No Kings march aftermath: MPD defends response, activist groups demand investigation

By  and , Daily Memphian Updated: March 30, 2026 2:15 PM CT | Published: March 30, 2026 12:36 PM CT

After Saturday’s No Kings protest turned violent, MPD offered its perspective on why officers used pepper spray on demonstrators. So did a coalition of activist groups. 

Topics

No Kings march Memphis Police Department Indivisible Memphis Paul Young Memphis City Council

Bill Dries on demand

Never miss an article. Sign up to receive Bill Dries' stories as they’re published.

Enter your e-mail address

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Aarron Fleming

Aarron Fleming

Aarron Fleming covers public safety for The Daily Memphian, focusing on crime and the local court system. He earned his bachelor’s in journalism and strategic media from the University of Memphis.

Bill Dries

Bill Dries

Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.

Public Safety on demand

Sign up to receive Public Safety stories as they’re published.

Enter your e-mail address

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Comments

Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here