Singer Macy Gray calls for culture change in US police departments
The Grammy winner tells Fox News Digital that currently policemen "have bosses that are guiding them in a horrible direction" and change needs to come from the top down.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Grammy-winning artist Macy Gray blasted the White House and Congress for not taking action to change the culture of law enforcement, while making some of her own suggestions on how to do it.
The "I Try" singer, who has previously spoken out about the state of U.S. policing, explained why she covers the 1992 Ice-T and Body Count single "Cop Killer" on her latest album with the California Jet Club.
"It's devastating that it's still relevant today," Gray told Fox News Digital on Tuesday following a concert at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. "That you still have to have that conversation but… I just think it's a waste because… We have a president, all he needs to do is pass some laws. He can say, ‘I’m waiting on Congress,' but we all know that's bulls---. He can make it happen. Congress can make it happen."
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Macy Gray performs at Mighty Hoopla at Brockwell Park on June 04, 2022, in London, England. (Photo by Lorne Thomson/Redferns) ((Photo by Lorne Thomson/Redferns))
Gray blasted what she called a "horrible" police department culture and suggested some changes that need to come from higher ups.
"I think people go to work and do what they're told," she continued. "I have people work for me and 99 percent of the time they do what I ask them to do. So I think those policemen have bosses that are guiding them in a horrible direction."
Gray said police-involved killings are devastating for both the victims and officers, such as in the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown at the hands of officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.
"Because when you think about it, those are kids," Gray said. "The guy that killed Michael Brown… they're kids… So not only is his life ruined, but their lives are ruined. Because that's too young to have to live with that. I think it's really neglectful on the part of our government. I think police, I think they have chiefs and sergeants. I think they have the power to change things, and they don't."
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Singer Macy Gray performs the national anthem during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game as part of 2022 NBA All Star Weekend on February 20, 2022, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE)
"Everybody's doing all this police reform and Defund the Police, but it's really as simple as the powers that be, changing the laws and making the rules," she added. "If you go to work, and I say, ‘You cannot beat the s--- out of somebody, and if you do, you're going to lose your benefits, you're going to lose your job, you're going to go to jail,' they wouldn't do it."
Police-involved deaths in recent years have sparked national protests and conversations about the culture of law enforcement, most recently the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, in Memphis. Nichols was stopped on Jan. 7 at a traffic stop that sent him to a local hospital, where he died days later. In body camera video released by Memphis officials, officers are seen repeatedly punching, kicking and striking a defenseless Nichols.
Five former Memphis police officers were fired after the incident and are being charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, as well as other charges. Eight additional police officers could be disciplined in an internal police department investigation, officials revealed.
Nichols' parents were in attendance at Tuesday's State of the Union, where Biden urged Congress to help him "finish the job" of police reform. He added that police need more training and accountability.
"I know most cops and their families are good, decent, honorable people, the vast majority," Biden said. "And they risk their lives every time they put that shield on. But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better, give law enforcement the real training they need, hold them to higher standards, help them to succeed in keeping us safe."
"We also need more first responders and professionals to address the growing mental health, substance abuse challenges; more resources to reduce violent crime and gun crime; more community intervention programs; more investments in housing, education and job training," he continued. "All this can help prevent violence in the first place. And when police officers or police departments violate the public’s trust, they must be held accountable."
Grammy-winning singer Macy Gray talks to Fox News Digital about police culture. (Fox News Digital)
Biden noted that he signed an executive order for all federal officers, banning chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and other key elements of the George Floyd Act.
"Let’s commit ourselves to make the words of Tyre’s mom true: Something good must come from this. Something good," he said.
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Gray co-founded an organization called My Good in July 2020 to help provide emotional and financial assistance to families who have lost loved ones due to police violence. The organization helps with logistical costs, including hospital, funeral and legal expense, and prioritizes mental health.
"It’s impossible to ignore the fact that there are thousands of families in our country who are grieving from unaccountable deaths due to police brutality," Gray said in a statement at the time. "We are here to identify those families and help them with grief counseling, legal and financial assistance. I’ve spoken with a list of mothers who have lost their children in this unthinkable manner, and they need help. Everyone grieves in different ways, but the common thread is their question of how do they continue on—they need support and this is what we’re here to do."
Fox News Digital's Kelsey Koberg contributed to this report.