The police officers of the Memphis Police Department often discriminate against Black citizens and use excessive force, according to a new report released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Released on Wednesday, the report found that the city’s police department routinely “violated the rights of the people they are sworn to serve.” Black people were found to be disproportionately targeted; racial disparities were never addressed by the police department as they failed to look over their own practices. For instance, 121 Black children were arrested for disorderly conduct compared to just one white child in the same span.
The DOJ’s report also found that the Memphis police tended to regularly escalate situations often deemed to be nonviolent, leading to the usage of excessive force. Most often, Black people and people with behavioral health disabilities, as well as mental health crises, were subjected to excessive force.
The report points to one situation in which the police officers restrained, beat and shocked an unarmed man with a mental health condition who attempted to take a $2 drink from a gas station. The man left the store without the drink but was forced to spend two days in jail after being charged with theft.
Following the report’s release, the city’s mayor, Paul Young, echoed earlier statements that the police department would not agree to a consent decree with the DOJ. Although he didn’t explicitly say that would never be an option, Young claimed that hundreds of positive changes have already been made.
“The misconduct that we observed offends the dignity of Memphis residents. It creates stigma and trauma,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke in a press release released alongside the report. “The practical results of the police department’s misconduct often include loss of transportation — and, consequently, employment — and separation of families.”
Justice Department Finds Civil Rights Violations by Memphis Police Department and City of Memphis
— DOJ Civil Rights Division (@CivilRights) December 5, 2024
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The 17-month report was conducted following the death of Tyre Nichols. On Jan. 7, 2023, 29-year-old Nichols was pulled over by the police for reportedly recklessly driving. The officers proceeded to beat him, also using a Taser and pepper-spraying him.
Nichols was sent to the hospital in critical condition but passed away on Jan. 10 as a result of his injuries.
Three of the police officers will go on trial in April for their role in Nichol’s death; all three have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
In Oct, all three were found guilty of federal witness tampering charges. Officers Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., who were also involved in Nichols’ death, are also currently waiting for their sentences after pleading guilty.
