The president of the United States, Joe Biden, called for calm this Thursday as protests grow around the fatal arrest in early January by five black police officers of Tire Nichols, an African-American man in Memphis, Tennessee (south).
“While Americans mourn, the Department of Justice investigates, and authorities continue their work, I join the Tire family in calling for a peaceful protest. Anger is understandable, but violence is never acceptable,” Joe Biden said in a statement, in which he also called for a “prompt, full and transparent investigation” into this tragedy.
The five police officers were charged and jailed Thursday for murder following the early January death of Tire Nichols, days after his arrest. This was described as “appalling” by authorities.
“We must do more”
These police officers from Memphis, a large city in Tennessee, all African-American, are the subject of various charges, including murder, assault and battery or kidnapping.
On January 7, police, since dismissed, wanted to arrest 29-year-old Tire Nichols for a traffic violation. The details of this arrest are still unclear: there is a video of the events, but so far it has only been shown to the victim’s relatives and her lawyers.
“Tyre’s death is a painful reminder that we must do more to ensure our justice system delivers on the promise of fair and impartial justice,” Joe Biden said in his statement.
The Democratic president is urging Congress to pass a police reform bill, which passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but failed to pass the Senate hurdle.
Source: BFM TV
