The city of Memphis and its police officers regularly violate the constitutional rights of residents, including using excessive force, discriminating against Black people and assaulting people with behavioral health conditions, according to a new report from the Department of Justice.
The report, released Wednesday, is the result of a civil rights investigation into the Memphis Police Department launched by the Department of Justice following the violent beating of Tire Nichols during a traffic stop in January 2023, which led to his death.
The Ministry of Justice says in its report:
Our research has shown that officers use force to punish and retaliate against people who do not immediately do what they say. They quickly escalate encounters, including traffic stops, and use excessive force even when people are already handcuffed or restrained. They resort to intimidation and threats. They have endangered themselves and others: officers have unlawfully shot at moving cars and accidentally fired pepper spray and Tasers at each other.
Nichols’ death is referenced at the top of the report. Body camera footage of the incident sparked national outrage. Video showed Nichols, a 29-year-old black man and father of a toddler, being dragged from a car by five police officers, who beat, shocked and pepper-sprayed him as he shouted for help. He died in a hospital three days later.
Three of the five former police officers involved in Nichols’ death were convicted by a jury of federal civil rights violations in October of this year. Two others pleaded guilty to federal charges months earlier. All five are black.
In a letter released earlier Wednesday, city officials appeared to pre-empt the Justice Department report, saying it would not agree to negotiations on federal oversight of the MPD until it could review the agency’s findings and challenge.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young echoed that opposition Thursday, saying the city has already made reforms since Nichols’ death.
According to the Department of Justice, the MPD often fails to monitor or review its own practices. Black people in Memphis are disproportionately targeted and treated more harshly by police, the agency found, and officers often use excessive force against people with behavioral health problems. The MPD also failed to assess its own practices for racial disparities or effectiveness, the report said, resulting in “a corrosive effect on the Memphis community – including children, who have experienced aggressive and frightening encounters with officers.”
The report also shows that Memphis police regularly escalate situations and use excessive force against people suspected of nonviolent crimes. In one example, the Justice Department pointed out how officers responded to an unarmed man with a mental illness who tried to take a $2 soda at a gas station. Although the man left the store without drinking, police continued to follow him. They then forcibly restrained him, beat him, put him in a chokehold and shocked him several times with a stun gun “while he screamed in pain,” the report said.
At least nine police cruisers and 12 Memphis police officers responded to the incident, the report said. The man spent two days in jail for theft and disorderly conduct.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
