Month: April 2020

Categories
News News Blog

How to Support Local: Retail

Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash

With the newly added stresses caused by COVID-19, some of us need a little shopping therapy. Luckily, while we can no longer step inside most shops, local retailers still have us in mind with online and phone ordering for shipping, same-day delivery, and curbside pickup. We’ve amassed an online and curbside shopping guide, featuring products and offerings from our advertisers.

Dixie Pickers

Dixie Pickers, a one-stop shop for quality clothing and specialty items as well as vintage vinyl, comics, or sports memorabilia, is offering online shopping with shipping or curbside pickup from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to clothing for men and women, outdoor and hunting gear, and vintage memorabilia, Dixie Pickers is currently showcasing their Memphis Strong T-shirts to benefit the Mid-South Food Bank. Each T-shirt purchase will provide 24 meals to families in need, and shoppers of all ages have dozens of designs and colors to choose from.

Lansky Bros.

Lansky Bros., Clothier to the King, is offering online shopping and shipping. They have recently partnered with Happy Socks for this one-of-a-kind sock collection Fit for a King, featuring a three-piece set of socks in a commemorative box with Elvis-inspired designs for men and women. Lanky Bros. will donate a portion of proceeds from these sock sets to The Elvis Presley Trauma Center at Regional One Health.

Ivory Closet Boutique

Ivory Closet Boutique offers unique head-turning styles for women, all available online for shipping. New arrivals include pastel spring apparel and swimwear for the upcoming summer season. Right now, Ivory Closet is offering free shipping on orders over $75.

Crazy Beautiful

Crazy Beautiful is offering online shipping and curbside pickup from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. New arrivals include pastel bralettes, floral springtime dresses, as well as items from their new Candy Coated Spring Collection (we love this Candyland Cardigan). Free shipping on orders over $75. Use code “STAY HOME” for 20 percent off your entire purchase.

Baer’s Den

Baer’s Den, a fashion boutique for men and women, offers one-of-a-kind clothing, comfortable tees, designer jeans, shoes, and more. New arrivals for women include dresses, shirts, and rompers in fun and colorful palm, floral, tie-dye, and pinstripe prints. Men’s new arrivals include button-down shirts, polos, and Memphis Grizzlies apparel. Curbside available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily, and free shipping is applied to all online orders. 10 percent off your first order.

Sachi

Keep your tweens and teens dressing stylishly by shopping with Sachi Memphis. They stock well-known brands like Free People, Vera Bradley, and French Connection. Their March collection features springtime tops from English Factory, Harper Wren, and more, as well as shoes by Steve Madden and Dolce Vita. Right now, clothing and shoes are 25 percent off, and they’re offering curbside pickup (Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), free delivery, and shipping. Call 901-685-8464 or visit them on Facebook or on their website.

Cotton Tails

Children’s boutique Cotton Tails stocks unique clothing and shoes for children. Their newest arrivals featured on their Facebook include dress clothes for infants and pajamas for toddlers and children — perfect for extended time at home! Free Goodnight Memphis book with pajama purchase while supplies last. 25 percent off all spring clothing and shoes.

Fleet Feet

Many people are taking advantage of indoor and outdoor exercise routines due to COVID-19 closures. Fleet Feet offers all kinds of activewear for men and women, including shoes, apparel, and accessories. They’re offering curbside pickup at select locations as well as shipping.

Novel

Reading has always been a great mode of entertainment, especially in times like these. And Novel has made it easier for you to catch up on bestsellers like The Glass Hotel and new releases like How Much of These Hills is Gold with same day delivery and curbside pickup. Shop online or call them at (901) 922-5526. Hours of operation are Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

King Furs & Fine Jewelry

For birthday, Mother’s Day, and anniversary gifts, King Furs & Jewelry has you covered with their collections of designer jewelry and fur hats, coats, and accessories. Private video shopping and fur storage curbside drop off are available. Visit their website for more information.

Indigo

Women’s boutique shop Indigo carries designer women’s apparel for all ages. Shop new arrivals from Free People, ASTR, Bella Dahl, and more. Shipping is available.

Buster’s Liquors & Wines

Let Buster’s Liquors & Wines help you stock your bar. They’re accepting online orders for curbside pickup from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Must order by 5 p.m. for same-day pickup. Local deliveries to ZIP codes 38111, 38117, and 38104 also available; orders must be placed 24 hours in advance.

