Month: January 2023

Where doest it come from? Where does the culture of the police brutality in Memphis Police Department(MPD) come from? What are the origins of that culture of the police brutality? Who lead that culture, and who are responsible for that culture?

Britannica defines “culture” as follow. Culture is behaviour peculiar to Homo sapiens, together with material objects used as an integral part of this behaviour. Thus, culture includes language, ideas, beliefs, customs, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, works of art, rituals, and ceremonies, among other elements. The existence and use of culture depends upon an ability possessed by humans alone.

According to Wikipedia, “police brutality” is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, asphyxiation, beatings, shootings, racism, improper takedowns, and unwarranted use of tasers.

Those five former Memphis Police officers are not the ones who invented or created the culture of Memphis Police Department. Mr. Tadarrius Bean, Mr. Demetrius Haley, Mr. Emmitt Martin III, Mr. Desmond Mills Jr., and Mr. Justin Smith are the ones who were influenced by the culture which was already existed within MPD.

By the microscopic observation, the five former officers were the direct perpetrator for the death of Mr. Tyre Nichols. But in terms of the macroscopic analysis, they were the task performers of the culture of the police brutality within MPD.

The incident is one of the phenomena. The essence is about the culture of “mentality”. Where does such mentality come from? It can come from history, reality, and leadership from the Memphis community. We try to focus on the leadership in this editorial because we can’t change the history of Memphis nor can we change the socioeconomic realities of the Memphis community within a short period of time.

Mr. Jim Strickland is the Mayor of the City of Memphis. Ms. Cerelyn “CJ” Davis is Chief of Police for the Memphis Police Department. Those policies and culture of MPD seem to be originated, directly and indirectly, from the leadership.

The leadership qualities and skills permeated, percolated, or pervaded into the culture of the City of Memphis and MPD. Especially the mentality of the leadership must/may have been handed down from the leadership to followship.

Those former officers were just the officers on the street. They were not the leaders of MPD or the City of Memphis. The officers didn’t make such culture of the police brutality. They were just the performers.

The culture was handed down. More accurately, the MENTALITY of such culture was passed down.

The Editorial of the Memphis Times
www.memphistimes.org

Published: January 29, 2023

Its the time to clarify who are responsible for the death of Mr. Tyre Nichols. The Memphinans need to find out with whom the responsibility lies. We wish to apportion blame. We must address or deal with the issue of where the responsibility for the incident lies and who are to blame for the incident in order not to repeat such a tragedy.

There are two kinds of accountabilities in the case of the death of Mr. Tyre Nichols. One is the legal accountability for his death. And the other is the political accountability which was connected with, or which became inextricably bound up with his death.

First, the legal responsibility should be pursued and established. The five former Memphis Police officers are Mr. Tadarrius Bean, Mr. Demetrius Haley, Mr. Emmitt Martin III, Mr. Desmond Mills Jr., and Mr. Justin Smith. Those officers all were fired Jan. 20, 2023 following the death of Mr. Nichols.

And they were charged Thursday with second-degree murder. The legal team of Mr. Nichols’ case can deal with the legal process. Those five officers are such directly claimed responsibility in terms of the legal case of Mr. Nichols.

Second, the political responsibility should be pursued and found out. Who has the political accountability for the death of Mr. Nichols? Is President of the United States, Joe Biden, accountable for the death? Or should Governor of the State of Tennessee, Bill Lee, be accountable for the death?

The political accountability for the death should lie with the Mayor of the City of Memphis. He should be responsible for the political accountability because the City of Memphis has the administrative jurisdiction over the Memphis Police Department.

The Mayor, Mr. Jim Strickland is notorious for his crafty or sneaky talent of escaping or eluding the long arm of the political responsibility whenever these kinds of incidents happened around Memphis, Tennessee.

This case is not unclear who’s responsible for the incident. We can locate the responsibility. Justice should be found and established in terms of the case of Mr. Nichols. There are two kinds of justice in this case. One is the legal justice, and the other is the political one.

