Coast-to-coast protests call for justice for Tyre Nichols

Raleigh: Several hundred people marched through the streets of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, on Jan. 28, to protest the police murders of Tyre Nichols and Darryl Williams. Williams was killed by the Raleigh Police Department on Jan. 17 after being shot multiple times with a taser. The protest snaked through downtown for several hours, stopping at the Governor’s Mansion, the Justice Department, Raleigh City Council and other locations to raise demands for justice for Darryl Williams and Tyre Nichols and for an end to police violence against Black and working-class communities. 

Speakers at the demonstration and stops along the march emphasized the connection between police murders and broader attacks on the working class in the U.S., as well as the fight against U.S. imperialism and solidarity with liberation struggles abroad. 

Cleveland: An evening vigil held in downtown Cleveland, Jan. 28, drew hundreds of outraged residents. A rally featured mothers, fathers and other family members of Black people murdered by police. Progressive organizations, including Black Lives Matter Cleveland, Black Spring Cleveland, Cuyahoga County Jail Coalition, InterReligious Task Force on Central America and Colombia, and Clevelanders Against Federal Policing, united to build this powerful action.

Oakland: Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Oakland, California, Jan. 29, demanding “Justice for Tyre Nichols.” Organized by the Anti Police-Terror Project, the demonstration ended in the streets in front of the Oakland Police Department with chants of “If OPD (Oakland Police Department) don’t get it, shut it down!” In this photo Uncle Bobby, Cephus Johnson, uncle of Oscar Grant, assassinated by BART police in 2009, addresses the rally. 

Contributors to these summaries are Ben Carroll, Judy Greenspan and Martha Grevatt.