> >> NOW TO MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, WHERE FOUR MEN HAVE BEEN KILLED BY AGENTS.

PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID IT WOULD END STREET AND VIOLENT CRIME TO THE GREATEST POSSIBLE ATTEMPT.

THIS YEAR THE FORCE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN MULTIPLE VIOLENT INCIDENTS.

PROFESSOR LISA ARMSTRONG JOINS US TO DISCUSS THE TRAGIC CASES.

>> BIANNA, THAT.

LISA ARMSTRONG, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.

YOU WROTE A PIECE CALLED "TRUMP'S DEADLY INVASION OF MEMPHIS. "

THIS WAS A TASK FORCE THAT WAS SET UP.

THROUGH YOUR INVESTIGATION WHAT DID YOU FIND HAPPENED AND IS HAPPENING IN MEMPHIS?

>> SO THIS TASK FORCE WAS CREATED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP LAST SEPTEMBER, SEPTEMBER 15th AND IT'S 31 DIFFERENT AGENCIES INCLUDING THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, THE TENNESSEE HIGHWAY PATROL AND THE IDEA BEHIND IT, TRUMP SAID THAT WAS THEY WERE GOING INTO MEMPHIS TO KEEP MEMPHIS SAFE.

THIS WAS SEPTEMBER 15th THAT HE CREATED THE TASK FORCE AND THEN THEY WENT IN SEPTEMBER 29th.

A FEW DAYS BEFORE THIS THE MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD SAID THAT CRIME WAS AT A 25-YEAR LOW, AND SO WHAT I FOUND THAT WAS IN SPEAKING WITH RESIDENTS AND ORGANIZERS THEY REFER TO THIS AS AN OCCUPATION AND THEY FEEL THAT BASICALLY THE TASK FORCE HAS NOT BEEN SENT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH CRIME REDUCTION, BUT THAT IT HAS TO DO WITH IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AND ALSO JUST TERRORIZING PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN MEMPHIS.

>> THERE WAS A MEMO FROM THE PRESIDENT AND HE SAID THIS WAS HYPERVIGILANT POLICING, AGGRESSIVE PROSECUTION AND LARGE-SCALE SATURATION OF BESIEGED NEIGHBORHOOD WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL.

TELL ME, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE?

>> SO I ACTUALLY DROVE THROUGH SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS IN WHICH THE TASK FORCE IS PATROLLING AND THESE ARE PREDOMINANTLY BLACK AND BROWN NEIGHBORHOODS.

I SAW THEM FOR MYSELF AND THEY'RE DOING TRAFFIC STOPS AND PATROLLING NEIGHBORHOODS.

AGAIN, PEOPLE DESCRIBED HAVING THEM KNOCK ON THEIR DOORS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND WAKING THEM UP.

PEOPLE DESCRIBE BEING STOPPED, SOMETIMES MULTIPLE TIMES IN A DAY BY THE TASK FORCE AND THE STOPS ARE FOR THINGS LIKE A BROKEN TAILLIGHT OR EXPIRED REGISTRATION AND IN SOME CASES SOME OF THE PEOPLE SAID THAT THEIR TAILLIGHTS WEREN'T ACTUALLY BROKEN AND THEY WERE JUST STOPPED AND AGAIN, THE STOPS ARE THEN TO CHECK ARE YOU AN AMERICAN CITIZEN OR TO CHECK WERE YOU INVOLVED IN SOME SORT OF CRIME?

SO IT'S MAINLY THESE TRAFFIC STOPS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN AN ISSUE IN MEMPHIS BEFOREHAND, AND THE TASK FORCE IS NOW REINFORCING IN THEIR WORK.

SO IF THERE ARE THESE TRAFFIC STOPS AND ON --ARE THEY CRIMINALS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN CAUGHT BY THE SYSTEM OFF THE STREETS.

AS THEY GO THROUGH THE JUDE EARN CRISIS.

