He was 29 years old. The funeral of African-American Tire Nichols, whose fatal beating by black police officers shocked the United States, is being held from 1 p.m. (8 p.m. Paris time) in the city of Memphis in the presence of Vice President Kamala Harris.
The ceremony promises to be political, the lawyer for the family of Tire Nichols, Ben Crump, having to launch “a call to act” against police violence. Strong symbol, a brother of George Floyd will attend the funeral, as well as the mother of Breonna Taylor, Tamika Palmer. And 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.
Kamala Harris guest
Tire Nichols, 29, was arrested on January 7 by agents from a special unit in Memphis, in the southern United States, for a simple traffic violation, according to the police. But beaten so badly that he became 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 attorney.
In a phone call he described as “emotional,” “the vice president was able to console Ms. Wells and even help her smile,” said Ben Crump, who also represented the Floyd family. and specialized in the defense of victims of police violence.
Meeting Thursday at the White House
A sign of the attention given by the White House to this affair, President Joe Biden himself spoke last week with the parents of Tire Nichols to salute “their courage and their strength” a few hours before publication. of the video of his ordeal in the hands of the police.
President Biden plans to receive members of the caucus bringing together African-American lawmakers at the White House on Thursday to “discuss legislation on police reform and other shared priorities,” said Olivia Dalton, a spokeswoman for the executive.
“President Biden is determined to do everything in his power (…) to ensure that our criminal justice system lives up to the expectations of impartial justice (…) and dignity for all,” he said. -she adds.