Tyre Nichols’ death is still ringing
As of Monday, donations to the GoFundMe page for Nichols’ memorial fund had topped $1 million. Just a few figures shy of its $1.2 objective, the memorial fund was established by the victim’s mother, RowVaugn Wells last Saturday.
“We have yet to have the proper space to begin our grieving process, which will be long and burdensome, this fundraiser will help cover the costs of our mental health services. It will also cover time off from our 9-5 jobs because we do not have unlimited PTO. Additionally, we want to build a memorial skate park for Tyre, in honor of his love for skating and sunsets.”
According to his mother, the sum will pay for both his burial and a skate park in honor of Nichols, who adored skating. Additionally, it will pay for the mental health assistance for his heart broken family, who lost the 29-year-old man.
“During my son’s interaction with the police, they beat him beyond recognition until he became unconscious. He was then taken to a hospital and immediately placed on life support,”
Following the release of the video footage showing Nichols’ arrest, donations flooded in for the victim’s family.
“He died 3 days later, but I believe that my son died on January 7th, the moment those 5 Black Memphis Police Officers pulled Tyre over and beat him to death for no good reason.”
A fire lieutenant and two EMTs who arrived to the scene are the latest first responders to be fired in the wake of Tyre Nichols’ death.
In response to several laws and procedures being broken during Tyre’s arrest, the Memphis Fire Department fired three members of Engine 55, including Lieutenant Michelle Whitaker, EMTs Robert Long, and JaMicheal Sandridge.
According to the department, Engine 55 was sent to the site, and when they arrived, Tyre was lying on the ground, cuffed and leaning against a police vehicle.
The Memphis Fire Department stated that the actions, and lack thereof, of the fire lieutenant along with the EMTs were unacceptable. Their decision-making and response time “do not meet the expectations of the Memphis Fire Department.”
Were the police officers punished enough for their actions? Did the court display justice when sentencing the defendants? Will we see improvements from all fire and police departments? Will the death of Tyre Nichols spark change in the American justice system? Should the Scorpion Unit be permanently disbanded? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
