Protesters block access to Ridgeway Police Station
One protester said local activists will keep protesting until all the officers involved in the events that lead to Tyre Nichols’ death have been identified.
One protester said local activists will keep protesting until all the officers involved in the events that lead to Tyre Nichols’ death have been identified.
As public officials expressed outrage about Tyre Nichols’ death online, the protests marking the release of the videos returned to the symbol of local protest in the age of Black Lives Matter — the bridges across the Mississippi River.
The Daily Memphian analyzed the earliest available footage of the Nichols traffic stop in detail, creating a moment-by-moment timeline of the Memphis Police Department officers’ increasingly aggressive responses, even as Nichols himself remains calm and compliant.
What’s at stake in the case is the federal jurisdiction over the nation’s most valuable natural resource: water.
The Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION unit, which MPD announced Saturday is being disbanded, is reminiscent of a controversial defunct unit in Atlanta over which MPD Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis was once in charge. Related story:
The Memphis Police Department footage of Tyre Nichols’ beating spurred hundreds of people to participate in Downtown marches Saturday. As the gatherings concluded, a trumpet player offered a bluesy hymn.
The crowd at Handy Park heard Downtown Memphis Commission President Paul Young ask, “the question for our city is: what are we going to next?”
MPD released a tweet Saturday that said: “In the process of listening intently to the family of Tyre Nichols, community leaders and the uninvolved officers ... it is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the SCORPION Unit.”
“I was just trying to turn a negative into a positive. That’s my main goal today.”
Earlier Saturday, the U of M had announced its campus would close “until further notice.”
The evaluation is part of the Shelby County Health Department’s effort to gain national accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board.
The “Behind The Headlines” reporters roundtable focused on the death of Tyre Nichols and its long-term impact on policing and criminal justice reform in Memphis.
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. announced the suspensions and investigation Friday, Jan. 27, after viewing the video of the incident.
Protesters blocked the I-55 bridge for hours. Traffic was backed up as far as I-40 and Elvis Presley Boulevard. By 10 p.m., traffic was moving again on I-55. Some protesters returned to Martyrs Park.
These videos contain content that may be upsetting to sensitive viewers. In the footage, Nichols can been seen being restrained, beaten, Tasered and pepper sprayed by MPD officers.
When Kirstin L. Cheers, director of communications for BRIDGES, learned of the release of the Tyre Nichols’ arrest video, she quickly mobilized to try to help.
The Memphis Fire Department confirmed Monday, Jan. 23, that two personnel involved in the “initial patient care” of Tyre Nichols had been relieved of duty pending an internal investigation.
Mayor Jim Strickland said an outside review of MPD’s special units will likely determine if police culture needs to change or if more training is the answer. Reaction to charges in Tyre Nichols case echo calls for justice Here’s what’s closing early Friday ahead of Tyre Nichols footage releaseRelated stories:
MPD’s Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis talked to The Daily Memphian about why they are releasing the video footage Friday evening, whether the National Guard will be brought in and how she thinks these latest events will affect recruiting. Earlier in the day, she also discussed the fire department’s role in Nichols’ death.
Attorney Ben Crump called for the response from the Memphis Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office to serve as a model for police reform across the country. Nichols family attorneys call for end to SCORPION unit, others like it At a somber vigil for Tyre Nichols, anger is directed toward change Here’s what’s closing early Friday ahead of Tyre Nichols footage releaseRelated stories:
President Joe Biden and local officials speak ahead of the release of police video of the arrest of Tyre Nichols. Much of the reaction followed the filing of second-degree murder charges against five Memphis Police officers.
A court date has been set for the five police officers accused in the death of Tyre Nichols. All posted bail less than 24 hours after being booked in Shelby County Jail.
Here’s a list of places and entities that plan to close early Friday in light of the City of Memphis’ planned release of Tyre Nichols/MPD footage.
City prepares for Nichols video release, David Grisanti is closing and Kendric Davis triumphs over old teammates.
The family of Tyre Nichols, friends, mourners and skateboarders gathered in Tobey Skatepark for a vigil on Jan. 26, 2023.