In the United States, a police unit is dissolved after a beating that caused the death of an African-American

Memphis police on Saturday permanently deactivated the unit of the Five officers who fatally beat a young African-Americanthe latest case of police brutality that caused horror and incomprehension in the United States.

The death of Tire Nichols, 29, which occurred on January 10 after an arrest, reignited the debate on police brutality in the United States, where the memory of George Floyd, murdered in 2020 by a white police officer, is still present, a case that led to a social crisis.

The five officers, also African-American, had been from the Memphis SCORPION unit, which launched in November 2021 with the intent of reducing illegal activity in hot spots, including by blanketing those areas with more officers.

But on Saturday, the Memphis Police Department said in a statement that it was “in everyone’s best interest to permanently deactivate the SCORPION Unit.”

The victim’s family welcomed the decision in a statement from his lawyers, calling it “appropriate and proportionate to the tragic death of Tire Nichols, and also a decent and fair decision for all the citizens of Memphis.”

A few meters from his mother’s house

Dozens of protesters called for police reform Saturday afternoon outside Memphis City Hall chanting “No justice, no peace!” and carrying banners with slogans like “Justice for Tire Nichols.”

There were rallies on Friday, some numbering tens of hundreds, others in Memphis, New York and Washington, with more scheduled for Saturday.

“It’s horrible to see five big guys beating this guy up,” said Nancy Schulte, 69, a receptionist at a city hotel.

Video released by police shows a beating after a routine traffic stop on January 7 in Memphis, Tennessee.

The officers punched, kicked, and hit the young man with batons, tear gas, and a stun gun. At no point is Nichols seen trying to attack the cops. He tries to run away and is caught.

“Mommy. Mommy! Mom, ”she screams in one of the videos.

The incident apparently occurred about 100 meters from his mother’s house. And the ambulance didn’t arrive for 20 minutes.

Nichols died three days later at a Memphis hospital.

Before the video was released on Friday night, broadcast live and without cuts by the main television networks, President Joe Biden called the mother and stepfather of the victim and urged the population to demonstrate peacefully.

Police “culture”

The five policemen were fired, accused of murder and arrested. Four of them were later released on bail.

While expressing horror, the family said Friday they were “satisfied” with the charges brought against the five officers and praised the “quick” action against them.

After the images, there are still many questions. The video does not show the beginning of the interaction between Nichols and the agents.

Ben Crump, one of the Nichols family lawyers, blamed “institutionalized police culture.”

“It doesn’t matter if the agent is black, Hispanic or white (…). There are unwritten rules according to which, if a person belongs to a certain ethnic group, they can be treated with excessive force, ”he declared Saturday on MSNBC.

“This is the culture that killed Tire Nichols,” he added. (YO)