Both the judicial justice and the political one should be pursued. Mr. Strickland is the one who has the political accountability for the case. Someone may want to get a way out of here in this situation. He is a man of taking advantage of loopholes in the political accountability.

But the Memphians, and the local constituents and taxpayers, need to watch or monitor such desperate writher. Mr. Strickland is a man of performing POLITICAL CIRCUS.

His performance is, however, quite BORING.

The Editorial of the Memphis Times
www.memphistimes.org

Published: January 27, 2023

The death of Mr. Tyre Nichols is arousing an echo not only over the local community, but also over nationwide scope. His sudden and unexpected death reverberates around the country. The questions were about ‘What happened about the incident?’ And the Memphis Times is trying to point out the next questions, “What should happen from the incident?”

First, the legal process. The legal team of Mr. Tyre Nichols’ case can deal with the legal process for the required and pursued justice for Mr. Nichols, his family, and his loved ones. The justice should be made, pursued, and accomplished at the end of the legal process.

Second, the perceptions about MPD. The local community should/can/may realize that there are a lot of problems within/around/from the Memphis Police Department(MPD). The arrogant, impudent, or/and impertinent attitudes of some types of the local police officers are notorious. We don’t deny the necessities of social recognition for the police authority, but the context is different.

Not only the issues of police brutalities and police misconducts, but also such allegations/possibilities of police dishonesty, police manipulations, police corruptions, and even police crimes damage MPD’s honor and bring disgrace on MPD’s name and reputation.

Third, the local government of the City of Memphis. It really seems to have a lot of problems. As we said before, the City of Memphis doesn’t have its own ability to rule and/or run its jurisdiction of the legal territory nor does it have its moral integrity. The City of Memphis cannot solve the social problems over the local community. And it is the problem itself.

Fourth, the mayor, Mr. Jim Strickland. The local constituents can begin to think of the political recall for the mayor. Whatever happens to/from MPD, the government of the City of Memphis, or/and the city of Memphis, the bucks eventually stop there in front of the feet of Mr. Strickland. Whatever happens around Memphis, the political responsibility belongs to Mr. Strickland.

Besides, Mr. Strickland should/can answer to these kinds of questions. “Mayor Strickland, what do you think of Kenyatta Johnson?”, “Mayor Strickland, what do you think of Kwame Kilpatrick?”, “Mayor Strickland, what do you think of Mike Madigan?”, and so on.

Bribery is defined by Black’s Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. They say that with regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is “Corrupt solicitation, acceptance, or transfer of value in exchange for official action.”

This is our inquiry. “Dear Mr. Strickland, have you ever received any kind of BRIBERY before or/and during your incumbency as mayor?” Your answer can/should be very simple. Yes or No. It is not rocket science.

(The inquiry is not based on the existence of facts, but is based on the question about the existence of facts. And everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on the basis of the legal principle, the Presumption of Innocence.)

Fifth, the change of the legal status of the City of Memphis. The General Assembly of Tennessee should begin to try to change the legal status of the City of Memphis. The charter of the City of Memphis should be retracted, revoked, withdrawn, recanted, or nullified. Or at least it should be changed on the fundamental level and/or by the innovative ways.

Sixth, the opinion leaders, the social leaders, the community organizers. Their roles for the local community are very important. Every societies and every communities have their own leaders. So does Memphis.

Seventh, the media community. The social role of the local media industry is very important, too. The lack of ‘checks and balances’ and ‘political & social monitoring’ seemed/seems to contribute the malfunction of the local government, and bring the political corruptions of the local politicians and government officials.

Eighth, Steve Mulroy’s office, TBI, and FBI. MPD doesn’t function well and can’t accomplish its mission. So the roles of Shelby County DA Office, TBI, and FBI are important. MPD is, like, a failed dog which doesn’t bark when its owner’s house is stealed or robbed. Furthermore, the dog is a dog which messes up the house when the owner goes out for something.

Ninth, the good and responsible citizens of our local community. At the end of day, the citizens have to pay their political or/and social bills whatever happens to the local community, and whomever should be blamed. The bills stop there in front of the feet of the local constituents politically, and the taxpayers monetarily. The local citizens, constituents, and taxpayers should/can exercise their social ownership for/about the local community whose names are the city of Memphis and Shelby County. They are the owners. Mr. Strickland is not.

