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Firebrand Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters dismissed Sen. Kyrsten Sinema as “that woman from Arizona” and criticized some congressional Democrats for not caring about police reform after the death of Tire Nichols.
Waters criticized the former Democrat-turned-independent, as well as moderate and often swing-voting Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, for not “giving a damn” about police reform legislation.
Recalling his political career fighting for police reform, dating back to the beating of Rodney King in the late ’90s, he told MSNBC’s Symone Sanders: ‘We keep fighting, we keep begging, we keep doing everything we can.
Waters added that federal efforts to reform the police continue to fail because “we don’t have enough members who care enough about this issue.” The lawmaker spoke as a third night of protests erupted across the United States.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters says Sens. Sinema and Machin “don’t give a fuck” about police reform after the brutal beating and death of Tire Nichols
“When you look at even two Democrats, Manchin, of course, and, of course, that woman from Arizona, they don’t give a damn about this issue. They would rather have the power to determine what happens in the Senate using their two votes for themselves than anything else,” she said.
Viewers could see Sanders utter the words “Kyrsten Sinema” as Waters dismissively referred to her without a name, but her microphone appeared to be cut off.
Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of former Minneapolis police officers in 2020, Senator Sinema was one of many congressional opponents of the ‘defund the police’ movement that quickly gained traction.
A spokesman for the senator at the time told the Arizona Mirror: “Kyrsten is focused on getting things done and is working with colleagues from both parties on proposals that include increasing the use of social workers and intervention strategies that keep families of Arizona”.
In June 2020, Manchin was among several Democrats who voted to open debate on the focused police reform bill introduced by Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
In a statement following the death of Tire Nichols, Manchin released a statement that read in part: “This cannot be the America we fought for, and we must come together to address it in a meaningful way.”
The five Memphis police officers, who are all black, were seen on body camera footage using pepper spray and a stun gun on Nichols and punching and kicking him repeatedly as he yelled for his mother.
Nichols ultimately died at the hospital from the injuries he sustained during the beating. The five police officers, who were fired from the department last week, have been charged with second-degree murder and a handful of other crimes in connection with the incident.
In the aftermath of the incident, President Biden called on the legislature to pass a police reform bill.
He expressed anger at what he saw on footage of Nichols’ interaction with the five officers.
“It is yet another painful reminder of the deep fear and trauma, the pain and exhaustion that black and brown Americans experience every day,” he said in a statement.
Senators Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Macnhin and Jeanne Shaheen during a press conference on the infrastructure package negotiations
Tire Nichols holds and entertains a child with a cartoon on his phone
Tire Nichols, 29, was beaten by five Memphis, Tennessee, police officers on January 7 and died days later in the hospital. Unpublished images of his murder sparked protests. Earlier this month, Memphis police said they had charged the five officers involved with murder.
Protesters block traffic as they demonstrate against the fatal police assault on Tire Nichols, in Venice, California on January 29, 2023.
People gather to demand police reforms following the murder of Tire Nichols in front of the Memphis Police Department’s Ridgeway Station, Sunday, January 29, 2023.
Protests have erupted across the US for the third night after brutal footage of Nichols’ death was released by Memphis police.
Cities across the US saw new demonstrations on Sunday. In Memphis, protesters chant: ‘Whose streets? Our streets! he angrily whistled at a police car that was monitoring the march, with several making obscene gestures.
Hundreds of people gathered in New York City’s Washington Square Park before marching through Manhattan as columns of police officers walked past them.
In Los Angeles, a small group of Antifa were seen vandalizing businesses in what was the second night of riots following the release of Nichols’ police video.
Protesters in downtown Atlanta repeated Nichols’ name and demanded justice. About 40 people gathered in front of Philadelphia City Hall to protest the murder.