The parents of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old man who died after being brutally beaten by Memphis police, will attend President Biden’s State of the Union address on Feb. 7, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus announced. Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the Monterey Park gunman after he entered a second dance hall near Los Angeles, was also invited to the speech by Democratic Rep. Judy Chu of California.
Caucus chairman, Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada, confirmed Nichols’ parents accepted the invitation to watch Biden’s address before Congress. “This is a very serious and important issue that all of us should agree: Bad policing in the United States should not exist,” Horsford told MSNBC. On Sunday, Horsford released a statement that the CBC has called for a meeting with the president to discuss “much needed national reforms to our justice system – specifically, the actions and conduct of our law enforcement.”
“No one in our nation should fear interacting with the police officers who serve our diverse communities, large and small. We all want to be safe,” he added. “The brutal beating of Tyre Nichols was murder and is a grim reminder that we still have a long way to go in solving systemic police violence in America.”
Tsay, 26, was presented with a medal of courage from the Alhambra Police Department during a ceremony Sunday. After Chu invited him to be her guest at Biden’s address, the president called Tsay an hour later to personally extend an invite, according to CNN.
“I wanted to call to see how you’re doing and thank you for taking such incredible action in the face of danger,” Biden told Tsay, per the report. “I don’t think you understand just how much you’ve done for so many people who are never going to even know you. But I want them to know more about you.”
Biden, also spoke with Nichols’ mother and stepfather, RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, last week, according to the New York Times. Five Memphis police officers were fired in Jan. for their role in the death of Nichols and were charged with murder. The president is expected to renew his call on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, WaPo reported, which stalled during his first year in office.