Around 75 people gathered in Washington, D.C.‘s Lafayette Square to demonstrate after Memphis, Tennessee, authorities released footage on Friday night showing officers severely beating Tyre Nichols.
Metropolitan Police Department officers blocked off traffic on K Street between 12th and 13th Streets at about 6 p.m. but reopened the roadway again at 7:30 p.m. as the group headed to Lafayette Square.
VIDEO FOOTAGE OF OFFICERS BEATING TYRE NICHOLS RELEASED
DC Police have blocked off K Street between 12th and 13th Streets for a small protest in response to the killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee.
Local group ‘Harriet’s Wildest Dreams’ is hosting this protest. It said it’s avoiding BLM Plaza tonight, calling it a “facade.” pic.twitter.com/d7kJhFFlTy
— Kevin Lewis (@KevinLewis7News) January 27, 2023
Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, a local black-led mutual aid and community defense organization group, hosted the protest, demanding justice for Nichols, a 29-year-old man fatally injured after five officers beat him and put him in the hospital. He died on Jan. 10, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced.
“We are united in our mission to build a world where our families are truly safe, without police,” the group said in a statement.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Washington police said in a statement to the Washington Examiner that they had fully activated all sworn personnel in preparation for “possible First Amendment activities.”
“MPD respects the community’s First Amendment right to demonstrate and peacefully protest,” police said. “We will not tolerate any unlawful behavior during First Amendment demonstrations, and we will take swift law enforcement action should anyone break the law.”
