ROME, 28 JAN – Protests have broken out in numerous cities in the United States following the release of videos of the killing of Tire Nichols by five police officers in Memphis. In the Tennessee city – local media report – protesters blocked the Interstate 55 bridge that crosses the Mississippi River and leads to Arkansas. In Washington, dozens of protesters gathered in Lafayette Park, near Black Lives Matter Plaza, and on K Street while in Boston they marched along Tremont Street, creating problems for city traffic. NBC reports protests also in Sacramento, San Francisco, Atlanta, Asheville, Philadelphia, Providence and Dallas. Meanwhile, the Memphis authorities have released one of the videos showing the five African American agents who stop and beat Nichols to death, also African American. The images are brutal and shocking. Bodycam video shows 29-year-old Nichols captured after an escape attempt, held down, savagely beaten by officers for three minutes while screaming and calling out for his mother several times. The man had been stopped for alleged reckless driving. Videos from the officers’ body-worn cameras and those placed on the dashboards of their cars were posted online a day after the five officers were charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, misconduct and abuse. Everyone has already been fired. (HANDLE).
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