Dear SSW Community,
I'm writing on behalf of all of us to acknowledge and decry the horrifying act of violence by five police officers In Memphis, TN that led to the brutal death of Tyre Nichols. Tyre Nichols was a 29 year old Black man, and the father of a 4 year old son; he was a person who took photographs to express himself. According to his family, when he was pulled over for a traffic stop, he was on his way home from taking pictures of the sky. He was violently beaten by the five police officers, and this eventually led to his death. Following the death of Tyre Nichols, the five officers were immediately fired and face several charges. The Chief of the Memphis Police, Cerelyn Davis, released a statement in which she discussed "the horrific circumstance" of Nichols' death, calling it a "professional failing" and indicating "the incident was heinous, reckless, and inhumane".
We recognize the immeasurable pain of Tyre's loss to his family and loved ones, and extend to them our deepest care, support, and commitment to work to make positive change. We see Tyre Nichols and acknowledge all that his life has been. We also recognize this incident as one in a long history of police brutality towards people of minoritized identities, particularly in Black and Brown communities. We acknowledge the traumatizing effect of seeing and hearing about the attack for members of our community, and we want to ensure that all members of our community are supported.
As a School of Social Welfare, our words matter, but there must also be more than words. It is our responsibility and ethical mandate to stand against violence and bias against groups of marginalized people, structural inequity, policies and laws that obliterate people’s right to be who they are and to have the same access to safety, freedom, rights, and choice as all others. As a School of Social Welfare it is our mission and imperative to stand firmly rooted in the values of our profession to ensure that we work tirelessly and collaboratively to engage in the kind of change making that unravels these structural inequities and productively addresses broken systems that lead to violence, harm, and in ways that disproportionately affect marginalized communities. We persist in working to forge and nurture the kind of collaborative relationships that serve as essential in enabling us to work to effect overhauls in training and policies, in an effort to contribute with purpose to systemic and systematic change.
I encourage us to come together and stand in unity, and provide the kinds of strength and support that comes from our sense of community and collectivism. As change agents we are better when we come together. I invite you all to take care of yourselves and each other, and in taking care to consider how we best use ourselves as a community to live the values of our profession and work toward defining and enacting a more just and more equitable society.
Please know that Stony Brook University has resources available to support you. They include:
- Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), which offers free and confidential services to students, including crisis intervention, counseling and consultation services, medication management, and assistance with referrals to community resources.
- The Center for Prevention and Outreach (CPO), which provides students and the campus community with prevention, early intervention, education, and outreach services around public health concerns, including mental health care.
- The Student Support Team, which is set up to connect students with appropriate resources on campus and assist you if you have any challenges or concerns. The team can be reached at (631) 632-7320 or student_supportteam@
stonybrook.edu. - The Employee Assistance Program (EAP), designed to enhance the overall well-being of faculty, staff, and the organization by providing safe, inclusive, and supportive spaces.
- Healthier U, which educates, encourages, and empowers employees to make healthy decisions and lifestyle choices, while enhancing Stony Brook University’s sense of community, and culture of health and wellness.
- Stony Brook Medicine employees can access a list of services available to them on the homepage of ThePulse. In addition to EAP and Healthier U, resources for those employees include spiritual and health care teams, support hotlines, daily mindfulness meditation sessions, and Resilience at The Brook offerings.
Thank you,
