‘This is a place to honor Tyre’: Sacramento family and friends attend skate park vigil

Over 100 people gathered Monday on a chilly night at a Sacramento skate park to remember Tyre Nichols, share stories about the lasting bonds he made there and describe his warm, comforting smile that could light up a room.

Ryan Wilson was 12 years old when he met Nichols at the Regency Community Skate Park in North Natomas. They were best friends, spending a lot of time daydreaming about what their futures had in store for them. Wilson said Nichols had some struggles in his young life, but he would focus on making others feel happy.

“The one thing about Tyre that I’m sure all of us can agree on is that he just had overwhelming urge just make everyone else around him smile,” Wilson said at the vigil. “I just feel like all he wanted to do was find his place in this world, and he just wanted to be happy.”

Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was beaten by five Memphis Police Department officers following a traffic stop. Nichols was severely injured during the Jan. 7 confrontation with police and died of his injuries Jan. 10. His funeral service is scheduled for Wednesday at a church in Tennessee.

He grew up in Sacramento and still has family in the area. Family and friends met Monday at the North Natomas skate park for a candlelight vigil to celebrate his life.

Nichols was an avid skateboarder and photographer who spent a lot of time at the skate park forming strong bonds with friends who said he was always looking to lift others’ spirits.

Sacramento City Councilwoman Lisa Kaplan, who represents North Natomas, moderated Monday’s vigil. She offered the microphone and a “place of healing” to any of Nichols’ family or friends who wanted to share a story or simply speak about what the young man meant to them.

“This is a place to honor Tyre, who loved skating here, who loved being here during in the sunsets, taking videos and being with friends,” Kaplan told the vigil attendees. “And that’s how we should remember him.”

Nichols was someone you could look up to

Those who gathered spoke about Nichols as someone they could look up to; as a man who looked out for others. They don’t want to remember Nichols as a tragic figure.

“Thank you all for coming here to show your love for my little brother. This was his favorite place to skate,” Keyana Dixon, Nichols’ sister said at the vigil. “I just want to thank all of you for your continued support for our family, and making sure his name is never forgotten.”

Jamal Dupree, Nichols’ brother, said he only recently learned the North Natomas skate park was a place his brother cherished. He said it’s those stories about his brother that have provided him some comfort during this most difficult time.

“I learned a lot about my brother through this,” Dupree said. “Every day, I get a message or a text about something that my brother did or something he liked. So, I really appreciate that.”

People left behind lit candles and flowers in makeshift memorials along the skate ramps at the park. Attendees gathered around the microphone next to several candles arranged in the shape of a heart.

“He was more than skateboarding,” Anderson Williams said while overwhelmed with emotion at the vigil. “He was somebody who was going to comfort you, make sure that you were okay before he was okay.”

Kandi Green, Nichols’ aunt, told those at the vigil that they remember how her nephew was killed, and they will continue to seek justice for him. But they all need to remember her nephew’s “smile that would light up a room.”

“We just need to remember the good that he did, the person that he was. Carry that in your heart; not what happened,” Green said. “Please remember the smile and the good times that you shared with him, the memories that you have with him. Just focus on that, and that’s what will definitely get us all through this.”

Sacramento skateboarding event to honor Nichols

Another Sacramento event this weekend is planned to remember Nichols. The Sac Ramp Skate Shop — located at 7000 Franklin Blvd., Suite 620, in the Parkway neighborhood — is hosting an event from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday inviting the community to honor Nichols.

“We will stand up together to celebrate his life and family,” according to an Instagram post from the skate shop. “All donations and proceeds to the family, bring your board, and a balloon to release and honor this man.”

Nichols was a student in the Twin Rivers Unified School District, including Rio Linda High School. Steve Martinez, the district’s superintendent, last week offered his condolences to Nichols’ family, friends and loved ones.

“No parent should have to experience the loss of a child,” Martinez wrote in a letter sent to parents, “especially in the horrific and brutal circumstances under which Tyre lost his life.”

The superintendent on Friday encouraged parents to have conversations with their children as authorities in Tennessee released graphic and disturbing video of Nichols’ violent encounter with police.

“Discussing thoughts and feelings is important in helping children work through grief and profound sadness,” Martinez wrote in the letter to parents. “They may not know Tyre Nichols personally, but they may feel as if they do with all the local and national media coverage surrounding his agonizing death.”

Nichols moved to Memphis from Sacramento in 2020 to be closer to his mother. He was on his way home, which he shared with his mother and stepfather, when Memphis police pulled him over.

More law enforcement officials under scrutiny

The video, which was captured on officers’ body cameras and a surveillance camera, showed the Memphis Police Department officers use a stun gun, a baton and their fists as they beat Nichols.

Prosecutors on Thursday announced that the five involved officers, all of whom are Black, were arrested and charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault and other crimes. The officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith — were fired by the Police Department last week.

Officer Preston Hemphill, who is white, and a seventh unidentified officer were placed on leave pending investigation shortly after Nichols’ Jan. 7 arrest, the Associated Press reported. Hemphill, who has not been fired or charged with a crime, was the third officer at the traffic stop but was not at the scene where Nichols was beaten. On body camera video from the initial traffic stop, Hemphill is heard saying that he stunned Nichols and declaring, “I hope they stomp his ass.”

The five officers chatted and milled about for several minutes as Nichols remained lying on the ground, but there were other authorities on the scene. The Associated Press reported Monday that two Shelby County sheriff’s deputies were relieved of duty without pay while their conduct is investigated, and three Memphis Fire Department workers were fired over Nichols’ arrest.