A measure that would roll back police reform in Memphis after the death of Tyre Nichols has passed the Tennessee House. The 68-24 vote came as a surprise to several Memphis lawmakers and Nichols’ family.
After police fatally beat Nichols at a traffic stop last year, the city of Memphis passed several ordinances changing how police interact with drivers — barring unmarked cars from being used in traffic stops and stopping officers from pulling over a driver for a minor violation, like the one that lead to Nichols’ death.
If HB1931 becomes law, it would prevent local governments from passing anything that would interfere with stopping crime.
“When they stopped our son Tyre, they came up with all these different excuses as to why they stopped him, but as we all know, none of those excuses panned out,” RowVaughn Wells told reporters earlier this week, when she and her husband, Rodney Wells, traveled to the Tennessee Capitol to speak against the measure.
“Too many parents going through what we’re going through unnecessarily,” Rodney Wells said.
The Wells family visited the capitol on Tuesday when the measure was originally set to be heard on the House floor. The Wells met with the bill’s sponsor, Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis.
When House took up the bill Thursday, Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, said that Gillespie had lied to the Wells family during that meeting.
“You saw the Wells family, spoke with them briefly, told them this bill wouldn’t come up until probably next Thursday,” Pearson said, addressing Gillespie on the House floor. The Wells family then returned home to Memphis. “You are here before us today on a bill that should be going back to committee, having lied to them.”
Gillespie denied Pearson’s claims.
“I, in no way, said I was rolling this bill,” Gillespie said.
Rep. Joe Towns, D-Memphis, asked Gillespie to consider rolling the bill to next week, when the Wells family might be able to attend the House session.
“Just with the complexity of the calendar and how many times this bill has already been rolled, I’m uncomfortable in doing that,” Gillespie said.
Two votes to delay the bill or send it back to committee failed. It now requires approval from the Senate and the governor’s signature to become law.
In a statement shared with WPLN News, the Wells family turned their attention to the Senate version of the bill.
“The Memphis ordinances, which we view as part of Tyre’s legacy, were crafted with the goal of preventing future tragedies and fostering trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” they said. “SB2572 not only undermines these efforts, but also disregards the collective voice of the people who tirelessly advocated for change.”
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