If the saying is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then seeing someone in real life must account for millions. The tragic demise of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols has been the feature story within the mainstream media in the U.S over the last week. His funeral was held today but his case remains open. Investigators are trying to figure how and why this entire situation happened. Unfortunately, this is a part of the world in which we live, and these types of senseless acts of violence have occurred far too often in recent memory.
Anytime an unarmed black person loses their life at the hands of armed authorities, the media first likes to present their image to the world without necessarily providing the context of the person’s life. It is understandable that such information may not be present during the beginnings of a breaking news story. However, at some point the media finds that they have enough data to express to their viewers who the victim was and what he or she stood for.
In the case of Tyre Nichols, the public learned that he was a responsible and non-violent person. The rumors that he had done something to make law enforcement angry were not true. After the release of several video recordings, there is absolutely no evidence of any wrongdoing on Nichols’ part. In fact it is quite the contrary. The videos show at least five officers beating him to death. They never asked for license and registration. They never told the victim that he had done anything wrong. He was completely blindsided by these unprovoked and discriminatory actions. The video and audio are difficult to watch and what takes place is absolutely egregious and regrettable.
While all five officers have been terminated, the Nichols family is still struggling and need to find closure. They have no idea why these officers attacked their son. They are rightfully upset and they have many supporters throughout the country. Even though times are difficult, family members have made statements to the press regarding the true nature of their son, brother and cousin.
The family made two things very clear: Nichols was an outstanding parent and he was also a creative individual. After days of news coverage, the media started to share these ideas as well. As an artist, he was a photographer. His official website is still live on the internet. When you visit the website, you are greeted with the words “a good photographer must love life more than photography itself.” According to Nichols, art exists to bring people closer to the greater good in life. It doesn’t really matter what methods you choose in your artistic endeavors, what’s more important is the impact your actions will have on yourself and others. In this fashion, he was not only seeking self gratification, he wanted to use his photography to inspire others to live better lives. These two aspects of his life speak volumes about his character.
If you would like to visit his official website you can do so here.
