Mural honoring the life of Tyre Nichols unveiled at Memphis restaurant
Local Memphis graffiti artist David Yancy released a mural this week to celebrate the life of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, whose death on Jan. 10 following a traffic stop sparked national outrage.
The mural is outside the Steve A. Castle House of Rhythm and Blues restaurant in North Memphis. Yancy teamed alongside fellow artist Francisco Flores on the mural, which Yancy said it took three days to create.
"I got the A-OK to do this mural from his family," Yancy said to ABC News. "I did not know him personally, but his passing hurt, and felt like I lost a brother," he said. "Working on this, my goal was to bring happiness and joy to his family during their time of grieving and a way to get that out for me."
The mural is Yancy's second work of art done for the Nichols family. The first was a portrait of Nichols on a skateboard made and displayed at Nichols' memorial service to honor his memory and passion for skateboarding.
Yancy said the inspiration for his creation came after getting in contact with the family and learning more about the common passions he and Nichols shared.
"I am a skater, and he was also a skater. Working on the board, they wanted people to know about him being a skater as a part of his legacy," he said.
House of Blues manager Steve A. Adams said he reached out to Yancy and asked him to create this piece in Nichols' honor.
"I want [the community] to remember the young man and to bring some color back to the neighborhood," Adams said.
Yancy said Adams gave him paint and once given approval by the owner and the Nichols family, he worked on his given canvas.
The mural features written messages such as #JusticeforTyre, "All he wanted to do was to get home" and "Hello Parents," a saying Yancy explained is how Nichols would greet his parents. There is also a memorable image of Nichols' smile.
"I want them to be able to see Tyre's smile. I want them to see that joy on his face on that mural," he said. "I hope it spreads joy throughout the community to whoever sees it."
Yancy hopes the biggest takeaway from those who view his artwork is to remember the great person Tyre Nichols was and hopes to spark a conversation.
"I hope in bringing the community together that it sparks the conversation about police reform and to be better humans," he said. "Whatever comes out of it, that's great. That's the purpose of art and why I create."
