Oregon Leaders and Protesters Speak Out on Tyre Nichols Death

Across the country, including in the Portland area, people are speaking out and protesting the police beating in Tennessee, that took the life of a young Black man, 29 year old Tyre Nichols.

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell called the officers’ actions “shocking and unconscionable” and pleaded with local protesters to stay peaceful.

“We know this atrocious act will breed further distrust and anger toward law enforcement. We understand these feelings, but we are asking our community to honor the wishes of Mr. Nichols’ family who have asked people to protest peacefully,” Lovell said.

Lovell praised the Memphis Police Chief for quickly taking action in the case. Five of the officers involved in the incident, all of whom are Black, have been charged with second-degree murder and other crimes.

Former Oregon state senator Margaret Carter said while watching Nichols’ mother speak about losing her son,  “I felt warm tears dripping down my face”

“As a mother, and as a Black mother, we’ve been here too many times — this time even being a worse time than before, when you look at the footage. But today I join our leaders from across the state in expressing my deep sorrow for the parents of Tyre Nichols,” said Carter.

In northeast Portland, more than a hundred protesters marched and chanted Friday.  They joined up with another group under the Burnside Bridge, where people were honoring Nichols at the skatepark. He was an avid skateboarder, and the father of a 4-year-old child.