Nolan Wells Family CONFIRMS ‘Emergency Call’ Audio Will Be ‘Investigated' & More - HP News

[0:00] We are announcing that we have the audio from the officials and we have retained in our consultant [0:11] with some of the foremost audio engineering experts to review those audio tapes from the [0:21] CTO call in its entirety. Ladies and gentlemen, Ben Crump. And thank you to President and CEO [0:34] of the National Urban League, Marc Marielle. Please give a great round of applause for him not thinking [0:42] it robbery to invite the families to be here at this great convention. We are so grateful to him [0:50] and the others in the civil rights community for standing up like they have stood up in the past [0:56] and just like we got justice for George Floyd, just like we got justice for Breonna Taylor, Lee Merritt, [1:07] just like we got justice for Ahmaud Arbery, we're going to get justice for Nolan Wells. We're going [1:14] to get justice for Daniel Irvin and we're going to get justice for Tyler Smith. And the large part is [1:22] because you all are not afraid to speak truth to power. Never. Thank you, Mr. Mario. Again, [1:33] I'm attorney Ben Crump along with attorney Lisa Park, attorney Eric Hertz. We are here fighting for [1:42] the family with other great lawyers for Nolan Wells. We also have present with us the family of Daniel [1:50] Irvin, who many of you are just learning about outside of Dallas, Texas and his tragedy. We have [1:58] attorney Sean DeRaya and attorney Brooke Clouse fighting to help that family get justice. And we [2:06] want to apply his mother, Tamika, who has been fighting fighting as only a mother would fight with not [2:18] many people in the world listening. But we're listening today, Tamika. You are not alone, Tamika. [2:25] You got Nolan's mother and father, Christine and Elmore Wesley who are standing with you as well. [2:34] Tamika, your daughter is here. You are not alone. Yeah, please let her know she is not alone. Justice [2:41] for Daniel Irvin. Attorney Harry Daniels. We also have the family of Tyler Smith, [2:56] Lexington, Kentucky. You're going to hear from all these families. You're going to hear from [3:04] Tyler's mother and especially his grandmother. And you know, until the lawyers get there, [3:11] to the community advocates get there. A lot of times these families are just by themselves, [3:17] President Mariel. And thank God for this mother and this praying grandmother who refused to let them [3:25] sweep the death of her grandbaby under the rug. And so I will say briefly about each of these tragedies. [3:38] Obviously, many of you know about Nolan Wells and you're here from his mother and father after [3:47] brief remarks by attorney Hertz and attorney Park. But we all know July 4th, Nolan Wells goes with friends [3:58] celebrating 4th of July. All the friends come back. Nolan Wells tragically washes up on the shore [4:08] two days later, dead. And so we know all the current events that have been happening. We are announcing that [4:20] we have the audio from the officials and we have retained and are consulting with some of the foremost [4:31] audio engineering experts to review those audio tapes from the CTO call in its entirety. We also, [4:44] and attorney Hertz may go into greater detail on these matters, have consulted President Mariel [4:50] with oceanic engineering experts to talk about how these facts are lining up. The fact that they say [5:00] Nolan's body was found in the same location where they say they left them at. And so we want to know how is [5:12] that possible with the oceanic tides? We want the experts. I mean, you got low tides and high tides. It's not [5:20] adding up. So we are going to dot every eye and cross every t until we find out what happened to Nolan [5:30] Wells. Attorney Hertz. We're also going to a little more detail and attorney Park about how we're trying [5:39] to coordinate with Dr. Roger Mitchell, who conducted the independent autopsy of Nolan Wells to be able [5:48] to inspect his throat to inspect his throat that was missing with his body when he was flown to do the autopsy [5:56] with Dr. Mitchell. Also, we are hopeful that they will discuss with Dr. Mitchell the photographs and [6:06] observations made at the time when Nolan was first discovered because Dr. Mitchell did not get an [6:13] opportunity until July 10th to be able to examine his body. And at that time, we know the airways and [6:22] the lungs had already been dissected and so forth. So we can't tell if there was the presence of water or [6:31] not. That would suggest whether he drowned or not. And remember what Dr. Roger Mitchell said in his [6:39] autopsy, President Mario, he talked about the fact that to say he drowned does not draw the conclusions [6:49] of what happened to Nolan Wells. He said it is equally important to know at what condition [6:56] was Nolan Wells body when he went into the water. Was he conscious or was he unconscious? [7:03] Was he forced into the water or did he go unforced into the water? He said all of these things are very [7:10] important. And so we're dotting I's and crossing T's. We are focused on getting to the truth and we stand [7:18] for the truth. Me and everybody on my legal team