T E X A S
MetroNews DELIVERING NEWS YOU NEED
• Vol. 10 • Feb. 2 - Feb. 8, 2023
MY TRUTH By Cheryl Smith PUBLISHER
Giving those flowers! I have attended a lot of funerals during my lifetime and I have always been grateful that growing up, unlike these days, I didn’t attend many funerals of young people my age. I've also tried to live so that I would not be sitting at someone's funeral wishing I had said, or not said something.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis
Today, oftentimes the coffins are smaller and the obituaries shorter. The youthful bodies haven’t had a chance to experience much life, only to have it snuffed out at a young age; missing out on some really good times. You know the times that we get to look back on and smile or laugh? Now there are also some cringe-worthy moments, as well as some wish I woulda, coulda or mighta ones; but the difference is we are still here. Attending a funeral of a former co-worker, I became overwhelmed when a cousin said that the deceased never felt the love that was filling the sanctuary. Those flowers were definitely missing because we really cared but maybe we just didn’t show that love as much as we should have. Which brings me my truth. See MY TRUTH, page 6
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We Celebrate Black History Every Day!
Nichols Begged for Mercy, But Beatings Didn't Stop
By Joseph Green-Bishop
Texas Metro News Correspondent
A frightening silence fell over the city of Memphis, as others staged demonstrations across the country, including in Dallas on Botham Jean Blvd., after the release on Friday of police videos that showed the brutally fatal beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. Videos show the African American man beaten, kicked, pepper sprayed and tased by five African American police officers, who have since been fired and charged with second degree murder. “I am just trying to go home,” you could hear Mr. Nichols saying on the video. He had just finished skating on the evening of January 7 at a nearby park
Five former Memphis Police charged in death of Tyre Nichols.
when his car was stopped by officers who snatched him from the vehicle, threw him to the ground and took turns beating and kicking him, according to a video released by the Memphis Police Department. He broke away from officers but was eventually apprehended and the beating continued. Hospitalized after the incident,
Mr. Nichols died on January 10. As groups of citizens gathered throughout the city to protest on Friday, Mr. Nichols’s mother, Mrs. RowVaughn Wells, demanded justice for her son. “No mother should experience what I am experiencing," she said. Mrs. Wells said that she had been told by those who had viewed the video of its brutali-
Tyre Nichols
ty, because she could not bring herself to watch it and urged other parents to prevent their children from viewing it. Her son cried out for her during the incident, saying 'mom…. mom…mom,' she added. "The officers denied his humanity, He was calling out my name while being beaten." See NICHOLS BEGGED, page 7
Dallas Mavs, NBA react “I couldn’t have written this story like to Tyre Nichols video this:” Maya Moore Officially Retires By Dorothy J. Gentry
By Dorothy J. Gentry
Sports Editor
Reaction and response ranging from outrage to sadness was swift nationwide and around the NBA after the video was released Friday showing 29-year-old Tyre Nichols being beaten by five Memphis police officers. Players took to social media to express their frustrations and several teams, including the Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies, as well as the NBA, all released statements. The Mavs said they were “sickened and heartbroken by what we saw in the videos,” and added their organization will “remain committed to being part of the solution.”
Sports Editor
“Our hearts are broken. Yet again,” said part of the statement from the Miami Heat. And the Memphis Grizzlies wrote in part: “We are distraught to find ourselves dealing with a needless loss of life due to police brutality, and this time it was one of Memphis’ own.” On January 7th, Nichols
She was the GOAT of the WNBA – winning four championships with the Minnesota Lynx - before leaving it all behind in 2018 at the age of 29 to pursue social justice work. In that pursuit, she helped free longtime family friend Jonathan Irons and get his 50-year prison sentence overturned. They then married and last summer had a son. Last week she announced her official retirement from the WNBA. "I couldn't have written this story like this," Moore said. "This has definitely been unexpected. But at the same time, it's been really thoughtful and planned
See TYRE NICHOLS VIDEO, page 11
See MAYA MOORE RETIRES, page 11
Maya Moore Photo: David Sherman | Credit: NBAE via Getty Images