Editor’s Note: This article contains graphic videos and descriptions of violence.
CNN
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Protesters across the US held rallies and demonstrations on Saturday, a day after a video was released showing the brutal police beating of Tyrus Nichols in Memphis.
Earlier this month, a graphic video of police beating a black man sparked outrage across the country. Protests began on Friday night, with people in various cities taking to the streets and carrying signs bearing Nicole’s name.
Demonstrations and demonstrations were expected in Memphis on Saturday., Boston, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Athens, Georgia, and Columbus, Ohio, among other cities. Most of them happen in the afternoon or evening.
Protesters chanted Nicole’s name around Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park on Saturday, demanding justice. Then they marched downtown.
In Memphis, protesters blocked the Interstate 55 bridge in the downtown area late Friday, chanting “no justice, no peace,” according to a CNN crew on the scene. Police said no arrests were made as a result of the peaceful demonstration.
Before the videos were released, Nichols’ mother, Rowan Wells, called for a peaceful protest.
Memphis City Council member Michalyn Easter-Thomas told CNN’s Boris Sanchez on Saturday that before the video was released, there was fear of protests due to the lack of police accountability for previous incidents.
“And I think last night in the city of Memphis we saw a very peaceful and direct sense of protest, and I think it’s probably because we have faith and hope that the system will fix it this time,” Easter-Thomas said.
Five Memphis officers were fired and charged in Nichols’ death.
In New York, the video was posted on social media as demonstrators swarmed Times Square amid dozens of protesters and police officers.
The New York Police Department said three protesters were arrested, one of whom was seen jumping on the hood of a police vehicle and smashing the windshield.
Protesters also gathered in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., to demand justice for Nichols, according to a social media video.
On the West Coast, protesters marched in Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, carrying signs reading “Justice for Tyrus Nichols” and “Prison Killer Cops.”
Video of the Jan. 7 confrontation “shows acts of dehumanization,” Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis warned before the footage was released to the public. Nichols died on January 10.
The arrest began with a traffic stop for what officers said was reckless driving and shows officers beating, kicking and punching Nicole with a baton — including having his hands tied behind his body — as the young man. He screams for his mother, video shows.
Nichols falls to the ground in handcuffs, leaning against a police cruiser, as officers grind away, ending the confrontation. Nichols was later hospitalized and died three days later.
The video shows that 23 minutes have passed since Nichols was seen being subdued and before he was on his back on the bed.
The Nichols family “want the world to witness their pain and feel their pain,” Shelby County District Attorney Steven Mulroy said.
Mulroy added, “While nothing we do will bring Tyrus back, we promise you that we will do everything we can to help the Tyrus family and our city of Memphis get justice for Tyrus Nichols.”
The Memphis Police Department was unable to find any probable cause for reckless driving and said the video of the crash showed “a reckless disregard for life, a duty of care that we are all pledged to.” Davis said.
Five former Memphis police officers involved in the arrest – all of them black – were charged with second-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping, according to the Shelby County District Attorney. They are Tadarius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr.
Two Memphis Fire Department employees who were part of Nichols’ primary care have been suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
Also, two Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies were placed on hold pending investigation after the sheriff saw the video.
Ben Crump, an attorney for the Nichols family, said the family did not know two members of the sheriff’s office were at the scene of the shooting, telling CNN on Saturday, “That’s the first they’ve heard of it.”
The Memphis Police Association, which represents the city’s police officers, expressed its condolences to the Nichols family and said it does not condone abuse of power and abuse of power against citizens.
“I have faith in the criminal justice system,” the association said.
“It is our belief that we will rely on the coming days, weeks and months to ensure that the full picture of the situation unfolds,” the statement said. “The family of Mr. Nichols, the city of Memphis and the rest of the country deserve no less. We pray for justice, healing and finally closure for all involved.”
According to Easter-Thomas, next week’s city council meeting will be “intense.”
Easter-Thomas said the police department wants to make sure the council supports them, but she expects officers to do their jobs “with the utmost integrity.”
‘We all knew his fate’: Memphis lawmaker comments on Nicole’s video
The Memphis Police Chief released the video in 2015. He compared it to the 1991 beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police, which sparked days of unrest in the city.
“I was in law enforcement during the Rodney King incident, and he’s very much in tune with the same behavior,” Davis said.
Krupp also made a comparison. “Attacking, hitting, punching, kicking, tasing, pepper spraying. It is very serious,” he said.
“The only difference between my dad and now is the hashtags and a clearer camera,” Rodney King’s daughter Laura King told CNN. “We have to do better, this is unacceptable.”
“I don’t think he’s in his right mind, anyone who respects humanity is okay with this,” she said of her condolences to Nichols’ family and friends. “I’m just sad where we are in America, we’re still here. I am in disbelief.
Protests are planned for Nichols’ death in Los Angeles.
Memphis City Council Speaker Martavious Jones was emotional during a video interview with CNN’s Don Lemon on Friday.
“It was a traffic stop,” Jones said. “It shouldn’t have ended like this.”
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, who represents parts of Memphis, said the video was “remarkable to watch.”
“They were not there to serve and protect or even to contain. They were there to punish and control,” he said.
President Joe Biden said he was “outraged and deeply saddened” after seeing the video. “It’s another painful reminder of the deep fear and anxiety, pain and exhaustion that black and brown Americans face every day.”
Administrators from all walks of life also expressed their anger at the violence.