The Department of Justice USA has concluded in an investigation that Memphis Police and City Hall (Tennessee) use excessive force and discriminatory behavior against black and disabled people. “The Department of Justice has found a pattern or practice of conduct that violates people’s Civil and Constitutional Rights,” the deputy attorney general specializing in civil rights, Kristen Clarke, explained this Thursday in a press conference.
Precisely, it was in Memphis where the young African-American Tyron Nichols He was beaten to death by several officers in January of last year. In a video made public and which caused thousands of people to take to the streets to protest, you can see how the officers kicked him, some of them in the head, and hit Nichols with a baton, who screamed for his mother and asked for help.
Thus, in addition to using excessive force, the Department of Justice detailed that the city Police carry out “illegal checks, searches and arrests” and discriminates against people with disabilities. “The Police Department must end policies that have a disproportionate effect on the Black population in this community,” Clarke demanded.
One of his conclusions reflects that the city arrests black adults for marijuana possession 5.2 times more often than whiteswhile a racist bias is also seen in sanctions for crimes related to road safety. These behaviors were also extrapolated to minors: between 2018 and 2023, the time the investigation lasted, “121 black children were arrested for public disorder and only one white child,” Clarke detailed.
The Department toHe opened his investigations on July 27, 2023. He conducted numerous visits, interviewed officers, supervisors and command staff, spoke with city officials and employees, and reviewed hundreds of hours of body camera footage. “Memphians deserve a Police Department and a city that protects your civil and constitutional rightsthat inspires confidence and keeps them safe,” Clarke said.
For her part, the acting federal prosecutor for the Western District of Tennessee, Reagan Fondren, stated that the objective of justice is “to ensure police action fair, constitutional and non-discriminatory“. “The City Council has the report and can review it, we hope to meet with them to move forward in the future,” he noted.