US Attorney General Merrick Garland
A new Justice Department report on its investigation of the Memphis Police Department and the City of Memphis accuses police in Memphis, Tennessee of discriminating against black people, using excessive force, and making unlawful stops and arrests.
This investigation comes after five Memphis police officers were accused and indicted by a grand jury last September on charges of second-degree murder and kidnapping Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop in January 2023.
As The Gateway Pundit reported in October, three of the officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith, were convicted of witness tampering but acquitted of federal charges.
Officers Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges.
Two of the officers, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., previously pleaded guilty to the same charges.
Jury Returns Mixed Verdict For 3 Former Memphis Officers Convicted in Fatal Beating of Black Motorist Tyre Nichols
The Biden Justice Department’s report Wednesday claims that officers “disproportionally” target black people.
“across a range of different law enforcement actions, MPD treats Black people more harshly than white people when they engage in similar conduct,” the DOJ concluded.
The 70-page further report states,
Memphis police officers regularly violate the rights of the people they are sworn to serve. Our investigation found that officers use force to punish and retaliate against people who do not immediately do as they say. They rapidly 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 put themselves and others in harm’s way—officers have unlawfully fired at moving cars and accidentally pepper sprayed and fired Tasers at each other.”
“The Department of Justice has reasonable cause to believe that the City and MPD engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates federal law. As a first step to ending this unlawful conduct, we have identified an initial set of remedies, including stronger policies, training, supervision, accountability, and transparency. We look forward to working with the City, MPD, and the Memphis community to develop and implement remedies to address the pattern or practice of unlawful conduct described in this report,” the report concludes.
According to U.S. News, Memphis, Tennessee, a majority Black city, is the most dangerous place in the US based on the city’s murder and crime rate. According to the Census Bureau, Blacks comprise 64.4% of Memphis’ population, more than double the white population of 26.5%. But the DOJ is scrutinizing the police department for having more encounters, citations, and arrests involving black individuals.
Memphis radio station KWAM slammed the Biden Regime with facts on the city’s black-led city and black crime statistics in an X post-Thursday.
“Facts may be inconvenient for the Left, but facts still matter,” the station concluded:
The Biden Justice Dept. has determined that the Memphis Police Dept. is racist and targets black people. The national media is blaming white folks for the problems in Memphis — comparing the Tyre Nichols case to what happened in Minnesota with George Floyd. So, I feel compelled to bring some facts to the conversation:
1. The mayor is black.
2. The police chief is black.
3. The chair of the city council is black.
4. 7 of the 13 city council members are black.
5. 5 of the 8 MPD command staff are black.
6. More than 50 percent of the MPD officers are black.
7. Over 90 percent of the suspects in homicides are black. And over 90 percent of the victims are black.
8. The 5 officers charged in the horrific beating death of Mr. Nichols – all black.
9. AND ALL OF THE DECISION MAKERS IN MEMPHIS ARE DEMOCRATS.
Facts may be inconvenient for the Left, but facts still matter.
The Biden Justice Dept. has determined that the Memphis Police Dept. is racist and targets black people. The national media is blaming white folks for the problems in Memphis — comparing the Tyre Nichols case to what happened in Minnesota with George Floyd. So, I feel compelled…
— KWAM News Radio 990 AM Memphis (@Mighty990KWAM) December 6, 2024
The City of Memphis has reportedly declined to enter into a consent decree with the Department of Justice. In a letter to the DOJ Wednesday, City Attorney Tannera Gibson wrote, “Until the city has had the opportunity to review, analyze and challenge the specific allegations that support your forthcoming findings report, the city cannot — and will not — agree to work toward or enter into a consent decree that will likely be in place for years to come and will cost the residents of Memphis hundreds of millions of dollars.”
“From what we understand, consent decrees remain in place for an average of more than ten years, with absolutely no controls to ensure timely completion or consideration for the financial impact to the affected community. Such a proposal is not the right solution for Memphis,” the letter continued.
The post DOJ Releases Report on Investigation of the Memphis Police Department and the City of Memphis, Finds That Majority Black Police Force in Black-Led City “Unlawfully Discriminates Against Black People” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.