of his decision to sign the bill. “That’s not what we understand has happened all the time, and certainly their family would attest to that.”
To date, Lee has never vetoed a piece of legislation since taking office nearly seven years ago, only occasionally letting bills become law without signing them to send a message of his concern or disapproval. He rarely bucks his political party’s wishes, and he is notably attempting to push through a contentious universal school voucher bill where he needs Republican support in order for it to pass.
Nichols’ death last January sparked outrage and calls for reforms nationally and locally. Videos showed an almost 3-minute barrage of fists, feet and baton strikes to Nichols’ face, head, front and back, as the 29-year-old Black man yelled for his mother about a block from home.
Nichols’ parents, mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells, were among the advocates who drummed up support for the Memphis city council last year to pass ordinance changes.
Many Republican elected officials in Tennessee also joined in the public outcry over Nichols’ death at the time. The month afterward, Lee even mentioned the Nichols family in his annual State of the State speech, saying “their courage, along with the compassion shown by the people of Memphis, is a picture of hope.”
Yet the majority-white Legislature has repeatedly rebuffed many Black leaders’ call for police reforms and oversight, and instead have sided with advocates who don’t want new limits on police authority.
In recent years, lawmakers have reacted similarly when they disagree with how Democrat-voting Memphis and Nashville run their cities. They have preempted local power to undo progressive policies, took more authority over local boards, and kept a hardline approach to crime in Memphis.
Nichols’ parents, in this case, said their attempts to get the bill sponsors to commit to finding some middle ground failed, leaving them and supporters in the Memphis community feeling marginalized and discouraged. Nichols’ parents said they felt misled by Rep. John Gillespie, leading them to skip one trip to Nashville when they thought he would delay the bill. Instead, House Republicans passed it without the Nichols’ parents there. Gillespie argued it was a miscommunication.
When they returned another day for the Senate vote, Sen. Brent Taylor denied their pleas to pause the bill and try to find middle ground. RowVaughn Wells was in tears after the exchange, and the couple left before the Senate passed the bill.
They also penned a letter to Lee before he ultimately signed the bill.
“After the death of our son, you generously offered your support in our pursuit of justice,” they wrote, imploring Lee to veto the bill. “This is that moment, Governor. We need your support now, more than ever.”
Five officers, who were also Black, were charged with federal civil rights violations in Nichols’ death, and second-degree murder and other criminal counts in state court. One has pleaded guilty in federal court. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating how Memphis Police Department officers use force and conduct arrests and whether the department in the majority-Black city engages in racially discriminatory policing.
Democratic lawmakers said the bill is a slap in the face to Nichols’ grieving parents and the government in majority-Black Memphis. Some also were flummoxed that state Republicans were trying to undo changes made in reaction to Nichols’ death even while federal authorities are still broadly investigating policing and race in Memphis.
___
Associated Press writers Kimberlee Kruesi and Adrian Sainz contributed to this report.
veryGood! (5719)
Related
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Illinois high court hands lawmakers a rare pension-overhaul victory
- Sports Illustrated planning significant layoffs after license to use its brand name was revoked
- 21 Pop Culture Valentine’s Day Cards That Are Guaranteed To Make You Laugh
- Sam Taylor
- Prosecutors arrest flight attendant on suspicion of trying to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
- Hale Freezes Over
- Without handshakes, Ukrainian players trying to keep message alive at Australian Open
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- BookWoman in Austin champions queer, feminist works: 'Fighting for a better tomorrow'
Ranking
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Haven't made it to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour yet? International dates may offer savings
- 'Vampire Diaries' star Ian Somerhalder says he doesn't miss acting: 'We had an amazing run'
- Grand jury indicts Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting of cinematographer on movie set in New Mexico
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Former NBA player Scot Pollard is waiting for heart transplant his dad never got
- Greenland's ice sheet melting faster than scientists previously estimated, study finds
- Protests by farmers and others in Germany underline deep frustration with the government
Recommendation
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Man arrested in series of New York City stabbings, police say
'Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell' is a film where a big screen makes a big difference
Foo Fighters, Chris Stapleton will join The Rolling Stones at 2024 New Orleans Jazz Fest
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
My cousin was killed by a car bomb in 1978. A mob boss was the top suspect. Now, I’m looking for answers.
Biden is skipping New Hampshire’s primary. One of his opponents says he’s as elusive as Bigfoot
Ohio man kept dead wife's body well-preserved on property for years, reports say