Police disband unit where officers who beat Tyre Nichols served
The Memphis Police Department permanently deactivates the SCORPION Unit where five police officers who brutally beat Tyre Nichols served.
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A rally in Memphis on Friday night to protest the beating of Tyre Nichols (The New York Times)
The Memphis Police Department decided on Saturday to deactivate the special unit where five police officers who beat Tyre Nichols to death had served.
"In the process of listening intently to the family of Tyre Nichols, community leaders, and the uninvolved officers who have done quality work in their assignments, it is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the SCORPION Unit," the Department announced in a statement.
It added that "the officers currently assigned to the unit agree unreservedly with this next step."
— Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) January 28, 2023
Memphis authorities released four graphic videos on Friday night, showing five Black Memphis police officers brutally beating Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, after a traffic stop.
Nichols died on January 10, three days after the incident. All five officers were arrested and charged on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Nichols' mother said Tyre was only two minutes away from home when he was murdered.
According to Shelby County Jail records, all five former Memphis police officers indicted in connection to Nichols' death were released on bond late Thursday night and into Friday morning.
Hundreds march in New York streets to protest Nichols' beating
In a related context, several hundred people in New York City have participated in a demonstration in rejection of police brutality, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
A wave of protests swept across the United States after Memphis authorities released video footage showing the beating of Nichols.
Hundreds of people marched through the streets of Manhattan on Saturday, according to a Sputnik correspondent. The protest was peaceful and no detentions were made.
People were holding banners saying, "The World Would Be Better if Police Didn’t Abuse Power," "Jail Killer Cops!," and "Justice for Tyre Nichols."
On Friday, police arrested three people at a demonstration held in New York.
US #policebrutality hit a new record in 2022 as it killed 1,183 people, with data showing that there were killings on 353 days last year.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 10, 2023
However, weirdly enough, reports about police brutality and inhumane treatment don't seem to flood the internet and news channels.#USA pic.twitter.com/YL11GbO5au
Read more: Autopsy shows black man murdered by strangulation under police custody
