NEWARK, NJ – With the nation bracing for another wave of coast to coast civil unrest after the video of five cops brutally attacking Tyre Nichols in Memphis was released, New Jersey District Attorney Philip R. Sellinger is warning against violent protests.
“Like so many around the country, we are deeply disturbed by the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Tyre Nichols. Shortly after his death, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Tennessee and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division opened a criminal civil rights investigation,.” Sellinger said. “We express support for our colleagues who are working hand in hand with the FBI and other law enforcement partners. We have no doubt that their investigation will be thorough and methodical, and they will make decisions based on the facts and the law. In addition to the federal investigation, several officers are now facing prosecution for state charges.”
Sellinger advised residents may express their constitutional right to a peaceful protest but said, as Tyre Nichols’ family has urged, the Department of Justice urges that any protests remain peaceful and nonviolent.
The message comes a week after protests in Atlanta, Georgia lead to violence and damage.