Tyre Nichols death: Protesters gather in several U.S. cities

In the minutes after Memphis released four videos showing the arrest of Tyre Nichols, protesters took to the streets in cities across the United States to protest the violent actions seen in the video.

Update 9:58 p.m. Jan. 27:

Protesters in Memphis shut down Interstate 55, blocking traffic between Tennesee and Arkansas, WHBQ reported. The Memphis Police Department issued a traffic alert and warned drivers to stay away from the area.

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In New York City, three people were arrested during a protest in Times Square. A protester was arrested after allegedly jumping on an NYPD vehicle and smashing the windshield, WABC reported.

Police told WNBC that another protester was arrested for punching a police officer, while no reason was disclosed for the third arrest.

Original report:

Activists and members of the community gathered in downtown Memphis after the video was released, and said they were calling for justice. Kirstin Garris, a reporter from our Washington, D.C. newsroom, was with activists who said “This is our city...we aren’t going anywhere.”

At least one protester told Garriss they had not seen the video. “I don’t have to watch a video to know what happened.”

The Memphis protest made its way from downtown to a highway, where video showed them marching up to the upper level of the roadway.

A reporter for The Washington Post said the protests were blocking traffic on Route 55 in Memphis.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, approximately 50 people came out to rally after the video was released.

Approximately 20 people had gathered within 30 minutes of the video’s release in Asheville, North Carolina, where protesters were heard saying, “If we don’t get no justice, then they don’t get no peace.”

Witnesses described a scene with approximately 100 protesters in Boston who carried signs referencing local deaths at the hands of police.

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Protests in response to video of Tyre Nichols' arrest WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 27: A demonstrator participates in a protest against the police killing of Tyre Nichols on January 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died three days after being severely beaten by five Memphis Police Department officers during a traffic stop on January 7, 2023. Memphis and cities across the country are bracing for potential unrest when the city releases video footage from the beating to the public later this evening. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

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