MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Protesters gathered in Downtown Memphis on Saturday to continue to seek justice for Tyre Nichols.
The assault that lead to Nichols' death prompted murder charges against the five officers and outrage at the latest instance of police brutality in the U.S.
As Danny Thomas and Poplar Avenue saw a blockade, demands included passing the Data Transparency Act, ending pretextual traffic stops, ending unmarked cars and officers in plain clothes, ending task forces and specialized units and removing police officers from traffic enforcement.
“Our people have always overcome by the blood of our testimony — we do that through song and we do that through movement and we do that through marching" Kelli Gates of Black Lives Matter and the Center for Transforming Communities said. "As a mom of two African American boys, it’s very important to me and near and dear to my heart that we have some pressure still on this matter and that we receive some justice”
Protesters also said the type of changes they want to see include better training for Memphis officers as well as a checks and balances system to hold these officers accountable.
Protests continue for Tyre Nichols into February
In a sweeping eulogy for Tyre Nichols on Wednesday, Rev. Al Sharpton drew parallels of his death to the Biblical Joseph by the hands of his brothers, and recalled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death in Memphis — making a new call for police reform legislation as Dr. King once worked for change in the same city.
On Jan. 27, protesters shut down parts of Interstate 55. This took place after video was released to the public of the physical violence that Tyre Nichols suffered at the hands of MPD officers.
The next day, two downtown protests advocating justice for Nichols took place in the city. As crowds marching for Nichols made their way through Downtown Memphis under gloomy skies, news broke that the SCORPION unit, to which the five MPD officers charged with Tyre Nichols' death were assigned, had been disbanded.
Demonstrators said while this is a "victory," the changes they demand go beyond laws and protocol. The changes they seek extend to police culture, they said.
Protesters at Ridgeway police station said on Jan. 29 that they wanted to know why the five officers were released on bond. They also said they wanted to know why at least one officer was hired after complaints were received about this officer during his time as a prison guard.