The Justice Department mentioned on Thursday that it had begun a sweeping civil rights investigation into policing in Memphis, inspecting allegations of pervasive issues with extreme power and illegal stops of Black residents that have been amplified by the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols in January.
In asserting the investigation, officers particularly cited the demise of Mr. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, whose beating by Memphis law enforcement officials on Jan. 7, 2023, was captured by physique digital camera and surveillance footage. The case stoked outrage throughout the nation and directed intense scrutiny onto how the Memphis Police Department operates.
The investigation, officers mentioned, intends to discover these broader considerations and whether or not there was a sample or observe of violating civil rights. It follows the mildew of different investigations began after high-profile circumstances of lethal violence by officers elsewhere, together with in Minneapolis after the demise of George Floyd and in Louisville, Ky., after the deadly taking pictures of Breonna Taylor.
Kristen Clarke, the assistant legal professional normal for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, mentioned on Thursday that although Mr. Nichols’s demise was an element within the investigation, the inquiry was “not based on a single incident or event.”
Federal officers mentioned the civil rights investigation was separate from a seamless felony investigation associated to Mr. Nichols’s demise. Five Memphis law enforcement officials have already been charged in state court docket with second-degree homicide in reference to the deadly beating. All have pleaded not responsible to these costs.
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Source: www.nytimes.com