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Mayor Miro Weinberger’s Statement on the Murder of Tyre Nichols

 

Burlington, VT – Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger made the following statement:

“Harder to watch than the physical assault on Tyre Nichols is seeing him calling for his mom while lying in the street just a few doors away from her home. It is so tragic, painful, and enraging that he did not make it to her.

We Burlingtonians and Vermonters are deeply shaken to see again a brutal killing of a young Black man at the hands of American police offers who are sworn to protect all of us. As we collectively reckon with the awful reality of this event, we offer our heartfelt support for Tyre, his mother RowVaughn, his young son, the rest of the Nichols family, and the greater Memphis community so that they may find peace and healing in this challenging and painful time. 

Tyre’s murder, following so many past tragedies, calls into question our country’s ability to change, to improve itself, and to finally live up to the promise of its founding principles. 

The timely and transparent actions of the Memphis Police Department leadership, prosecutors, and the City, to hold these disgraced officers accountable for their unthinkable actions shows that there has been real progress. Only a few short years ago, justice would have taken much longer to arrive, if it arrived at all.

These first steps in the process of delivering justice, and the outpouring of condemnation from leaders across the country should make clear to everyone that such egregious conduct has no place in American policing. As we reflect on these events and their shared impact on us all, we must continue our years of hard work to ensure that such a horrific event never happens in Burlington. “

On January 27, Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad made the following statement: 

"I have seen and am appalled by the videos showing police officers beating—and killing—Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee. I watched the videos with other police, all of them aghast. The videos showed what courts will likely confirm it to be: murder. It did not look like policing as I know it; it looked like criminality run amok. I condemn it. It sickened me.

In those videos there is nothing of the noble profession to which I and the people with whom I work have dedicated our professional lives. There is nothing of the obligation we have to our neighbors, to keep people safe. There is nothing of the good work that officers perform every day around the country, but particularly here in Burlington, with integrity and compassion. Instead what I saw was egregious and excessive and indefensible.

Five officers violated their oaths and their training and the law—and killed Tyre Nichols. An internal Memphis review determined the officers violated the department’s prohibition on excessive use of force, and failed in their duty to intervene and duty to render aid. Memphis Chief of Police Cerelyn Davis fired all five officers. She was right to do so. More officers are under review and from what I saw more discipline will certainly be forthcoming. Yesterday, the five who were fired were each charged with second-degree murder in a court of law. That is a warranted charge. Tyre Nichols’s bereaved family—and the Memphis community—deserve to see justice done.

During my nearly two decades of law enforcement, I have never seen anything as shocking and shameful as the brutality in the Memphis videos—nor do I ever want to see something as repugnant again. I pledge to continue working with the Mayor, city leadership, and the community, and to do everything I can, to ensure that such a crime never happens here."

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Press Release Date: 
01/28/2023
City Department: 
Mayor's Office