CINCINNATI — Observances are taking place this weekend, both in Ohio and across the nation, in honor of Tyre Nichols, a man who died last month after being beaten by Memphis police officers. The incident was caught on several cameras and led to several firings of police officers and first responders, along with criminal charges, including murder, for five officers.
What You Need To Know
- Activists staged events in Cincinnati and other locations across Ohio and the U.S.
- New Prospect Baptist Church hosted the Cincinnati event.
- Some participants created a mosaic to pay tribute to Tyre Nichols.
Concerned people in Cincinnati came together at the New Prospect Baptist Church for the nationwide event, called “A National Day of Action, Justice for Tyre.”
“This is all horrible,” said Iris Roley, a longtime activist who was one of the organizers for the event. “We should not be here today, we should not have to do this.”
Roley said it’s all so frustratingly simple and yet the problems persist.
“Systems should be accountable,” Roley said. “They (the police) should not be killing people.”
Homeless advocate Mona Jenkins stood with Roley.
“We’re standing in solidarity when we see the struggle of black folks and amongst poor folks is critical in this moment,” Jenkins said.
Some participants expressed themselves with art and writing. They created a mosaic called, “Letters to Tyre”
“Dear Tyre, We will never stop fighting,” wrote Sarah Callahan, a student at the University of Cincinnati. She brought her daughter, Ocean, to the event.
“Racial justice is very important to me so to keep having police brutality happen over and over again is something I just can’t stand happen,” Callahan said.
“What we hope that people leave here with and what they will leave here with is a call to action so we can continue to build and to make Cincinnati better,” Roley said. “We’re also here to help and support Memphis.”
Roley said participants also broke into smaller groups to discuss other issues they believe are connected to the central problems facing people of color and the poor of all races in America’s cities, including the lack of affordable housing, food and health care.
