He was 29, loved photography, skateboarding and sunsets. The funeral of African American Tire Nichols, whose fatal beatings by black police officers shocked the United States, was held Wednesday in the city of Memphis, attended by Vice President Kamala Harris and Reverend Al Sharpton, who called for “more humanity and racial justice.”
“Doesn’t he have the right to safety?” ‘ the Vice President began. “Here is a family who lost their son and brother after an act of violence” committed by “those responsible for their protection,” she pounded.
“You beat a brother to death”
Reverend Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist who delivered the eulogy at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, said he was particularly struck by the fact that the five police officers were black themselves.
“In the town where (Martin Luther) King lost his life (…) you beat a brother to death,” he said. “The video speaks for itself. The police did not ask for his driver’s license or registration card. They pulled him out of the car and started hitting him,” the reverend continued, echoing the words of Tire Nichols: “He just wanted to go home.”
“Why couldn’t they (the police) see the humanity of Tyre? asked attorney Ben Crump. “We have to make sure they see us as humane,” he continued, vowing to get Tyre Nichols “fair justice.”
Overdue police reform
Tearfully, RowVaughn Wells, mother of Tire Nichols, called for applause for Congress to pass a police reform bill with the name of George Floyd, which is stuck in the Senate for now. “Because if we don’t do the blood, the next child that dies will have that blood on their hands,” she pleaded.
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“This is just the beginning,” promised Rodney Wells, Tire Nichols’ father-in-law. “We look forward to justice for all families (…), not just for ours.”
Meeting at the White House on Thursday
As a sign of the attention the White House is giving to this affair, President Joe Biden himself spoke to Tire Nichols’ parents last week to pay tribute to “their courage and strength” just hours before the video of his ordeal was released in the hands of the police .
President Biden plans to host members of the caucus Thursday, which brings together African American lawmakers at the White House to “discuss police reform legislation and other shared priorities,” said Olivia Dalton, an executive branch spokeswoman.
“President Biden is determined to do everything in his power (…) to ensure that our criminal justice system lives up to expectations of impartial justice (…) and dignity for all,” he said.