Protesters gather in downtown Los Angeles after Tyre Nichols beating video released

Protesters gathered in downtown Los Angeles Friday night to release a video calling for police reform. Violent arrest of 29-year-old Tyre NicholsSimilar scenes unfolded across the country.

Nichols, a Memphis man, died three days after being beaten by police during a January 7 traffic stop.

Protesters are calling for police reform, and local law enforcement has condemned the actions of police officers.

Barricades were moved after some protesters were seen tagging nearby walls and throwing fireworks. Officials say no arrests have been made and the protests have remained peaceful overnight.

Spencer Fonby, an armed forces training expert who spent most of his career with the Berkeley Police Department, said of Nichols’ arrest:

He says the use of force by the five Memphis police officers against Nichols was grossly excessive.

“My first reaction was how unprofessional the officers were,” Fonby said. “Their inability to control him. They really can’t do basic tasks.”

Fonby said that when officers first made contact with Nichols, they should have taken him to the ground and controlled his limbs, even though Nichols had disobeyed orders.

“Their goal should have been to handcuff him,” Fonby said. “If you look at all the things they do, they’re fighting each other and using pepper spray in the middle of a crowd of police officers. I will also spray the

Fonby believes that not only could the police control the situation, but there should have been a supervisor at the scene.

LAPD Director Michael Moore issued a statement on Friday, saying, “This action is contrary to all principles of law enforcement and directly contradicts the dedication and sacrifice of the majority of its members in their efforts to protect and serve. doing. “

Jeretta Sandos, vice-president of the Los Angeles Police Protection League, condemned Nichols’ beating and the officers’ actions.

“You should stop using force when the person is under control or handcuffed,” Sand explained. “But we used only reasonable and necessary force, which was neither reasonable nor necessary.”

Fonby says what happened in Memphis is another example of the need for police training, changes in national policy, and an overall cultural change in the police force.

“They have a culture that needs to be fixed in that unit, and perhaps that institution,” Fonby said.