The specialized police unit, which included five officers charged with the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, was disbanded on Saturday as protests took place in U.S. Cities the day after a harrowing video of the attack was released – Reuters (Jan 28, Memphis, Tenn.).
The police department said in a statement that all five officers who were members of the SCORPION unit, including the confirmed spokesperson, were permanently deactivating it after the police chief spoke with other officers, community leaders, and Nichols’ family members.
Subsequently, three days following his injuries, he passed away and was admitted to the hospital. In the vicinity where his mother resides, law enforcement officials utilized physical force by kicking, punching, and hitting him with a baton, while Nichols, a Black man of 29 years, continuously cried out “Mom!” During a traffic stop on January 7. These incidents were documented in video footage obtained from police officers’ body-worn cameras and a surveillance camera positioned on a utility pole.
All charges, including kidnapping, assault, and murder, have been brought against the five officers involved in the beating. They were dismissed from the department on Thursday.
Protests erupted in Memphis – where demonstrators briefly obstructed an interstate highway – and other locations when sporadic protests were mostly followed on Friday. The family of Nichols and authorities expressed anger and grief but appealed to protesters to maintain nonviolent behavior.
Some protesters in Memphis, United States, renewed nonviolent demonstrations across cities, chanting “Whose streets?” When they learned about the disbandment of SCORPION. The police car monitoring the march was catcalled angrily, with some making obscene gestures, and they loudly cheered.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in New York’s Washington Square Park before marching through Manhattan, as columns of police officers walked alongside them.
Although the chief of police said that the cause for the stop has not been substantiated, it seemed that Nichols did not pose an initial threat for reckless driving, even though video clips taken from four different sources showed him assaulting the police.
Critics argue that specialized teams can resort to oppressive strategies. In October 2021, specific areas with high crime rates were targeted in order to restore peace in our neighborhoods. The SCORPION unit was established to combat street crimes efficiently.
Recently, the father of a 4-year-old child named Nichols, who grew up in Sacramento, California, and was known as a talented and friendly skateboarder, enrolled in a photography class and worked at FedEx. The family and friends of Nichols say that this happened before the coronavirus pandemic and their move to Memphis, Tennessee.
Nate Spates Jr., 42, was part of a circle of friends, including Nichols, who met up at a Starbucks in the area.
Remembering that Nichols would go to Shelby Farms Park to watch the sunset when he wasn’t working late, Spates said he marched to the beat of his own drum and enjoyed what he liked.
In the face of racial discrimination towards Black individuals and other marginalized groups, the passing of Nichols represents another notable occurrence where law enforcement has employed disproportionate aggression. The global demonstrations that ensued in response to the murder of George Floyd in 2020, a Black individual who tragically lost his life due to the actions of a white officer in Minneapolis who pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, served as a catalyst for widespread outrage against racial injustice.
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