WASHINGTON — The dad and mom of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died after being beaten by police officers in Memphis, will attend President Biden’s State of the Union deal with subsequent week, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus mentioned on Monday.
Representative Steven Horsford, the Nevada Democrat who heads the caucus, mentioned the dad and mom had accepted his invitation to watch Mr. Biden ship the nationwide deal with earlier than Congress subsequent Tuesday outlining his priorities for the coming yr.
“It’s important for them to be here in the gallery that night to listen to the president,” mentioned Mr. Horsford, who didn’t point out the dad and mom by identify. “I have also called for a meeting with the president and White House officials to talk about how we’re calling for this issue to be part of the State of the Union address.”
Mr. Biden, who has referred to as the case a take a look at of “whether or not we are the country we say we are,” spoke with Mr. Nichols’s mom and stepfather, RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, final week and has renewed his name for Congress to move a police overhaul invoice that stalled in the Senate throughout his first yr in workplace.
On Friday, videos of police officers kicking Mr. Nichols in the head, beating him with a baton and pepper spraying him after a site visitors cease on Jan. 7 had been launched to the public. The movies present Mr. Nichols being overwhelmed regardless of displaying no indicators of preventing again. He died three days after the encounter.
Five law enforcement officials had been fired by the Memphis police this month, after which charged last week with second-degree murder in reference to Mr. Nichols’s demise. Two extra officers have been put on administrative leave.
On Monday, metropolis officers mentioned they’d additionally fired three members of the Fire Department — two emergency medical technicians and a lieutenant. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has relieved two deputies of responsibility pending an investigation into their involvement in the encounter.
The demise led to protests in Memphis and scattered round the nation calling for these concerned to be held accountable.
Mr. Horsford mentioned dangerous actors couldn’t be allowed to proceed roaming the streets with a badge.
“I don’t care what party you are from or what region of the country you are in. I don’t care what your ideological bent is,” Mr. Horsford mentioned. “All of us should agree that we need to root out bad policing wherever it exists.”