On Jan. 7 five Memphis police officers beat 29 year old Tyre Nichols for three minutes. He died in the hospital three days later. Since the attack, there has been a public outcry across the country.
The New Paltz Village Board of Trustees released a statement condemning the events that transpired. “These inhuman acts should never happen. We are keenly aware that abuses of power such as these disproportionally affect our BIPOC brothers and sisters and we are committed to doing all we can for racial justice.”
The board invites residents to attend a “constructive space for shared response,” event this evening at 6 p.m. in the New Paltz United Methodist church, hosted by the Elting Memorial Library and the church. Attendees will hear a reading of Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.
The New Paltz police department states that officers go through anti-bias training and peer bystander intervention. The NPPD is “committed to doing the work to prevent this type of brutality from occurring in New Paltz,” says Chief Lecchesi.
This coming Wednesday at 7 p.m. the NPPD will hold a meeting at the police department to hear from the New Paltz community.
According to the Associated Press, the five officers were fired for their use of excessive force on Jan. 20 and on Jan. 27 the police officers were charged with second-degree murder and the kidnapping of Nichols.
The Village Board relayed Ulster County’s statement. “No human being should be subjected to mistreatment and misuse of force by police, who are sworn to protect and serve all communities equally.”