Whatever Shop

Whatever Shops carry tobacco products, smoking accessories, room decor, clothing, accessories, and more. Curbside pickup only. Hours of operation: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Sunday.

Wizards

Shop for novelty items, gifts, CBD, apparel, smoking accessories, and more with Wizards. Visit their website or give them a call at (901) 726-6800.

Germantown Day Spa & Salon

Take the spa home with you with Germantown Day Spa & Salon’s collection of hair masks, face masks, retinol, body scrub, and Latisse, and more. Curbside pickup and free home delivery are available Monday through Friday. Place orders by phone (901-737-2840), text (901-833-0454), or email (admin@germantowndayspa.com).

Your CBD Store of Collierville

Calm your COVID-19 anxieties with CBD products from Your CBD Store of Collierville. Visit their website to browse hemp oils, edibles, water solubles, pet products, and more. Free shipping available by phone (901-316-8775) or online.

Ed Harris Jewelry

Ed Harris Jewelry offers elegant and unique designer watches, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and rings for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and more. They’re currently closed to the public but are working on setting up online shopping within the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned by following them on Facebook or by visiting their website.

Lucky Leaf Hemp Farms

Treat issues with acne, depression, anxiety, pain, and more, with CBD products from Lucky Leaf Hemp Farms. Their most popular products, 500mg Topical CBD Salve Wellness & Pain Relief and Full Spectrum Tincture, can be shipped straight to your door.

The Spirits Shoppe

Get your favorite spirits and wine from The Spirits Shoppe. Call them at 901-767-7030 to order for curbside pickup or limited delivery. Hungry? Food trucks will be serving food from the parking lot each day of the week. For more information, click here.

Goner Records

You can’t quarantine without some awesome tunes. Goner Records offers shipping on LPs, vinyls, and CDs. Check out Bloodshot Bill’s “Get Loose or Get Lost” recorded under Goner Records’ label.


Categories
Music Music Features

Rockin’ Troubador: Jerry Phillips on John Prine and the Pink Cadillac Sessions

When you’re with Memphis songwriters and John Prine comes up, you can tell he’s made an indelible mark on them. Last year I spoke with Keith Sykes, who recited Prine’s lyrics off the top of his head. “The first words out of his mouth, professionally speaking, were: ‘While digesting Reader’s Digest in the back of a dirty bookstore, a plastic flag with gum on the back fell out on the floor. I picked it up and wiped it off and slapped it on my window shield. If I could see old Betsy Ross, I’d tell her how good I feel.’ You ask what makes a good song. Well, when you hear something like that the first time, you don’t think. You just know this is good. It’s contemporary, even today. And that was on his first record, that he cut in Memphis — at Chips’ [Moman] studio, American.”

Sykes added, “He also did Common Sense here, and he did Pink Cadillac here. He’s done a bunch of stuff in Memphis, and he loves it down here.”

Diane Duncan Phillips

(above, left to right) Billy Lee Riley, Jerry Phillips, John Prine, Knox Phillips

Indeed, Prine, who passed away last week from complications related to COVID-19, redefined his career more than once in Memphis, especially in the latter example, when recording Pink Cadillac at Phillips Recording Studio. Hearing stories of its making from Jerry Phillips, who co-produced the record with brother Knox (with an assist from paterfamilias Sam), sheds some light on just how much Memphis resonated with the songwriter. The album, an eclectic mix of rock-and-roll, funk, and country styles, with only half the tracks being originals, decisively stamped Prine’s identity as something more than your typical troubadour. I spoke with Phillips recently about all the juicy details.

Memphis Flyer: By 1979, John Prine was well established as a folk-centric songwriter. He was expected to play an acoustic guitar with a lot of finger picking. So Pink Cadillac must have thrown the industry for a loop.

Jerry Phillips: Yeah, it did. John wanted to do something different, and he picked the right people because the Phillips family has never followed the beaten path on anything. We weren’t just going to cut another folk album. Those are great, don’t get me wrong, but to cut another folksy John Prine album like all the rest of ’em would have been of no interest to any of us.

You know, I don’t think John had ever cut an album with his own band. So that’s what he wanted to do. We rented him an apartment, fully furnished, and he stayed in Memphis for three months, him and his whole band. It was crazy. We cut 30 songs on that session. We were supposed to cut 12! And we had everybody from the Everly Brothers to Billy Lee Riley dropping by the studio. There were some other things going on, too, we don’t want to talk about …

MF: I’ve read there were 500 hours of tape cut at that time.What happened with all the extra stuff that didn’t make it to the album? Has any of it come out?

