HomeWorldVideo of police brutality in the US sparks protests in several cities

Video of police brutality in the US sparks protests in several cities

Video of the fatal beating of young Tyron Nichols by five police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, sparked protests in several cities across the United States this Friday.

In Memphis, hundreds of people blocked traffic on a highway, with protesters asking to speak to Mayor Jim Strickland and Police Chief Cerelyn Davis.

Police have released video of officers assaulting Nichols after he was pulled over for an alleged traffic violation. Nichols died in a hospital three days later.

The most notable footage is from a surveillance camera mounted on a street lamp post, which shows the officers kicking Nichols, also in the head, and beating him with a bat.

Hundreds of people came out to protest in several US cities, including New York, Atlanta, Washington DC and Detroit.

In New York, more than 100 people demonstrated in Times Square, in the center of Manhattan.

US President Joe Biden was “outraged” after watching the videos and appealed to people not to resort to violence to express their “justified” anger.

The officers involved in Nichols’ assault were fired from the force and face a slew of criminal charges over Nichols’ death.

Attorney General Merrick Garland promised an investigation into Nichols’ death on Friday and also called for all protests over the incident to be peaceful.

Garland explained at a press conference that he had not seen the video of the attack but had been made aware of its contents, which are “deeply disturbing”, and expressed his condolences to the victim’s family.

The Justice Department leader recalled that Tennessee’s attorney met with the family and an investigation was opened into what happened, with federal, state and local authorities working in coordination.

FBI Director Christopher Wray, for his part, confirmed that he had seen the video and said he was “shocked” by the footage.

Wray explained that the FBI is working with the Justice Department on the open investigation, which will be conducted “professionally.”

Police in the US have been accused by human rights groups of disproportionate use of force against the country’s black population.

Nearly a third of all people killed by police in the US in 2021 were African American, despite making up only 13% of the country’s population.

Footage from the released video shows Tire Nichols being attacked by black police officers and screaming for his mother as he is beaten for three minutes.

Tire Nichols, 29, was an employee of the FedEx mail order company.

The Nichols family legal team compared the attack to the infamous 1991 police assault on driver Rodney King in Los Angeles, California.

The family’s attorney, Ben Crump, announced at a press conference the charges against the five arrested, including manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison in Tennessee.

Crump also hoped that the speed with which police were withdrawn from the company and then prosecuted — the crime happened just a few weeks ago — serves as a “model” for future cases where there is clear evidence of police abuse.

The lawyer explained that in the police video, Nichols calls his mother up to three times.

“They were his last words on this earth,” Crump said, looking to the left where the woman lay.

Nichols’ stepfather, who said he was pleased with the allegations, while acknowledging that he had asked for the first-degree murder charge, stressed that the family wants “peace”.

“He always said he’d be famous one day,” Mother RowVaugh Wells said as she sobbed.

Wells, who acknowledged not being able to see the video, warned that the images are very unpleasant and asked not to show them to children.

And about the five former police officers who killed him, he said he will “pray for them” because “none of this should have happened”.

“No mother should have to go through what I’m going through,” she concluded.

Author: DN/Lusa

Source: DN

Stay Connected
16,985FansLike
2,458FollowersFollow
61,453SubscribersSubscribe
Must Read
Related News

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here