Prayer vigil held after Tyre Nichols body cam video release

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) -City leaders and organizations in Richmond held a prayer vigil Monday evening in honor of Tyre Nichols, a man in Memphis, Tennesee, who was beaten by police in early January.

The city of Memphis is still struggling after the police department released videos Friday of body cam and surveillance videos showing multiple officers beating Nichols.

Countless organizations and leaders, like Richmond Police Department and Governor Glenn Youngkin, came together to try to unify the community and send condolences to Nichols’ family.

Officials are using what happened to Nichols as momentum to call for change.

“We must dismantle these systems because if we don’t, we will continue as America, as citizens, as communities as leaders to be grieved by what we have seen once again,” Delores McQuinn, who serves as a Virginia House Delegate.

However, there is concern that what happened in Memphis will grow future mistrust towards officers.

“We have to empower our officers if they see something like that to stand in there. It’s their duty to intervene, it’s in our policy, it’s in the law, and if that would’ve happened, we wouldn’t be here today,” explained Richmond’s acting interim police chief Rick Edwards.

Especially here in Richmond, as work continues to combat the continued gun violence.

”Not every individual who chooses to police their community has that sort of evil in their heart,” said Mayor Levar Stoney.

So far, we haven’t seen the kinds of protests and demonstrations that happened back in 2020 when police killed George Floyd. Leaders called for continued peaceful demonstrations.

Copyright 2023 WWBT. All rights reserved.