KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As a person who's seen horrific examples of police brutality, the video of Tyre Nichols' murder stands out to National Police Accountability Project Executive Director Lauren Bonds.
The central mission of NPAP is to promote the accountability of law enforcement officers and their employers for violations of the Constitution and the laws of the United States, according to a statement on the organization's website.
Bonds is not buying the narrative this is truly unique behavior at the Memphis Police Department because of how many people were involved and how the officers reacted to each other.
“I think that there’s really been an effort on the part of the Memphis Police Department to kind of say, ‘You know these were five officers who just acted abominably. It was very inconsistent with our training," Bond said.
"But you know you saw five officers who were just all you know very much feeling empowered to do that. Very much encouraging each other," she said.
Bonds also discussed the systemic issues this highlights at police departments across the country.
She says it's something no community escapes, not even Kansas City.
“This is a really extreme example of police brutality and misconduct, but it’s definitely not unique," Bond said. "Definitely not something that we’re free from in Kansas City."
"I think the problem is policing," she said. "It’s not you know, this has never been about any individual officer, it’s not about these five officers.”
Bonds said Nichols is one of 79 people killed by police this year.
