Tennessee House GOP blocks local police reform over Tyre Nichols' family objections

Tennessee House Republicans on Thursday passed legislation to block local governments from passing police reform on traffic stop policies over the objections of the family of Tyre Nichols, whose 2023 death after a fatal police beating sparked local Shelby County reforms.

As the bill headed to a vote on Thursday, Nichols' family said they felt misled by sponsor Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis, about when the House would give a final vote to the bill.

The conflict spilled to the House floor, as Democrats criticized Gillespie for bringing the bill to a vote after Nichols' family said he assured them it would be delayed a week.

Gillespie denied he did so, calling it a "miscommunication" after he called the family on Tuesday to explain his plans to add an amendment to the bill, narrowing its focus.

"I in no way said I was rolling this bill or doing anything other than adding an amendment," Gillespie said.

Related: TN House punts vote on bill limiting cities from enacting local police reforms. What that means

RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, Nichols' parents, traveled to Nashville to lobby on March 4 against the bill alongside Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis. The family met briefly with Gillespie in the public gallery, and Gillespie rolled his bill to March 7.

The couple planned to return to Nashville for the vote until they spoke to Gillespie again by phone, Rodney Wells said, and the representative told the family it would be rolled to a March 14 vote, which Gillespie denies.

“I feel like our family was duped,” Rodney Wells said. “With us in the House, it would have been more difficult for them to pass, or even present it. He wanted to make sure that we wouldn’t be anywhere near it.”

Democrats attempted to roll the bill another week, which Republicans voted against. Two attempts to either delay the bill or send it back to committee failed. Gillespie also declined to roll it another week.

"My heart goes out to that family," Gillespie said. "I have had multiple conversations with that family. I don't set the calendar here."

Rodney Wells said Gillespie told the family he planned to amend the bill so it would not impact the "pretextual" stop ordinance passed by the Memphis City Council last year. The policy directed police to not make traffic stops solely for low-level offenses like improperly placed license plates or a single broken brake light.

More: Report: Few felony arrests come from traffic stops in Memphis despite increased citations

Research done by a local advocacy group found that pretextual stops in Memphis and Shelby County, despite happening more frequently after Nichols' death, resulted in few felony arrests.

Wells said Gillespie set up a meeting with him and his wife for Monday, because Gillespie is out of town over the weekend. Gillespie, meanwhile, said he offered to meet with the couple this week but they asked for the Monday meeting.

“We were supposed to have a personal conversation before a vote or he even presented it," Wells said.

Though the bill was amended on Thursday, it appears to still take direct aim at local reforms of police traffic stop policy, the foundation of Memphis' local ordinance.

Democrats said they were shocked by the move Thursday on the House floor. Rep. Torrey Harris, D-Memphis, asked Gillespie about calling the Wells family and asked whether he'd worked with Nichols' parents on the bill.

"I don't understand what this has to do with the bill," Gillespie said in response to the line of questioning. "It's my understanding the people you are referring to are not the local body, they're not members of the General Assembly."

Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, accused of Gillespie of lying to the family. Gillespie shook his head as Pearson spoke, though he did not directly respond to Pearson's comments. A Republican member attempted to call Pearson out of order for "impugning" Gillespie, though the attempt did not go to a vote.

"I feel horrible that they feel misled, but I told them this bill was on the calendar today and my intention was adding an amendment, if I was allowed," Gillespie said after the vote.

Gillespie argued Thursday his legislation would make Memphis safer, and he has members of the community who are "begging, begging, begging" for "safer streets."

"It makes me sad to say this, but Memphis has more crime than anywhere else in the state of Tennessee." Gillespie said.

Following the vote, the Shelby County delegation, of which Gillespie is chair, called an emergency delegation meeting, which was closed to the media.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN House GOP block local police reform over Nichols' family objections