Members of the Mt. Olive Cathedral Church in Memphis gathered for their religious service on Sunday, two days after the parents of Tire Nichols made a call from that church asking for calm, after the dissemination of a video that showed how police officers they gave him a fatal beating.
“So far we have been calm, and for that we have been praying,” Pastor Kenneth Thomas declared before the church service. “And of course, we expect that to continue.”
Several cities across the country were anticipating protests after the video was released Friday, showing officers beating Nichols, who was 29 and died of his injuries three days later.
Dozens of protesters in Memphis blocked the Interstate 55 bridge that spans the Mississippi River and connects with Arkansas. There have also been traffic blockades in the cities of New York, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, but the protests have been few and non-violent.
During the church service on Sunday, Thomas offered a prayer for the Nichols family, asking God to “fill them with Your blessings.”
In Photos | Protests over the death of Tire Nichols
Tire Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, died three days after being severely beaten by police officers in Memphis, Tennessee. The case has sparked protests in various parts of the United States.
The loss “continues to be very emotional” for the family, an attorney for the family said Sunday, adding that relatives want to use their energy to push for reform both in Memphis and nationally.
“His mother is having trouble sleeping but she continues to pray with the understanding, as she believes in her heart, that Tire was brought here on a mission, that something good for the community will come out of this tragedy,” attorney Ben Crump said in the statement. program “This Week” on ABC.
Crump applauded the disbandment of the police’s so-called “Scorpion Unit,” which was announced by Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis on Friday.
Davis acted the day after the video of the beating was released, stating that she heard from Nichols’ relatives, community leaders and other uninvolved police officers before making the decision.
The announcement came as the nation was still reeling from violence by officers, who were black like Tire Nichols. The video aggravated collective anger over repeated acts of violence committed by law enforcement officers, despite intense calls for change.
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