Statement by the Toni Johnson Center for Racial and Social Justice and the School of Social Welfare about Tyre Nichols

The School of Social Welfare deeply mourns the loss of Tyre Nichols whose life was taken by the brutal force of five Memphis police officers. The five officers charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols are all Black, which points to the problem of the nature of modern policing that is entrenched in a culture of violence and encourages brutality and aggression, especially toward Black people. We are outraged that police brutality, the abuse of power, and violence continue to be perpetuated in the name of safety.

The mass criminalization of Black Americans and specifically, the sociohistorical pathologizing and demonizing of Black men, is a social work issue. The scope of the issue is broad and systemic, and at the same time, we know (and, for some, experience) the overwhelming and chilling evidence of the mass criminalization of Black Americans in our own communities. In Lawrence, the 2022 report shows the disproportionate police stops of Black people. In Kansas City, news stories report the systemic abuse of Black people by the police. Additionally, we know that mass criminalization of Black Americans is a racial justice issue that is inextricably linked to other manifestations of injustice, including environmental injustice and classism. The BBC made this link transparent in the examination of how environmental injustice, racism, and classism underpinned the SCORPION unit in Memphis.

Justice must be sought. But for justice to be true it requires more of us than statements alone. As described by the African American Policy Forum’s Statement of Tyre Nichols,

“Justice will not be served unless we can prevent the next police killing and the next. True justice is not after-the-fact expressions of outrage and episodic gestures of accountability. True justice requires a fuller understanding and transformation of the racist systems that lead to these police killings.”

It’s time to reimagine how we keep communities safe. Our current system is broken.

As a School, it is our commitment to continue to interrogate policing and surveillance of Black communities and reimagine safety rooted in the clear understanding of our collective responsibility to examine social work’s role. We offer spaces for the community to come together for shared grief and support (see below for specific times/locations).

Community Healing Sessions

Toni Johnson Center, Twente Hall Room 315

Monday February 13: 10 a.m.-12:00 pm.

Tuesday February 14: 10 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Virtual

Wednesday February 15 & 22: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Zoom link: https://kansas.zoom.us/j/98855438050

Passcode: 2023

Or by appointment: contact lramirez@ku.edu

Mental Health Resources (not exhaustive)

 

Signed

Toni Johnson Center for Racial and Social Justice
School of Social Welfare