tyre nichols

Protests Near White House Call for Action Following Tyre Nichols' Death

NBC Universal, Inc.

Protesters gathered just blocks from the White House Friday evening before the video of Tyre Nichols’ fatal beating by Memphis police was released.

At 13th and K streets Northwest, a protest was organized by D.C.-based Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, which describes itself as a black-led community defense organization. Rapid response protests are only part of their approach to injustice.

“It should not take the releasing of body cam footage of a Black man being murdered by police for people to jump to action, and for those who feel moved by this, and you should, ‘cause it could be any one of us standing out here today,” one speaker said. “We urge you to not only protest, to not only engage on social media, to not only be flabbergasted and distraught and angry, but to take action.”

Virginia Tech Black Studies Professor Brandy Faulkner spoke with News4’s Jim Handly about how the Tyre Nichols case will be used to address police accountability moving forward.

A few blocks away in Lafayette Square a second protest just steps away from the White House called for change to the criminal justice system from the top down.

“We are not cowards,” a speaker said. “We will stay in the street and will keep up the fight to dismantle racist police terror in the United States of America.”

D.C. police mobilized a significant amount of manpower in case of any unrest or violence, but nothing like that happened at the protests.

Contact Us