stand for the truth no matter who it implicates or who it [7:26] acquits. And we stand for transparency so everybody can see. And that's all we want. We want answers. [7:45] We're not casting aspersions on anybody. We are saying that we want to make sure everybody who is [7:53] remotely involved has the questions answered to make sure we have a full and fair and impartial and [8:03] in transparent investigation. And is that too much to ask for these brokenhearted parents? Is that too [8:11] much to ask? That's all. If it was your child, wouldn't you want the same thing? And I get it. They're [8:19] attacking me. They're attacking Reverend Al. They're attacking the parents of Nolan Wells. We don't care [8:28] about those distractions. We don't we ain't no ways tired. We are completely focused, completely laser [8:37] focused on getting to the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help us God. And so the [8:49] threats to attacks mean nothing to us. We will not be deterred. Look at into our eyes. We're going to [8:59] get to the truth. I am so grateful to Mr. Byron Allen for donating $100,000 to the GoFundMe so we can help [9:09] get the best experts in the world. I am thankful to Reverend Al Sharpton. I am thankful to Mr. Tyler Perry. [9:17] I'm thankful to Mr. Terrell Owens. Terrell Owens. I am very thankful to everybody who did not think [9:26] it robbery to say, what can we do to help people get to the truth and call in to the tip line so we [9:36] can help not only Nolan Wells family, but we can help Daniel Urban's family and we can help Tyler [9:42] Smith's family as well. Everybody on social media, please continue to ask questions. Please continue [9:49] to share photographs, share videos. It all helps us solve this potential of what happened to Nolan [9:58] Wells. I mean, it's just so important. Somebody saw something. Somebody knows something. As Christine [10:10] and Elmore have said, if you're really Nolan's friend, you know in your heart of hearts that if [10:20] the roles were reversed, that Nolan would say something, he will call and tell what he saw. [10:28] And so that's all they're asking. Do for Nolan what he would have done for you. Do for Nolan what he [10:37] would have done for you. Congresswoman Beatty, we thank you in the Congressional Black Caucus. Please [10:50] stand and join us Congresswoman because you all asking the questions from the Department of Justice [10:58] and the FBI. It's important that we have the full weight and force of everybody who has any kind of [11:04] authority to be able to help us get answers on Nolan Wells and the other 18 year old black boys. Now, [11:17] before I bring up the lawyers, I just want to say a word about Daniel Urban and by his case, [11:25] and you will hear from attorney Sean DeReya and after you hear from his mother, Tamika, so similar, [11:37] so similar in what they're saying about Nolan Wells. And that is her 18 year old son, President Mario, [11:49] Congresswoman Beatty, two young white teenagers come pick them up from their house. Lee, they go on, [12:02] I guess it's an alleged fishing trip. Her son, I guess they are saying, accidentally drowns. But his two [12:17] friends, then throw away his clothes, right Sean, throw away his cell phone, go and delete all the text [12:28] messages between Daniel Urban and them. And then say nothing. If it's an accidental drowning, why wouldn't [12:38] you come to his mother and tell her he drowned by accident? Why wouldn't you go to the authorities? Why [12:44] wouldn't you go to somebody and say there was a terrible tragedy, he accidentally drowned? But no, [12:50] they go throw away all of the evidence that is germane to finding out what happened. And it's [12:57] only after his mother raised all kind of hell. And for four days, they are searching for what happened. [13:05] Minister Dominique Alexander and the activists in Dallas, they're saying, no, something happened [13:10] to Daniel Urban. We got to get to the bottom of this. Then and only then, Mark Mariel, does the young [13:17] people come forward to the authorities with their parents and they say, well, we were there and they [13:26] confessed that they threw away his cell phone and his clothes and they deleted the messages. And so [13:33] law enforcement arrest and charge and arrest them after three months, three months passed, not until [13:40] Nolan Wells started making the news. Did they finally come and they arrest them, but not for the death [13:48] of Daniel Urban. They arrest them with tempering with evidence. And that's it. And what his mother is [13:56] saying, what attorney DeRay is saying, what attorney Brooke Goose is saying is simply this. If they would lie [14:03] about his cell phone and throw it away, if they would lie about his clothes and throw it away, if they [14:11] would lie about deleting text messages between Daniel and them, how can you believe it when they say it was [14:19] an accidental drowning, they need to take this case to a grand jury. And you're going to hear from his mother [14:27] to talk about other things that don't add up, about the conduct of the boys immediately after the drowning, [14:36] the alleged drowning. It's so critical, important that we