A No Kings protest on Saturday ended with Memphis Police deploying pepper spray and making arrests, in what some are saying was an excessive response and others saying it was necessary.
Following their arraignment at 201 Poplar on Monday, three protesters who were arrested spoke out.
Reuben Burch, Adam Nelson and David Rahaim were charged with disorderly conduct, resisting detention and obstructing a highway, among other charges.
“We were there on Saturday as an expression of our collective will to build something better, to demand that we care for our folks, and the response of our city government and our police force was to harass and intimidate us and remind us that they are the ones in charge, not us,” Nelson said.
Memphis Police stated that Indivisible Memphis, the protest’s organizers, had not made plans to restrict any public streets. Obstructing public streets without an appropriate permit is prohibited by state law.
MEMPHIS: “Police escalated. It didn’t have to happen like this. Completely unnecessary. This is not how you’re supposed to treat people.”
More footage from the Memphis police escalation. #NoKings
Original post: https://t.co/Urp5WxlTOs pic.twitter.com/TZNrWQjGtJ
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) March 29, 2026
