Tyre Nichols remembered at vigils and protests across Northern California
SACRAMENTO — Following the release of the video showing the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers, outrage and heartbreak could be seen throughout Northern California, where the 29-year-old grew up.
Nichols' passions became known to the world after his death. However, his love for skateboarding and photography trailed after his close bond with his mother.
Just across Stockton's city hall, a small crowd gathered Sunday to protest the police killing of the 29-year-old father.
The swift actions of firing the five officers, indicting them on charges, and releasing video of the deadly police encounter are being hailed as a blueprint by the family lawyer.
But for these protestors, it is not enough to silence them.
"They did it because they understood the rage that we have in this society - that the people have them," said activist Nancy Robles, an organizer with Party for Socialism and Liberation. "They did it so we wouldn't come out."
In the nearly three years since George Floyd's killing, many are questioning whether there has been enough progress.
Despite the demands for sweeping reform, including diversity in police forces, the country is united in frustration again.
"What everyone is missing - what a lot of people are missing - is we're talking about systems," said Berry Accius, founder of Voice of the Youth.
Nichols' death is renewing calls for federal legislation on policing.
"We can't just have these local moments. Ok, that was cool that Memphis did that. But that's locally in Memphis," Accius said. "Is that going to happen here in Sacramento?
Meanwhile, in Davis, people gathered for a vigil while crying out for justice.
As some leave messages of condolences, the moment is much quieter than the mass demonstrations seen during the Black Lives Matter movement.
"I think people are a little bit more weary," said Dillan Horton of the Yolo County chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, one of the organizers spearheading Sunday's vigil. "I think people sort of feel like they've done what they had to do and are sort of waiting for something to happen and are unknowing about what they have to do differently."
As some wait for change, many remain in mourning over the life Nichols could have lived.