remember Daniel Urban as well. And then [14:44] Attorney Park, Attorney Kloose, we talk about Tyler Smith and I'll just try to paint the picture real [14:51] quickly for you. And then you'll hear from these parents, these brokenhearted parents. Fourth of July, [14:58] you can't make this stuff up, Congresswoman Beatty. Attorney Daniel, it's 4th of July, [15:06] same 4th of July, 2026, when Nolan goes missing. Tyler Smith in Lexington, Kentucky, is the only [15:20] black person in the home where they're having a 4th of July small house party. Somehow, [15:30] Tyler ends up being shot in his head, dead. 911 is called. They come, the police get there. They tell [15:50] them that he shot himself, that they were playing Russian Roulette. That's what they say. They say, [15:59] this the gun. The police retrieve the gun and then they take their word as the gospel that he shot himself. [16:14] They don't do gunshot residue on the hands of Tyler or nobody else. I mean, basic investigation 101. If [16:24] you say he shot himself when you bag his hands and when you test it for gunshot residue, but they don't [16:31] do that. And you're going to hear from his grandmother and his mother as to the explanation, [16:38] the implausible explanation that they offered them. And the fact that the gun, President Mariel, [16:50] that they claimed he used to shoot himself with, the police after they do analysis, it does not match [17:00] the cases that they found on the floor to where he shot himself at. So still, they are taking their [17:12] word for it. And it's seven days later, right, Ms. Niecy? Seven days later after they didn't say, [17:22] who all was in the house? They have to identify everybody who was in the home. And then they have [17:27] to track down. Well, if this is not the gun that caused the death of Tyler Smith, well, where's the [17:35] gun at? So they have to go investigate and they go surround one of the young men's houses, Lee Merrick, [17:42] and they surround the house. He doesn't come and volunteer after knowing that they're trying to find [17:49] out and get evidence about what happened to Tyler Smith and come forward voluntarily. They have to go to [17:57] his house and surround it. And then he comes out and finally he volunteers that this is the gun. Think [18:04] about that, Kathleen Drake. Just think about that for a second. You would think after all of that, he is [18:11] surely going to be arrested and charged with killing or being in some way responsible for the death of this [18:21] 18 year old young black man. But no, he is only charged with tempering with evidence. Correct, [18:27] Ms. Niecy? Nothing more. And nobody in all three of the questionable deaths of these 18 year old young [18:39] black kids, nobody has been held accountable in any way. And so that's why we're here saying that [18:49] we are not deterred. We're not going to let you sweep it under the rug. We're going to get to the [18:54] answers of what happened to Nolan Wells, what happened to Daniel Irvings and what happened to Tyler [19:02] Smith. Three 18 year old black boys in a three month period around 4th of July, 2026, who all were unalived in [19:15] very similar ways as Nolan Wells. And I'm very thankful to his parents for using the attention [19:23] that they were given and blessed with to also give attention to these other 18 year old black boys. [19:30] Thank you, Christine. Thank you so much, Elmore. At this time, before we get to your questions, [19:36] you're going to hear briefly from attorney Eric Hertz and then attorney Lisa Park with some updates. [19:43] And then you're here from Nolan Wells parents. Attorney Eric Hertz, a great civil rights law. [19:53] Thank you for showing up. I have some brief updates on the Nolan Wells case. [19:59] We have been working with the district attorney. We've gotten a letter back yesterday and she's [20:07] willing to listen to some of the evidence we have, although we're having to still discuss [20:13] her giving us back evidence. And that's something that we will see the phones, not just our clients [20:20] phones, but the other phones that are involved in this situation. We are trying to coordinate and have [20:28] come to a tentative agreement with the district attorney to go ahead and have them investigated [20:36] together jointly with our experts as well as their experts. And I believe if I'm not speaking out [20:43] attorney, the FBI is going to also be present there and that's going to show a lot of stuff that we [20:47] haven't seen. I'm going to keep this short, but as I always say, and would like to say one more time, [20:57] society is judged by how the most powerful treat the most vulnerable and justice will prevail. [21:05] Amen. Thank you. Thank you very much, Attorney Eric Hertz. And now you will hear briefly from [21:14] attorney Lisa Park, who heads up our Atlanta, Georgia office and has been leading on this effort [21:20] for Nolan Wells. So today, I just want to recognize all of these families for coming here today, [21:30] traveling here to Nashville, even family that's here in the audience. If you think for just a moment, [21:41] for these tragedies, they really just happened. They really just happened. And if you've ever