MEMPHIS, TN — In a statement released Monday, the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) expressed outrage over the acquittal of police officers involved in the killing of Tyre Nichols, urging communities to resist what it calls a criminal justice system designed to preserve police power.
The APTP, a Black-led coalition dedicated to ending police violence, described the verdict as yet another tragic failure of justice—one that reflects a pattern all too familiar in communities of color.
Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was pulled over in 2023 during a traffic stop by Memphis police on suspicion of reckless driving. Nichols, claiming he had done nothing wrong, fled the scene and ran toward his mother’s house. He made it within 80 yards before officers caught up with him and, according to video evidence, brutally beat and pepper-sprayed him while he cried out for his mother. Nichols died three days later, sparking national outrage and renewed protests against police brutality, according to NBC News.
Prosecutors have described the incident as an example of what officers refer to as a “street tax” or “run tax”—slang for the practice of punishing fleeing suspects with excessive force, NBC Los Angeles reported.
All five officers involved were fired. Three of them were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. All were acquitted of all charges.
The APTP condemned the verdict, calling Nichols’ killing not only a devastating act of violence but a “public execution.” The coalition’s statement accused the criminal legal system of responding with “silence and permission for it to happen again.”
Cat Brooks, Executive Director of the APTP, stated, “The acquittal of these officers is not justice—it’s state-sanctioned violence. It tells Black communities loud and clear: the badge protects itself, even when it’s soaked in Black blood. And under a second Trump administration, don’t expect the DOJ to step in—he’s already pledged total immunity for police. We are on our own.”
Body camera footage captured Nichols crying out for his mother as he was violently beaten by five officers. Despite this evidence, a Tennessee jury ultimately chose to acquit three of them.
The verdict has reignited concerns about the tendency of jurors to give law enforcement the benefit of the doubt—assuming that officers act within legal bounds, even when presented with graphic evidence to the contrary. The APTP stressed in its statement that such assumptions contribute to a broader culture of impunity.
“These officers don’t walk free because they’re innocent—they walk free because our courts refuse to hold police accountable,” the APTP wrote. “The system protects itself.”
The coalition also noted that the acquitted officers were Black, arguing that this does not negate the systemic nature of the violence. “Anti-Blackness is systemic, not just interpersonal. A Black cop in a blue uniform is still a cog in a machine built on controlling and killing Black bodies,” the statement read.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson also responded to the verdict. As cited by NBC News, Johnson said, “Tyre and his family deserve true justice—not only in the courtroom, but in Congress, by passing police reform legislation once and for all… A badge should never—ever—be a shield to accountability.”
The APTP warned that this verdict comes at a particularly dangerous time, citing the climate under Donald Trump’s second presidency. The coalition argued that with Trump’s Department of Justice in place, accountability for police violence will vanish altogether.
“Trump has made it clear: he will offer police blanket immunity, no matter the brutality,” the APTP stated.
As of this writing, the Memphis Police Department has not issued a public statement regarding the acquittals. Prosecutors have also not provided further comment on why the jury was not persuaded by the evidence.
The APTP emphasized that systemic reform—or full abolition—is necessary. The statement argued that body cameras, improved police training, and even criminal charges have not succeeded in reducing the prevalence of police violence in the U.S.
As Tyre Nichols’ case reaches its legal conclusion, the APTP called for renewed resistance, insisting the fight for justice must continue.
“We organize. We build. We remember Tyre Nichols and every life stolen by police terror… Say his name: Tyre Nichols,” the statement concluded.
