#TyreNichols was brutally beaten by officers connected to the SCORPION (Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods) Unit. This unit was established in the fall of 2021, amid growing cries around 'rising crime.'

The unit was known for targeting 'hot spots' with special officers dressed in street clothes.

This mirrors similar units, such as the Gun Trace Task force in #Baltimore that was established in the wake of the uprising there, which kicked off following the police murder of Freddie Grey. Through that unit, under the cover of getting guns off the street and reducing the murder rate, police systematically fleeced the local Black community of cash and engaged in a variety of illegal behavior.

In #Memphis, we see a similar situation play out: out of the ashes of the George Floyd uprising, instead of defunding the police and shifting resources into schools, programs, and infrastructure, cities doubled down and gave police more money to 'combat crime,' aka come down harder on the same communities who were at the center of uprising.

Predictably, this resulted in only more death and police violence.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/memphis-police-scorpion-unit-tyre-nichols-rcna67711