JP: Well, we have it in storage. Knox kept the tape machines running, basically, the whole time the session was going on. And a lot of that stuff, he re-cut. The next album was Storm Windows, and we had already cut that song, “Storm Windows,” in our sessions. But yeah, we’ve got lots of 16 track on John Prine.

MF: The record has proven its longevity. It’s more respected now than reviews at the time would suggest.

JP: Rolling Stone panned that album bad. They said it was the worst John Prine album ever. And The New York Times review [by Robert Palmer] said it was one of his best. So that made all of us feel kinda good. We had defied the corporate mentality in making that record, and the fact that the record company basically hated it [laughs], we thought that was great.

But we weren’t trying to be insane. We were trying to cut a good record. Just one that went off in a different direction. John loved Sam. He would talk about the evangelical fervor he had in the studio. And we can’t leave out my brother Knox, who has his own wild way of producing. Sam only came in for a couple of days. Knox called Sam and said, “You’ve got to come in. This guy sings so bad, you’re gonna love him.” And he didn’t mean he sang off key, but that he sang so different. Like every one of Sam’s artists.

John Prine was no chicken shit, but on “Saigon” and that stuff, we had to really pull it out of him. Sam would say, “Put some sex into it! Slow it down and put some damn sex into it!” Because he was in a different genre than what he was used to. But he pulled it off. I don’t think there was ever a record like that before or since!

John came by the studio last year, and we sat in the mastering room with Jeff Powell while he cut John a brand-new, fresh vinyl master 45 of “Saigon” and “How Lucky,” the two songs Sam recorded on him back then. Both of us had tears in our eyes, listening to that stuff. Because it was a pivotal part of his life, and mine, too.

Categories
Music Music Blog

The Flow: Live-Streamed Music Events This Week

CREDIT: Matt White

Matt White

John Paul Keith

Today we begin our weekly listings of upcoming live-streamed shows. Memphis offers up wave after wave of musical talent — don’t let the shut-in world of COVID-19 shut you out of the flow. Step into these live-streams whenever you need to connect and let some music wash over you. The flow rolls on!

Thursday, April 16
12:00 pm
Amy LaVere & Will Sexton
Facebook

4:00-6:00 pm
Devil Train
Facebook

6:30 pm
Nick Black “Cooking & Crooning”
Facebook

6:30-8:30 pm
Steve Selvidge
Facebook

7:00 pm
The McStays
Benefit for the Music Export Memphis COVID-19 Fund and the Beauty Shop, DKDC &
Mollies Employee Relief Fund.
Facebook

8:30 pm
Porcelan on “The Beatroot Suite”
Instagram

Friday, April 17
12:00 pm
Nick Black
Facebook

4:00-6:00 pm
Chinese Connection Dub Embassy
Facebook

7:00 pm
Memphis Concrète presents:
Ihcilon, signalsundertests, Bruiser, Tatras, & Tavishi
YouTube

7:00 pm
Gerald Stephens “Live Piano” (every Friday)
Facebook

7:30 pm
Erlee at the CLTV
Facebook

7:30 pm
Brennan Villines Trio
Facebook

8:00
DJs Tree, Mylon Webb, and Scotty B at the Lightclub
Twitch

Saturday, April 18
5:00 pm
Graham Winchester
Benefit for the Music Export Memphis COVID-19 Fund
Facebook

7:00 pm
The Max Kaplan Band at Ruthie’s BBQ and Pizza
Facebook

7:30 pm
Super Brick
20% of all tips go to the Dorothy Day House
Facebook

9:00 pm
Gerald Stephens “Live Organ Plus” (every Saturday)
Facebook

Sunday, April 19
10:00 pm
Defcon Engaged (every Sunday)
Twitch

Monday, April 20
8:00 pm
John Paul Keith
Facebook

8:00 pm
Jeremy Stanfill on Acme Radio Live
Facebook

Tuesday, April 21
8:00 pm
Mario Monterosso (every Tuesday)
Facebook

Wednesday, April 22
7:00 pm
Miz Stefani (every Wednesday)
Facebook

8:00 pm
Richard Wilson
Facebook

Categories
Music Music Blog

Jerry Phillips Remembers Brother Knox: “He Was The Keeper Of The History”

CREDIT: Diane Duncan Phillips

Diane Duncan Phillips

Knox Phillips and John Prine, ca. 1979

Last autumn, I found myself in Jerry Phillips’ office at the headquarters for WSBM and WQLT, the family’s radio stations in Florence, Alabama. The conversation I had with Jerry and his daughter Halley that day ranged from music production techniques to professional wrestling. But one thing kept coming up again and again: Jerry’s older brother Knox, who had been in poor health for some time. “My brother is real ill,” Jerry said. “He used to go all over the country. He’s got every award you can get. And now he can’t do anything; it’s really a sad situation.”

