Community leaders give tips on talking to kids about the death of Tyre Nichols

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Following the release of the police footage of Tyre Nichols out of Memphis, and continued gun violence across central Va., community leaders are providing insight on dealing with these tragic events.

“When I first saw it I was in tears because that brought flashbacks for a lot of folks that could’ve been me that could’ve been anyone,” said JJ Minor, the Richmond NAACP President.

Minor says that what happened in Memphis is heavy, especially for kids who may struggle to make sense of what happened.

As students get ready to head back to school Monday, Richmond Public Schools acknowledges the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis Police officers. They sent out a statement over the weekend asking parents to offer additional support to their kids as they try to process recent events. Having open conversations about what’s going on is something Richmond NAACP says is crucial.

“What we saw it was just completely awful and again parents should also talk to their children too as well in reference to what they saw because what it does is it divides the community and also it shows some folks don’t trust the police but there are some police that you can trust out there,” Minor stated.

VCU Health also explains that when you talk to your kids it’s important to acknowledge these tragic events. However, they warn that watching these videos on repeat can cause further trauma. They also said that as you open up and have conversations about these violent acts, take your feelings into account to recognize if you may need additional support.

“If you’re not sleeping you’re fatigued during the day, if you’re not eating you don’t have the energy if you don’t want to talk with your friends or you don’t want to engage in things that you enjoy doing those are a clear notation to us or our own sort of selves that something is different,” said Dr. Bela Sood with VCU Health.

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