Evangelicals & The Tyre Nichols Outrage Debate: Justice, Activism, and Selective Outrage

The Tyre Nichols Outrage Debate and the Question of Selective Activism

Special thanks to Social Influencer Jeffrey Meade for bringing this appalling situation to public attention. Without him, I never would have been made aware of the tragic death of a Negro youth literally feet away from his home.

I think it is important to acknowledge that Tyre Nichols shares some culpability in his death. He is caught on camera not complying with the officer's instructions. During a heated encounter with the police is NOT the time to go tit for tat, as if you are on equal footing with the officers.

Thus, two things can be true at the same time: the police officers acted inhumanely towards another human being, and Tyre Nichols displayed foolish and ultimately deadly behavior, all for a traffic stop, mind you.

In January 2023, Tyre Nichols died following a violent traffic stop involving five officers from the Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION unit.

Body-camera and surveillance video released weeks later showed Nichols being struck repeatedly while restrained. The images, a total of ten, are sickening, repulsive, and difficult to digest. We have sunk so low as a people that one class can display such a wanton disregard for the lives of another. Made all the more appalling because the deplorable acts were committed by those who pledged to serve and protect.

I would submit that the footage never sparked nationwide outrage and renewed debate over policing in America that is truly deserved. I would further submit that it did not capture the nation's attention because the media did not bring the matter before the public the same way they would if Nichols had been killed by a Caucasian police officer.

The media covered George Floyd ubiquitously, and American cities were burned to the ground. Yet, here, almost not a mumbling word from the Press.

Image of Tyre Nichols

The Memphis Police Department later disbanded the SCORPION unit following the incident.

The Charges

Five officers were charged with multiple crimes, including:

• Second-degree murder

• Aggravated assault

• Official misconduct

• Official oppression

Two officers — Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin III — eventually pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the others.

The Verdict

In May 2025, a Tennessee jury acquitted three officers of second-degree murder and the remaining state charges. How this is possible escapes my ability to comprehend. Even not being privy to all of the testimony, the video evidence shows police officers kicking and punching Nichols, all the while he is handcuffed, clearly posing no threat to officer safety.

The verdict shocked many observers who believed the video evidence guaranteed convictions.

However, criminal law requires prosecutors to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt — one of the highest legal standards in the justice system.

Why Police Cases Are Difficult to Prosecute

Cases involving police officers often hinge on use-of-force standards, which are different from normal assault cases.

Courts typically evaluate police actions based on what the Supreme Court called “objective reasonableness.”

This standard asks:

What would a reasonable officer believe in that moment?

Not what appears obvious after the fact.

This legal standard often makes convictions difficult, even in controversial cases.

The Cultural Reaction

The case failed to produce strong reactions across the country from the Cultural Elites as it would if the police officer were not Negroes. This is a clear example of hypocrisy on steroids from the Al Sharptons and Ben Crumps of the Negro Intelligentsia. No press conferences from Black Lives Matter, no public statement from Hakeem Jeffries or Barack Obama. Where was Ben Crump, who is all too happy to appear before the cameras whenever the victim is Negro and the offender is Caucasian?

Some chose to argue the case reflected individual misconduct rather than institutional racism, particularly since both the officers and Nichols were African American.

The debate never expanded beyond Memphis, failing to become a national conversation about policing, justice, and accountability. I wonder why Abby Phillip, as just one example amongst many, never chose to address the incident. Why did not Whoopi Goldberg and her Liberal crew not devote one segment to this deplorable conduct of Black-on-Black crime?

The Tyre Nichols case became a flashpoint in the broader American debate over police violence, accountability, and selective public outrage.

What Evangelicals Must Always Remember

We will not witness perfect justice in this world. Perfect justice awaits the eschaton when Jesus Christ returns and executes it during His reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords in the Millennial Kingdom. Thankfully, the five officers were eventually found guilty in the Federal Court. My main area of concern is why we find ourselves in this sordid place in the first place. We do so because we do not value life on the fringes. I include a series of quotes I used in my YouTube video on this topic:

“If we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?” Mother Teresa, during the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast

“A society that denies the unborn the right to life will not long respect the life of the aged, the disabled, or the unwanted.” Richard John Neuhaus, Catholic theologian

“We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life—the unborn—without diminishing the value of all human life.” President Ronald Regan essay:“Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation.”

“When the sacredness of human life is gone, the whole structure of society is altered.”

Francis Schaeffer: Whatever Happened to the Human Race?:

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As always, keep your hands to the plow and seek to serve for an Audience of One.

With fear & trembling,

Ricky V Kyles Sr. DEd.Min.