Tyre Nichols' Family Remembers His Kind Soul As U.S. Cities Protest Fatal Police Beating: 'He Was Da

Victims of police brutality do not need to be angels, saints, or perfect to deserve justice, but according to those who knew Tyre Nichols, he was as close as it gets.

Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty

That didn't matter to the bloodthirsty boys in blue when five former Memphis police officers savagely beat Nichols to death. CNN reports Nichols's loved ones remember him as a kind, creative soul as the U.S. erupts in outrage over video of the horrific police brutality.

Tyre Nichols was a father, a man who loved his mama and a free-spirited soul who was looking for a new life in Memphis, Tennessee.

Read more: https://t.co/5u6pnPhJoi pic.twitter.com/rkbRqA4ePd

— CNN (@CNN) January 27, 2023

Last week, BOSSIP reported the termination of five police officers who attacked Nichols. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis identified the former officers as Taddarius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III, and Desmond Mills Jr. 

Looks like the EMTs aren't even administering #TyreNichols any aid even though he's obviously in distress.

No wonder they were also fired.

If you aren't going to do your ??ing job then you don't need to have it.

— REVOLT (@revolttv) January 28, 2023

This week the killer cops were arrested and charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two charges of official misconduct and one charge of official oppression. Swift consequences tempered anger at nationwide protests, but this is still far from justice.

If we think of white supremacy as a parasite, it really doesn't care for the skin colour of its host. Only cares for its survival.

That should answer the question "how is it a racist killing if Tyre Nichols was killed by Black police officers."

— Kelechi (@kelechnekoff) January 28, 2023

Tyre Nichols was a loving, creative family man before former Memphis cops ended his life

The youngest of four by 12 years, Nichols was the baby of the family. He was a dedicated family man close to his mother and worked alongside his stepfather at FedEx. The Sacramento native got stuck in Memphis during the pandemic but embraced the opportunity to spend time with his parents.

"He was OK with it because he loved his mother," RowVaughn Wells said about her son Tyre. "He had my name tattooed on his arm, and that made me proud because most kids don't put their mom's name, but he did."

"My son was a beautiful soul and he touched everyone," she said.

We #ETLF @EmmettTill Legacy Foundation and family members of #EmmettTill stand in solidarity with the family of Rodney and RowVaughn Wells, as they prepare for the final journey of their precious son #TyreNichols and their journey of swift #truth #justice and #accountability.?? pic.twitter.com/wn9CftXw5X

— EmmettTillLegacyFdn (@EmmettTill) January 28, 2023

With such a tight relationship, it's no surprise Tyre cried out for his mother during the beating less than 100 yards away from the family home. Like Mamie Till-Mobley, Wells reflected on finding the strength to keep going to ensure her son's life and lynching serve a higher purpose.

"Nobody's perfect, nobody. But he was damn near. He was damn near perfect," RowVaughn Wellssaid about her son Tyre after viewing footage of the beating on Monday.

"He was a good person. All the good in Tyre will come out and so that's what keeps me going because I just feel like my son was sent here on assignment," she said.

If #TyreNichols had not died, we would not know his name. He'd be caught up in the court system trying to prove his innocence, paying healthcare costs for his injuries, and likely losing his job at FedEx when the charges hit his record.

— Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) January 28, 2023

On a winter weekend like this, the 29-year-old should be at the park playing with his son or capturing the beauty of nature. The aspiring photographer was passionate about catching the sunset every night before coming home to his mother's cooking.

"My vision is to bring my viewers deep into what i am seeing through my eye and out through my lens. People have a story to tell why not capture it instead of doing the 'norm' and writing it down or speaking it," Tyre wrote on his photography website.

"I hope to one day let people see what i see and to hopefully admire my work based on the quality and ideals of my work," he continued.

"To my colleagues in Congress: how many more people have to die at the hands of police for you to join our push for an unequivocal, affirmative public safety agenda that saves lives?"

My full statement on the police killing of Tyre Nichols ?? pic.twitter.com/bFKhsKTdc0

— Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) January 28, 2023

Nichols was also passionate about skateboarding since he was slightly older than his 4-year-old son. While the nation braced for releasing footage from the beating, a montage of Nichols skateboarding went viral.

Mass protests erput in the wake of footage from former Memphis PD cops beating Tyre Nichols to death

On Friday night, after another week of painstaking anticipation, officials released bodycam and surveillance footage from Memphis PD's fatal attack. Initial comparisons to the infamous Rodney King video don't do justice because this case is much worse.

Organizers already planned protests in Memphis and major cities like New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit and Portland, Oregon, and Providence, Rhode Island.

Protests across the country and in Memphis are taking place after the release of the bodycam footage of the brutal beating death of #TyreNichols at the hands of five police officers.

Our @revoltblacknews team is on the ground in Memphis. pic.twitter.com/95TZwzvIbE

— REVOLT (@revolttv) January 28, 2023

The Memphis Black Lives Matter chapter held a vigil for Nichols on Thursday at Tobey Skatepark.

HAPPENING NOW: A candlelight vigil at the skate park, in honor of Tyre Nichols. His parents have described their son as a good kid, and father.. who loved to skateboard and watch the sunset. pic.twitter.com/m4MHiRceOm

— Priscilla Thompson (@PriscillaWT) January 27, 2023

Local leaders used the week-long delay of the video to prepare the cities for mass demonstrations and urge protestors to remain peaceful. Although Nichols' mother said he wouldn't want destruction in his name, police officers are the ones who need those warnings.

Can we all just note that the system did more to stop people from protesting the police murder of Tyre Nichols last night than it did to prevent a white supremacist mob from storming the US Capitol. pic.twitter.com/wENW3clmyw

— Dyjuan Tatro (@DyjuanTatro) January 28, 2023

In Atlanta, the streets were already filled with protestors for another police killing. On Jan. 18, a Georgia State Patrol trooper fatally shot social justice activist Tortuguita. The 26-year-old was protesting the destruction of the South River Forest to build "Cop City," a massive "mock city" police training compound.

This police murder of #TyreNichols, #tortuguita, and # #KeenanAnderson are why we say #StopCopCity. The violence used by the police is not an accident it is a design of the system. They are trained to kill.

— Kamau Franklin (@kamaufranklin) January 28, 2023

I can't understand how anyone can think that abolition is the naïve position. Is it not naïve to think you can reform institution that is inherently oppressive and violent? When does police reform become futile for reformers?

— India Thusi (@inGerri) January 28, 2023

Tyre Nichols's death at the hands of Memphis PD's elite task force proves the last thing cops need is more expensive resources. The newly created SCORPION (Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods) unit didn't keep Memphis safe. No amount of reforms for training, bodycams, Black cops, or even a Black woman police chief changed the sadistic nature of these modern-day slave catchers.



via: https://bossip.com/2224532/tyre-nichols-remembered-protests/