IT'S PUBLIC REQUESTING REQUESTS AND SOME OF THE RECORDS I GOT FROM THE DA'S OFFICE SHOW THEY WERE FOR DIFFERENT PERIODS AND SO WITH ONE PERIOD ABOUT 55% OF THE ARRESTS, THEY NEVER WENT THROUGH PROSECUTION AND THERE WERE REASONS WHY THEY WERE NOT PROSECUTED AND THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS DEEMED UNLAWFUL, AN UNLAWFUL ARREST AND IN SPEAKING WITH THE D. A. HE SAID ABOUT 20% OF WHAT HE SEES, THESE ARE IMMIGRATION- RELATED CRIMES, MEANING PEOPLE WHO WERE JUST HERE UNDOCUMENTED AND NOT THAT THEY HAD COMMITTED A CRIME AND IT'S NOT GETTING THE WORSE OF THE WORST OFF OF THE STREET AND IT'S PEOPLE GETTING CAUGHT UP IN THE IMMIGRATION NET.

AGAIN, IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SEEMS TO BE ABOUT VIOLENT CRIME.

THAT SAID, THE U. S. MARSHAL SERVICE OVERSEES THE TASK FORCE AND THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RELEASES NUMBERS AND THE LATEST NUMBERS IS THERE HAVE BEEN 13,000 ARRESTS.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING IS WE'RE ARRESTING THE QUOTE, UNQUOTE DANGEROUS CRIMINALS AND GETTING THEM OFF THE STREET AND THE REALITY FROM THE D. A. AND THE DATA THAT CAME FROM THE D. A.

'S OFFICE IS THAT THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY WHAT IS HAPPENING.

I.

>> I WANT TO TAKE OUR AUDIENCE FURTHER BACK BEFORE THIS TASK FORCE STARTED.

THERE WAS A VERY PAINFUL AND TRAGIC INCIDENT.

A YOUNG BLACK MAN NAMED TYREEK NICHOLS WAS SEVERELY BEATEN BY FIVE MEMPHIS POLICE OFFICERS AT A TRAFFIC STOP AND DIED THREE DAYS LATER.

AFTER THE INCIDENT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INVESTIGATED THE MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY IN THEIR 2024 REPORT SAID THAT MEMPHIS POLICE OFFICERS REGULARLY VIOLATE THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE THEY ARE SWORN TO SERVE.

NOW, A JURY ACQUITTED THE OFFICERS OF THE MOST SERIOUS CRIME THAT THEY VIOLATED HIS CIVIL RIGHTS.

PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE.

THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INVESTIGATES AND REALIZES THERE IS A PATTERN HERE AND THERE SHOULD BE STEPS TO ADDRESS IT.

WHEN THE PRESIDENT COMES WITH THAT TASK FORCE, WHAT HAPPENS?

>> SO, BASICALLY, THAT WAS WHAT MY WHOLE STORY WAS ABOUT, WAS THE FACT THAT AS YOU MENTIONED IN 2023 TYREE NICHOLS IS BEATEN AND SUBSEQUENTLY DIES.

THE DOJ COMES IN AND THEY WRITE THIS REPORT.

THEY SAY MEMPHIS IS OVERPOLICED AND THEY POINT TO RACE BEING AN ISSUE AND THEY POINT TO ALL THESE ISSUES AND AT THE SAME TIME THERE ARE ORGANIZERS AND I INTERVIEWED SOME OF THE SAME ORGANIZERS THAT WERE WORKING AGAINST THE TASK FORCE NOW AND THEY WERE GETTING ORDINANCES PAST.

THERE'S BEEN A PROBLEM IDENTIFIED WITH OVERPOLICING AND THERE'S A NEED FOR REFORM AND THE DSHLGS OJ REPORT CAME OUT IN DECEMBER 2024, AND THE REPORT WAS KIND OF THROWN OUT AND THEN THE TASK FORCE WAS SENT IN.

SO WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT IS HERE'S A CITY WHERE THERE'S AN ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED.

IT LOOKS LIKE BASED ON THE WORK, AGAIN, OF SOME OF THE ORGANIZERS THAT THERE WAS SOME MOVE TOWARDS CHANGE AND THEN THIS TASK FORCE COMES AND BASICALLY MAKES MANY TIMES WORSE WHAT WAS ALREADY A PRSH LEMM PROBLEM.

THESE PRETEXTALL STOPS AND STOPPED FOR SOMETHING MINOR TO INVESTIGATE A MORE SERIOUS CRIME, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BECOME MORE OF OF A PROBLEM.