Last night, those words took on an added poignancy when it was announced that Knox Phillips, son of celebrated producer Sam Phillips and his wife Becky, had passed away, bringing closure to a prolonged period of immobilization that had been tortuous for the entire family. “He’s been out of the picture now for about four or five years,” Jerry said, last September. “It’s been a real tough go for our family to see him not be able to even get up and walk anywhere. It’s been a real hard thing for our family, ’cause you know Knox was just as important as Sam in a way. He was the keeper of the history. He was the one that always knew everything about Sun. He was the one that always got things going.”

Knox Phillips’ importance to his family’s legacy, and to the history of Memphis music, cannot be overstated. Though never content to merely live in his father’s shadow, he came to embody his same iconoclastic spirit, ushering those values, and the Phillips Recording Studio, into the 21st century. “He was a great record producer, a great mixer,” Jerry noted, and his role in the co-production of John Prine’s Pink Cadillac at Phillips Recording in 1979 is the perfect example. Recounting the making of that record, Jerry recently interjected, “We can’t leave my brother Knox out of all this, who has his own wild way of producing records, too. He was very effective in those sessions. ‘Cause you know Sam only came in for a couple of days.”
Diane Duncan Phillips

(above, left to right) Billy Lee Riley, Jerry Phillips, John Prine, Knox Phillips

But Knox Phillips’ skill-set went far beyond his recording acumen. “My brother was a political science major in college,” Jerry said. “He gave that up. I think Sam was looking for him to run for governor or something. Knox, he didn’t want to do that. But he was the consummate Memphis music politician. Also he could produce records, and he was a good guitar player, too.”

As for his command of the music scene’s street-level politics, the most obvious example would be Knox’s tireless efforts to establish a Memphis-based chapter of the Recording Academy, formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), in 1973. “He got the NARAS chapter here,” said Jerry. “He lobbied for it. Hard. And he paid for, like, 50 people’s dues. For years. Just so there would be members, you know?” To this day, the Memphis chapter, also representing New Orleans, Louisiana, and St. Louis, remains a forward-thinking force in the professional organization.

Beyond that, he took a uniquely personal approach to the Memphis music scene, embracing players from all levels of recognition and success. “You wouldn’t believe how deep his roots went into the love of Memphis music, and the love of people who didn’t have enough money,” Jerry said. “He paid Furry Lewis’ electric bills!”

He was indeed the keeper of the history, and played a decisive role in shaping how the family legacy would be remembered. Discussing Peter Guralnick’s masterful biography, Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll, Jerry points out that “Knox was the one that got Peter Guralnick involved. When that book came out, Knox could not even go to any of the panel discussions, and he would have been all over that. He would have been up there, he’d have been setting it up, he’d have been doing things. He spent 25 years working to get that book done. Twenty-five damn years. ‘Cause Sam wouldn’t talk to Peter for the longest time. There were all these other writers that were trying to get that story. And Knox kept saying, ‘You don’t want these guys, this is the guy you want to write this book.’ So over a 20-year span, they kept getting together and getting together and getting together, and that book is almost completely Sam’s own words. There’s a lot of Peter’s words in there too, of course, but I’m just saying, it’s not just something that Peter guessed at. Sam wanted to write his own book, he thought. But he would have never done it.”

Clearly, Knox’s extended illness and passing have left a huge void in the family. “I was always the rebel of the family. I was always more interested in the performing side of it, the playing side of it, than the politics of the music'” Jerry mused. “So when Knox had to get out of the picture, I had to step up to the plate and do some of the stuff he was doing. Showing up at these functions and speaking to the press.

“We’ve got Knox to thank for a lot of stuff. We really do. I try to always share the spotlight with him, ’cause he’s really the guy that deserves it.”

Categories
Politics Politics Beat Blog

County Commission Readies Actions on Budget, COVID, Voting

In a sprawling, nearly day-long session of committee meetings, the Shelby County Commission on Wednesday decided to authorize a hiring freeze, finally designated a formula for payments to COVID relief, and began a move for state approval of expanded absentee voting and voter-marked election ballots.

