The funeral of African-American Tire Nichols, whose fatal beating by black police officers shocked the United States, is being held on Wednesday, February 1 in the city of Memphis, in the presence of Vice President Kamala Harris. The ceremony promises to be political, with Tire Nichols’ family lawyer Ben Crump set to issue “a call to action” against police brutality.
A strong symbol, a brother of George Floyd, a black man in his forties whose death in 2020 under the knee of a white police officer had triggered massive anti-racist demonstrations, will attend the funeral. It is the Reverend Al Sharpton, a figure in the fight for civil rights, who will deliver the funeral oration at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church. The service must begin at 10:30 a.m. local time (5:30 p.m. Paris time).
Tire Nichols, 29, was arrested on January 7 by special unit officers in Memphis, in the southern United States, for a simple traffic violation, according to police. But beaten so badly that he was unrecognizable according to his family, he died three days later in hospital.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on the phone Tuesday with Tyre Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, and stepfather Rodney Wells, who invited her to the funeral, according to their lawyer. In a phone call he described as “emotional,” “the VP was able to comfort Row Vaughn Wells and even help him smile,” said Ben Crump, who also represented the family. Floyd.
The harrowing footage of Tyre Nichols being arrested and beating officers inflicted on him was aired last week, uncut, by the country’s biggest broadcasters.
The five police officers involved were fired and charged with murder. The “Scorpion Unit” to which they belonged, which had the mission of reducing the number of illegal activities in sensitive neighborhoods by deploying more police there, was dismantled. Three firefighters were dismissed in connection with the facts and two other police officers suspended. During the arraignment, “no one showed any kindness to Tire Nichols, and those responsible must be held accountable,” Ben Crump said.