THE D. A. SAID THAT IT'S LED TO SEVERE OVERCROWDING IN THE JAIL AND HAS LED TO THE DEATHS OF FOUR BLACK MEN IN THE SPACE OF 56 DAYS, AND THAT'S SORT OF WHEN A LOT OF MY STORY CENTERS ON.

>> LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT - -FIRST, I GUESS, THE ARRESTS.

IF THAT'S THE POINT AND THE MARSHALLS SAY WE MEASURE THE ARRESTS FOR OUR PERFORMANCE BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THE TASK FORCE WAS CREATED TO DO.

THE GOAL WAS TO LOWER CRIME IN MEMPHIS.

WE WILL CONTINUE THAT MISSION UNTIL WE ARE TOLD BY THE ADMINISTRATION TO REDUCE OR END.

SO IF THE MEASURE OF SUCCESS IS THE ARRESTS AND YOU'RE SAYING THESE ARRESTS, A LOT OF THEM ARE THROWN OUT OR NOT EVEN PROSECUTED THEN I DON'T -- IT'S NOT THAT SUCCESSFUL.

>> I ACTUALLY DID ASK THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE U. S. MARSHALS SERVICE, I SHARED THE SAME DATA THAT I GOT FROM THE D. A.

'S OFFICE, AND I ALSO ASKED IF THESE ARRESTS AREN'T LEADING TO PROSECUTIONS AND IF THEY ARE FOR, AGAIN, PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE UNDOCUMENTED OR THEY ARE FOR MINOR THINGS AND HOW IS THAT HELPING?

AND THE SPOKESPERSON DIDN'T RESPOND TO THAT SPECIFIC QUESTION, AND I WOULD ARGUE THAT I DON'T KNOW THAT THE ARRESTS COULD BE USED AS A MEASURE OF SUCCESS.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT A COUPLE OF THE SPECIFIC CASES THAT HAVE ANGERED A LOT OF THE PEOPLE IN MEMPHIS.

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TYRONE JOHNSON.

WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?

>> SO TYRONE JOHNSON WAS KILLED ON JULY 5th EARLY IN THE MORNING AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT SAID THAT HE HAD A GUN AND THAT HE HAD TURN ARE TURNED TO FACE SOME NATIONAL GUARD OFFICERS WHO WERE FACING HIM AND THEN THEY SUBSEQUENTLY SHOT HIM.

WHAT I FOUND DURING REPORTING AND I SPOKE TO BRITTANY JOHNSON AT THE TIME I INTERVIEWED HER, SHE DID NOT HAVE AUTOPSY INFORMATION OR ANY INFORMATION ABOUT HOW HER SON DIED.

WHAT SHE DID HAVE WAS VIDEO SHOT BY TEENAGERS WHO HAPPENED TO BE THERE AND THE VIDEO SHOWS TYRONE RUNNING AND IT DOESN'T SHOW WHO HE'S RUNNING FROM.

A CAR CUTS HIM OFF AND HE DARTS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND THEN YOU HEAR GUNSHOTS AND THE YOUNG PEOPLE FILMING DROP THE PHONE AND YOU DON'T SEE WHAT HAPPENS BECAUSE HE'S BEHIND THE CAR AT THE TIME YOU HEAR GUNSHOTS.

THE MOTHER WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED.

SHE DID NOT BELIEVE THAT HE HAD TURNED AND HAD A GUN.

HE HAS A 1-YEAR- OLD, AND WHAT SHE TOLD ME WAS HE WANTED TO LIVE.

THERE WAS NO WAY HE WOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING LIKE THAT KNOWING THAT IT WOULD HAVE ABLY LED TO HIS DEATH.

IN AUGUST SHE GOT THE AUTOPSY RESULTS AND IT SHOWED THAT HE HAD BEEN SHOT IN THE BACK WHICH WOULD SUGGEST THAT HE HAD NOT TURNED TO FACE THEM WITH THE GUN, AND SO SHE DOES HAVE AN ATTORNEY.

THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING AND SO THE INFORMATION THAT I HAVE IS LIMITED TO WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN RELEASED AND WHAT I KNOW FROM HIS MOTHER AND ALSO WHAT'S IN THE AUTOPSY RESULT.

