Memphis Police Disband Unit After The Death Of Tyre Nichols

Memphis Police disband unit that is tied with the murder of Tyre Nichols. The so-called Scorpion special squad is suspected of killing Tyre Nichols. The acronym for "Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods" is "Scorpihat on."

The 50-person squad is entrusted with reducing crime rates in certain localities. In footage dated 7 January, officials of the organization can be seen assaulting Mr. Nichols, 29, prompting its dissolution.

The unit's three squads, totaling about 30 police, have a mission to specifically target violent criminals in high-crime regions. After the video was posted on Friday night, there were peaceful protests in Memphis and elsewhere in the nation. Some Memphis protesters blocked a major roadway.

Banners calling for "police terror" to halt and justice for Mr. Nichols were carried by several of the protestors. Mr. Nichols's family attorneys compared the incident to the 1991 police beating of Los Angeles driver Rodney King.

COPYRIGHT_SZ: Published on https://stationzilla.com/memphis-police-disband-unit/ by Alexander McCaslin on 2023-01-30T05:40:04.647Z

What Police Says

Director of Public Safety Cerelyn "CJ" Davis took action the day after the disturbing footage was released, claiming that she took into account the input of Nichols' loved ones, local officials, and impartial police.

Her statement was made as the city and the country grappled with how to respond to the Black police officers' brutality. The video raised further questions about why people kept dying at the hands of police officers despite widespread outcry for reform.

Marching protesters in downtown Memphis were happy to learn the unit had been disbanded. Over a bullhorn, one demonstrator said, "The unit that murdered Tyre has been dissolved for good."

Davis reneged on her promise to preserve the unit, citing "the atrocious behavior of a few" that brought shame on the organization. She urged the agency to "take proactive efforts in the healing process."

In a statement, attorneys representing Mr. Nichols' family said they were "thrilled" by the verdict, calling it a reasonable and fair result for all inhabitants of Memphis and appropriate and proportionate to the horrific murder of Tyre Nichols.

What Is Scorpion Unit?

In order to combat serious crimes including vehicle thefts and gang-related offenses, a special unit was established in October 2021. The 50-person force known as Scorpion (an acronym for "Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods") works to reduce crime in targeted regions.

These five cops were terminated last week: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith. The Scorpion team has been the center of scrutiny before.

However, some members of the community's activist groups claim that the program's emphasis on municipal "hot areas" promotes bigotry and violence among police. An attorney representing Mr. Nichols' family, Antonio Romanucci, has accused the unit of bigotry and wrongdoing and demanded that it be abolished.

A year ago, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland spoke highly of the Scorpion program. His statement that the city uses crime statistics to "determine where the unit will conduct its enforcement efforts inside the city" was a significant admission.

He said that the team had 566 arrests from October 2021 to January 2022. Over one hundred thousand dollars in cash, two hundred and seventy automobiles, and two hundred and fifty-three firearms were also confiscated.

Indictments against them include second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated abduction, official misconduct, and official oppression, and they were all arrested on Thursday.

The prison records show that by Friday morning, four of the five had paid bond and were freed. Both Mr. Martin and Mr. Mills' attorneys have said publicly that their clients will enter not guilty pleas.

How Incident Occured

The Nichols family's legal team has compared the attack on the 29-year-old FedEx worker to the notorious 1991 police beating of Los Angeles driver Rodney King, and video footage of the incident was published on Friday. Nichols cries out for his mom, and then his lifeless body is held up against a police cruiser while the policemen in the car exchange fist bumps.

Several cities around the country readied for demonstrations when the video went viral, but the uprisings that occurred were small and peaceful. Protesters in Memphis, numbering in the dozens, shut down the bridge carrying Interstate 55 over the Mississippi River and onward to Arkansas. In addition to New York City, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon, protesters also halted traffic there.

Many details concerning the traffic stop and the other law enforcement officers who watched while Nichols lay motionless on the ground were unclear from the footage.

A group of around a hundred protestors gathered in the plaza in front of the Memphis Police headquarters despite the rain to call for reform to a police system they say routinely brutalizes black people in Memphis and throughout the nation.

Mr Montez and other community organizers in Memphis have pledged to keep up the heat on Chief CJ Davis and municipal authorities until "the community's demands are realized," which they say includes revamping the department's organized crime branch.

On Friday, the Memphis Police Department released four disturbing videos documenting the traffic stop and its violent aftermath.

After the video was posted on Friday night, there were peaceful protests in Memphis and elsewhere in the nation. Some Memphis protesters blocked a major roadway. Banners calling for "police terror" to halt and justice for Mr. Nichols were carried by several of the protestors.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith, five disgraced policemen, have been dismissed and charged with murder and other charges in connection with Nichols' death, which occurred three days after the arrest. The maximum sentence for second-degree murder is 60 years in jail.

Final Words

There was no basis for the original police report that Mr. Nichols had been pulled over for reckless driving. On 10 January, three days later, he passed away while receiving medical care. All five cops who have been charged in connection with the death of Mr. Nichols are black.

Several cities around the country readied for demonstrations when the video went viral, but the uprisings that occurred were small and peaceful.

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