NYPD ready for potential protests amid release of Tyre Nichols video

NEW YORK (WABC) — Officials in New York City say they are ready for any potential protests before video is released in the beating death of Tyre Nichols.

Mayor Eric Adams says the NYPD is prepared ahead of the anticipated release of the traffic stop video.

Attorneys and family members who have already seen the video described it as a prolonged, brutal attack.

In a statement, the NYPD says it is prepared to protect the constitutional right to peaceful protest, while ensuring public safety.

The statement said:

“We continue to monitor the situation in Memphis. The NYPD continues to work around the clock to keep New Yorkers safe. The Department has examined, adapted and adjusted our response to protests and is prepared to protect the Constitutional right to peaceful protest, and works to ensure public safety for every New Yorker exercising their First Amendment rights.”

Adams said the release of the video is impacting him personally and professionally.

“I think the Memphis police chief responded swiftly and I believe that New Yorkers should have the right to peacefully voice their concern over if the video is what we anticipate it to be,” Adams said. “But it’s a personal and professional painful moment for me as a victim of police abuse as a child. I know the impact of it and I know that the years I’ve spent recruiting, encouraging different groups to be part of the noble profession of policing.”

Adams said it appears that the five officers tarnished the work that he and others attempted to accomplish.

The former officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., have each been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two charges of official misconduct and one charge of official oppression.

The criminal charges come about three weeks after Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was hospitalized after a traffic stop and “confrontation” with Memphis police that family attorneys have called a savage beating.

Nichols died from his injuries on January 10, three days after the arrest, authorities said.

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