Protests erupted across the country Friday night in response to the release of Tyre Nichols’ bodycam footage.
During a massive march in the city, one demonstrator was seen hurling a firework at an LAPD cruiser.
Meanwhile, a man was photographed standing atop a shattered police vehicle windshield in New York City.
Officers dragged him down and arrested him quickly. According to NBC New York, at least three people have been arrested in New York due to the protests.
Another held a tattered American flag over a cop car. Antifa has called on protesters to light up New York City on Friday night.
Protesters in Memphis chanted, ‘Say his name!’ Tyre Nichols!’ and several dozen protesters shut down Interstate 55, one of two major bridges that connect Arkansas and Tennessee across the Mississippi River.
A poster depicts the group rallying demonstrators to ‘Burn It All Down’ in various locations throughout New York.
Following the release of the distressing footage, cities across America are bracing for widespread protests.
Federal employees in Memphis and Portland have been told to leave early, and buildings have been boarded up. On Friday evening, the mayor of New York City urged protesters to remain peaceful, and the NYPD has made extensive preparations, including asking officers to stay on and work overtime when their shift ends on Friday.
As the video was released, protesters gathered in a park near the White House, Memphis, and other cities such as Philadelphia, Boston, and Seattle.
In New York City, one protester was seen standing over a clearly smashed police car front window.
Protesters in Memphis chanted, ‘Say his name!’ Tyre Nichols!’ and several dozen protesters shut down Interstate 55, one of two major bridges that connect Arkansas and Tennessee across the Mississippi River.
California and Hawaii police unions issued a joint statement calling the officers’ actions “repugnant and the complete antithesis of how honorable law enforcement professionals conduct themselves.”
The Prosecutors Alliance of California calls the killing senseless, and Mayor Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento, California, said, ‘I am filled with anger, sorrow, and revulsion.’
Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins lost control of his emotions after watching a televised interview with Tyre Nichols’ mother speaking about her son’s death on Friday.
Protesters frequently advocated for left-wing causes in addition to racial justice, with one marcher holding a sign for the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
Another said, ‘Defund the cops? Workers’ revolution to demolish the capitalist state.’
Another described the courts, officers, and justice system as the result of “bosses” and the need for a “workers’ government.”
Marchers in downtown Atlanta used the protest to call for the closure of ‘Cop City,’ a $90 million Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
The Nichols family has urged those outraged by the footage to remain calm, emphasizing that they support the judicial process and approve of the officers’ dismissal. They noted that Nichols would have despised rioting in his honor.
Joe Biden stated on Friday night that he hopes the family’s wishes are honored.
‘Let the courts decide,’ he said, adding that protests must be peaceful.
However, Antifa is expected to capitalize on the chaos, with the group instructing followers to bring a variety of weapons, including rocks, kerosene, and pipes.
Federal buildings are being evacuated ahead of the riots, and businesses in Memphis and Portland have already been boarded up to prevent looting.
Ahead of Antifa taking to the streets, New York City mayor Eric Adams urged people to ‘peacefully voice their concern if the video is what we anticipate it to be’.
Due to the ‘robust protests’ that are expected once the tape is released, the NYPD is instructing officers to stay on duty rather than clock off on Friday when their shifts end.
‘They want them on standby,’ according to a source at the New York Daily News.