MSNBC host and Rev. Al Sharpton argued during the funeral of Tyre Nichols that he would not have been treated the same way if he had been white.
Nichols, a black man, was brutally beaten by five former Memphis police officers and later died, with the officers being charged with second-degree murder. All five former officers were also black.
Al Sharpton claims if Tyre Nichols had been White, police 'wouldn’t have beat him like that' https://t.co/hgFJupWW7K
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 2, 2023
"’Well, Reverend Al, you don’t understand: how are they going to keep crime down in the Black community and, at the same time not be tough and rough?’" Sharpton asked.
He then answered, "Well, the same way they do it on the White side of Memphis and keep the crime down, without being rough and tough."
"I can’t speak for everybody in Memphis, I can’t speak for everybody gathering, but for me, I believe if that man had been White, you wouldn’t have beat him like that that night," he continued.
Though rare, cases of police brutality show there is clearly mistreatment of black and white people who have been beaten in such cases.
Police Officers Suspended, Placed On Leave After Video Shows Them Violently Beating A Man.https://t.co/iUpNZP7aoJ
— Monsieur Florian ™️ (@Florianaire) August 23, 2022
The examples documented over the past years reveal that Sharpton's argument may not hold up under the evidence of similar cases.
The tragic death of Nichols is a case of police brutality but did not appear to be racially motivated.
Sharpton's assumption that any police death of a black person is racist reveals his own bias and likely those of the network he serves as he pushed the narrative during the funeral of the young man who lost his life.
The former officers now potentially face years in prison for the action, with the courts getting the final say based on the evidence in the case.
Source: Fox News
