Beaufort to address public safety while honoring man who died from Memphis police beating

Tyre Nichols — who died in January after being beaten by Memphis police during a traffic stop — will be remembered nearly 700 miles away in Beaufort, S.C., at a public gathering where residents also will hear from local law enforcement.

“I find it as horrific as George Floyd,” Beaufort City Councilman Mitch Mitchell said of Nichols’ death and Floyd’s 2020 murder at the hands of Minneapolis police, “if not more so.”

At Mitchell’s urging, residents will gather at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park pavilion at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, for an event called, “Tyre Nichols and Our Commitment to Responsible Public Safety.”

Mitchell sees the gathering as a chance to build trust between residents and law enforcement while mourning the loss of Nichols and commemorating his memory.

“When I thought of this, my heart was, ‘What can the city do to address those heartaches I think many of our citizens are feeling?” Mitchell told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet.

Beaufort Police Chief Dale McDorman, Mayor Stephen Murray and Mitchell will speak. Other local law enforcement and municipal officials have been invited to address residents as well. Prayers will be said by state Rep. Michael Rivers Sr. and the Rev. Theresa Roberts of Love House Ministries.

Mitchell said it is important for residents to hear from law enforcement at times like these.

“Sometimes saying nothing is worse than anything, like it didn’t happen,” Mitchell said. “But it did happen.”

The more that police officers are aware that residents are concerned about the possibility of abuses, Mitchell said, “the more trust we can build.”

Five former police officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith — were indicted last month on felony charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression in connection with the death of Nichols, who died three days after he was pulled from his car during a Jan. 10 traffic stop and then beaten.

The extremely violent nature of the beating, which was captured on body and surveillance cameras, sparked another conversation about police brutality. Nichols, 29, was Black. All five officers charged in his death also are Black. They have pleaded not guilty.