Protesters hit the streets in D.C. on Friday after footage was released showing Memphis police officers severely beating a 29-year-old Black man Tyre Nichols, who died days after the incident took place earlier this month. The five officers, all of whom are also Black, were charged with second-degree murder Thursday for their roles in Nichols’ death. They were also charged with aggravated assault, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two charges of official misconduct and one charge of official oppression. All of the officers were fired from the force, and four of the five are currently out on bail.
Footage from Memphis police
Bodycam footage released Friday showed multiple Memphis police officers beating Nichols for three minutes during a traffic stop on Jan. 7, where they allegedly stopped him for reckless driving. After a brief altercation where officers pepper sprayed and shocked him with Tasers, Nichols fled the scene on foot. He was soon apprehended again, which is when officers can be seen beating Nichols with batons and kicking him, as well as repeatedly pepper spraying and shocking him.
Nichols can be seen calling out for his mother while officers continue to beat him even after he was already subdued. Nichols died three days later in a hospital after suffering cardiac arrest and kidney failure. David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said he saw the video before it was released to the public and found it “absolutely appalling.” “Let me be clear: What happened here does not at all reflect proper policing. This was wrong. This was criminal,” Rausch said during a news conference.
Protests in D.C.
WTOP’s Kyle Cooper attended the D.C. protest hosted by the left-wing faction Party for Socialism and Liberation and local abolitionist group Harriet’s Wildest Dreams at Lafayette Square. About three dozen protesters gathered downtown around 6:30 p.m. and blocked the roadway at 13th and K Street NW. D.C. Police had the road blocked off. “They aren’t here for peace — they’re here for war on Black America,” one of the speakers said. “They come back here and they kill people like Tyre Nichols. It’s disgusting.” The crowd then broke out into a chant of “shame on this system.” “[Protesters have] written some things on the sidewalks, like ‘Cops don’t keep us safe’ and other things we can’t say on the radio,” Cooper reported from downtown. WTOP’s Alejandro Alvarez was also present on the scene of the demonstrations where protesters took to the streets, chanting and taking turns speaking before the small crowd.
Two protests in D.C. tonight around the Tyre Nichols footage. The first saw activists take to K Street for a speak-out about local police violence. The second, a small group chanting near the White House and BLM plaza — a nexus for marches after the killing of Floyd in 2020. pic.twitter.com/yfN00myEzi
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) January 28, 2023
At the Capitol building, authorities created a makeshift barricade around its perimeter, according to WTOP’s Mitchell Miller.
Bike racks around the U.S. Capitol tonight as a precaution related to demonstrations involving the release of the Memphis police video. pic.twitter.com/F0GstVOCXY
— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) January 28, 2023
By 8 p.m., more protesters and local media arrived at the demonstration where speeches were given by organizers, demanding justice for Nichols and a revamping of the country’s policing system. WTOP’s Kyle Cooper and Alejandro Alvarez, as well as The Associated Press and CNN, contributed to this report.