>> THERE WAS A CASE A MATTER OF JONAH NEIL, AND HE WAS IN THE MIDST OF A MENTAL HEALTH CRIES THIS THIS PAST MAY.

WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?

>> HIS MOTHER CAME HOME AND OPENED THE DOOR TO HIS APARTMENT AND SAW HIM WITH A GUN THAT SHE OWNED AND HE WAS BASICALLY HAVING THIS MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, AND SHE WAS AFRAID THAT HE WAS GOING TO KILL HIMSELF.

SHE CALLED 911.

HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATORS SHOWED UP AND ONE OF THE THINGS I LOOK AT IN MY STORY IS MEMPHIS WAS THE FIRST STATE WHO HAD THE MODEL THAT OFFICERS WOULD BE THE FIRST TO RESPOND IN MENTAL HEALTH CALLS AND WHY IS IT THAT THE FOOD SECURITY INVESTIGATOR SHOWS UP, SO THEY WITH MOTHER AND THEN AT A CERTAIN POINT SHE HEARD A GUN SHOT AND SHE WAS TOLD HE WAS DEAD.

AGAIN, THE OFFICIAL REPORT WAS THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW WHEN HIS DEATH WAS DUE TO A SELF-INFLICTED WOUND OR A GUN SHOT FROM ONE OF THE AGENTS -- AND IT SHOWED IT WAS A HOMICIDE AND HE WAS SHOT BY ONE OF THE AGENTS AND WHAT HIS MOTHER AND ATTORNEYS SAY IN LOOKING AT BODY CAM FOOTAGE, IT SHOWS THAT ONE OF THE AGENT SAYS JONAH, NO, DROP THE GUN.

ANOTHER AGENT SAID HE DOESN'T HAVE A GUN.

HIS MOTHER SAID HE WAS DOING WHATEVER THEY ASKED HIM TO DO, AND HE WAS NOT HOLDING A GUN AND THE AGENTS STILL SHOT HIM.

>> SO WHEN YOU'RE INVESTIGATING JONAH NEIL'S CASE, WHAT DO THE AGENCIES SAY TO YOU?

>> THE AGENCIES ACTUALLY DID NOT RESPOND TO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT JONAH NEIL.

A LOT OF THE AGENCIES DIDN'T RESPOND TO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THESE CASES AND THE U. S. MARSHALL'S SERVICE DID RESPOND TO ME AND THEY DID NOT ANSWER TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN KILLED BECAUSE THE SPOKESPERSON SAID IT WAS AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION.

>> SO IN ONE CASE THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED, IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO GET ACCURATE INFORMATION IF YOU'VE A LOVED ONE OF THE VICTIM.

AND THEN IN ANOTHER CASE, PERHAPS NOT THE MOST TRAINED PEOPLE ARE RESPONDING TO THIS.

IF THERE ARE 31 DIFFERENT AGENCIES, WHAT'S THE AGENCY THAT INVESTIGATES THE AGENCIES.

>> THE TENNESSEE ENTITY IS INVESTIGATING THE CASES.

THEY HAD AGENTS EMBEDDED WITH THE TASK FORCE.

WHAT I HAD WAS THE INDEPENDENCE BETWEEN THE AGENTS WHO WERE EMBEDDED WITH THE TASK FORCE VERSUS THE PEOPLE WHO WERE INVESTIGATING.

I IMAGINE THAT THERE MUST BE SOME SORT OF INDEPENDENCE AND YES, THE TENNESSEE UREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS IS IN CHARGE OF INVESTIGATING THESE CASES.

>> THESE CASES HAVE ANGERED MEMPHIS RESIDENTS.

WHAT ARE THEY DOING ABOUT IT?

>> SO PART OF MY STORY CENTERS ON THE WORK BEING DONE BY ORGANIZERS AND THEY'RE DOING MULTIPLE THINGS.

ONE IS DOCUMENTING WHERE THE TASK FORCE GOES AND THEY WERE DOING THIS BEFORE WHEN IT WAS JUST I. C. E. THEY HAVE A SYSTEM WHERE RESIDENTS CAN CALL AND SAY AGENTS ARE HERE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEY'LL TAKE DISPATCHERS AND OFTEN PEOPLE WILL GO OUT AND INVESTIGATE WHAT THE AGENTS ARE DOING AND THEY WILL ALSO GO AND RECORD WHAT'S HAPPENING AND HAVE SAID THAT THEY FACE RETALIATION AS A RESULT AND THERE'S AN ACLU LAWSUIT THAT'S BEEN FILED BY SOME -- SOME ORGANIZERS WHO SAY THAT THEY HAVE BEEN TARGETED AS A RESULT OF TRYING TO DOCUMENT WHAT WAS TASK FORCE IS DOING.

