New York – As the community reels from yet another violent police-involved death and prepares to witness the final moments of Tire Nichols’ life, community leaders and experts share their thoughts on the latest loss. Share ways to care for your mental health as you learn how to cope.
That distress permeated the air as Nichols’ family prepared to release police body cam footage.
“When my son was calling my name and I was only a few feet away and I couldn’t even hear him?” his mother Rouveau Wells pleaded at a press conference. “You have no idea how I feel right now, you have no idea.”
The Memphis Police Department promptly arrested the five former officers involved, but tensions resurfaced across the country.
Reverend Ronald Sullivan leads the Harlem Christian Diocese for spiritual renewal and has encouraged his members and friends to feel the pain.
“We’re not going to go through with it,” Sullivan said. Please know that I am inviting
“But how do we go from here and handle it?” he continued. “How do I heal from here? And how can I help others heal from here?”
Clinical psychologist Jeff Gardere, PhD, advises parents to keep young children out of watching videos.
“It’s going to be very traumatic for them to see it,” Garder said, “but most of all it’s about the conversation that these particular situations keep happening.
He and Sullivan agree, don’t hide your scars. Talk about it instead.
“What would I ask or recommend to people?” Sullivan said. “Let’s start looking for humanity in each other’s eyes and faces. Let’s start giving real value to everyone for being human and created equal.”
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Jesse Mitchell
