Senator Bradford issues statement on the police video showing the beating death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the Memphis Police Department

SACRAMENTO – Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) issued the following statement on the release of the police video showing the beating death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the Memphis Police Department:

“The beating and murder of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis Police Officers is brutal and heart-breaking.

“In the video, I see no “protect and serve.” I see an out of control and outside the bounds of their authority attack on an unarmed Black man.

“This is yet another example of the need to hold police officers accountable regardless of the color of their skin.

“The City of Memphis has taken swift action. These officers have been fired, arrested and are now charged with murder. They will answer for their actions. Mr. Nichols’ family and loved ones deserve justice.

“We ask our police officers to do difficult jobs. We know the job is not easy. But we will no longer tolerate abuse and criminal actions by anyone because they wear a badge.

“My legislation, S.B. 2, signed into law in 2021 creates a process to make sure bad police officers who break the law can never wear a badge again in California. This legislation will save lives.

“I am working on new legislation at this moment, S.B. 50, which would prohibit police from making traffic stops for low-level violations. This will reduce the potential for more harm to innocent members of the public.”

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Senator Bradford is Vice Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications and represents the Los Angeles County communities of Carson, Compton, Gardena, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lennox, San Pedro, Torrance, Watts, Willowbrook, and Wilmington.