THEY ALSO HAVE A BOYCOTT BUYOUT LIST, AND SO THEY WENT TO DIFFERENT BUSINESSES AND SAID WOULD YOU PUT THIS IN YOUR WINDOW BASICALLY SAYING YOU WILL NOT SERVE I. C. E. OR MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE.

THEY ARE ALSO RAISING AWARENESS.

IT'S REALLY, THE ORGANIZERS ARE DOING THE WORK OF GETTING WHAT'S HAPPENING ESPECIALLY WITH THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN KILLED OUT INTO SO THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS WHAT'S HAPPENING.

>> THE ADMINISTRATION SAID THEY WENT OUT WITH THIS IDEA THAT EVEN SHOW CRIME WAS AT A 25- YEAR HISTORIC LOW, BEFORE THE TASK FORCE WON'T INTO --AND IT'S FALLEN 38% SINCE THE TASK FORCE DEPLOYMENT.

SO THERE MUST BE SOME PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE SUPPORTERS OF THE TASK FORCE.

WHAT DID YOU HEAR FROM THE PEOPLE IN SUPPORT OF THIS TASK FORCE?

>> YEAH.

SO I MEAN, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPORTERS, AND I THINK PART OF THAT IS JUST A CULTURE OF POLICING WHERE YOU THINK OF POLICING AS BEING THE WAY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS VERSUS YOUR MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS OR WORK PROGRAMS OR EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR PROGRAMS THAT SORT OF SUPPORT AND DEAL AT THE ROOT CAUSE OF --OF CRIME AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, THE ARREST AND PROSECUTION AND INCARCERATION PART OF THINGS, AND SO THERE DEFINITELY WERE PEOPLE WHO FELT LIKE, MY NEIGHBORHOOD ISN'T SAFE AND THESE PEOPLE ARE HERE AND THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE IT SAFER.

I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE IS ANY PROOF THAT IT'S A TASK FORCE THAT HAS CAUSED THIS GREAT CHANGE.

>> SO THIS IS HAPPENING IN A CITY THAT HAS A LONG HISTORY AND PEOPLE MIGHT REMEMBER THE SANITATION WORKERS STRIKE THAT WAS INSTRUMENTAL AND MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

, WHERE HE WAS ASSASSINATED.

IS THERE A CONNECTION HERE IN THE GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS THAT ARE BUILDING TODAY ST THIS AND THIS LONG HISTORY THAT EXISTS IN A MAJORITY BLACK CITY?

>> I THANK THERE IS AND THAT'S ANOTHER LINK THAT I MADE THAT THIS IS A CITY THAT HAS A HISTORY OF ORDINARY CITIZENS ORGANIZING IN THE FACE OF OPPRESSION AND SO YES, THE SANITATION WORKER STRIKE IS SOMETHING THAT IS CARRIED FORWARD TODAY IN THE WORK THAT THE ORGANIZERS ARE DOING.

ONE THING THAT THEY DID SAY TO ME, THOUGH S THAT THEY SAW THE DANGER IN ORGANIZING IN THIS VERY MOMENT AND ONE OF THE ORGANIZERS, MARIA WAS SAYING TO ME THAT SHE FELT THAT SHE HAD BEEN COURAGEOUS BEFORE, BUT IN THIS MOMENT SHE FELT SHE HAD TO BE.

SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, IF I'M KILLED WE'VE TRAINED THESE OTHER PEOPLE, AND IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THEM WE TRAIN THESE OTHER PEOPLE.

SO THERE'S THE FEELING THAT THEY TALKED ABOUT THE VERY REAL DANGER THAT THEY FEEL THAT THEY FACE BY GOING UP AGAINST THIS TASK FORCE AND GOING AGAINST THE ADMINISTRATION, BUT THEY FEEL THEY DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER CHOICE.

>> LISA ARMSTRONG, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME.