Tyre Nichols’ funeral: Family, leaders, and activists call for justice for Tyre

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The funeral for Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old motorist who died after a brutal traffic stop by police, was held on Wednesday in Memphis.

The Rev. Dr. J. Lawrence Turner, the pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, opened the service by describing Tyre Nichols as “a good person, a beautiful soul, a son, a father, a brother, a friend, a human being, gone too soon, denied his rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy. He acknowledged relatives of George Floyd, Eric Garner, and Breonna Taylor, who were also at the funeral. Vice President Kamala Harris called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Nichols’ sister, Keyana Dixon, recalled taking care of him when he was little, that all he wanted to do was to eat cereal and watch cartoons.

RowVaughn Wells, Tyre Nichols’ mother, was the final member of the family to speak. Through tears she said, “Tyre was a beautiful person, and for this to happen to him is just unimaginable.”

She thanked those who were there for their support, and`repeated Vice President Harris’s call for Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. `“Because if we don’t, the next child that dies, that blood is going to be on their hands.”

Ben Crump, the lawyer for the Nichols family, said the murder charges against the officers, were filed less than 20 days after Tyre Nichols died, and set a new standard for swift justice. “We can count to 20, and every time you kill one of us on video, were are going to say, the legacy of Tyre Nichols is that we have equal justice swiftly.”