Protesters march down the street Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn., as authorities release police video depicting five Memphis officers beating Tyre Nichols, whose death resulted in murder charges and provoked outrage at the country's latest instance of police brutality. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (TND) —
Peaceful protests and rallies took place Friday evening in Memphis and other cities across the country after authorities released video showing the beating of Tyre Nichols, who later died.
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People held signs and chanted. There were speeches condemning the police who beat Nichols and police departments in general, and calls for justice after the public release of the video showing five officers savagely beating Nichols.
In Memphis, protesters chanted: “Say his name! Tyre Nichols!” and several dozen protesters blocked a heavily traveled bridge on Interstate 55 — one of two main spans connecting Arkansas and Tennessee over the Mississippi River.
The video released Friday night shows five Black officers punching and kicking the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes. The Nichols family’s legal team compared the assault to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.