Tyre Nichols' Parents, Monterey Park Hero Invited to SOTU

Biden will deliver his second SOTU address next Tuesday
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 30, 2023 3:31 PM CST
Tyre Nichols' Parents Invited to SOTU Address
Brandon Tsay displays a Metal of Courage award after being presented to him by Alhambra Police Chief Kelley Fraser, right, on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023 in Alhambra, Calif.   (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

President Biden will deliver his second State of the Union Address next Tuesday and the guests will include the parents of Tyre Nichols, the Memphis man who died days after he was brutally beaten by police. Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said Sunday that Nichols' parents had accepted an invitation from the caucus, NBC reports. Horsford told MSNBC that he spoke to the family on behalf of the caucus to "first extend our condolences to them, to let them know that we stand with them, to ask them what they want from us in this moment, to honor the legacy of their son, and to extend an invitation to them to be our guest at the State of the Union on February 7."

"This is a very serious and important issue that all of us should agree: Bad policing in the United States should not exist," Horsford said. He said he hopes the president will mention police reform in his address. Biden spoke with Nichols' parents on Friday and said he was "outraged and deeply pained" to see video of the beating, the Washington Post reports.

Brandon Tsay, who disarmed a mass shooter in Monterey Park, California earlier this month, will be another guest. Democratic Rep. Judy Chu said Sunday that she invited Tsay to be her guest, but he was invited by the president himself in a call an hour later, reports NBC. In remarks last week, Biden praised the 26-year-old for "following his courage" when the gunman arrived at a dance studio. "He charged the gunman, and wrestled him to the ground and took away a semiautomatic pistol from him," Biden said. The president will deliver the address to a joint session of Congress at 9pm Easten, reports Reuters. (More State of the Union address stories.)

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