At celebration of life for Tyre Nichols, mourners hear calls to be 'mountain climbers'

The video slideshow showed Tyre Nichols as a child, as a young man skateboarding, smiling with his mother and with a huge smile as he held his own son up into the air.

It also showed him silhouetted against a sunset, a fist in the air.

That image was emblematic of the celebration of life held Wednesday at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis: Mourners celebrated Nichols’ life, but also called for reform to ensure that no other Black person dies at the hands of the police.

Nichols was “gone too soon, denied his rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” said the Rev. J. Lawrence Turner, senior pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church. “(He was) denied the dignity of his humanity. Denied the right to see a sunset another day, to embrace his mother, hang out with his friends, hold his child and the right to grow old. … We have come with heavy hearts that can only be healed by the grace of God, full transparency, accountability and comprehensive legislative reform.”

RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’ mother, dabbed a tissue under her eyes as her son was described by Turner as “a beautiful soul, a son, a brother, a father, a friend, a human being.”

The celebration of life drew hundreds from around Memphis and the nation. Attendees included civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton, who gave the eulogy, Vice President Kamala Harris and local officials such as the district attorney general and city councilmen.

Those gathered heard multiple calls for change, with RowVaughn Wells saying the only thing that has kept her going during this time is the belief that her son was "an assignment from God."

"Tyre was a beautiful person and for this to happen to him is just unimaginable," she said. "I guess now his assignment is done. He's been taken home."

Mourners in the church challenged her in a call of support: "It ain't over, momma," they shouted, "He's gonna change the world."

Nichols, who was 29, died Jan. 10, three days after he was brutally beaten by Memphis police officers, video footage shows.

Born in California, Nichols was the youngest of four siblings. After high school, he moved around until deciding to make Memphis his home, according to an obituary shared at the service.

“Tyre loved skateboarding, watching the sunset, photography, and most of all helping people,” the obituary read. “He had the most infectious smile.”

Remebering Tyre Nichols:Skateboarders, activists, family gather to honor Tyre Nichols

He leaves behind his mother, stepfather, three siblings and his own son.

Keyana Dixon, Nichols’ sister, described him as her “baby brother.”

She recalled how all Nichols wanted growing up was to “watch cartoons and (eat) a big bowl of cereal.”

“When my mother called me and said my baby brother was gone, my faith died,” Dixon said. “Then my cries turned to anger then my anger turned to sorrow. When those monsters murdered my baby brother, it left me completely heartbroken. I see the world showing him love, but all I want is my baby brother back.”

At the service, families of people killed by police joined to support Nichols’ mother and stepfather. They included family members of George Floyd, Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor, each of whom was killed by police officers in other states.

Another mother, Tiffany Rachal, sang for the service, first expressing sorrow for Wells. Rachal’s son, Jalen Randle, was fatally shot by Houston police in 2022.

As Rachal sang, Harris entered the sanctuary, shaking hands with members of the family and then embracing Wells.

“Yes Lord, amen,” Wells said as the song concluded and ushered in another slideshow of photos of Nichols as attendants were invited to silently read Nichols' obituary.

Harris continued to stand by Wells’ side, speaking quietly and both sharing a laugh as RowVaughn Wells pointed out photos in the slideshow.

As the slideshow ended, Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, wiped tears from his eyes, keeping his arm clasped around his wife’s shoulders.

“Mothers around the world, when their babies are born, pray to God when they hold that child that that body and that life will be safe for the rest of his life,” Harris said. “Yet, we have a mother and a father who mourn the life of a young man who should be here today. They have a grandson who now does not have a father. His brothers and sister will lose the love of growing old with their baby brother.”

Then, as Nichols’ mother wept and clapped, Harris demanded that Congress pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, designed to combat police misconduct and excessive force in policing.

“Joe Biden will sign it and we will not delay, and we will not be denied,” Harris said. “It is nonnegotiable.”

Attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Nichols’ family, said a call for action is “a plea for justice, a plea for Tyre Nichols the son, this is a plea for justice for Tyre Nichols the brother, it is a plea for justice for Tyre Nichols the father. But most of all, it is a plea for justice for Tyre Nichols the human being.”

The “swift action” taken to fire and charge the five police officers with second-degree murder in Nichols’ death “will be the blueprint going forward,” Crump said.

“I know we can’t bring Tyre back, but in this call to action we establish his legacy,” Crump said. “Let’s never let them forget Memphis, because his legacy will be one of equal justice."

“Let’s never let them forget Memphis, because his legacy will be one of equal justice. ... Every time you kill one of us on video, we’re going to say the legacy of Tyre Nichols is that we have equal justice swiftly. Swiftly.”

In his eulogy, Sharpton spoke about the horror of five Black police officers brutally beating a young Black man. Sharpton said he believed that if Nichols had been white, the beating would not have occurred.

He called for an end to qualified immunity, which grants police immunity from lawsuits when performing law enforcement functions.

“Why do we want the George Floyd in Policing Act passed?” Sharpton asked. “You’d have to think twice before you beat Tyre Nichols. You’d think twice before you shoot someone unarmed. You’d think twice before you chokehold Eric Garner. You’d think twice before you put your knee on George Floyd’s neck.”

Sharpton spoke about Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous mountaintop speech at the historic Mason Temple in Memphis, the last speech he gave before he was assassinated in Memphis. He too is a "mountain-climber," Sharpton said.

“I’m gone climb until Tyre Nichols gets justice,” Sharpton said. “Let us have a call to action. Let us go forth to get justice. Let us all be mountain climbers. Don’t stop till we get to the top.”

Katherine Burgess covers county government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: At celebration of life for Tyre Nichols, mourners hear calls for change