Emotional farewell to police abused Tire Nichols

In the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in the American city of Memphis, relatives and acquaintances said goodbye to Tire Nichols. The 29-year-old black man was arrested last month for reckless driving and then severely assaulted by five black officers. He died in hospital from his injuries.

Nichols became the new face of the American movement against police brutality and racism last month. He was mentioned in the same breath as Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Eric Garner, among others, who were killed by violence years ago. Their family attended Nichols’ funeral in Tennessee.

Music was played and tributes were paid at the emotional ceremony. Mother RowVaughn fought back tears as she spoke of her son: “The only thing that keeps me going is that I firmly believe my son was sent here by God. Now his job is done. He’s gone home.”

Memphis police released footage of the assault last weekend. These can be experienced as shocking:

There were also speeches from the well-known Reverend Al Sharpton and Vice President Kamala Harris. They called on politicians to pass the George Floyd Act, a comprehensive package of measures to reform the police force.

Harris called Nichols’ assault a violent act that violates the police’s duty to ensure public safety. Sharpton thinks the officers wouldn’t have hit Nichols if he had been a white man.

“We understand that there are public safety concerns. We understand that crime needs to be tackled. But you can’t do that by becoming a criminal yourself. You can’t tackle the crooks on the street by becoming a crook yourself. You can beat gangs not tackle by drawing guns against an unarmed man with the five of them. You are not a police officer, but a thug.”

The five black officers held responsible for Nichols’ death have been fired. They are suspected of, among other things second-degree murder, which in the Netherlands is comparable to manslaughter. If convicted, the officers could face a prison sentence of 15 to 60 years. A sixth officer has been relieved of his duties. It is unclear what he is suspected of.

Three employees of the Memphis fire department have also been fired. It concerns two medics and a driver who have violated several policies and protocols.