Protests erupt in the US as video shows ‘disgusting’ fatal beatings by police
Protests erupted across the country late Friday after police bodycam footage was released showing the “ruthless” fatal caning of Tire Nichols by Memphis police officers.
Crowds took to the streets in major cities over the explosive video that the Memphis Police Commissioner warned had “shown acts defying humanity.”
In Memphis schools, the city energy company’s community offices and the University of Memphis were among the groups that closed early, and many Saturday events in the city were also canceled.
Other protests were organized in New York City, as well as Sacramento, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Seattle, with police poised for potential violence.
The White House said it held a joint 911 call with the mayors of at least 16 cities Friday before the disgusting video was released “to update them on federal preparations to support state and local politicians.”
Protesters march in Memphis on Friday after Tire Nichols’ bodycam footage was released.
Crowds march in Memphis over the explosive video that the city’s top police officer warned “showed acts contrary to humanity.”
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Body camera video shows 29-year-old Tire Nichols being beaten by Memphis police officers after he was stopped on his way home on Jan. 7.
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“Participating mayors shared their views on the importance of recognizing the pain communities across this country are feeling, being prepared in advance with a game plan to provide appropriate community support, and the importance of To emphasize peace and tranquility in these difficult moments. ‘ the Biden administration said in a statement on the call, which included cities from New York to Atlanta, Washington, DC, Seattle and Portland.
As people began to gather in New York City on Friday, Mayor Eric Adams warned, “If you must express your anger and outrage, do so peacefully.
“The message to the NYPD has been, and will continue to be, to exercise restraint,” the former police officer added, citing complaints that officers had fueled previous protests with issues such as police brutality.
Protesters in Washington, DC after the Memphis Police Department released footage of police fatally beating Tire Nichols.
Protesters in DC on Friday night.
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Demonstrators demonstrate against Nichols’ fatal caning in Washington, DC.
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In Portland — where rioters torched buildings in near-endless anarchy in 2020 — ANTIFA members were planning a “VERY long weekend,” according to the news. shared by author Andy Ngo.
The city’s violent protesters have helped spearhead the country’s radical “Defund the Police” movement, which includes those calling for entire police departments to be disbanded.
“EVERY ONE MURDER committed by the police should incite an unstoppable rage within us,” read a statement about Nichols’ death.
“The cops should fear us. We were too quiet. Too peaceful. Too passive.
“The fires must burn”
Another person predicted: “If the video is as bad as it seems, it will start a whole new uproar. And it should.”
California Highway Patrol officials were placed on alert in the Golden State, and the Sacramento chapter of the NAACP organized a gathering to view the video release together. Nichols lived in the Californian city for years before his family moved to Tennessee.
The outrage came as Atlanta, Georgia, was already under a state of emergency after authorities killed an environmental activist on Jan. 18 who allegedly shot a state police officer. In front of a skyscraper that houses the Atlanta Police Foundation, protesters previously set fire to a police van, threw stones and set off fireworks.
Officials signaled for days that the Nichols video was likely to spark a riot of anger not seen since the 2020 murder of George Floyd from under the knee of a cowardly Minneapolis police officer. Unlike this case, the five Memphis police officers charged with Nichols’s murder are all black like him.
Cerelyn Davis, Memphis’s top police officer, on Friday compared her officers’ “heinous” actions to the infamous 1991 caning of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers, which sparked some of the worst riots the country has ever seen.
On Wednesday — two days before the release of shocking video of Nichols’ death by police brutality — Davis said she expects people to “exercise their First Amendment right to protest, demanding action and demanding results” after viewing the “abhorrent” footage .
“But we need to make sure our community is safe in this process. None of this is a calling card for inciting violence or destruction of our community or our citizens,” she said.
Nichols’ mother has also asked people to “protest peacefully.
“It’s going to be awful, but I want every single one of you to protest in peace,” RowVaughn Wells said at a vigil for her son on Thursday, referring to the video.
“I don’t want us to burn our cities, tear up the streets, because that’s not what my son stood for,” she pleaded.
President Biden has also tried personally to forestall the expected anger with a call for peace.
“Outrage is understandable, but violence is never acceptable,” the commander-in-chief said earlier this week. “Violence is destructive and against the law. It has no place in peaceful protests seeking justice.”
In New York, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell told The Post that her officers are ready and unscheduled downtime will be canceled over the weekend.
“The NYPD is able to ensure that people are free to exercise their constitutional rights. But we will not tolerate vandalism, crime or disorder. We just won’t,” Sewell said.
“We can’t let them get caught up in disorder. We just can’t,” she said.
Similar plans were made in DC, where the Metropolitan Police Department warned it “will not tolerate any unlawful conduct during First Amendment demonstrations.”
https://nypost.com/2023/01/27/tyre-nichols-protests-erupt-across-us-as-video-shows-heinous-deadly-police-beating/ Protests erupt in the US as video shows ‘disgusting’ fatal beatings by police
