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Jamelle Bouie: When the police are the government

Citizens are treated as ‘criminal targets in need of surveillance.’

(City of Memphis via The New York Times) In an image released by the City of Memphis on Jan. 27, 2023, Tyre Nichols flees the initial traffic stop. The Memphis Police Department said on Saturday, Jan. 28, that it had disbanded a specialized group of officers known as the Scorpion unit after five of its members were charged with second-degree murder in the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was shown on video being kicked, struck and pepper-sprayed by officers.

(City of Memphis via The New York Times) In an image released by the City of Memphis on Jan. 27, 2023, Tyre Nichols flees the initial traffic stop. The Memphis Police Department said on Saturday, Jan. 28, that it had disbanded a specialized group of officers known as the Scorpion unit after five of its members were charged with second-degree murder in the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was shown on video being kicked, struck and pepper-sprayed by officers.

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By Jamelle Bouie | The New York Times