The death of Tire Nichols, a 29-year-old African-American man, generated thousands of protests in the United States. The young man was beaten to death by Memphis police and reopened the debate on police brutality, fueling feelings that the huge national protests that erupted in 2020 over the death of George Floyd did little to resolve the problem.
The protests in several cities in the United States have not stopped. The death of Tire Nichols, a 29-year-old African-American man, is the main reason. The story goes back to January 7 when he was stopped by the police, for an alleged traffic violation, after photographing a sunset and ended up brutally beaten by officials.
Nichols, 29, had to be taken to a hospital in critical condition. Due to his condition, police contacted the Shelby County Attorney General’s Office, which asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to conduct an investigation into the use of force.
On January 10, three days after the arrest, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that Nichols had died from injuries sustained in the “use of force incident with officers,” according to a statement.
unstoppable protests
The protests over his death began on Saturday, January 29, in several cities in the United States, after the authorities in Memphis (Tennessee, USA) made public the video showing how the police beat Nichols, while the The victim was yelling, “Mom, Mom” and “give me a minute.”
Most of the protests were expected for Saturday night, but in cities like Atlanta, Georgia, dozens of people took to the streets to call out Nichols’ name and demand justice for his death, local media reported.
Among the cities where they protested the brutal beating of Tire Nichols were New York, Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland.
In Memphis (Tennessee), where the event occurred, hundreds of people blocked traffic on a city highway since Friday night, shouting “without justice, there is no peace.”
guilty fired
The five officers who beat Nichols, all black, have been arrested and face various criminal charges, including second-degree murder.
Several of these policemen were part of a special unit called Scorpion, which was created to deal with critical cases. Faced with the death of Tire Nichols, the Memphis Police decided to dissolve it.
Debate over police brutality
The Tire Nichols case has reopened a debate in the United States about police brutality, fueling a feeling that the huge national demonstrations that erupted in 2020 over the death of George Floyd did little to resolve the problem.
After Nichols’ death, many wonder what real progress has been made since 2020, the year George Floyd, a black man killed in Minneapolis under the knee of a white officer, sparked the “Black Lives Matter” movement. blacks matter) that spread throughout the United States and other countries.
In the wake of Floyd’s death, promises of police reform swept across the country.
However, two years later, the number of people killed during police interventions reached a 10-year peak in 2022: a total of 1,186 deaths, according to the Mapping Police Violence website.
26% of them black, although they represent 13% of the population.
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