Piedmont Triad law enforcement respond to the death of Tyre Nichols
29 January 2023
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Dozens of protestors marched through downtown Raleigh on Saturday in a peaceful protest, less than 24 hours after body camera video was released showing the death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis.
“We’re here today to do what? Start a revolution,” one protestor said.
The protestors were demanding justice for two men: Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old who died at the hands of Memphis Police, and Darryl Williams, a 32-year-old man who died in Raleigh police custody earlier this month after being tased three times.
“Those of us that look like me, we are fighting for our lives every day,” one protestor said.
The activists marched through Downtown Raleigh on Saturday in a peaceful protest, saying too many people have died at the hands of police.
“Tyre Nichols is me, I am Tyre Nichols… not just that, but Darryl Williams here in Raleigh, it’s all the same things we see over and over consistently,” one protestor said.
Kristie Puckett Williams was one of the leaders of the protest. She says as a mom raising a Black son, knowing Nichols died after a traffic stop made her think of her own son’s safety.
“I worry about him all the time, is his tag light on? Does he have brake lights?” she said.
Raleigh police were at every intersection as the protestors passed through. Those protestors want all law enforcement officers to be held accountable for their actions.
“When the police say people should just comply, it’s very difficult to comply when you are afraid, when you think you are going to die,” Puckett Williams said.
While protestors spoke of Nichols and Williams on Saturday, they say there are dozens more people to remember.
“I don’t know how we came back from George Floyd or Breonna Taylor, but we did, but this is too soon,” Puckett Williams said.
Raleigh police confirmed to CBS 17 there were no arrests related to the protest and no destruction to any property.