Tennessee legislature moves to reverse ordinances weakening police authority after Tyre Nichols' death
A Tennessee lawmaker is sponsoring legislation to reverse a series of ordinances that prevent officers from performing traffic stops in certain instances for minor offenses after the death of Tyre Nichols.
Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black FedEx worker, was involved in a confrontation with Memphis Police and died three days later, on Jan. 10, 2023. Nichols was pulled over by Memphis Police officers the evening of Jan. 7. The traffic stop rapidly escalated into a physical altercation that sparked a nationwide outcry and prompted reviews of law enforcement procedures following the city of Memphis' release of disturbing bodycam footage.
Tennessee Rep. John Gillespie is sponsoring legislation that would "nullfiy" the Tyre Nichols Driving Equality Act, per The Washington Post.
Gillespie explained his support for the bill, which passed in the House Thursday.
"My heart breaks for Tyre Nichols’ entire family," Gillespie wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. "They have lost a son, and they are in unimaginable pain. I have talked with them, and I hope to continue to keep an open dialogue. They were aware that this item would be on the calendar today. My No. 1 priority has always been to improve public safety and to make Memphis a safe city again. This legislation is about enforcing the state laws we already have on the books. No local government should be allowed to make any city less safe, nor should our law enforcement ever be put in the position of choosing which laws they should enforce."
A political opponent of Gillespie criticized the lawmaker for his sponsorship of the bill in a post on social media platform X on Thursday.
"John Gillespie's lack of integrity was on full display at our State Capital today," candidate for Tennessee state representative, Jesse Huseth, wrote. "Not only did he subvert the will of the people of Memphis, he did so with a glaring lack of honesty towards the grieving parents of a dead son. His actions are truly shameful, and I will work tirelessly to defeat him this November."
"We cannot allow any local government to embolden criminals by nullifying our state laws and demonizing law enforcement," Gillespie reportedly wrote in a statement.
The stepfather and mother of Tyre Nichols, Rodney and RowVaughn Wells, claimed that they were misled by Gillespie after he "invited them to join him in Nashville" so they could be present for the vote, the Post reported.
"He gave his word and he lied," RowVaughn Wells said. "He put up a smokescreen in order for us not to return to Nashville."
"He knew it would be harder for him to go ahead with the bill with our presence," Rodney said.
TYRE NICHOLS DEATH: LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Lawmakers in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Oregon are passing new laws and ordinances to crack down on drugs and rising crime as blue bastions reverse course on liberal policies. San Francisco voters passed a pair of law-and-order ballot measures on Tuesday night, including one that would require welfare recipients suspected of using drugs to undergo screenings to receive benefits.
Over on the East Coast, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., passed a sweeping anti-crime bill just days after business leaders in the nation’s capital wrote a letter to Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser and legislators warning about an "alarming increase in violent crime across our city."
Gov. Hochul announced that she would deploy National Guard soldiers and State Police officers to the city's subway system to help combat a rise in crime, per a New York Times article.
Fox News' Michael Dorgan, Andrew Mark Miller, Greg Norman, Stepheny Price and David Rutz contributed to this report.