Politicians and civil rights activists joined Tyre Nichols’ family and friends on Wednesday to pay their respects at his funeral as calls for police reform intensified following the death of the 29-year-old black father after being beaten by police in Memphis.
Welcoming the world at his church at the televised and online funeral, Dr. Jason Lawrence Turner of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church said, “We came with a heavy heart that can only be healed by the grace of God, full transparency and responsibility. comprehensive legal reform.
He said Mr. Nichols was “denied the dignity of his humanity, denied the right to see the sunset another day, hug his mother, hang out with friends, watch his child grow up.”
He added: “This family has endured an unsolicited, unjustified, unreasonable, unreasonable and enormous burden of grief for their loved one while fighting for justice.”
The eulogy was delivered by civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, who told mourners that too many families “know what it’s like to sit at a funeral like this” and paid tribute to relatives who attended Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, who were also killed at the hands of police. and whose death in 2020 sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.
Dr. About the five black officers charged with murder, Sharpton said: “Five black men who couldn’t possibly work for the police in the city where the doctor is. [Martin Luther] King died by beating his brother to death. There is nothing more insulting and insulting to those of us who fight for open doors than for you to walk through those doors and act like the people we had to fight against.
“You didn’t just come to the police station, people had to march and go to jail, and some died because of you, and how dare you pretend that the victim was nothing?”
He also spoke about “all the bullshit on social media” amid misinformation about the incident, adding, “The record speaks for itself. This guy was never asked for a driver’s license, they pulled him out of the car and started beating him. They started beating an unarmed man.”
US Vice President Kamala Harris led a delegation of officials on behalf of the White House after being invited by Mr. Nichols’ mother, Rowan Wells. She told the family: “You were extraordinary in your strength, courage and grace, and we mourn with you.
“We have a mother and a father mourning the life of a young man who should have been here today. They have a grandson who now has no father. This is a family that lost a son as a result of an act of violence on the part of the people who were assigned to protect them.
“This act of violence was not in the interest of public safety. Didn’t Tyre Nichols also have a right to safety? Nichols tires had to be safe.
She added: “As Vice President of the United States, we demand that Congress pass the George Floyd Police Justice Act. Joe Biden will sign it. We should not hesitate and will not refuse, it is non-negotiable.”
Dr Sharpton said: “Just like they marched, boycotted and went to jail before the Civil Rights Act, we will pay the same fees to get the George Floyd Police Justice Act. I don’t know how long it will last – they didn’t know how long when they boycotted in the 1950s.
“We will change this country because we refuse to live under the threat of police and robbers.”
Mr. Nichols, a FedEx employee who skateboarded and studied photography, died Jan. 10 after being hospitalized with injuries he sustained three days earlier when he was beaten by Memphis police and charged on his way home.
Last week, the Memphis Police Department fired five officers and prosecutors charged them with manslaughter, assault, kidnapping, misconduct and reprisals.
At the funeral, Nichols family attorney Ben Crump, who represented the families of countless African Americans killed by police officers, called for action, stating: “This is a plea for justice. It is a plea for Tyr Nichols’ son, Tyr Nichols’ brother, Nichols Tyr’s father, but above all, it is a plea for justice for the man Tyr Nichols.
“We don’t see the Memphis cop scorpion spreading an ounce of humanity during this hour and seven minutes of video. We have to wonder why they couldn’t see humanity in Tyre?”
“His legacy will be equal and it will be a blueprint for the future because we have to remember that when five black cops were committing crimes … fired them, arrested them in less than 20 days.” and sued.
“You can never tell us again that it will be six years, three years, a month. No – 20 days. We can count to 20, and if you kill one of us on video, say, Tyre Nichols’ legacy is that we’ll get equal justice quickly.
The calls for change coincided with a celebration of Mr. Nichols’ life as a tribute to two of his great passions, photography and skateboarding, and his mother planned to build an ice rink in his honor.
His sister, Keyana Dixon, told those present, “All I want is my little brother back. Even in death, he remained polite. He asked her to stop. And they didn’t, and my family will never be the same.”
Mr Nichols’ mother said: “Thyre was a wonderful man, and it is impossible to imagine that such a thing could happen to him. The only thing that keeps me going is that I sincerely believe that Tyr was sent here on a mission by God, and I think that his mission is now complete.
“We must have passed this bill from George Floyd. We must act because no other child should suffer like my son. If we don’t, the blood of the next child to die will be on their hands.”
His father, Rodney Wells, said: “We cannot continue to allow these people to abuse children. When we got the news, she was surrounded by lies and deceit trying to hide her. But what is done in the dark is always revealed, and daylight is justice for Tyre and justice for all the families who have lost loved ones due to police brutality.”
A police standoff video released by the city of Memphis on Friday shows police officers pepper spraying Mr. Nichols and punching, kicking and beating him while he yells at his mother. An officer was seen firing a Taser at Mr. Nichols as he tried to escape.
Mr. Crump called the incident a “police lynching”.
In addition to the five fired officers, two other officers involved in the incident have been relieved of their duties – effectively suspended – and an investigation has been carried out.
On Monday, the city’s fire department fired two paramedics and their local supervisor, and two Shelby County deputies were suspended.
Source: I News
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