by The parents of Tire Nichols and the man who disarmed the suspected Monterey Park gunman have been invited to attend President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Feb. 7.
Nichols’ brutal beating by Memphis police and the mass shooting at a dance hall in Monterey Park, California, this month have sparked renewed calls for police and gun control action.
Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said during an appearance Sunday on MSNBC that Nichols’ parents had accepted his invitation to attend the State of the Union address.
“Earlier today, I spoke with the family of Tire Nichols on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus to first express our condolences to them, to let them know we stand with them, to ask them what they want from us right now, to honor their son’s legacy and invite them to be our guest at the State of the Union on February 7, so that we can make sure that this issue of police culture, culture of police work, which unfortunately in this country has now contributed to countless deaths,” Horsford said.
Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the Monterey Park gunman at a dance hall in Alhambra, Calif. minutes after the gunman killed 11 people and injured at least nine others in the first place, was invited to the State of the Union address by Representative Judy Chu , D-California.
At a medal of valor ceremony by the city of Alhambra on Sunday, Chu said Tsay’s actions were “so amazing” that she invited him to be her 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 to Tsay.
The president spoke to Nichols and Tsay’s parents after the tragedies.
On Friday, Biden spoke by phone with Nichols’ mother and stepfather, RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, who were given a private viewing of the video showing Nichols’ brutal beating by the Memphis police department days before it was released to the public last week. released. During his conversation with them, Biden expressed his condolences for 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 pained” in response to videos of Nichols beating. In a statement shortly after the videos were released, Biden called the footage “horrifying.”
“It is another painful reminder of the deep anguish and trauma, pain and exhaustion that black and brown Americans experience every day,” Biden said.
Biden called Tsay last week to thank him for his courageous act in disarming the Monterey Park gunman.
“Instead of running away, Brandon said he thought he was going to die. But then he thought of the people inside,” the president said last week in remarks about the recent mass shootings in California that affected the Asian-American community. “And at that moment he follows his instinct. And he follows his courage … He attacked the shooter, wrestled him to the ground and took a semiautomatic pistol from him.
The president wants to use his second State of the Union address to illustrate how the legislation passed over the past two years has helped deliver on key promises he made to voters — especially about the economy — while focusing on gearing up for a likely re-election campaign.
The president’s upcoming speech to Congress is still a work in progress, helps stress. But he is also likely to address ongoing threats to democracy and current political issues such as further gun security measures and immigration.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
