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The Funeral Of Tyre Nichols. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired February 01, 2023 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00]

BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR TYRE NICHOLS' FAMILY: Well, when Laquan McDonald was killed in Chicago and by white police officers, it's important that the community sees swift justice too. When Alton Sterling was killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Mitch, it's important that the community see swift justice too.

When Stephon Clark was killed in Sacramento, California, it's important that the community see swift justice too. When Eric Garner was killed in Staten Island, New York, it's important that the community see swift justice too. When Pamela Turner was killed in Houston, Texas, it's important that the community see swift justice too.

When E.J. Bradford was killed on Thanksgiving night in Birmingham, Alabama, it's important that the community see swift justice too. When Terrance Crutcher was a black man, Rev. Al, having car trouble in the broad daylight in Tulsa, Oklahoma, walking away with his hands up and they shot him in the back on video. It was important that the community see swift justice too on that.

When Botham Jean eating ice cream in his own apartment, police woman come in shoot and kill him say, I thought it was my apartment in self- defense in her position it was a need to have swift justice too.

And so no more, no more can they ever tell us when we have evidence on video of them brutalizing us that it's going to take six years, that it's going to take a month, that it's going to take three years like Laquan McDonald, no, no, no, 20 days, we're going to start counting. We can count to 20 and 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, swiftly.

And so, Rev. Al, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge a sister who also deserves swift justice and that is Breonna Taylor. Whose mother Tamika Palmer is here. And many of you may have heard about this coincidence. That Breonna Taylor and Tyre Nichols were born on the same day and the same year, June 5th, 1993. So I want to acknowledge Tamika Palmer and I know you said it brought back so many memories and pain when you found out it was the same birthday. So if you will stand, Tamika Palmer, let us at least acknowledge Breonna Taylor's mother.

Thank you, and now Rev. Al, I guess we're going to hear a brief reflection from the family and this is hard, so -- REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Let me as we bring the

family, I also want to acknowledge some of our faith leaders and our faith leaders activists that have come all the way. First of all a man who interprets the intelligentsia of our time, the Socrates of this generation, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. The pastor of New Birth Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia, Rev. Jamal Bryant is in the house. I'm sorry, Rev. Jamal Harrison Bryant. Rev. John Gray From Greenville, South Carolina.

I must acknowledge two members of the board of National Action Network outstanding clergymen, the pastor of mount Pisgah Baptist Church in Harlem and head of Impact and member of the national board stand up.

[15:35:00]

I'm trying to see where you're sitting. OK, there he is. Rev. Johnny, stand up Rev. Johnny Green -- Johnny L. Green. And pastor of New Hope Baptist Church of Elizabeth, New Jersey, member of our board, the head of NAN Tech, the Rev. Steffie Bartley.

I want to thank our staff that worked with Rev. Turner and his staff. I want to thank all of the staff of our brother, attorney Ben Crump, it's a hardworking staff. Certainly Rev. Deves Toon of my staff who really worked hard all my God now another one and Rev. -- Dr. Rowena (INAUDIBLE) -- yes, don't blow his head up. Rev. Steven Marshall travels with me and so many. Rev. Nelson Rivers of NAN's staff that's been on this all weekend. And then probably the pre-eminent media expert in the country today Rachel Noerdlinger who handled all media. And Damon Byham, I've known him since he was a little boy.

I have to say this so I don't get thrown off the plane tonight and the family gathers, let me ask you all as this family stands here, I want to say this publicly what I said to the mother and father privately that we'll be with them when the cameras are gone. We'll be with them when there's no longer a story, the Floyd family and mother of Eric Garner, I'm tell you it doesn't matter to me how long, I'm in the family now. I might show up for Christmas, look for my gift under the tree.

Because we're wedded in this struggle together and I want y'all to treat us like family and we want y'all to be like -- if you're not going to stick with it, don't be jumping up in front of the camera for them.

I know they done seen more of Tyre's best friends on TV that they didn't even know was his best friend. People hallucinating they knew Tyre. Well, you know something, was Tyre -- and you just getting a cameo. That is wrong. Let us support this family. And stand with this family. Momma wants to build -- she wants to build a skating rink in his name. We're going to do that but we're also going to get some justice for mama and for daddy.

Tyre was the kind of man would come home and eat lunch with his daddy, stepdaddy and have dinner at night. This was a good man that didn't deserve this. And nobody deserves it but he especially didn't deserve it. And to give you some of what he was about, we're going to hear from some of the members of his family, going to start with Keyana. Keyana is over here. Wait a minute, before you speak, I didn't give Kareem, nobody worked harder than Kareem. We call Kareem like he was on my payroll. We love Kareem. We'll have Keyana and Latoya speak on behalf of their brother. These are two of the sisters of Tyre.

