Demonstrators march through Manhattan to protest the murder of Tyre Nichols

New Yorkers marched through the streets after Memphis authorities released footage of Nichols being fatally beaten by police.

Hundreds of demonstrators across New York City took part in marches to protest the death of Tyre Nichols, a black man who died earlier this month after being brutally beaten by Memphis police two days after authorities released footage of the attack. At least three people were arrested by NYPD while participating in Friday night protests.

Nichols was five policemen came was involved in the bus stop incident on January 7 and died of his injuries three days later in the hospital. five officers were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, misconduct and harassment. Protests in Manhattan were organized along with others across the country and shortly thereafter. authorities released footage attacks.

On Friday, January 27, more than 100 people took to the streets in protest, marching from Union Square to Times Square. The group of protesters included people of all ages who listened to speakers decry the lack of progress seen since 2020, when the Black Lives Matter protest movement called for action to end police violence against blacks.

The next day, Saturday, January 28, more than 200 protesters marched from Washington Square Park to Times Square. The demonstrators began marching from Washington Square Park at 7:00 pm and arrived in Times Square, along with NYPD officers, around 8:30 pm. The Times Square crowd peaked at around 400 and they began to disperse at 9:00 pm.

Jerrell Gray, an NYU graduate student and member of the youth activist organization Strategy for Black Lives, said the organization worked with others in the city to plan Saturday’s march in less than 24 hours.

“We need to start reacting, not reacting,” Gray said as he marched through Times Square. “We need to educate people, we need to be more consistent, we need to work as a team to get the change we want to see.”

Anya Dillard, one of the organizers of the protest and founder of the non-profit activist group The Next Gen Come Up, said the march was planned by several non-profit and community organizations, including Freedom March NYC and Warriors in the Garden.

Dillard added that part of the reason Nichols’ death is so controversial is the fact that five of the officers involved in the incident are black.

“People don’t realize that the same systems that encourage white supremacist cops to kill black people are the same devices that mobilize black police officers to do the same,” Dillard said. “That’s why we keep fighting for abolition and reform, because the system is inherently corrupt and broken, whether you try to make it more diverse doesn’t make it more ethical or fair to the people that are affected by it. “

On Friday, protesters first marched to Moynihan Station to join other demonstrators before moving on to Times Square, where another group had gathered. The police arrived around 9 pm.

Several protesters were arrested, one of whom smashed the windshield of a police car by jumping on top of it. The demonstrations subsided within an hour of the arrest.

At the protest, Chivona Newsom, co-founder of the Greater New York chapter of Black Lives Matter, said more blacks killed by police in 2022 than in any other year.

“Police violence doesn’t stop because you don’t see it in your media,” Newsom said. “We are outraged, we understand that the arrest of these officers was aimed at pacifying the people. The government, the police, this country must know that there is an answer – that you cannot subdue us.”

As they marched through the streets, the crowd chanted “fight for justice, black liberation”, “no justice, no peace” and “fuck the police” among other slogans.

Demonstrators carried yellow picket signs reading “People Demand: STOP POLICE TERROR”, “JUSTICE FOR TYRE NICHOLS” and “Killer Cops in Prison!”

Stephanie Attar, who was in the Times Square crowd, said previous attempts to reduce police brutality – such as the introduction of body cameras – have not done enough to stop it.

“I am outraged that we live in a system that continues to have racism, sexism and discrimination against members of the working class,” Atar said. “We have been hearing from politicians for decades that they will change, that the police will change.”

AT statement published on January 29NYU President Andrew Hamilton said that while the officers involved were brought to justice faster than in other cases of police violence, the change from past cases was not enough.

“It seems impossible that someone with even a shred of humanity could see the senseless violence inflicted on Tyre Nichols and not be heartbroken,” Hamilton said in a statement. “Our community comes together today in sadness, outrage and disappointment, but also, I would like to believe, in the hope of a better and more just future.”

Alex Tei contributed reporting.

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