In the United States, Memphis police dismantled the unit in connection with the fatal arrest of Dyer Nichols.

“Police officers currently assigned to the unit have given their approval,” the statement added.

Dyer Nichols’ family welcomed the decision in a statement from his attorneys, calling it “appropriate and proportionate to the tragic death of Dyer Nichols” but “decent and fair to all citizens of Memphis.”

‘Inhumane acts’, ‘I will never have my baby again’: images of Dyer Nicholls’ beating death shock America

The shocking images of Dyer Nichols, 29, being arrested by five black police officers have sparked horror and incomprehension, without yet causing a social explosion similar to the one that occurred in the summer of 2020 in the United States.

Since his death in early January, his family has repeatedly called for peace. Ahead of Friday evening’s release of live and uncut video by major television stations, President Joe Biden called his mother and stepfather to urge peaceful protests.

“chance”

Rallies ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred people were held Friday night in several cities, including Memphis, New York and Washington.

On Saturday afternoon, several dozen protesters gathered in the rain and cold outside Memphis City Hall, a towering concrete block building.

“Memphis has an opportunity to set a model for responding to acts like this,” said City Councilman JP. Smiley told the crowd, calling for police reform.

With signs demanding “No Justice, No Peace” and “Justice for Tyre Nichols,” protesters marched through the quiet streets of Memphis.

beating

Earlier, residents gathered on the street to express their anger after photos of those arrested were released.

Robert Jones, 26, a clerk at a downtown store, watched the video clips.

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“It seems like a new year, but things haven’t changed,” he says, referring to police violence.

Video released by police after a routine traffic stop in Memphis on Jan. 7 shows the unsustainable beating. With punches, kicks and batons, the police pursue the young man, fire tear gas and aim Taser stun guns.

We won’t be seeing Dyer Nicholls retaliate anytime soon. He tries to run and is caught. “Mom. Mom. Mom!”, he shouts from one area.

Dyer Nichols died three days later at a Memphis hospital.

Police “Culture”

Five police officers were fired, charged with murder and jailed. 4 of them were later released on bail.

On Friday, while saying they were horrified, the families said they were “satisfied” with the charges leveled against the five police officers and praised the “swiftness” of the action taken against them.

DeMarcus Carter, a 36-year-old African-American resident of Memphis, expected the protests to be bigger after watching the video of “It Could’ve Been Me” instead of Dyer Nichols.

But once the trial is over, he predicted, “if the verdict is not right, the demonstrations will be huge.”

Even after the release of the arrest footage, some questions remain unanswered.

For example, the video does not show the beginning of the interaction between Dyer Nichols and the group.

This new death after the arrest has reignited the debate about police violence in the country, where the memory of George Floyd, who was killed by a white police officer in 2020, is vivid, with the feeling that none of the large demonstrations that followed solved the problem. .

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Ben Crump, one of Dyer Nichols’ family lawyers and a supporter of George Floyd’s family, blamed the “institutionalized police culture.”

“It doesn’t matter if the police officer is black, Hispanic, or white (…) there are unwritten rules that if you’re of a certain race, you can use excessive force,” he said Saturday on MSNBC.

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