Vibrant’s Statement on the Release of the Traumatic Tyre Nichols Footage
Following the release this weekend of the video footage of the horrific and tragic killing of Tyre Nichols by the Memphis Police Department in Tennessee, Vibrant Emotional Health (Vibrant) acknowledges the compounding trauma of seeing and hearing police murders of Black people unfold over and over.
The appalling and senseless incident on January 7, 2023 continues to be in the media, in our conversations, and on our minds. In addition to the primary trauma and grief over Tyre’s murder, Black people in America and globally are repeatedly traumatized by the persisting stories of police violence coupled with zero systemic change.
Vibrant stands in solidarity with millions of Americans in calls for justice for not only Tyre Nichols, but for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and countless other Black individuals and other people of color who have been the victims of police brutality, violence, and systemic racism.
As a national mental health nonprofit, Vibrant works every day to support people in emotional distress on their path to healing, including healing from racial trauma and mass violence.
Coping mechanisms for managing trauma and grief–including what may follow police brutality and racial injustice–range from feeling desensitized and numb, to feeling helpless, to feeling fearful, to feeling outrage and in need of justice.
We encourage anyone experiencing emotional distress to reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988 Lifeline), or the Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH). The 988 Lifeline provides free emotional support to people in emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States. It is available by calling or texting 988 or through online chat (https://988lifeline.org/chat). The DDH is the nation’s only hotline dedicated to year-round crisis counseling following natural and human-caused disasters.. It is also available for free and 24/7 support across the United States and territories. Anyone experiencing distress or other disaster-related mental health concerns can call or text 1-800-985-5990 to connect with a trained DDH counselor.
Instances of unprovoked violence should not be as common as they have been. Events involving police brutality can lead, and have led, to profound fear and harm across the country. This is particularly true for Black Americans and communities of color, who live with the additional daily trauma of viewing the violences enacted on their friends, families, and community members by systemic racism. Vibrant encourages people across the country to check in on and support loved ones as they process emotions following this tragedy.
Comments are closed here.