Just a few weeks ago, 31-year-old Keenan Anderson died after being repeatedly tased by Los Angeles Police. He was a beloved teacher at D.C.'s Digital Pioneers Academy, and was visiting family in California when the deadly encounter with officers took place.
LAPD has said Anderson went into cardiac arrest and died at the hospital a little over four hours after he was tased. A use of force investigation is still underway.
But when LAPD recently released body camera footage in the case, it was difficult for students at staff at Digital Pioneers Academy to watch. And now, the founder of that D.C. Charter school worries that the Memphis Police video related to the death of Tyre Nichols will be re-traumatizing for her still-grieving school community.
"How do we brace our families, our scholars, our community, for what seems like another senseless tragedy, another senseless loss of life, of another Black man at the hands of the police. How do we brace for that?," Mashea Ashton, Digital Pioneers Academy founder and CEO, told 7News.
She also acknowledged, there are no easy answers to that question.
7News spoke to Ashton on Friday, several hours before the expected release of body camera footage and other video from police in Memphis. One detail in the Memphis case that struck Ashton: attorneys for the Nichols' family who have already seen the video described it as reminiscent of the 1991 police beating of Rodney King.
"I was a senior in high school when Rodney King -- I remember sitting in class in high school," Ashton recalled. "I remember sitting there and on the tv, there were the videos. And I remember the rage, the anger, and quite honestly I remember the adults not being prepared to have a conversation, and so they shut it down. And that's where I think things to continued to bubble."
Ashton says that's exactly what she doesn't want to happen right now.
"So what I hope, and what we are going to do here, is not shut down the conversation," she said. "We will have conversations about the brutal facts. We will allow our kids and our adults to express the deep emotions that the videos may bring, and then we'll talk about how we grieve and heal and how we move forward. We have to do that."
She says they are still pushing for answers from LAPD about Anderson's death, and working to support his family in that process.
"We're definitely still angry and mad and asking a lot of questions," Ashton said.
On January 26, one day before the release of the Memphis police video, it was announced the five former officers involved in the Nichols case have been charged with murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. They had previously been fired on January 20.
"There does have to be greater accountability, because we can't keep going through this. This can't be normal," Ashton said. "We have to say something has to change. How do we change the practices around de-escalation? How do we make sure we are training people to deal with these situations? Something just has to change. Enough is enough."
7News asked Ashton whether she would watch the video released Friday night in the Memphis case.
"I will," she said, adding that she feels she has to watch it as a leader, so that she can help her students and staff in the coming days and weeks. "I am a human and I have emotions, and as a leader here, I want to be able to tell my community how I feel about it."
The Memphis police video was released in four parts on Friday. It is graphic, and disturbing to watch.
"I know a lot of people may want to fight and respond in their own way. They may march, they may protest. And I hope it's peaceful, because that's what the parents of Tyre Nichols have asked for," Ashton said, referring to the Nichols' call for peaceful protests amid concerns of violence after the Memphis video is released. "I'm praying for peace."