On Thursday, November 2, 2023, ex-Memphis police officer, Desmond Mills Jr. pleaded guilty in the case of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was fatally injured by police officers on January 7, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Mills Jr. is one of five former  officers charged in connection with Nichols’ murder, and the first to plead guilty in the case.

In a statement released today, Dr. Deborah A. Jackson, Managing Director of the Center for Law, Equity and Race at Northeastern University School of Law said:

“The guilty plea by the ex-Memphis police officer, Desmond Mills Jr., to two federal charges, is the first real step towards justice for the family of Tyre Nichols, who needlessly lost his life due to brutal and horrific violence against him by persons who have an oath to ‘protect and serve.’

While it is important to acknowledge the swift decisions taken by the local and federal authorities in this instance to bring charges against the perpetrators of the violence against Tyre Nichols, we must not lose sight of the need for greater police reform and accountability as contemplated by the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.”

Established in November 2021 as a new Center of Excellence at the Northeastern University School of Law, the Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) was created to strengthen and expand the phenomenal work of the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project.

CLEAR supports CRRJ’s endeavors, and aims to expand its research and pedagogical agenda.