It's Going DownJan 28, 2023

#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

Memphis police’s Scorpion unit under scrutiny after Tyre Nichols’ killing

The Memphis Police Department's Scorpion unit launched in 2021 to target violent crime. Its officers were involved in killing Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop.

NBC News
Show threadex or current IDF unwelcomeJan 28, 2023
@igd_news Defunding police not the answer. As in the Metropolitan Police in UK first weed out your thugs, sex offenders and partner beaters. Replace with heavily vetted honest people
Show threadmattg
@JohnLoader6 @igd_news there is no equivalent to the UK's Metropolitan Police in the US. If you're going to compare, US police are probably closer to letting the British Army drive around UK cities.
Jan 28, 2023 at 5:27pmWeb
Show threadex or current IDF unwelcomeJan 28, 2023
@mattg @igd_news met is just London. So equivalent to a US city
Show threadmattgJan 28, 2023
@JohnLoader6 @igd_news correct. But the police in US cities are equipped like the military in developed countries. Literally equipped with surplus military gear.
Show threadex or current IDF unwelcomeJan 29, 2023
@mattg @igd_news I remember the films where the US policeman was old and Irish