A Johnson City protest against police brutality following the killing of Tyre Nichols has resulted in 15 arrests.

On Feb. 1, a crowd of about 50 people gathered to protest peacefully and remember the life of Tyre Nichols, who was beaten by Memphis police officers in a traffic stop on Jan. 7 and died in a hospital days after. Those gathered were also protesting the alleged use of excessive force in the arrest of Binghamton resident Hamail Waddell on Jan. 1. Wegmans’ staff soon requested that police remove the protesters from their property, which resulted in 15 people being arrested and multiple demonstrators and members of the press being pepper-sprayed.

In the days leading up to Feb. 1, flyers were handed out on Binghamton University’s Spine informing students of the time and location of the protest. The flyers featured the hashtags “JusticeforTyre” and “JusticeforHamail,” referring to Nichols and Waddell, and instructed participants to wear black and a face mask when attending.

The case of Nichols’ death at the hands of Memphis police has made national news in the past week. According to The New York Times, Nichols was allegedly stopped for “reckless driving” and was told by police to exit his vehicle. Nichols fled, according to a statement by Memphis Police, and the group of officers then began to beat Nichols for three minutes, resulting in him being taken to a hospital in critical condition.

On Jan. 1, Hamail Waddell, a Binghamton resident, was arrested by Binghamton police. In a video of the arrest, an officer, Officer Brad Kaczynski, appears to kneel on Waddell’s neck as Waddell says, “I can’t breathe.” Witnesses can also be heard calling for the officer to remove his knee from Waddell’s neck. This incident has drawn comparisons to the George Floyd killing of 2020, and the family of Waddell — along with local activists in Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier (JUST) — called for the charges against Waddell to be dropped. The restraint used by Kaczynski left bruises on Waddell, and as activists have claimed, violated the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Law — which establishes the use of a chokehold or any restraint by a police officer that applies pressure to the windpipe or throat of a person as a Class C felony, according to a statement by the New York Assembly.

Local police were called to Johnson City’s protest by Wegmans’ staff, who accused them of blocking an entrance to the store. Wegmans released a statement to the Press & Sun-Bulletin after the protest.

“Our top priority is the safety of our employees and our customers,” a Wegmans’ representative said. “A large group of protestors blocking an entrance to our store were advised multiple times that they were demonstrating on private property and asked to move to the public sidewalk. They refused and the event quickly escalated, putting the safety of our people and customers at risk. The matter was referred to the police and the protestors were removed.”

Once police were called, 15 people were arrested, including former Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan. Police also pepper-sprayed both protesters and members of the press covering the event. According to an article by the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin, Sarah Eames, a reporter for the Press & Sun, was pepper-sprayed in the face after identifying herself to police as a member of the press.

Ashley Varghese, the political coordinator of the Thurgood Marshall Pre-law Society and a sophomore majoring in political science, shared her organization’s thoughts about the escalation of the incident once police were involved.

“The Johnson City police [have] shut down a protest following the murder of Tyre Nichols at Wegmans 20 minutes after it started,” Varghese wrote. “The police responded to a peaceful protest with violence — they pepper-sprayed the crowd and unnecessarily arrested protesters. Thurgood Marshall Pre-Law Society condemns the actions of the police. Law enforcement should never escalate situations by reacting with violence and assault. When the police act like this, the community becomes unsafe and our right to freedom of speech is taken away.”

JUST, an organization that describes itself as “a community abolitionist [organization] based in Binghamton, [New York] fighting against mass incarceration and policing,” has organized the community to attend city council meetings and school board meetings on Waddell’s behalf to support him and his family as they try to get his charge of “resisting arrest” overturned.

Iris DeFino, the social media and public relations manager for JUST and a sophomore majoring in political science, expressed her thoughts on the handling of the protest by police, and its broader implications.

“When our community came together to honor the life of [Nichols] and demand justice and accountability, we were met with aggression and force,” DeFino wrote. “That is absolutely outrageous and unacceptable coming from the very institutions that are supposed to be serving and protecting our communities — especially when it was their negligence that prompted our need to speak out and call for change. I hope that, in the midst of this in our own community, the [Binghamton Police Department] investigates and holds Officer [Kaczynski] accountable for his own behavior.”