had a [21:47] loved one that you've lost, it's hard. And you feel like going into a quiet place by yourself, [21:56] mourning, grieving, doing all of our own religious rituals, right? And so it's quite hard that these [22:06] families have had to come into the spotlight to stand up for their children. This is not where [22:15] they want to be. And for those people who somehow think that they want to be in the spotlight, I [22:23] guarantee you, this is not where they want to be for all of these families, for every single family [22:31] member that is suffering through these losses. So I want to commend all of these families. I also want [22:38] to commend them for coming together as a group, right? Because all of us, we are stronger together. [22:48] We are stronger together. And there are so many unanswered questions for all three of these cases. [22:55] But there's hope. And I see that hope because we do get calls. We have been getting over 100 calls [23:05] a day. And I want to thank everybody who's called in. Because for every time there's a hater [23:15] that's saying that these people just want the spotlight. When somebody calls in with some [23:21] encouragement, when somebody calls in with some information, it makes up for that. [23:27] Amen. Because we know that we're stronger together. This, these questions, these cases can be solved, [23:36] and we can do it together. So I want to thank everybody for calling, right? But I also, last thing, [23:44] I want to encourage those who have not called yet. And you know that you have some information. One, [23:51] I know that it's scary. I know that you may be scared. But if there's a time in your life to do the [23:58] right thing, this is it. And you just have to be brave. And go ahead and please call us. These people, [24:09] we need you. We need you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, Attorney Park. And as Nolan's mother [24:20] and father get ready to come, I cannot express to you how encouraged we are that we're going to get to [24:29] the truth. I mean, so many things are coming to light. And we're going to get to the truth. We are not [24:36] trying to cast aspersions on anybody. We want the truth. We want the truth. That's what we want. [24:45] And like we said, if that implicates you or exonerates you, then you got to talk to your Lord. You got [24:52] to talk to your God. But we want the truth and nothing but the truth. And if it was your child, [24:59] you will want the same thing. And so that's why everybody who got children, you could understand [25:07] the pain, the agony that this mother and father have been dealing with since 4th of July. How people [25:18] came time date within hours of finding him saying, well, no foul play, just go on. How do you tell [25:27] somebody just go on when my son is dead and nobody's given us any answers? All those people out on that [25:36] island and you mean nobody know nothing? Nobody saw anything? No, we refuse to accept that nobody knows [25:46] nothing. We're going to get to the truth. We're going to get to the truth. We're going to get to [25:52] the truth and it's starting to come to light because truth is light and we're going to get to the truth. [25:59] Y'all give it up for the mother and father of Noah Nolan Wells, Elmore and Christine. We're going to get to [26:13] the truth. Thank you all for being here today. It has been 27 days since we have been able to talk to [26:29] our son, to hug him, to tell him we love him. This has been the most difficult time we have ever had. [26:45] I want to tell you who Nolan was. Nolan was a God-fearing, God-loving child. He loved everyone. He was the [27:01] person who would just make you feel comfortable just being in his space. He was never one to exclude. [27:11] He always wanted everyone to be happy, to feel good, to have purpose. He would lift anyone up. It [27:19] didn't even matter if he didn't know you. If you took that moment to just tell him a little bit about [27:25] yourself, what you wanted to do with your life, right then and there Nolan would be your biggest [27:31] cheerleader. Today we are begging because I'm not too proud to beg. We are begging if anyone knows anything [27:46] his friends, his friends, strangers, please call the hotline because we will not be able to rest [27:56] until we get answers. But please understand that all of these distractions, these other questions that [28:05] people, the attacks that people, the attacks that people have sent our way, just know we will not be [28:13] distracted. We are ready to do whatever we need to do as his parents to continue advocating for him [28:23] because Nolan is not here. He is not here to speak for himself. He is not here to tell us what happened. [28:31] So again, we will not rest until we get answers. And if you know something, you need to let us know. [28:41] Please do not be afraid, okay? Thank you all so much again. We truly appreciate your love and support. [29:02] I'm faced with a new challenge every morning, waking up, trying to process this. It's the biggest challenge [29:18] I've ever had. I pretty much was raised up like a lot of you. I didn't have a lot, but I always said [29:27] I wanted to give my children more than