A wave of protests sweeps the streets of the United States after the killing of an African-American youth by the American police.
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Hundreds of demonstrators in the US states protest the killing of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the police
A wave of protests swept the United States, after the Memphis authorities published, on Friday, a painful video clip showing two policemen beating African-American Tyre Nichols, which led to his death.
Protests took place in Memphis, Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta and other cities on Friday night and remained largely peaceful.
The local authorities were afraid that a wave of violent protests would sweep the United States, similar to what happened when George Floyd was killed in 2020 by the police as well.
The White House said that “its senior staff have offered the mayors of more than 12 cities, including Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia, to provide federal assistance in the event of demonstrations.”
A long video clip captured by police cameras and a street surveillance camera shows police officers arresting Tyre Nichols, trying to pin him down with a taser and then chasing him after he tries to flee from them.
Later scenes of the video, which lasts for about an hour and in parts of which voices are heard, show Nichols crying, calling for his mother and moaning while the policemen punched and kicked him.
The demonstrators carried banners reading, “The world would be a better place if the police did not abuse force,” and “Killer cops!” and “Justice for Tyre Nichols”.
Subsequently, the five officers – Tadarius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmett Martin III and Justin Smith – who participated in the crime, were arrested, as a quick internal investigation determined that they used excessive force and did not provide assistance.
Each of the five US police officers, four of whom have been released on bail, faces charges of second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
During a press conference earlier Friday, the victim’s mother, Rovon Wells, called for calm, but she turned to the policemen who beat her son “to death,” as she put it, by saying, “You have shamed your families by doing this.”
Nichols’ mother has accused police of trying to cover up the beating of her son, after they came to her home to tell her he had been arrested for drink driving and that they had to use pepper spray and tasers after he resisted being handcuffed.
US President Joe Biden spoke with Nichols’ mother, who he said was “clearly in great pain,” and praised the family’s “courage and determination” and “strong appeal” to keep the protests peaceful.
Nichols, the father of a four-year-old boy, used to work for FedEx, loved to surfboard and take pictures, and had his mother’s name tattooed on his arm.
Wells said at the press conference, “My heart aches… for a mother to know that her son was calling her in a time of need and I was not by his side,” adding, “My son was kind-hearted… He was good. No human being is perfect, but he was close to that.” .