A protest has occurred in Oakland following the gruesome killing of Tyre Nichols by the police.
Numerous demonstrators in their hundreds marched through Oakland's streets while chanting, calling for justice over the assault and killing of Tyre Nichols by Memphis Police officers.
Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, was brutally beaten by five Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers on January 7, 2023, while they were conducting a traffic stop. Nichols was taken to the hospital and later passed away three days later.
An activist, Toni McNeil, stated: "I am upset. Pissed off. Why do you need to tell me to be peaceful?"
Fox KTVU reported that the march and rally were organized by the Anti-Police-Terror Project in response to body camera footage that was made public on January 27, which showed five Memphis police officers punching, kicking, and pepper spraying Nichols after a traffic stop.
According to the Executive Director of the Anti-Police-Terror Project (APTP), Cat Brooks, American policing is ineffective, and he wants police to stop conducting traffic stops.
Brooks exclaimed, "Enough is enough!" "A bunch of Bay Area police departments put out these statements, saying, "That’s not us. That’s not us.’ It absolutely is you. It absolutely is you. Joshua Pawlik, Richard Perkins, Yvette Henderson. I could go on and on and on," he stated further.
Family members of locals killed by police were among those who spoke at the protest, including Oscar Grant's uncle, Cephus "Bobby" Johnson.
He stated: "We have a responsibility to not just show up but to stay active until we solve this real issue of police criminality and this culture that is so heinous."
The crowd was also addressed by Taun Hall, a mother whose son, Miles Hall, was killed during a mental health crisis in 2019 by Walnut Creek police.
Taun Hall said, "Just like Tyre, he wanted to go home. My son just wanted to go home. Guess what? He wasn’t allowed. Twenty-three years old, he was killed and murdered right behind our house."
While carrying signs and playing music, the crowd marched down Broadway. Many downtown businesses had already boarded up. Police erected barricades in front of the OPD headquarters and kept watch.
One of those roadblocks was eventually removed by a group of demonstrators. Building sides were also being painted with spray paint by a small group of people dressed in black.
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