The commission also continued to examine ways of dealing with an ever-growing deficit crisis, one that County Financial Officer Mathilde Crosby now reckons at $39.1 million without “a trimming out of our budget.” County Mayor Lee Harris reinforced Crosby’s forecasts with the warning that there was “a real possibility” of layoffs. “We have to assume the worst in some ways,” he said.

The problem, as Commissioner Michael Whaley noted, is complicated by the fact of pending additional expenses for the Sheriff’s Department as it gears up for enlarged responsibilities in portions of Shelby County de-annexed from the City of Memphis, or about to be.

Harris indicated he would be consulting with other county officials this week preparatory to making a major budget statement on Monday, when the commission will be holding its next regularly scheduled public meeting.

The promise of imminent focus on budget matters was uniformly welcomed by Commissioners. “The public understands the severity of the situation,” as Commissioner Brandon Morrison noted. As well, County CAO Dwan Gilliom said he supported “any action to mitigate spending and find a way out of the fiscal situation. The hiring freeze, good until at least June 20th, was proposed by Commissioner Mick Wright.

In a special ad hoc meeting that followed the committee sessions, the commission returned to the matter of appropriating $2 million to assist in responding to the COVID-19 epidemic. The appropriation was rejected in regular session last week when commissioners failed to agree on a source for the funding.

In Wednesday’s reconsideration of the matter, Commissioner Tami Sawyer proposed a direct outlay of the previously considered $2 million for PPE equipment, personnel, and overtime expenses, as well as an additional $500,000 to the Christ Community Health Service to support testing for coronavirus at its outlets. Her resolution passed unanimously.

All of the matters discussed and approved on Wednesday will be revisited for formal approval at Monday’s regular commission meeting.

That includes a resolution on voting matters, proposed by Sawyer Whaley and Van Turner that 1) seeks an executive order from Governor Bill Lee to allow expanded absentee voting in light of the ongoing pandemic; and 2) urges again, as the commission has already done once, that machines allowing voter-marked paper ballots be purchased to replace the Diebold machines currently in use.

That resolution received a favorable recommendation on a vote of 7 for, 3 opposing, and 1 abstaining.

Categories
News News Blog

Vanderbilt Report: Virus Rate Falls, Situation Still ‘Delicate, Uncertain’

CREDIT: Facebook/Mid-South Food Bank

Facebook/Mid-South Food Bank

Volunteers load food into a car at a mobile food pantry

Tennessee’s coronavirus transmission rate fell over the past week, according to new data from researchers at Vanderbilt University, though the virus situation here remains “delicate and uncertain.”

Virus models from the Nashville university pushed the state’s peak of the virus from mid-April, according to one national model, to mid-May or mid-June, depending on new restrictions on social distancing.

New data shows the rate of virus transmission in the state fell from somewhere as high as 1.75 percent last week to as high as just over 1 percent this week.

The Vanderbilt researchers are presenting the data in confidence bands, which show a high-range estimate and a low-range estimate. These estimates are used to show information that has incomplete or noisy data.

In the case of Tennessee’s virus data, the researchers say the bands are important to show information for regions that have fewer cases and in which there may be greater uncertainty due to testing availability, delays in the return of tests to people, and local clusters of cases like in nursing homes.

Though the state’s overall transmission rate has fallen, progress across the state is not uniform. South Central Tennessee counties like Hickman, Giles, and Bedford (home to Bonaroo) Counties fared the worst with transmission rates over 2 percent. The Knox East region, home to Knoxville, had a transmission rate of nearly 1 percent to nearly .1 percent.

For Memphis, the transmission rate is somewhere between about 1.3 percent to just under 1 percent, according to the model. The figure indicates that case numbers here and in three surrounding Tennessee counties may continue to rise.

The area around Nashville fared the best in the new model data. The area’s transmission rate was somewhere below 1 percent to nearly .5 percent. This means the virus in the area has slowed and maybe even started to shrink.

John Graves, a Vanderbilt professor who is studying the virus, told The Tennesseean newspaper Thursday, the decrease there is the result of Nashvillians embracing social distancing and reducing their movements, as shown by traffic camera and cell phone tracking data.

The latest data from Unacast, the company that studies travel and movement from anonymous cell phone data, most recently gave Shelby County a D- on its coronavirus travel. The company gave Davidson County (Nashville) a C.

Unacast

Unacast

The model also compared Tennessee to Singapore and Sweden. Each area responded differently to the virus and now has different outcomes, even after just one week.

