Natalia Chi
Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Chicago Monday night to demand justice for Tire Nichols, who was beaten to death by police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, and to demand swift police reform across the country.
“Indict, convict, send murderous cops to jail. The whole damn system is guilty as hell,” the crowd threw themselves against the frigid air at Federal Plaza at 230 S. Dearborn. We sang while huddling together. Protesters expressed frustration at having to demonstrate once more over what they said was yet another killing of a black man at the hands of law enforcement officers.
“It’s been a long battle and we see the same thing every year. It’s the same thing. It’s because the system hasn’t changed,” said the Chicago Alliance against racism and political oppression. Frank Chapman said. “Keep killing us until we unite and unite and fight to stop this shit.”
After rallying at Federal Plaza for about an hour, the group marched briefly around the ring road, holding signs and chanting the names of others killed by police in recent years, including Breonna Taylor, Adam Toledo and Keenan Anderson. I was.
Protesters held up signs and chanted and read the names of people killed by police in recent years, including Keenan Anderson, Breonna Taylor and Adam Toledo.
Emmanuel Camarillo/The Sun Times
Bishop Tavis Grant of the Rainbow Push Coalition said, “We saw one of America’s most brutal acts of institutionalized racism on Friday night.” We know what it’s like to stand up to racism.We were raised and taught to fear them, but tonight it stops.We’re not afraid.”
Nicholls, a 29-year-old father, was stopped by police on January 7 for a suspected traffic violation on his way home from taking pictures of the sky. He was just minutes from the house where he lived with his mother and his stepfather when he was attacked by five Memphis police officers.
He died in hospital three days later, and officers were subsequently charged with second-degree murder and other charges. Memphis police said on Monday that two more officers involved in the incident had been disciplined.The fire department also said it had fired three of his emergency medical technicians in connection with Nichols’ death. .
Federal Plaza speakers called on cities across the country, including Chicago, to turn over control of law enforcement to communities to hold police officers accountable.
“We are the solution,” said Chapman, adding that the next best thing city residents can do is to vote in the next local elections. “Power is not sought, power is taken away.”
Demonstrators demanded that cities, including Chicago, turn over control of law enforcement to local communities to hold police accountable. Others urged people to vote in upcoming local elections.
Emmanuel Camarillo/The Sun Times
Arewa Karen Winters, who is running for a seat on the 15th Police District Council, said the fight for police reform was personal because she was involved after the CPD shot her nephew in 2016. Some issues are too entrenched to be fixed any time soon in order to bring justice to those brutalized by the police.
“There is no law, no training, no policy to prevent what happens so often to black men, women and children in this country,” Winters said. “Our black bodies have been used as a vehicle for violence and hatred since the first enslaved Africans set foot here. How many Americans think he has achieved his dream?” must continue to confront all forms of systemic and institutional constructive racism.”
