MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The mother of Tyre Nichols says children should not watch the video of what happened to her son at the hands of Memphis police earlier this month.
Rowvaughn Wells, her husband, and their attorneys took part in another news conference Friday and asked for justice for Tyre and peace in the city ahead of the video’s release.
“I’ve never seen the video, but from what I’ve heard, it’s very horrific,” said Wells. “If you have children, please don’t let them see it.”
Dr. Angel Jones, a Licensed Program Expert with Youth Villages, agrees. Dr. Jones said ultimately, the decision is up to parents, but younger kids should be shielded from watching the graphic video.
“I think the children may hear about it, and it may serve best for parents of younger kids to talk to the child about it and maybe basic factual details about what it is without having the children watch it,” said Dr. Jones.
She said it might be hard to keep tech-savvy older children or teens away from the footage. In that case, she says parents should calmly talk to their kids about what they are seeing.
“I think parents might feel angry — I think their children might feel angry. I think it can be important for the parents to think about the kind of child they want to raise,” said Dr. Jones. “The way the children are going to respond to it is oftentimes going to be modeled after what their parents show them and teach them.”
Tyre Nichols was allegedly beaten by police officers following a traffic stop earlier this month. Five Memphis police officers have been charged with second-degree murder in his death.
Dr. Jones said adults should even consider whether they want to watch the video. She says if you do expect it to could evoke powerful emotions and try to react in a way that’s going to promote some positive change.
“All feelings are valuable, but when it comes to how we respond to those feelings, I think that’s where the key often is to whether or not we respond to in a healthy way or unhealthy way,”
Tyre’s family members said that they want all protests to be peaceful.