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After the horrific video of Tyre Nichols’ police brutality death flooded the internet, pastor Jamal Bryant delivered a fiery sermon demanding accountability for everyone that took part in the vicious attack.
On Jan. 26, all five of the Black officers responsible for Nichols’ death were charged with murder and kidnapping, but Bryant is now calling for a thorough investigation of the “white” officer in the video, who was seen holding a taser during the attack.
“These five are police officers. They were charged, they were arrested. They were fired and I believe that all of them should be fired,” said Bryant during a live Sunday sermon at the New Birth Cathedral Jan 29.
“But I want to say to you on record, where is the white officer holding the taser? How come his picture is not on the news and how come his name has not been called?” he asked.
The pastor also demanded authorities arrest the first responders who stood around and “did nothing” to help Nichols after he was beaten to the point of unconsciousness.
Pastor Jamal Bryant calls for police reform
Further along in his sermon, Bryant, 51, called out the injustice seen in the police force since the startling death of George Floyd. He urged government officials to create a swift plan for reform.
“When we were participating in national protests following the murder of George Floyd, we were not protesting against white police officers. We were protesting against bad policing,” said Bryant, according to ABC 27. “It doesn’t matter what color they are if they are not operating in integrity. We have to hold all officers, who are sworn to protect and serve, accountable.”
He added:
“We witnessed Black police officers operating in a spirit of White supremacy. Thugs are not always on street corners. Sometimes we have thugs in suits. We have thugs in uniform. If we believe Black lives matter, then we have to hold our entire community to a higher standard.”
What happened to Tyre Nichols?
Nichols, 29, died Jan. 10 after he was hospitalized following a violent arrest by Memphis Police. According to NewsOne, Nichols was pulled over Jan. 7 for reckless driving. The incident occurred after five Black officers from the department walked over to his vehicle and asked him to step out of the car.
Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, described what he saw in the troubling video to CNN.
“He said, ‘What did I do? Why are y’all doing this to me? What did I do?’ and they proceeded to snatch him out of the car and was trying to wrestle him to the ground. And he got scared. So he was athletic enough to get out of (that) situation and run, and he was trying to run home because he was three blocks from the house when they stopped him.”
According to Wells, the officers hit Nichols with a stick and then kicked him.
“One officer kicked him like he was kicking a football, a couple of times,” he said, adding that there were “maybe 10 officers on the scene,” — none tried to help Nichols after he’d been beaten and propped up against a car.
A memorial fund has been created to honor Nichols’ legacy and help his parents heal from the tragic incident. Since the campaign’s launch, the fund has generated over $1 million in donations.
Consider donating here.
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