GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – Social justice advocates in the east are calling for change, following the recent brutal beating by Memphis police of Tyre Nichols, who later died.

Several dozen people gathered at the New Dimensions Community Church in Greenville Monday afternoon for a prayer vigil in honor of Nichols’ legacy.

Pitt County Sheriff Paula Dance and Greenville Police Chief Ted Sauls attended the event.

Though Eve Rogers, the pastor of New Dimensions Community Church, believes prayer is powerful, she believes learning from tragedies like Tyre Nichols is just as important.

“We must continue to bring about an acute awareness to the ills of mankind. You can’t wait until some tragedy, some horrific incident like the case Tyre Nichols and his family and the Memphis community come at our back door,” Rogers said.

Meanwhile, Pitt County NAACP president, Calvin Henderson, feels action is needed.

“I don’t have anything as far as negative to come down on our chief or any other chief,” Henderson said. “I would like to say that we should sit down and look at some policy changes to prevent this kind of thing from happening,” Henderson said.

President Joe Biden told reporters he would urge Congress to pass federal police reforms known as the George Floyd Act.