DETROIT (WXYZ) — Despite the weather, more than a dozen people came out to The Spirit of Detroit Friday night at the same time of the video release of Tyre Nichols’ arrest in Memphis, Tennessee.
They held signs and spoke out against the brutality seen in the video.
As protesters gathered in Memphis, a group of Detroiters stood in the snow in solidarity, speaking out against the beating of Nichols by Memphis police.
“Kidney failure and cardiac arrest, that's how badly these officers brutalized him,” said Sammie Lewis with Detroit Communist Party USA.
Nichols’ family shared this photo of him, showing how severely he was beaten. The 29-year-old spent three days in the hospital before he died.
“We are sick and tired of having people die in our communities by a system that is supposed to protect us,” Lewis said.
Related: Memphis Police release video of officers beating Tyre Nichols during arrest
Detroiters like Lewis have been active on the streets since the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmad Arbury in 2020, marching through Detroit streets and demanding change.
“We don't want to see this anymore and we’re not going to just stand here silently because silence is complicity,” Lewis said.
Many of those who gathered at The Spirit of Detroit said they hadn’t yet seen the video and Lewis says she doesn’t plan to watch it.
“We don't need to see the bodycam footage to know what happened because we have history,” Lewis said.
Five officers involved in the beating have all been fired and now face multiple charges including second-degree murder. But despite their arrests, Lewis and others says systematic change is what’s needed.
“The fact that this is happening again and again and again continuously, it's traumatic. It’s devastating, it makes me angry. I feel frustrated, but I still feel optimistic to keep fighting,” she said.
Shortly before the video was released, Detroit police released a statement:
The Detroit Police Department is aware of the pending video release of Tyre Nichols. We anticipate that what will be depicted in this video will invoke a variety of emotions. We remain firmly committed to the protection and service to our community, residents and visitors alike. We stand with our community and operate with the highest level of transparency.
