Officials ask police to address protester treatment
Citizens grappling with the aftermath of protest
Thursday morning brought an increasingly familiar day-after scene in Memphis, and citizens found themselves grappling with the aftermath of another protest against police brutality that ended in tear gas.
Several protesters were arrested along various points of Union Avenue Wednesday night, after a silent demonstration meant to call attention to the recent killings of Breonna Taylor, George Flyod, and Ahmed Abery turned tense.
The tension was two-fold; The original intent of the demonstration was to decry state-sanctioned violence against unarmed black citizens, but after two counter-protesters from a proconfederate Facebook group, Confederate 901 showed up and antagonized protesters, the demonstration turned heated.
By Thursday afternoon, Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer, who was present at the Union Avenue protest but did not have a central role in planning it, called a press conference to address how the events unfolded — and educators, state officials, and faith leaders had questions of their own, as well as some demands.
"People in Memphis, do not feel they are being heard," Sawyer said.
Sawyer, who was joined by state representative G.a.hardaway denounced the the actions of several MPD officers. Rev. Earle Fisher, educator Ayo Akinmoladun, activist Keedran Franklin, and local Black Lives Matter organizer Shahidah Jones also joined the virtual panel.
Their questions largely sought answers about police behavior at Wednesday night's protest. Specifically,
"It should have been that disruptive group, those who have a history of violence, and praise a history of violence and disenfranchisement of civil rights and human rights of black folk, those are the folks that should have been corralled, those are the folks that should have been shut out,."
"They (police officers) were out of line last night, and I'm being kind when I say that," said Hardaway.
Hardaway referenced a specific moment in the demonstration when police could be seen on film approach a woman who was standing still in Union Avenue, and knocking her to the pavement with a plexi-glass riot shield.