KEYANA DIXON, TYRE NICHOLS' SISTER: I'm going to take this time to some things that you got from me, and I know about my baby brother. Him and I are 11 years apart. He was so special to me and he loved me and I loved him dearly. You know, being the oldest of three boys, I had to watch my brothers, take them places that I probably didn't want to take them. Watch them at times when I didn't want to watch them. But with Ty, I didn't mind.

He never wanted anything but to watch cartoons and a big bowl of cereal. So it was pretty easy to watch him.

[15:40:00]

On the night of January 7th my brother was robbed of his life, his passions and his talents, but not his light. When my mother called me and said my baby brother was gone, I lost my faith. I cried, I screamed at God asking how could he let this happen? And then my cries turned to anger and anger turned to deep sorrow. And a pain I never felt when those monsters murdered my baby brother. And it left me completely heartbroken.

I see the world showing him love and fighting for his justice. But all I want is my baby brother back. And even in his demise he was still polite. He asked them to please stop. He was still the polite young man he always was. He asked them to please stop and they didn't and that's why my family will never be the same and I will just always love my baby brother forever. Thank you.

LATOYA YIZAR, TYRE'S SISTER: The poem I wrote is called, I Am Just Trying To Go Home.

I'm just trying to go home, is that too much to ask? I didn't break any laws along this path.

I've skated across barriers, designed to hold me back. I'm just trying to go home.

Where the love is loud and the smiles are warm like the sunsets that come from me in the coldest of my storms. I'm just trying to go home.

I hear the sirens. I see the flashing lights.

The directions are clear, black skin go left, blue skin go right. I'm just trying to go home.

Don't I deserve to feel safe? Batons, badges, boots, bright lights against my face.

I'm just trying to go home. Does anyone hear the pain in my cry?

The struggle in my breath. God replied -- come home my son, now you can rest.

SHARPTON: We're going to hear now from his brothers, James Yizar and Jamal Dupree. JAMAL DUPREE, TYRE NICHOLS' BROTHER: How are you guys doing? So, I

didn't plan to speak today, but I was just sitting here watching everything. My brother was really robbed of his life. You know, my brother didn't live up to the normal black man hype, basketball player, football player, rapper, none of that, right. He set his own path. You know, he made his own light. He seen the world way different than I've ever seen it before.

And when I sit here and look at the screens of the work that my brother has done and from the vigils, from people talking to me about my brother, I learned so much about him. And I don't think people just tell me this or be telling me but my brother really touched a lot of lives. He was a very solid individual.

[15:45:00]

He was very peaceful. He was very respectful. And again I've spent a lot of time away from my brother and I wish that I hadn't because I want to know the person that everybody else knows. You know, and five officers made that happen to where I won't ever be able to do that. So just being here, just sucks, but I'll never forget my brother. I'll never forget my Gemini twin. I love you and just save a spot for me, bro.

JAMES YIZAR: Good evening. My name is James. My God brother is Tyre. It's not too much I can say that hasn't already been said about him from everybody. But I wanted to share a story of how he got his name, though. My mom -- my sister LaToya said earlier, before my mom named him which was -- came from a movie called "Silverado," one of the characters in it and she liked that movie. But she wanted to name me that but always kept that name in her back pocket for some reason, I don't know. Then '93 came and our boy came and she was, there you are, Tyre.

And I used to always joke with him, like, man, you keep messing with me, I'm going to take my name back. And he was like, no, you ain't, that's my name. But it was how he said it. You know, he was 8 and he was already knew who he was. Like I'm Tyre. This is me. You know, and I always remember that about my little dude.

Coming in the house watching him eat cereal and watching Looney Tunes.

I just want to thank everybody for being here for us and you know, showing love. It ain't too much, like I say that hasn't already been said about my dude. I just miss him and I love him and this shouldn't have never happened, you know, and thank y'all.

SHARPTON: Let me as I bring the parents recognize for the parents you talked about a movie that Rowvaughn liked that I was not supposed to acknowledge and just wanted to come down and fly down with me and fly back. But he's here with us and wants to do something around this. Oscar winning director, Spike Lee is in the house.

He's sitting there with my daughter so you know she's going to try to be in the next movie. But nobody has shown more strength and more dignity than Rowvaughn

Wells. Rowvaughn Wells and Rodney Wells have borne such pain for us and they didn't want to speak but I just think that we need to just hear them say something. This is their son. This is their struggle and I know they're going to have weak days. Let us be their strength. Let us hear from the parents of Tyre.

RODNEY WELLS, TYRE NICHOLS' STEPFATHER: I'd like to start by saying thank you for everybody's support. This has been a journey that's not going to end here. It's just a beginning.

