The parents of Tire Nichols and the man who disarmed the suspected Monterey Park shooter have been invited to attend President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on February 7.
The brutal beating of Nichols by Memphis police and the mass shooting at a dance hall in Monterey Park, California, this month have renewed calls for police action and gun control.
Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nevada, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said during an appearance Sunday on MSNBC that Nichols’s parents had accepted his invitation to attend the State of the Union.
“Earlier today, I spoke to the family of Tire Nichols on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus to first express our condolences, to let them know we stand with them, to ask what they want from us at this time, to honor their son’s legacy, and extend an invitation to you to be our guests at the State of the Union on February 7 so that we can make sure that this issue of police culture, police culture, which unfortunately in this country now has contributed to countless deaths,” Horford said.
Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the Monterey Park shooter at a dance hall in Alhambra, California, minutes after the gunman killed 11 people and wounded at least nine more in the first place, was a guest at the State of the Union by Rep. Judy Chu. , D-California
During a medal of courage ceremony by the city of Alhambra on Sunday, Chu said Tsay’s actions were “so astonishing” that he invited him to be his guest at the president’s speech. But just an hour after she spoke with Tsay, the president himself asked Tsay to be his guest, Chu said.
“I can’t believe you turned me down for president,” Chu joked with Tsay.
The president spoke with the parents of Nichols and Tsay in the wake of the tragedies.
On Friday, Biden spoke by phone with Nichols’ mother and stepfather, RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, who were allowed to privately view video showing the brutal beating of Nichols by Memphis police days before his death. public post last week. During her conversation with them, Biden expressed his condolences on the 29-year-old’s death and praised the family’s courage and strength, the White House said.
The president also said he was “outraged and deeply hurt” in response to the videos of the beating of Nichols. In a statement shortly after the videos were released, Biden called the images “horrifying.”
“It is another painful reminder of the deep fear and trauma, the pain and exhaustion that black and brown Americans experience every day,” Biden said.
Biden called Tsay last week to thank her for her act of bravery in disarming the Monterey Park shooter.
“Instead of running, Brandon said he thought he was going to die. But then he thought about the people who were inside,” the president said in remarks last week about the recent mass shootings in California that affected the Asian-American community. “And in that moment, follow the instinct. And follow the courage of him… he charged the gunman, knocked him to the ground and took a semi-automatic pistol from him”.
The president aims to use his second State of the Union address to illustrate how legislation passed in the past two years has helped deliver key promises he made to voters, especially on the economy, as he prepares for a probable re-election campaign.
The president’s upcoming address to Congress is still a work in progress, aides stress. But it’s also likely to address continuing threats to democracy and hot-button political issues, such as more gun safety measures and immigration.
