The dockworkers have suspended the strike

The Memphis Police Department: Ex-Politicians, the Scorpion Task Force, and their alleged Discriminatory Role in a Traffic Stop

Jurors deliberated nearly six hours before returning the verdicts. The ex- policemen will be sentenced in the near future. They are charged with state murder.

The Memphis Police Department use of force and whether officers engage in discriminatory policing are the subjects of an investigation launched by the U.S. Justice Department.

It supports everything we’ve been saying for a long time. The people. “We don’t want to forget about the journey that we’re on,” Burress said. We don’t know if a change is going to happen in Memphis.

Outside court on Thursday before the verdicts were announced, resident Paula Buress was holding a handmade cardboard sign with Tyre Nichols’ name on it. She says local activists like her have tried for years to bring attention to police tactics in Memphis.

The Memphis Police Department’s Scorpion task force was created to root out street crime in Memphis, and is known for aggressive policing tactics. The unit was dismantled after it was found out that Nichols was killed. They were indicted by a grand jury.

During closing arguments, Bean’s attorney said that officers were trying to arrest someone who was doing everything but complying. “When a person runs from you they’re trying to escape custody,” he said. “It was not unreasonable force.”

The trial started September 9, and defense lawyers argued that the traffic stop was a high risk one, and officers acted within the policy of the police department. They said officers escalated their use of force after Nichols ran from them despite being tased and pepper-sprayed.

Two of the ex-officers, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills, Jr., pleaded guilty and testified against the others. They said Nichols, who weighed 175 pounds, did not pose a real threat to the five policemen.

She told them to trust their eyes. “You saw the punches. You saw the kicks. You saw the baton strike,” Gilbert said. She also emphasized how Nichols had his hands in front of his face to protect himself as he called out for his mother — who lived just a block away.

Kathryn Gilbert said in closing arguments that the officers didn’t count on the video catching what occurred when they thought no one was watching.

The Memphis PD investigation of the killing of a black man, and the fight of dock workers against the unions that shut down East Coast and Gulf Coast ports

Members of Nichols’ family say they’re pleased with the convictions, and hope it sends a message that police officers can be held accountable for their actions.

A jury found three former Memphis police officers not guilty of any wrongdoing in the beating death of a black man.

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Thousands of dockworkers have called off the strike that shut down East Coast and Gulf Coast ports. The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance ended the three-day standoff with both sides agreeing to a 62% wage increase over six years. The union had wanted a 77% increase over six years. Both parties agreed to extend the existing contract until Jan. 15, 2025, so they can continue negotiations.

NPR Maps: State Legislatures Who Rule, Protect, and Verdict When Houses of Power are On Your Voting Streel

The presidency is on the line in one month’s time. Controversial issues including abortion, schools, guns, taxes and healthcare will be decided by state lawmakers on your ballot. These legislators’ significant power is amplified by a divided and gridlocked Congress. Twenty legislatures have Republican supermajorities which allows them to override governor vetoes. NPR is examining state legislatures where the balance of power is at stake. These states could experience significant changes in the upcoming election. See where your state falls with NPR’s interactive map.

In less than three days, four to five months-worth of rain drenched western North Carolina as the remnants of Hurricane Helene tore across the southeast U.S. Dozens of people were killed and entire towns were flooded. Many of the hardest-hit communities are rural with less than 1000 residents. Marshall was built on the banks of the French Broad River.

🍿Movies: Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola speaks with NPR’s Mandalit del Barco about Megalopolis, a film he’s worked on since the 1980s. Cesar Catilina is the visionary architect, while Franklyn Cicero is the Mayor of New Rome in a society of greed and political division.

📺 TV: Netflix’s new series Nobody Wants This, starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, doesn’t only offer rom-com banter. There are some pretty deep questions about faith and compatibility.

📚 Books: SNL star Kate McKinnon says her first book, The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette For Young Ladies of Mad Science, is part of her “private mission to give a wink and a nod” to young people who might feel “different” like she did growing up.

Source: Dockworkers suspend strike. And, Tyre Nichols’ family applauds trial verdict

What Did Famous Political Leaders Do? An Empirical Viewpoint from Future Album, Fight Night at the Edinburgh Fringe – The First 100 Years

Future hit #1 on the week’s best-selling album chart with his latest album, earning him a third successive week at the top.

There is a theater The acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe show, Fight Night, features five actors who compete to win over the audience during a 90-minute performance. Audience members are given a device to vote in different rounds based on their age, income, and the qualities they value in a leader.

They got inaugurated, wrote memoirs, debated, and turned 100. What did the people who were political do? If you can beat my perfect score, take the test and see if you can.

Three former US police officers were acquitted on Tuesday of charges that they used excessive force against Tyre Nichols, a black man, during a 2016 traffic stop in Memphis. Nichols was shot nine times by the officers after he ran from them during the traffic stop. An internal investigation had found that Officers used excessive force against Nichols.