The police chief of the US city of Memphis calls the video in which five officers assault 27-year-old Tire Nichols “possibly worse” than the infamous footage of the beating of Rodney King 30 years ago. Nichols died in hospital on January 10 of his injuries. The images were released last night.
Footage shows five officers stopping 27-year-old Tire Nichols at a road intersection on Jan. 7. According to Police Chief Cerelyn Davis, the officers had no legitimate reason to arrest Nichols. None of the five agents seems to intervene during the violent arrest and are willing to protect the victim from his aggressive colleagues.
Rodney King
After seeing the pictures, Davis drew a comparison to the arrest of American taxi driver Rodney King in 1991. King was arrested by a police officer in Los Angeles for dangerous driving. He was pulled out of his car by the officer and then beaten repeatedly and severely. King’s assault was filmed from his car by a civilian at the time, who eventually turned over the footage to a local television station. The broadcast of the images sparked outrage and a large-scale riot in Los Angeles.
The images of Tire Nichols’ assault could be even worse, according to Davis. The release of the images is feared to lead again to large-scale protests against excessive police brutality. Things also went badly in the United States in 2020, when video footage of American George Floyd being attacked by police with fatal consequences led to massive Black Lives Matter protests.
Biden
President Biden has already tried to calm things down on Friday, in anticipation of serious social unrest that could arise after the release of the video. “I join Tiro’s family in calling for a peaceful protest,” the president said. “Indignation and anger are understandable, but violence is never the answer.” Biden said the Nichols family and the city of Memphis deserve a “prompt, thorough and transparent investigation.”
After viewing the footage, Biden said he was “furious and deeply hurt.” “It’s a painful reminder of the fear, trauma, pain, and fatigue Black Americans experience every day.”
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
