WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Protestors blocked part of K Street in D.C. on Friday evening after officials in Tennessee released footage of the traffic stop in Memphis that led to the death of Tyre Nichols.
People who attended said they wanted to send a message to police and the community that enough is enough when it comes to the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of police.
Speakers demanded change within the system, emphasizing that what took place in Memphis is something they see often in D.C.
The protest was hosted by Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, a “Black-led abolitionist community defense hub” that is calling on the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to release their own body cam footage in the 2022 fatal police shootings of David Lazerous Wilson, Kevin Hargrave Sheard and Troy Bullock.
“It doesn’t matter what race or the police officer you are, unfortunately, simply having that amount of power simply having the ability to choose between life and death for an individual. That is enough to make you a bad cop,” said community organizer Fae.
These protestors encouraged people not to watch the video of the Nichols traffic stop.
Those gathered on Friday also mentioned a new group called the D.C. Safety Mobilization Squad, which is made up of trained volunteers that will respond to mental health, domestic violence and other emergency incidents with compassion and aim to avoid harmful incidents like the one in Memphis earlier this month.