As the Memphis Safe Task Force continues operating in Memphis, the NAACP is calling on the federal government to investigate the deaths of two Black men following encounters with law enforcement. The civil rights organization is also calling for the task force to be suspended.
In a letter addressed to Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, the NAACP calls attention to the fact that “In just one week, two young Black men have been killed while in the custody of, or in the presence of, law enforcement agencies in Tennessee.”
The letter calls on the Justice Department to “immediately open and conduct a full and fair investigation into the tragic deaths of both Darius Chappell of Clarksville, Tennessee, and Tyrin Johnson of Memphis, Tennessee.”
The NAACP letter also calls for an “immediate suspension of the Memphis Safe Task Force, that has surged federal agents into Memphis despite their lack of training on civilian policing.”
As Blavity previously reported, President Donald Trump announced the creation of the Memphis Safe Task Force in September, describing it as an anti-crime partnership involving federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including Tennessee National Guard soldiers.
Two Tennessee men killed in encounters with authorities
As referenced in the NAACP letter, Johnson was shot and killed on July 5 during a 4 a.m. encounter with two Tennessee National Guard soldiers assigned to the Memphis Safe Task Force. Authorities claimed the 20-year-old father and former Tennessee State University student pulled a gun during a chase.
Chappell was arrested on June 29 in an incident captured on video, with police tackling him to the ground as he struggled before using a Taser and deploying a K-9 that allegedly bit him. Two days later, Chappell was found dead in his jail cell.
The deaths of Johnson and Chappell are the latest of several deaths connected to law enforcement encounters since the federal initiative began.
In May, Memphis Safe Task Force agents fatally shot Darrin Pigrim, 41, while serving a warrant, and 25-year-old Jonah Neal was shot and killed by a Homeland Security agent after authorities were called to his home because he was reportedly threatening to harm himself. Alfonso Ivy, 47, was shot and killed after allegedly pointing a gun at a Drug Enforcement Administration agent during a standoff at an East Memphis motel on July 8.
Trump’s federal interventions opposed as violent, politically motivated
The deaths of Johnson and Chappell highlight the heavy-handed and sometimes fatal federal interventions used by the Trump administration.
Shortly after returning to the White House, Trump launched a series of operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies as part of his immigration crackdown. These interventions have been criticized for being disruptive and violent, most notably following the shooting deaths of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
Trump has also launched federal public safety initiatives, including the Memphis Safe Task Force, while deploying National Guard troops to cities such as Washington, D.C. Critics argue the president has targeted Democratic-controlled, particularly Black-led, cities.
With the Memphis Safe Task Force continuing operations and federal personnel remaining active in cities such as Washington, D.C., critics continue to oppose these interventions. Now, the NAACP is specifically calling for the Memphis Safe Task Force to be suspended and for the Department of Justice to investigate the deaths of two Black men following law enforcement encounters in Tennessee.