what I had. And I think me and my wife did that. We raised Nolan to [29:41] love everyone, be kind to everyone, because it was just the right thing to do. I got a lot of stuff going, [29:53] but what I really want to say is, and like my wife said, if you know something and you are really, [30:03] if Nolan was really your best friend or for the people who said that he was their friend, [30:08] please come forward and tell us what you know. All we want to know is the truth. We're not blaming [30:16] anyone. We just want to know the truth. Any parent want that. And also, [30:28] the disrespect that's been coming toward my wife and my family. For any parent, [30:38] no matter what race you are, they need time to grieve. A parent can't grieve when you have people [30:46] attacking them, attacking their jobs, attacking their character, just attacking them, period. [30:53] Like, where's the empty at? We as Americans, this is a diverse country. [31:01] Yep. Not no one race made this country. We all made this race, made this country. [31:10] So we all need to come together. And like I said, if we know something, please come forward and just [31:19] call our attorneys, give them information, and they'll take it from there. Just help us out. And not just us, [31:27] but all these families. All these families need answers. Anyone with information on any one of these cases, [31:34] please come forward. Because losing a child is something that you got to live with for the rest of [31:40] your life. Thank you. Thank you. And President Mario, I would just say the attacks. I mean, Christine [31:52] has been a nurse for years, and she hasn't ever gotten negative reviews. But since she has been advocating to [32:01] to find out what happened to her 18-year-old son after he was washed up dead on Horn Island, sick people [32:11] have been going on her company's website, giving her negative reviews. Can you all imagine anything [32:20] worse than that? That is a shame before God. They are just sick, evil people who would attack this [32:28] mother and his father for simply saying, we want to know what happened to our child. Don't worry, Christine. [32:36] We standing with you. We are standing with you. We got it. I invited Ben Crump to come to Nashville [32:49] to brief us on the Wells case. In the course of that conversation, he shared with me, [32:55] by the way, there are two other similar cases. I said, two other similar cases? I said, Ben, [33:05] can you bring all of the families to Nashville? Because the thousands of urban leaders who are here [33:17] are interested in, have a solidarity with, want to hear directly, not through filters, [33:25] about the circumstances of these cases. And that is what the National Urban League Conference is all [33:30] about. It is about dealing with the pressing, cutting edge issues that face the nation and face Black [33:40] America. So we are here because this is what we do. Yes. Whether it was Trayvon Martin back in the early [33:49] teens, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice. We deal with these issues [34:01] because our constituency wants to hear directly. And I want to say this. We trust Ben Crump. Yes. [34:11] And we know that he does not engage in chasing false cases. Amen. That he also, when he takes a case, [34:25] that he's going to elevate the word and the personality and the pain of the families. Yes, [34:34] sir. All too often. Yes, sir. When Black families are victims of violence and victims of unfair justice [34:45] system, they suffer in silence. They can't find lawyers. With the courage and the ability, [34:53] they suffer in silence. So I know when Ben Crump has a matter, he is always welcome at the National [35:02] Urban League Conference to come and bring us up to date. And that's why we're here in Nashville. [35:09] Other press questions. Any others? Yes, ma'am. Identify yourself, please. New York Post. Come here. [35:22] Come here. Christine. Yep. We know about the question. We were ready for it. This attack and this threat [35:28] to sue us and the family for defamation. It's a distraction. We're not distracted by it at all. [35:35] It's about getting to the truth. That's what we want. And that's what we're focused on. We haven't [35:41] done anything other than ask questions to get to the truth. Okay. Another question. [35:50] I can't hear you. Okay. Let me respond to that. That accusation doesn't deserve a response. [36:07] Right. It has no dignity associated with someone standing up for children who have died. We don't [36:19] waste our time arguing with donkeys. We don't waste our time arguing with people who want to distract [36:28] from the real issue. We have three dead black young men under suspicious circumstances. And I don't think [36:39] the New York Post ought to give elevation to distractions like that. This is such an old story. [36:51] We fight for justice and someone suggests all we want is publicity. You know what happens when we [36:57] stand here? Our inboxes are filled with hate messages, hate mail, hate this, hate that. No one, [37:09] our dignity in standing up. And I'm not your reporter. You work for the paper. Your editors told you to ask [37:17] this question. I want you to know we will