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Candlelight vigil in memory of Tyre Nichols held in Providence


This photo provided by the Nichols family shows Tyre Nichols, who had a passion for photography and was described by friends as joyful and lovable. Nichols was just minutes from his home in Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 7, 2023, when he was pulled over by police and fatally beaten. Five Memphis police officers have since been charged with second-degree murder and other offenses. (Courtesy of the Nichols family via AP)
This photo provided by the Nichols family shows Tyre Nichols, who had a passion for photography and was described by friends as joyful and lovable. Nichols was just minutes from his home in Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 7, 2023, when he was pulled over by police and fatally beaten. Five Memphis police officers have since been charged with second-degree murder and other offenses. (Courtesy of the Nichols family via AP)
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Close to 100 people gathered Monday night in Providence for a candlelight vigil in memory of Tyre Nichols.

Nationwide protests are responding to video clips of the 29-year-old beaten by Memphis police officers after a traffic stop on Jan. 7.

Nichols died three days later.

All five police officers were fired and face a second-degree murder charge.

The vigil was hosted by the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island Political Action Committee.

“No one should ever fear for their life when interacting with the police, our condolences go out to the Nichols family,” the organization said in a statement.

PAC President Harrison Tuttle told NBC 10 he was disgusted by what he saw in the video and wanted to give Rhode Islanders a chance to speak out and be one.

He said policing needs a reality check across America. On a local level, he is joining calls to repeal the Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights, or LEOBOR, in an effort for more transparency and accountability should these incidents happen here.

"Talking is good, but if we're not moving the needle, if we're not making sure these things don't happen again, then we're not going to be able to make the progress and we're not going to be able to save lives," Tuttle said.

"The fact that police, regardless of race, feel it's okay to brutalize and kill black people is troubling. It's systematic, it's cultural, it's very troubling," said Jim Vincent, former president for NAACP Providence.

NBC 10 spoke with the head of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs' Association earlier on Monday, who was stunned by the released bodycam footage.

"We always want to look at that: What techniques are being used, what techniques are not being used, what definitely shouldn't be used," said Sidney Wordell, executive director of the Rhode Island Police Chief's Association.

But passing any related legislation is easier said than done, as multiple bills have stalled in Congress.

Democratic Rep. David Cicilline was at the forefront of an accountability act for officers violating the constitution but that's had little movement.

Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., is new to the House but in a tweet said, "We must have change."

However, Wordell has reservations when it comes to legislating training.

"It takes so long to then change legislation," she said. "Training should be evolving and always looking at what we're training and how we're training it."

Police training here at home could be advanced through a new training facility for recruits -- an idea Wordell says his group has talked about with Gov. Dan McKee.

NBC 10 News reached out to congressional leaders earlier Monday to see if there's any movement on new federal legislation for police reform.

NBC 10's Cal Dymowski contributed to this report.

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