Sweden stressed voluntary – rather than mandatory – social distancing practices. Singapore initially kept the virus’ spread contained but recently imposed mandatory social distancing orders as a result of a spike in cases.

Sweden’s numbers remained stable at just over 1.2 percent, noting that cases are still rising. Singapore saw its number hover at 1 percent and are now increasing to above 2 percent. All of this was just over the last week.

Researchers stressed the key takeaway from the new information is “Tennessee’s recent progress, while real and positive, is fragile.”

“Our analysis of the recent data indicates that without further changes to the transmission number, Tennessee may be settling into a ’simmer,’” reads the modeling report. “Should the transmission number not increase or decrease, the number of statewide hospitalizations would remain stable moving forward.

“Should the transmission number increase to above 1.0, hospitalizations would increase. And if the transmission number declines, hospitalizations would fall further.
[pullquote-1] “We stress the current situation is delicate and uncertain. This is underscored by the divergent experiences of Sweden and Singapore highlighted earlier.

“Both countries avoided mandatory social distancing at first, and only one continues along this path. Singapore, as shown above, saw its progress unravel quickly and instituted widespread mandatory social distancing on March 26th.

Sweden maintained a transmission number between 1.1 and 1.4. If that continues, cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Sweden will not be moderate.

“Indeed, with a population of 10.2 million — 50 percent larger than that of Tennessee (6.8 million) — Sweden, on April 15th, reported 1,203 deaths overall. Tennessee, by comparison, has reported a total of 135 deaths as of April 15th.”

Read the new report for yourself here:
[pdf-1]

Categories
Politics Politics Beat Blog

It’s No Go for Three Democrats Appealing Ban from Primary Ballot

M. LaTroy Alexandria-Williams

Oh-for-three. That’s how things turned out Wednesday Night, April 15th, as a trio of would-be penitents — most notably 13-term State Representative John DeBerry — pleaded in vain for the members of the state Democratic executive committee to restore them to the positions on the August 6th primary election ballot from which they were purged last week.

In the course of a virtual meeting of the state committee that was conducted by telephone and sprawled for nearly four hours, DeBerry’s pleas were rejected for reinstatement in the House District 90 race, as were those of Michael Minnis for House District 93, and M. LaTroy Alexandria-Williams for the 9th Congressional District. All the appellants were from Memphis.

Although the cases against DeBerry and Minnis were of a radically different nature — DeBerry’s consisting of alleged anti-Democratic votes and actions, Minnis essentially of not meeting the requirement of having voted in 3 of the last 5 Democratic primaries — the votes against them were remarkably similar — DeBerry’s appeal falling short by a vote of 24 Yes to 40 No, with one abstention, while Minnis’ failed 24 to 39 with two abstentions. Alexandria-Williams went down 8 to 34, with 14 abstaining.

Although DeBerry’s chances for reinstatement on the primary ballot were not regarded as strong (he had been voted off the week before by a vote of 41 to 18 with two abstentions), he probably did not help them much by declining, unlike Minnis and Alexandria-Williams, to take part in a pre-vote Q-and-A with state committee members.

In the five minutes granted him by state party chair Mary Mancini to make a verbal appeal, DeBerry talked about his past chairmanships on legislative committees and his efforts on behalf of civil rights. He asked that committee members look at “my record in toto, my character, the way I carry myself, and my ability to build a consensus when Democrats are a super-minority.”

Among the minority of yes voters were state Senator Raumesh Akbari of Memphis and Representative Mike Stewart, the House minority leader, both of whom said the question of DeBerry’s party bona fides should be settled by the voters in a primary. The nay-voting majority coalesced around complaints about DeBerry’s seconding Republican positions on abortion, vouchers, guns, and much else; his acceptance of support from GOP financial sources; and his participation in the right-wing ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council).

Committeeman Will Cheek of Nashville said his vote of no was not predicated on matters of party “loyalty” but on Democratic “resemblance.”

Though several members commended Minnis for his involvement with a nonprofit working on behalf of criminal justice, the outcome for him, as indicated, was similar to that for DeBerry.

The debate over the appeal of Alexandria-Williams was both the strangest and the lengthiest. At root the issue with the candidate (formerly known simply as M. LaTroy Williams) was his historical involvement with pre-election sample ballots from the “Shelby County Democratic Club,” a shell organization unaffiliated with any organ of the actual Democratic Party and the occasion of several lawsuits pitting Williams against the Party.

