US President Joe Biden said he was outraged and “it hurt to see the horrific video of the beating”.
Peaceful protests have taken place in cities across the United States following the release of videos of the fatal beating young African-American man Tire Nichols received from Memphis agents, media reports today.
The protesters marched on a highway in the city where the tragedy happened last night, blocking traffic.
Meanwhile, protests in New York City have been largely peaceful despite three arrests and some minor clashes with police, CNN reported.
According to The Hill newspaper, the violence shown in the pictures sparked outrage and calls for justice from citizens and politicians.
US President Joe Biden said he was outraged and “hurt to see the horrific video of the beating,” the newspaper noted.
Several lawmakers also condemned the murder of the African American man and called for justice and accountability for the 29-year-old’s death.
Tire Nichols was beaten at least nine times in just four minutes by Memphis police officers at the time of his arrest at a traffic stop on January 7.
The young man was hospitalized after the attack and died of his injuries three days later.
The day before, authorities released four videos showing the violence the African American suffered at the hands of five police officers.
A remote surveillance camera mounted on a pole captured the moment Nichols was repeatedly beaten by police officers with no apparent provocation.
Officers were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, misconduct and official suppression in Nichols’ death.
The tragedy occurred in the context of increased police scrutiny, particularly due to the persistence in the collective memory of the murder of George Floyd, also an African American, on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis (Minnesota).
That day, law enforcement arrested 46-year-old Floyd after a vendor accused him of buying cigarettes with an allegedly counterfeit $20 bill.
One of the officers pinched the victim’s neck with one of his knees for more than eight fatal minutes and his scream “I can’t breathe” (I can’t breathe) sparked a wave of protests across the United States and around the world against racism and police brutality.
(With information from Prensa Latina)
