Three men who were detained at the No Kings protest in downtown Memphis over three weeks ago have had their charges dropped.
David Rahaim, Adam Nelson, and Reuben Burch were detained and accused of impeding a highway, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. Burch was accused of avoiding official attention as well.
The DA’s office announced during a hearing on Wednesday that it would no longer be pursuing criminal charges and that there would be no court expenses associated with the case.
Police said that as Burch approached a task force officer during the March 28 protest, he started recording and shouting at him. At that point, the cop began spraying the crowd with pepper-spray.
Both Rahaim and Nelson were obstructing the street and refusing to get onto the sidewalk, according to the officers.
The decision to drop charges comes a day after Adams and several others held a news conference in front of City Hall and accused the City of Memphis of using police to suppress First Amendment rights, and said public dissent is part of democracy.