not be distracted. And I'm not gonna Ben Crump is like [37:23] any lawyer. He should get paid for his work. Just like every Wall Street lawyer, every Trump lawyer, [37:39] every insurance defense lawyer. And I really want everyone to understand. Let's not be distracted. [37:51] Amen. Right. Won't be distracted. Let's not give oxygen. Let's not give air to haters [38:02] and distractors and dissuaders. So thank you for your question. [38:06] Okay. Ma'am. Ma'am. Yes, ma'am. What's your question? What's your question? [38:35] We celebrate. So let me say this. I'm gonna say this. I will not ever surrender the fact that I [38:46] am an American. However, we celebrate Juneteenth. I don't necessarily celebrate July 4th, [38:56] but I note it as an important day. And I'm not gonna fall into the trap that some want to. I fly [39:05] the American flag in front of my house. But on the other side of my porch, I fly the Juneteenth flag. [39:15] And we are not gonna let anyone diminish our birthright, our constitutional right, our birthright [39:28] to be treated fairly and justly in this country. It is very difficult and challenging in these times, [39:37] but we are not gonna be tricked. We're not gonna be dissuaded. We're not gonna be [39:43] distracted. I am an American. I am an African American. I am a black American. And I'm proud [39:57] to be one. But I think we need to clearly understand that African Americans, black people, [40:07] and civil rights leaders have always been the conscience of this country. [40:12] We have always been loyal to the nation, even in the most challenging times. [40:18] Yeah. And I'm not gonna suggest it's easy for us. But what we're not gonna allow is for people to [40:26] marginalize us, treat us like second-class citizens, or suggest that somehow, let me tell you what a true [40:34] patriot is. A true patriot stands up for justice. Yeah. A true patriot stands up for the families and the [40:46] victims of violence. A true patriot holds the justice system accountable, doesn't make excuses [40:56] for an unjust justice system. So we gotta understand that we're not gonna get tricked and cornered [41:06] into people suggesting because we stand up for justice. We're something other than a true and full [41:14] patriot in this country. Yeah. That's the way I feel. I said last night, I was born in a segregated [41:22] hospital, born in a segregated city, watched my parents and their friends fight and litigate and march to [41:34] open doors of opportunity. Amen. The reason why these times are so tough and why they're so difficult is [41:44] because if we are not careful and if we are not vigilant and diligent, our children and grandchildren will be [41:52] relitigating the battles of our parents. Yeah. This movement in this country to turn back the hands of [42:02] time is palpable. So when we stand up for these families and we'll stand up for other families and [42:10] we'll stand up for other people, we're doing it because we are true patriots. We're doing it because we [42:18] believe in justice. We do it because we're going to hold the justice system accountable. This urban league [42:25] movement, this urban league movement has a mission. Yes, sir. And its mission is something we will not [42:34] surrender. Like the Congressional Black Caucus says, we have no permanent friends. We have no permanent [42:42] enemies. We only have permanent interests. Amen. So thank you for your question. And let me say this [42:48] before I move on to the final two questions. You know, we as African Americans, as WB Du Bois said, [42:58] we have this duality. I mean, on one hand, we know that when the founders wrote the Constitution, [43:06] they never expected that it would the rights would apply to us. But like my personal hero, [43:16] Thurgood Marshall said, I know they didn't intend it to apply to us, but we're going to make it apply [43:21] to us anyway, because we are American citizens. And if anybody built this country, it was our ancestors [43:30] with the tolling in the cotton fields. I mean, doing the things that made this very young country [43:38] become such a prosperous country at such an early age in its infancy. I mean, when you think about [43:47] what slavery did to elevate America, that were our ancestors. So yes, I'm going to celebrate the 4th of [43:55] July essence every year, because my ancestors built this joint. And then I'm really going to celebrate [44:03] on the Juneteenth, because I know that is what we do to acknowledge our ancestry. Just like Jewish [44:13] Americans celebrate the 4th of July and their important dates, just like Italian Americans [44:20] celebrate the 4th of July and their important dates, just like Spanish Americans celebrate the 4th of July [44:27] and important dates to them. Black people, we celebrate the 4th of July because we built America. [44:36] Ladies and gentlemen, we have one more. CNN and iWomenTV and then that's going to be it. [44:42] Go ahead. Yes, ma'am. I'll have Sean speak briefly to Daniel Irvin, but that's why I was brought in to [45:04] bring attention to Daniel Irvin case. Sean and his team and their mother been fighting and not making [45:11] progress. But we're going to get the answers. Sean, we