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Thousands have taken to the streets across the United States to protest the death of a black man in a brutal police operation. The rallies in cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Memphis were largely peaceful.

Three weeks after the event, videos of it were first published over the weekend. You can see how 29-year-old Tire Nichols was brutally beaten by several officers in the city of Memphis, Tennessee. The African-American died in hospital three days later.

The images fueled discussion of racism within and outside the ranks of the US police force. Lawyers for Nichols’ family described their actions as “racist”. President Joe Biden was also shocked. The public prosecutor’s office has now filed a report against five agents involved, including for murder. All five are African American themselves.

They were released and arrested. The task force responsible for Nichols’ death was disbanded this weekend.

In the US, the police have long been criticized for their extremely ruthless approach, especially when it comes to traffic control. Often the victims are black. In the past, brutal operations have repeatedly led to violent protests. The death of African-American George Floyd in May 2020 sparked nationwide demonstrations and sometimes violent riots. At that point, a white police officer pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck until he died. The perpetrator has since been sentenced to life imprisonment.

The videos from the evening of January 7 also show an extremely brutal procedure. The footage, captured by so-called body cameras of officers and a surveillance camera, shows officers repeatedly beating Nichols with their fists and a baton and kicking him in the head. The 29-year-old – father of a four-year-old son – called his mother several times without the police releasing him.

Nichols was pulled over in his car that night, allegedly for speeding. The officers pulled him out of the car and pinned him to the ground. Nichols repeatedly asks her to stop. He’s on his way home. “I have done nothing.” Finally he can break free and tries to flee on foot. He is caught at another intersection. Several officers detain Nichols while other officers brutally beat him with their fists and a baton. Nichols moans and whimpers.

Two officers hold up his torso while a third officer kicks him in the head. They then drag the seriously injured man to an emergency vehicle and lean his upper body against the side of the car. According to media reports, it took more than 20 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. Three days later, Nichols died in hospital.

His mother, RowVauhn Wells, told Sky News: “I hate that five black men did this to another black man.” The officers brought shame to their families and the black community, she added on CNN. A board member of the civil rights movement Black Lives Matter said anyone who works in a system that is anti-black and uses state-sanctioned violence is complicit in perpetuating white supremacy.

In Los Angeles, a group of protesters gathered in front of police headquarters on Friday night, the Los Angeles Times reports. Policemen in protective clothing and with batons confronted them. Hundreds of people took to the streets in New York. Three protesters were arrested, the NBC broadcaster reported, citing police. Other protests on Saturday were peaceful. Demonstrations also took place in other major cities such as Boston, Atlanta and Detroit.

The Nichols case is often compared to the attack on Rodney King. King was brutally beaten by Los Angeles police in 1991. He survived seriously injured. More than 1,100 people have been killed by police in the United States in the past 12 months alone, according to a study by the Washington Post. (sda/dpa)