We're looking forward to passing some bills. We're looking forward to getting justice for all the families over there -- not just ours. This is a continuous fight that we have to fight for. We have to fight for justice. We cannot continue to let these people brutalize our kids.

[15:50:00]

To have my siblings up here, my wife and it's very hard for my wife, you know. This is her baby son and there's nothing like your baby boy. When we got the news, it was very, very difficult. It was surrounded by lies, deceit, trying to cover it up. But as they say what's done in the dark will always come to the light. And the light of day is justice for Tyre. Justice for all the families that lost love ones through brutality of police -- for anybody.

And I can't say enough about how this community, how this nation and how this world has came together to support my family, to support my wife and to support me. I appreciate it. Thank you very much.

ROWVAUGHN WELLS, TYRE NICHOLS' MOTHER: Good afternoon. First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out to pay tribute to my son. Tyre was a beautiful person and for this to happen to him is just unimaginable.

I promise you the only thing that's keeping me going is the fact that I really truly believe my son was sitting here on the side of me. Oh, God. And I guess now his time is done and he's been taken home.

I want to thank, yes, yes. I want to thank all the community activists for being here for my family. I want to thank the chief of police for acting swiftly. The district attorney, the state of Tennessee. I want to thank my lawyers Mr. Ben Crump. And especially Kareem Ali. He has been our rock.

I just need whatever that George Floyd we needed to pass. We need to take the some action because there should be no other child that should suffer the way my son and all the other parents here have lost their children. We need to get that bill passed.

Because if we don't that blood, the next child that dies, that blood is going to be on their hands. Thank you.

SHARPTON: Give her a hand. Give a hand to the family.

We are going to do stay with them. We are going to do the procession but before we do, we are going to have too many words of comfort because one minute worth one minute. Because the family has to move out.

[15:55:00]

And y'all know I do a show called Politics Nation, but if y'all go over a minute I'm going to do the Gong Show in here today. Words of comfort. We already did the eulogy and the call to action so let's and orderly so we can move the family forward as they request.

Let me bring Rev. Dr. Earle Fisher of Abyssinian Baptist Church, followed by Rev. Rodney Woodley and Rev. -- Bishop Brandon Thomas of the First Episcopal District and then Bishop Brandon Porter, secretary of the general board of the Church of God and Christ. Won't y'all come in the order. Quickly -- y'all come together, this way we have one right after another as we -- and we seriously -- I know some of family have to catch planes. We need to be expeditious. We're grateful for your prayer.

REV. DR. EARLE FISHER, ABYSSINIAN BAPTIST CHURCH: Protocol has been established to this family. When I say, say his name, say Tyre. Say his name.

CROWD CHANTS: Tyre!

FISHER: Say his name.

CROWD CHANTS: Tyre!

FISCHER: That's some Africana ways of knowing. It was the ancestors who said, as long as you say someone's name, they shall never die.

It's not too much I can add other than this to this family. We will see him again. I was at First African in savannah, Georgia, doing a workshop. I was in the administrative assistant's office and I realized I needed something to project my presentation, so I ran to Best Buy. I had the associated pastor take me. And we took longer than they had expected but I left my book bag in the administrative assistant's office. When I got back, she said, I thought you'd never come back. I said, did you look around? And she said, no. I said, had you looked around intently you would have saw I left something and that signified that at some point you would see me again.

I know he's in the hands of God. I know he's in the ancestral realm but look around intently. He's left something. He's left a child. He's left brothers and sisters. He's left a mother and a father. He's left activists and organizers and community members, and I believe every time we raise our voice for love and justice and power, we will see Tyre again. May the family find comfort in these words.

REV. RODNEY WOODLEY: I'd just like to say to my friends, Rodney and Rowvaughn and the entire family, that we are soldiers and we're in this army. We're fighting a fight that seems oftentimes unwinnable. But what I got as I sat here and listened was on that day of January 7th Tyre got drafted unknowingly into a service as a secret agent. He was drafted as a secret agent for a secret mission that he had no idea that he had been drafted for. But just like any soldier before they go off to war to do battle, they want to go and do something that they love. So, he went away to take some pictures, but on his way home the battle was already afoot.

So understand this, that just because it looks like he lost the battle, the war will be won because I heard this statement and I'll keep it clear. Wars come and go, but soldiers are eternal. God bless you.

BISHOP BRANDON PORTER: Langston Hughes, the poem "I, Too, Sing America." I want to lift from that poem these two words, "I, too." With permission to say "we, too." So on behalf of the First Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the senior bishop of the CME church Bishop Lawrence L. Reddick III, member of the college of bishops and all of the members of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, on their behalf I have come to join this family and all have seen this unfortunate syndication of the rerun of this movie too often. The senseless murder of one of our sons at the hand of the police.

To say we, too, are grieving with you, we, too, are sick and tired of being sick and tired of these kinds of funerals.