The Fayetteville discussion brought a call to action in the wake of Tyre Nichols’ death

Dozens of people gathered at Rowan Skate Park in Fayetteville on Saturday for an emotional discussion Murder of Tyree Nichols on the black community.

Community Conversations: A panel discussion, began at noon and featured eight panelists The discussion is moderated by Fayetteville Observer opinion columnist Rakim “Kem” Jones and moderated by opinion editor Myron B. Pitts. An hour before the event, at least 25 skateboarders rode from the Market House to the skate center in honor of Nichols, who was also a skateboarder. Nichols was fatally beaten by multiple Memphis police officers during a traffic stop in January. Five officials He faces charges of second-degree murder in his murder.

The panel lasted about two hours and covered topics such as police brutality, police reform, community engagement and activism.

The panelists

Panelists for Saturday’s discussion were:

• Mario “Ho” Benavente, Fayetteville City Council member representing District 3

• Kevin Brooks, founder of Group Theory and the Prove Project

• Dr. Matthew Fogg (via Zoom), retired Chief Deputy US Marshal; law enforcement analyst for CNN and MSNBC; and author of “Bigots with Badges.”

• Sean McMillan, community advocate and co-founder of the Fayetteville Police Accountability Community Taskforce

• Archbishop J. Antoine Miner Sr., Executive Director of Impact One Foundation

• Christian Mosley, host of Berean Talk and co-founder of the Korra Community Foundation

• Troy Williams, Observer columnist, legal analyst and criminal defense investigator

• Tony U. Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Southern CC Inc.

• Lillian Glass (via Zoom), body language expert and filmmaker of “De-Escalation.”

React to the video

The panel first discussed the emotional impact of the footage of Nichols’ beating, which was released to the public by the Memphis Police Department on January 27. Before the panel began, attendees watched a 24-second clip of Nichols being beaten.

Panelist Tony Brown said he was hurt by the video.

“It looks more personal than anything,” he said. “Some people wear uniforms to protect and serve. Others use it as a way to abuse their power.”

The story continues

Panelist Troy Williams, who said he has a background in law enforcement, called Nichols’ killing “the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen.” Williams said he has worked with federal law enforcement officials in the past and believes that problems with brutality and excessive use of force are more common at the local level.

Several panelists, including Mario Benavente and Christian Mosley, said Nichols’ death was the result of systemic racism.

“I’m not surprised,” Mosley said. “That’s what they’re supposed to do.”

Other panelists said the incident served as a reminder of how easily they could be in Nichols’ position. Jones said he had experienced similar situations with police officers before and wondered how Nichols felt in that moment.

“I’m not dead,” Jones said. “It could have been me.”

Audience members who spoke during the panel expressed their dismay and concern over the footage of Nichols’ murder. Lisette Rodriguez, a Fayetteville native and community activist, said she cried all night after watching the video and didn’t think progress was really possible for police.

“It’s the system. It is a system that was created to collect slaves,” Rodriguez asserted. “We can’t reform it.”

Several participants told the panel that a comprehensive understanding of Black history is critical to enacting change. Carrie Jackson stepped up to the microphone to get the crowd voting and engaging with the community.

“It’s procedural because of the law,” Jackson said. “A lot of our history has been washed away.”

Dorance Kennedy, a professor of social work at Fayetteville State University, emphasized the importance of that history. He said it was crucial for young people to engage with older community members who fought for progress and highlighted the tragic irony of Nichols’ murder.

“You are killing your brother in the city where Martin Luther King Jr. was killed,” Kennedy noted.

Race and Justice

Panelists next tackled the question of whether race played a role in the officers’ accountability in Nichols’ killing. All of the officers charged in Nichols’ death are black.

Panelist Lillian Glass, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, compared the attack to Jewish people beating their fellow Jews during the Holocaust.

“We have to start with the lack of humanity,” Glass said.

Others said they didn’t know if race played a role in the implementation of justice but pointed to areas to focus on to prevent further tragedies. Panelist Sean McMillan said he felt the officers would not have been held accountable if their actions were not captured on neighborhood-mounted cameras. McMillan noted that in North Carolina, body camera footage cannot be released without a court order — something he said residents should work to change.

“Why are we paying for body cameras if we can’t see the truth?” he asked.

Panelist J. Antoine Miner Sr. said he saw the killings as “something carried out by idiots,” not necessarily the result of systemic racism. He questioned whether the black community expressed similar outrage over those killed by average people outside of law enforcement.

“Before you protest at the police department, protest on Murchison Road,” Miner said. “I have no time for false outrage.”

Mosley said cries of “Black Lives Matter” mean little when the focus is only on the deaths of black people, not the issues that affect their daily lives.

“You need to be as concerned about black hunger as you are about black death,” he said. “Miss me with Black Lives Matter. Black deaths matter.”

Both Mosley and Benavente addressed the issue of black-on-black crime, saying the issue is often used to divert attention from the effects of systemic racism. Citing a statistic, Mosley said people of all races are more likely to kill people they encounter every day in their communities. 68% of white people were murdered by other white people.

Black men killed by police get more attention because police officers are often granted qualified immunity and don’t face the same consequences as the average person, Benavente said.

“The myth of black-on-black crime demonizes the community,” Benavente said.

As panelists and audience members alike brought up topics such as the justice system, education, poverty and civic engagement, Pitts encouraged participants to reflect on how the topics are interconnected.

“Everything we’re talking about is connected,” he said. “So it’s not just one solution.”

Last thought

As the panelists gave their closing statements, teamwork and community engagement were common themes.

“It takes a village to raise a child, but we don’t realize that we are a village,” Brown said, encouraging audience members to spend more time with children in their communities.

Williams promoted an “intergenerational approach,” while Benavente said he was inspired by young community members who can change Fayetteville for the better.

“A lot of things I find myself walking at the slow pace of my peers, you guys already get,” Benavente said as he spoke to the younger members of the crowd. “The status quo isn’t working for everyone.”

Mosley instructed attendees to read about systemic racism and use their voices.

“Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself and your people,” he said. “You’re either going to fight for your freedom or die talking about it.”

McMillan called the panel a “dress rehearsal” for future activism, encouraging audience members to attend and speak at city council meetings. He said he supports Benavente’s call for an Office for Community Safety that would reduce police interactions with the community and hold officers accountable.

“They don’t need to police themselves. They are incompetent,” he said.

Kevin Brooks closes with a message of hope.

“Progress can be made here, and the foundation is already there,” he said.

Public safety reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at [email protected]

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This article originally appeared in the Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville Community Conversation Panel calls for change