Scarborough Goes On Insane 'White Privilege' Rant That Ignores The Facts
When it comes to the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, Joe Scarborough recently showed his true colors on Morning Joe. During a discussion on the tragedy, Scarborough proclaimed, "No police officer would have done this to me when I was 29-years-old, a middle class white guy. Nobody--they wouldn't have dared. Because they knew that if they did, if they beat the hell out of a 29-year-old, middle class white guy, that hell would rain down from above."
It's no surprise that Scarborough failed to mention the inconvenient truth: five Memphis police officers did beat a 29-year-old black man, and hell promptly rained down on them. All five officers were fired and subsequently charged with murder. Al Sharpton even agreed with Scarborough, adding, "I don't believe [police] would have done this to a white young man in Memphis, Tennessee."
The problem is, Scarborough's virtue-signaling simply doesn't match reality. Not only did the officers involved in the incident include black and white men, but four of them had previously received disciplinary action, including a written reprimand.
Tyre Nichols' death was not racially motivated, and the officers' past disciplinary action further demonstrates that. Scarborough's "holier than thou" attitude is misguided, to say the least. He seems to forget that these officers were actually punished for their actions, which is more than can be said for many other police brutality incidents.
Four of the five former Memphis officers indicted for murder, aggravated assault and other charges in connection to the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols were previously suspended or received written reprimands during their tenure at the police department, according to reports.
Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr., Justin Smith, and Emmitt Martin III all received prior disciplinary action for incidents including failure to report when they used physicality, failing to report alleged domestic violence or for damages to their squad cars, according to internal records obtained by The Commercial Appeal through a public records request.
Tadarrius Bean, also terminated and subsequently charged over Nichols’ death, was the only one without any prior internal department disciplinary record, according to the newspaper.
Haley received a written reprimand in November 2021 for failing to file a response to resistance form, which is required when "any part of the officer's body" is used "to compel compliance" per department policy and procedures.