Though, as was attested to in the debate, these “ballots” — many of which have favored the candidacies of Republicans as well as Democrats — bore his name as “coordinator,” Williams persisted in denying any ownership of involvement in them. Unspoken to in the committee’s discussion was the fact that the favored candidates featured on them pay considerable sums to have themselves so listed.

Besides denying his central relationship with the sample ballots, Williams mentioned his alleged past association with the athletes Jim Brown and Muhammad Ali, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and, strangely, conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. “Nobody’s done more for the Democratic Party than I have,” Williams insisted. To no avail.

Categories
News News Blog

Domestic Violence Likely to Increase Amid Stay-at-Home Orders, but Help is Available

CREDIT: Facebook/Memphis Area Women’s Council

Facebook/Memphis Area Women’s Council

A protest against domestic violence


As the pandemic continues and stay-at-home orders remain in place, one advocate said it is “common sense” that domestic violence will heighten.

Deborah Clubb, executive director of the Memphis Area Women’s Council, said most in her field are “very worried” for those in abusive or violent domestic relationships.

Clubb said during these times of “forced at-home isolation,” people are experiencing “unheard of amounts of stress.” This means people are “much more endangered at home.”

The biggest concern during this time, “as people are locked in together day after day, week after week,” Clubb said, is a rise in domestic violence homicides.

“There’s no question at all that terrible things are happening in many households around the community,” Clubb said. “People in a relationship with a power and control dynamic are likely feeling even more out of control and their power is really gone because maybe they are out of work or their routine has changed. People can certainly end up in terrible, lethal circumstances.”

Even people in so-called healthy relationships are at risk, she said, as stress related to money, health, resources, and kids add up.

[pullquote-2]

“Everyone is facing real challenges dealing with emotions like anxiety and anger,” Clubb said. “In this environment, many of us who are not even in bad relationships feel trapped, isolated, and desperate. But, for those who are literally at risk of losing their lives, being verbally and physically and possibly even sexually tortured all day long, this can be beyond a nightmare. But they each need to know there is help.”

Clubb said how one seeks help and relief from domestic violence depends largely on each individual’s circumstance. See a list of agencies and their phone numbers below.


“If they have access to a phone and the opportunity to use it safely without igniting a beating or attack, then there are agencies they can call,” she said. “There are numbers they can call and help can begin.”

On the other hand, Clubb said those who don’t have access to a phone might have to be “pretty clever,” suggesting they go for a walk or to the grocery store to make the call.

“But it’s all way harder now because you’re not going anywhere and he’s not going anywhere,” she said. “I’m thinking for a lot of people the only safe thing to do is to contact the police and involve them. But I know there are some in the community who do not like to do that.”

Clubb notes that when a partner tries to leave a violent or abusive relationship, it can quickly become risky.

“The most dangerous time in one of these relationships is when someone tries to leave,” she said. “So we don’t do it without a lot of thought and planning. You have to do it carefully and with a plan. For example, if your partner has a habit of going to the basement every day at a certain time with a six pack, plan around the moment and use it. Get out, make the call, arrange for someone to come pick you up on the corner. All of this sounds very Hollywood and action movie-like, but this is very serious business. It has to be done smartly and safely.”

One thing Clubb said is important for the community to know is that anyone can call the agencies listed above to report suspected domestic violence.

“Each of us can help look out for each of us,” she said. “So I want everyone to know that these agencies are working, and if we know from the kind of contact we are getting or not getting from friends or family members, we can do something. If you hear something or see something, any of us can make these calls.”

There isn’t a dedicated agency or number for those who are the perpetrators in relationships to call when they feel they are on the verge of violence, Clubb said.

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“The batterer or the beater, or whatever you want to call them, needs to somehow be convinced and encouraged to take a break to not be so vicious,” she said. “We don’t have a phone number for them though. We don’t have a number for someone to call when they get so angry they want to hurt those around him. Without some way to vent or some form of support, I do expect horrible outcomes.”

However, Clubb said if the aggressor in a relationship calls any of the agencies listed above, they will receive support.

When the pandemic passes, Clubb said there will be lasting traumatic effects for many in abusive relationships. “Many, many people are going to need trauma services coming out of this, and I hope institutions and mental health providers can rise to the call.”

Since the at-home order in Memphis went into effect on March 23rd, there has not been an increase in domestic violence calls, according to the Memphis Police Department. Clubb said the statistics at this point are “irrelevant.”

