Skip to main content

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 1/29/22

3 Up

1. Five Memphis Officers Charged - It's a bittersweet "Up", but one of necessity. The five officers who brutally beat Tyre Nichols to death in what has been determined as a traffic stop filled with procedural violations and a hellacious video of their beating to go with it being charged is a step in the necessary direction. 

2. City of Memphis - Kudos to the City of Memphis and their office for understanding the duty and responsibility of releasing the videos of the murder of Tyre Nichols. We've seen in various cases where these kinds of evidence are withheld - that office deserves credit. 

3. Royal Rumble Event - On a much lighter note in the "Up" section - and in the world - is the Royal Rumble event this weekend. So much fun. Check out my thoughts and reviews here

3 Down

1. Tyre Nichols Video - Just utter disbelief, and worthy of a shake my head. We need answers, justice, and of course, change. Some of my immediate thoughts on the video release this weekend. 

2. Gun Violence - 40 Mass Shootings this year. 40. There haven't even been 40 days in the new year. SMH. 

3. Jason Whitlock - I understand the recent trend of "hot takes" for attention we now live in - but man, Whitlock took such a bad take on the video of five police officers beating Tyre Nichols. So bad it deserves a "down" here. 

Cover Photo

Nikki Charles of the activist groups Harriet's Wildest Dreams and the D.C. Safety Squad block part of K Street in Washington D.C. to protest the police killing of Tyre Nichols.

Tyrone Turner/WAMU For NPR

Recently Read

Quick Ponder: Future Self

We always think,  what would we say  to our  younger self? However,  what would  our younger self say  if they met us, today?

Turning 40 - Grateful and Renewed

I became a forty-year-old individual yesterday.  The milestone is very significant for many and has its societal measures and benchmarks that carry some fear for those approaching its gates. Regardless of approach, turning 40 is filled with reflection, pondering (of course), and preparation for what should be a "new" stage of life. A life stage centered around "transitioning" into a stage seen as the "pre-senior" years.  Sure. Whatever.  I won't disagree that the new "4" digit that sits in front of your age feels encompassing even without understanding completely. Yet, as I stated last year when I turned 39 (going into my 40th year on this earth), I was ready for it. Ready for 40. Today, oddly enough, I am not filled with profound life lessons, ponderings, or reflections.  I sit here, punching the keys, filled with gratitude. I am 40, and I love it.   I carry my baggage of life and bear scars from it at 40. I am grateful for so many experien...

Knicks Trauma - Ugh Not Again

Well, that was a kick in the stomach.  Coming off a week where the word "catharsis" was used as the description for the euphoria and release of joy from two and a half decades of suffering, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers brought about another word - trauma.  Watching the Knicks collapse was the kind of moments that come with these deep runs and moments. NBA Playoff basketball will do that. Yet, this loss - this one - feels about as bad as the 2004 ALCS when the Yankees collapsed in the series to the Boston Red Sox.  That one carries some serious trauma. Luckily, the series isn't over.  Some other quick thoughts from this awful, awful night, New York Knicks Basketball.  - Not to conjure up hyperbole, or even contribute to "hot take" sports reaction culture - but this might have been the worst loss in Knicks franchise history. I cannot think of another in my lifetime, or historically.  - Tyrese Haliburton's "choke"...