Tennessee state Sen. Charlene Oliver (D) called on citizens in her Nashville-based district to “fight like hell” after the state's general assembly passed a pro-police bill. The bill, which now heads to the governor's desk, would prevent cities like Memphis from prohibiting police officers from initiating certain traffic stops.
State Sen. Brent Taylor (R) introduced the bill after the Memphis City Council voted to prohibit officers from pulling over vehicles with expired tags, one inoperable light or loose bumpers.
The Memphis City Council passed the legislation after the Memphis Police Department released videos showing the beating of Tyre Nichols by then-officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith following Nichols' arrest for an alleged traffic infraction and fleeing the scene.
Paramedics rendered aid 20 minutes later. Nichols died after three days in the hospital.
The officers belonged to the elite SCORPION unit, a zero-tolerance crime suppression unit, which the police department has since disbanded.
The Daily Wire has more on Oliver's call for civil strife:
“It is a slap in the face and you might as well stomp on the grave of Tyre Nichols,” Oliver said after the state Senate passed Taylor's bill by a vote of 26-6. “Yes, we are emotionally charged. Why? Because it's personal for us. Taylor made this personal the minute he introduced this legislation to target one family and one life that was lost.”
“So yeah, we gonna fight,” Oliver added. “Dr. King said that riots are the language of the unheard. You ain't seen nothing yet. If you keep silencing us like this, what do you think our district is going to do? We have had it up here. Gloves are off. Like, we gonna fight like hell. You don't expect us to respond when you gaslight us every single day with these bills?”
“It is rooted in racism,” she continued. “This is a Jim Crow bill that [Sen. Brent] Taylor brought and all his Confederates voted for it.”
The five Memphis police officers who got into the confrontation with Nichols were charged in his death. Footage from a camera mounted on a nearby pole area showed officers kicking and beating Nichols while he was on the ground. Last November, one of the five officers pleaded guilty to excessive force and obstruction of justice in exchange for prosecutors recommending a 15-year prison sentence.
Sen. Taylor replied to Oliver's objections on social media by posting the following response: “Despite your overwhelming support for my bill that prohibits local governments from banning legal routine traffic stops, leftist opposition has been insane and totally out of touch with reality and our community's demands.”
“I have been hearing from people in Democrat districts who have thanked me for passing this important legislation,” the GOP lawmaker continued. “These community members are tired of crime and bad policies that don't allow police to do their jobs.”
Gov. Bill Lee (R) has 10 days to sign the bill into law or veto the legislation.
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