Fatal beating fuels calls for wide-ranging reforms

As Nyliayh Stewart marched along Interstate 55 alongside protesters last Friday night, the moment of sorrow and anger felt familiar.

Legal experts and civil rights advocates have said harrowing video footage show ing a group of Memphis police officers delivering blow after blow to Tyre Nichols underscores the need for broad reforms of policing in the US.

Experts said body-worn and surveillance footage was integral in revealing what unfolded – but are not a panacea.

“At the end of the day, that final video shows someone being beaten and abused like he’s in a pinball game. It’s like the ball is just being knocked from one end to the other,” said Randolph McLaughlin, professor at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law and co-chair of the Newman Ferrara civil rights practice.

“What’s most shocking about it all is the brutality and then at the end, the complete dehumanisation of this man,” McLaughlin said. “It’s as if they just went and played a baseball game and they talked about what happened afterward. There’s absolutely no excuse for this.”