OSU Community Members,
On Friday, officials in Memphis released a video of police officers viciously attacking Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop. Mr. Nichols was unarmed, and he died three days later from the significant injuries he suffered in the beating. The five officers involved were terminated and have been charged with second degree murder and other serious crimes.
Prior to the attack, Mr. Nichols was on his way to eat dinner with his mother during his evening work break, as he did most days he worked. He called her earlier in the evening to ask what she was making for dinner. The attack took place less than 100 yards from her house. In the days following his death, his family described Mr. Nichols as a “beautiful soul.” He was an aspiring photographer and an avid skateboarder. He was a son, brother, father and friend.
I am deeply saddened by the loss of Mr. Nichols’ life. I cannot imagine the pain and grief being experienced by his family, loved ones and friends.
Mr. Nichols should not have died this way. No one should die this way. Police brutality is unequivocally wrong. It is a breach of trust with those upon whom we depend to support our personal and community safety.
Mr. Nichols’ death once again challenges us – as a nation and as a university community – to consider what we must do to stop these deaths. Black Americans, and Black men particularly, continue to suffer the highest rates of death due to police violence in the United States. This trend has changed little in the last 30 years. These deaths are tied to long intergenerational histories of racial violence in this country.
The impact of these killings is significant. The constant risk of police violence is tied to a variety of significant stressors among Black community members. At OSU, events like the killing of Mr. Nichols persistently challenge the mental health and well-being of Black students and employees, who must both bear witness and provide support to fellow community members. This is an exhausting ordeal that continues year after year.
I ask all OSU community members to extend care, empathy and patience to each other as we once again weather a painful incident.
In 2019, following an incident of police violence toward an unarmed OSU Black student, the university made the important choice to create its own Corvallis campus law enforcement agency – one that reflects our community and university values. In a series of community dialogues held at the time on how to accomplish this task, many viewpoints were shared. Some community members shared a strong desire to abolish policing on campus, given unchanging trends. Others felt police services were necessary to provide safety and that reform was possible. These viewpoints cut across many social identities, locations and roles.
Taking stock of this input, the Corvallis campus Police Department was formed by the university in 2020 with a goal to provide safety, protect constitutional rights for all, and build and restore trust. OSU Assist also was formed to provide complementary crisis support for students on the Corvallis campus. Soon, a committee made up of OSU students, faculty and staff will be launched to provide an additional avenue for review of decisions made by the OSU Department of Public Safety and engage in opportunities to collaboratively shape public safety policies and procedures. More information about this committee will be shared soon.
Each of these efforts, and many others, are necessary to navigate a path forward.
I ask you to remain engaged by learning about racial injustice and, most importantly, by confronting racism in all domains of our shared work.
This Wednesday, journalist and scholar Jelani Cobb will visit OSU to provide the 41st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Keynote Address at 7 p.m. in the LaSells Stewart Center. His talk, “The Half-life of Freedom: Race and Justice in America Today,” will focus on what we must do to continue advancing a dream of racial equity in this country. The event is free and open to all, and I encourage you to register and attend.
If we truly desire change, we must work together to create it in our university and in our communities. We must each be willing to challenge the status quo, build bridges and heal divides. This work is complex and requires long-term commitment. It requires us to consistently learn, challenge our own biases and create opportunities for dialogue. We must remain diligent in our efforts to ensure access, success and belonging for all, particularly for those who face the headwinds of racism and other forms of oppression every day.
While I do not have all the solutions to these difficult challenges, I am deeply committed to this shared work. It is essential to our success as a university and as a community.
Sincerely,
Jayathi Y. Murthy
President