The officers, who were also arrested and booked at the Shelby County Jail on Thursday, were all released on bail. Lawyers for the officials said they were unable to see the video in advance. But they urged the community to avoid hasty judgments. Representative of Mr. Blake Ballin. Mills acknowledged that the content of the video may be distressing to the community, but the video doesn’t necessarily tell the full story of what happened. “I don’t know how many angles there are, I don’t know the perspective,” he said. “There’s always more to a story.”
City officials decided to wait until 6 p.m. to release the video, when schools and most downtown businesses would be closed.
“Very, very few people are going to work,” said Councilman Frank Corvet Jr., from the city’s East End, who was not involved in the planning. “There will be plenty of time for everyone to get home from school, work, and stay home.”
Memphis Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas said all City Council members had the opportunity to watch the video before it was released. But she was one of those who decided not to watch it. Activists for Black Lives Matter in Memphis said they would refrain from doing so.
Mrs. Wells Mr Nichols’ mother said she could not finish it. “I’ve heard it’s very scary, very scary,” she said. “You who have children, please don’t let them see.”
Mrs. Easter-Thomas feels she doesn’t need to “know what you’ve done when you see it,” she said. But she didn’t dissuade others. “For some people,” she said, “it helps them see the truth.”
gentlemen. Corvette said that after seeing some of the video, one of his main conclusions was about the officers’ personalities: “I no longer think of them as Memphis.”
Jessica Jaglois, jesus jimenez, Nicholas Bogle-Burroughs and mark walker Reporting from Memphis.Report also by Richard Fosse,Eliza Fawcett, jesse fortin, mickey smith and Remy Toumin.