On May 7, three former Memphis, Tennessee police officers were acquitted on state charges stemming from the fatal beating of unarmed Black man Tyre Nichols on January 7, 2023. Nichols’ killing ignited nationwide protests and rekindled the movement against police brutality within the US.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, three of the five officers accused of beating Nichols in connection with a traffic stop, were found not guilty on all state charges, including second degree murder. The three defendants still face the prospect of years in prison on federal charges relating to the beating. All of the five officers accused of involvement in Nichols’ beating are also Black.
Protests erupted across several cities in the US after the video of the brutal beating recorded by the police body-camera was released on January 27 (20 days after Nicholas was beaten to death). Demonstrations blocked traffic on Interstate 55 in Memphis, and protests were also held in Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, and several other US cities.
The wave of protests resulted in the disbanding of the controversial Memphis police unit dubbed the “SCORPION Unit,” which stood for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods. Officers in this unit would drive unmarked cars and many would dress in plainclothes. Units like Scorpion exist in many US cities, many of which are known to be notoriously violent, including Baltimore’s “Gun Trace Task Force” (GTTF) and Washington DC’s “jump-out squads”. In New York City, plainclothes police officers are nominally tasked with fighting gun violence. However, these cops have been responsible for several of the most high-profile police killings, including the murders of Eric Garner and Amadou Diallo.
Trump executive order rings in new era of policing
“This verdict is part of a larger trend to roll back the gains made in response to the 2020 uprising and re-establish total impunity for cops,” said the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which organized numerous protests throughout the country in the wake of the release of the video showing Nichols’ beating. “Just last week, Trump even issued an executive order that the Justice Department has to provide legal assistance to cops facing charges for brutality!”
On April 28, Donald Trump signed an executive order titled, “Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens,” raising alarms about potential increases in police impunity to committee brutality and other acts of repression. The order aims to “unleash high-impact local police forces; protect and defend law enforcement officers wrongly accused and abused by State or local officials; and surge resources to officers in need.”
The order seeks to aid police officers who have “incurred expenses and liabilities for actions taken during the performance of their official duties to enforce the law,” which could include acts of brutality. According to an analysis by the Legal Aid Society, the New York Police Department alone used USD 205 million in public funds to settle misconduct lawsuits in 2024.
