Proximity To Whiteness, Commonalities Of Tarrio and Five Ex-Cops

Enrique Tarrio and the five ex-Memphis cops personify the meaning “Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes.” Both parties share a list of commonalities.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Here’s some food for thought, What do a far right-wing militia leader and five ex-Memphis police officers share in common? And there is more than one commonality between these two individual parties.

One — They’re Either Being Slapped With A Prison Sentence Or Will Be In The Near Future

The former is Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the “former” leader of the far right-wing militia known as the Proud Boys. In his role in the Capitol Insurrection on January 6, 2021, Tarrio was slapped with a prison sentence of 22 years for seditious conspiracy. Despite Tarrio not being in D.C. during the insurrection (he was in Baltimore after a recent court ruling barred him from entering D.C.), it didn’t stop him from coordinating the Proud Boys’ efforts at the U.S. Capitol.

On January 5th, 2021, Tarrio was released from jail after being arrested on destruction of property and two felony weapons charges. Tarrio admitted to being behind the vandalization of four Black churches. He admitted to being responsible for tearing down a Black Lives Matter sign that belonged to the Ashbury United Methodist Church, tearing it up, and burning it.

The latter comprises five ex-Memphis police officers who were just slapped with a Federal indictment on charges in relation to the brutal death of Tyre Nichols. The five ex-officers (Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Halley, Emmett Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith) are under federal indictment on excessive force, deliberate indifference, and witness tampering charges.

They also have a laundry list of state charges to deal with, too. The now disbanded SCORPION Unit, of which the five officers were members, was said to have beaten 23-year-old Monterrious Harris a couple of days before the brutal death of Nichols.

Two — Tarrio and the 5 Ex-Cops are Black

Enrique Tarrio is a biracial American citizen of Afro-Cuban heritage who is the son of Cuban immigrants. There was an MSNBC segment posted online a few days ago that gave a glimpse of Tarrio’s mindset. One of the special guests for the segment was Paola Ramos, a regular MSNBC contributor, who met and interviewed Tarrio for her book Finding Latinx.

According to Ramos, Tarrio was a person who didn’t know where he belonged until he felt “powerful” after being praised by right-wing pundits. She also added that white supremacy brainwashes people into believing they are invincible. This can also extend to members of Black and other POC communities who are in “proximity to whiteness.”

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The five ex-cops who are slapped with Federal and state charges are all black, too. There’s not much that needs to be explained but it’s an example of how police brutality is stepped in white supremacy. In the case of the five ex-cops, they believed that their “proximity to whiteness” would have protected them against justice.

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Three — They Have Received Or Will Receive (Well-Deserved) Harsh Sentences Compared To Their White Counterparts

As mentioned, Tarrio received a 22-year sentence (though prosecutors aimed for a 33-year sentence), which is currently the longest sentence any January 6 defendant has received. Other known figures of the Proud Boys received sentences under 20 years. I staunchly believe that Tarrio should have gotten the 33-year sentence but a 22-year sentence will suffice.

His white counterparts should have gotten equally harsh sentences. I do believe that skin color played a factor in the judicial sentencing.

In the case of Tyre Nichols, the five cops were quickly charged and booted from the force. Justice was served, but it’s a given that things would be dragged out if any of the cops were white. If any of those cops were white, they would have been put on (paid) administrative leave pending a special hearing. It actually was the case, too, with Preston Hemphill.

[embed]The Concept Of “BBA” Is (Mostly) Bulls — t, Tyre Nichols Ed. Justice has been served in the death of Tyre Nichols, but nuances must be addressed. Having a “Black Belt Attitude”…canhoangtran.medium.com

Hemphill, who is white, was the sixth officer on the scene. He was the one who used the taser on Nichols at the traffic stop. It is reported Hemphill drew his gun on Nichols as he approached the car during the traffic stop and (with two other officers) used unnecessary force on him as well. While Hemphill got fired from the force and got his certification suspended, he’s NOT getting slapped with charges.

Shelby County has chosen to NOT pursue criminal charges against Hemphill.

Moral Lesson #1 — Proximity To Whiteness Will NOT Protect You

The January 6th Capitol Insurrection and the death of Tyre Nichols (which is part of the epidemic of police brutality that is STEEPED IN WHITE SUPREMACY) have proven that non-whites do not enjoy the privileges of white supremacy regardless of how close in proximity they are in it.

Tarrio received a harsher sentence than his white counterparts.

The five ex-cops are slapped with state and federal charges and will likely serve harsh prison sentences. Hemphill, who tased Nichols, only received a departmental charge and isn’t likely to serve prison time.

Moral Lesson #2 — Trying To Be In Proximity To Whiteness Leaves You COLD & ALONE

Does anybody remember the sisters who go by Diamond and Silk, two black women who openly supported former POTUS Donald J. Trump? I had almost forgotten about them after the death of Diamond, who was born Ineitha Lynette Hardaway, on January 8th, 2023. The rest of the world apparently forgot about them, too, after Diamond’s death.

The Black community certainly did NOT mourn Diamond’s death.

The many right-wing pundits, especially Trump, did NOT mourn Diamond’s death. There wasn’t any word from Candace Owens, another right-wing pundit who’s also Black, mourning Diamond’s death, either.

Outside of the MAGA crowd, you don’t see many right-wing pundits (especially the white peeps) getting pissed off about Tarrio’s sentencing. He’s definitely NOT getting love from the Black and Latinx communities.

In the case of the five ex-cops, you don’t see the police unions up in arms about the charges they’re currently facing. They’re definitely NOT getting any love from the Black community, either.

They f — ked around and found out, and now they’re cold and alone.