Tenth, the Times will try to perform its social missions and its roles in order to make the local community as better place. And it will exercise its OWNERSHIP, too, as so do the good citizens.

The Editorial of the Memphis Times
www.memphistimes.org

Published: January 23, 2023

Memphis Police was said to announce the five MPD officers involved in the arrest of Mr. Tyre Nichols have been fired. Mr. Steve Mulroy is the Shelby County District Attorney. The former district attorney was Ms. Amy Weirich. Mr. Jim Strickland is the current mayor of the City of Memphis, TN.

We are waiting for an outstanding prosecutor in/for Memphis and Shelby County in the State of Tennessee. Will Mr. Mulroy be such a superb one? We don’t know yet, but it can depend on his performance as a district attorney. Time will show.

As we said before, the local police didn’t/doesn’t show the good quailities of the law enforcement around Memphis/Shelby County in Tennessee. There must/may have been/be multilayered reasons why such phenomena exist around Memphis/Shelby County.

Ms. Amy Weirich was a failed prosecutor. If she had been successful for the policies and performances of prosecuting, Memphis and Shelby County must not have had these kinds of social problems. Especially the white-collar crimes spread rampantly around Memphis.

Mr. Jim Strickland should take one of the biggest political responsibilities for the Memphians’ ending up seeing these kinds of social landscape over Memphis. If he had been a successful mayor, things must have been very different than the current situations.

Memphis and Shelby County have a lot of street crimes. We already know that. There should be more social experimental efforts to reduce such crimes let alone to detecting and punishing such crimes.

One of the fundamental problems around Memphis and Shelby County is that Memphis is the city of the white-collar crimes. One of the fundamental differences between a competent and talented prosecutor, and incompetent, incapable, and inefficient prosecutor is how they approach, analyze, and deal with such cunning criminals because such crimes are unseen, hidden, and consealed. That’s why Ms. Amy Weirich failed.

There are different types of the white-collar crimes, but corrupt business people, corrupt police officers, corrupt local politicians and government officials, and corrupt judges are the issues and problems which requires urgent attentions both from the local communities and from the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office.

Only outstanding, capable, talented, superb, and excellent prosecutors can do that. We have been waiting for such district attorneys for a long time. Not for such prosecutors, but for Memphis and Shelby County. The local communities deserve that. The local communities should be better communites.

We hope that Mr. Steve Mulroy doesn’t lose such an opportunity to be an outstanding prosecutor. Not only for him, but also for Memphis and Shelby County.

The Editorial of the Memphis Times
www.memphistimes.org

Published: January 21, 2023

It’s the time to think about the change of the legal status of the City of Memphis.

The City of Memphis doesn’t have its own ability to rule and/or run its jurisdiction of the legal territory nor does it have its moral integrity.

It is suspected that there are too many and too much corruptions around Memphis in Tennessee. Those allegations about such corruptions are political corruptions, judicial corruptions, administrative corruptions, police corruptions, media corruptions, business corruptions, and so on.

It is suspected that there are too many corrupt local politicians, corrupt judges, corrupt police officers, corrupt business people of corporations, corrupt local government officials, and so forth.

And, in parallel, it can be seen that there are too many criminals, too many low quality of people, too many thieves, too many car thefts, too many robberies, too many shootings, and fundamentally too many briberies, and too many white-collar criminals around Memphis in Tennessee.

The General Assembly of Tennessee should begin to try to change the legal status of the City of Memphis. The charter of the City of Memphis should be surrendered, terminated, retracted, revoked, withdrawn, recanted, or nullified. Or at least it should be changed on the fundamental level and/or by the innovative ways.

The bottom line is that Memphis is so corrupt and/or so contaminated in terms of its political, judicial, social, or/and cultural landscape around the city.

Memphis is so corrupt. The status quo is not acceptable.

The Editorial of the Memphis Times
www.memphistimes.org

Published: January 15, 2023