“The official reports fall far short of people’s lived experiences here,” Clubb said. “We’re not worried about whether or not a certain percentage is up or not. We know that people are in vicious, terrorizing home situations. It’s in every zip code, every faith community, and every neighborhood. It’s everywhere.”

For years Clubb said she has considered domestic violence to be an “epidemic” in Memphis.

“It happens in enormous portions here,” she said. “And as I’ve said, it’s in every neighborhood. It’s not something that’s only happening over there or down there or where people don’t have good families or things like that. Nationally, we talk about one and four attacks being reported. But it’s [happening] much more than that. If we take that number and multiply it by four, then we probably have a vague notion of how often this is happening.”


Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Pete & Sam’s Spaghetti Giveaway

A total of 550 plates of Pete & Sam’s spaghetti were donated to Memphis Catholic Charities of West Tennessee.


The staggering number of unemployed people in the United States due to coronavirus led to 550 plates of Pete & Sam’s spaghetti being dispersed around Memphis on Wednesday, April 15th.

“I was driving to work looking at the unemployment number — 6 million throughout the nation filed for it,” says Michael Bomarito, an owner of the popular Memphis restaurant.

So, he says, “We need to step up and do something. We’ve been blessed with this restaurant after the fire.”

Pete & Sam’s was closed for about five months after a fire broke out early December 12th, 2017.

Then Bomarito says, “Look. If we’re going to do it, let’s cook a whole batch of sauce and give it away. We know we can knock that out very quickly in one morning.”

He contacted Memphis Catholic Charities of West Tennessee executive director Kelly Henderson, who was happy to get the spaghetti.

Bomarito wanted to cook 28 gallons of the meat sauce. “That’s one batch of our meat sauce — beef, whole tomatoes, celery, onions, spices, cheese, parmesan cheese, secret stuff we can’t share.”

They cooked the pasta the night before. “We cooked 70 pounds. That’s 70 dry pounds that turns into 160 wet pounds. That’s more of a pain than making the sauce. You get big vats of boiling water of spaghetti noodles and try to get it out without scalding yourself. And you have to do that seven times.”

The sauce was made the day of the giveaway. “We got the sauce going about 5 a.m. this morning. It was ready by 10. We started plating the food around 10:30, and it was done by 11:15.”

Henderson “came with a van and picked it up,” Bomarito says.

Michael Bomarito, Kelly Henderson, Sammy Bomarito

“About 200 of the meals were delivered door to door to our clients who are under our care,” Henderson says. “These are people who are formerly homeless but now have a home because of our work. And the rest of the food was distributed with our partnerships with St. Patrick’s, St. Mary’s, and St. Vincent de Paul. So, two churches and one other agency who are all serving the homeless.”


Asked how he felt about the restaurant’s gesture, Henderson says, “I thought it was a tremendous act of generosity. So many restaurants are struggling to keep their doors open and you get a random call from the owner of Pete & Sam’s saying, ‘Hey, we can make a big batch of spaghetti, and we can feed some people who rely on you.’ It really shows the solidarity of the community.”

Did Bomarito eat any of that spaghetti? “No. I looked at the last of the spaghetti and didn’t want any of it.”


Categories
News News Blog

Gov. Lee Orders Schools Closed for the Year, Twitter Hilarity Ensues

Gov. Lee Orders Schools Closed for the Year, Twitter Hilarity Ensues

Governor Bill Lee said Wednesday he wants all Tennessee schools to remain closed throughout the school year.

In a tweet after the announcement, Lee said he’s working with the Tennessee Department of Education to “ensure there is flexibility for districts to complete critical year-end activities.”

The tweet garnered dozens of responses within the first hour after it was published. Many
of them from students, were like this:

Gov. Lee Orders Schools Closed for the Year, Twitter Hilarity Ensues (2)

Some fretted over the announcement in tweets like this, though:

Gov. Lee Orders Schools Closed for the Year, Twitter Hilarity Ensues (3)

Many responded with the #reopenTennessee hashtag like this:

Gov. Lee Orders Schools Closed for the Year, Twitter Hilarity Ensues (5)

To which some responded like this:
    

Gov. Lee Orders Schools Closed for the Year, Twitter Hilarity Ensues (4)

Some thought Lee had done the right thing. Some thought Lee had “finally” done the right thing. Other than that, response tweets kind of fell on both sides of this line:

Gov. Lee Orders Schools Closed for the Year, Twitter Hilarity Ensues (6)