have not had any progress with the [45:17] Dallas County District Attorney's Office. We are planning Mr. Crump and I to meet with the [45:22] district attorney if he will meet us. And we want to talk about this case. We want to talk about this [45:27] evidence and we want to move this forward and we want murder charges. Is that right, Mr. Crump? [45:31] Absolutely. You know, one of the things that Sean and Tamika said, Ryan Young, she said that [45:38] there was a witness after the drowning that said Tamika, the young man was limping when he came back [45:46] and that was part of the investigation. And she's saying, well, why didn't y'all explore that? Like, [45:51] why are you limping? You're saying my son jumped off the bridge. Why that's going to cause you to limp? [45:58] Yes, that that is true. And there was a witness that provided video footage via flash drive [46:04] to the detectives and they failed to enter that information in the probable cause affidavit. [46:20] The witness also said that the detectives just grossly overlooked that and they failed to [46:30] enter that information. Again, I know Daniel did not drown and tampering with evidence is offensive [46:41] for the murder they committed. Thank you. We have any more questions? I would just respond to this [46:47] here on Ryan's case. And his mother believes her child was murdered. We are still trying to get all [46:55] the information, Attorney DeRay and I, but she does not believe her son enforced went into a lake, [47:05] a high school swimmer and drowned. She just isn't accepting that. And she has a right as a parent [47:11] to question that. As it relates to Tyler Smith, we're going to have more information coming forward [47:20] because of the hard work of his mother and grandmother. And we think the shoe is about [47:24] to drop on that. And we're going to meet with the district attorney. We haven't yet. [47:30] But we're going to meet with them because people are starting to come forward. And I again, [47:35] thank the parents of Nolan Wells because people are coming forward in their case. That's inspiring [47:41] people to come forward and Tyler Smith's case as well. So thank you all for coming forward. [47:46] Question. She had the last one. Let's go here and then Kathleen. Okay. My message would be [48:14] that we have to have tough conversations. This is something our community already knows. We have to [48:22] make sure that and I know my husband and I we have had countless conversations with all of our children [48:29] about the importance of understanding when you are moving in different spaces with people that do not [48:37] look like you. And it's unfortunate that we have to have these conversations, but they are needed [48:44] in order to hopefully keep our children safe. So I would say to all the mothers out there, [48:52] especially my black mothers, we just have to keep pushing forward. We have to do the things [49:00] to protect our children. Kathleen last question. I mean, this is so tragic that this is why Ben Crump [49:47] is so important. This is why when families face these types of challenges, they need good counsel. [49:55] They should not wallow and try to handle it themselves. They shouldn't just go to community [50:03] leaders and politicians, although that's important. Yes, they need good counsel. They need good civil rights [50:08] counsel. They need people like Ben Crump or Lee Merritt. And there are many, many others around the nation [50:14] who do this kind of important work. And I just encourage families that face cases of injustice, [50:24] cases where they want answers, to work to get good counsel. We at the Urban League, our affiliates, [50:32] we get calls all the time. And what we try to do is guide them in the right direction. We try to help [50:39] them identify counsel or people. And that is really, really important, the case. I want to confront [50:47] the question you asked about race. Something in this country, whenever a black person is the victim [50:57] of an act of injustice, why is it when we seek justice, we get this smear campaign of playing the race [51:08] card? Sacrification of passion. I have seen this movie for many, many, many years. And we are going to call [51:19] it out because we are not going to be dissuaded, distracted, or intimidated for standing up for [51:31] members of our community. Let the charges come. I say it's like they're blowing bubbles. It's just a lot of [51:41] rhetoric, it's nasty, and it's hateful. But you know what I found? That every loud person attacking us, [51:52] there's 15 quiet people who represent silent supporters of justice. They may not speak out, [52:01] they may not go on social media, but they're in solidarity. And we have to remember that the loudest [52:09] voices in the room are not the most important voices in the room. Amen. Let me thank you all for coming. [52:18] We've got some other activities on Women of Power Luncheon. Let's thank Ben Crump. Let's one more time, [52:23] thank these families for their courage, for their courage, for their courage. And I want to thank the [52:28] media for coming out as well. This press conference is adjourned. Thank you, Marc Mariel and the National Urban League.