Month: January 2025

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Politics Politics Feature

Early Heat

Terry Roland (Photo: shelbycountytn.gov)

As no one needs to be reminded, the year 2025 is starting off with near-arctic temperatures, but enough political action is ongoing or forthcoming in the near future to generate a bit of heat.

• The executive committee of the Tennessee Democratic Party will convene in Nashville on Saturday, January 25th, to pick a new chairperson, and no fewer than seven candidates have been nominated for the honor. They are:

— Rachel Campbell of Chattanooga, currently serving both as party chair of Hamilton County and vice chair of the state party. She is one of two co-favorites in the race.

— Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, a state representative and, most recently, the Democrats’ unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2024. The other co-favorite, she has good name recognition and a residual network within the party, but there is some question as to whether her legislative service would disqualify her from the fundraising duties required of a chair.

— Brian Cordova of Nashville, the state party’s current executive director, and a veteran of numerous Democratic electoral campaigns. In the event of a deadlock between Campbell and Johnson, he is seen as a possible fallback choice.

— Vincent Dixie of Nashville, another state representative and a former chair of the party’s legislative caucus. Like Johnson, he, too, might be conflicted on the issue of fundraising.

— Alec Kucharski, a veteran of Tennessee political campaigns and currently a resident of Chicago, where he serves as a liaison with the Democratic delegation of the Illinois legislature.

— Todd Frommeyer of Pulaski, an activist, lawyer, and Navy vet.

— Edward Roland of Chattanooga, said to be a salesperson. 

All these candidates will participate in a forum at 1 p.m. on Saturday, to be streamed on Facebook via the Tennessee Democratic County Chairs Association.

• It will be noticed, by the way, that this fairly sizeable field of Democratic candidates contains no aspirants from Memphis.

One longtime member of the Democratic state committee from Shelby County, David Cambron, takes note of this, saying in a text, “We are not Big Shelby any more.”

Cambron maintains that the Memphis area’s “last chance of relevancy” was lost in the 2006 U.S. Senate election, which saw Democrat Harold Ford Jr. lose to Republican Bob Corker.

And, in Cambron’s view, the problem has bipartisan dimensions. “It’s the same reason every statewide discussion of possible Republican gubernatorial candidates doesn’t mention Brent Taylor.” 

The reference is clearly to state Senator Taylor’s seemingly nonstop campaigning for more assertive state authority over law enforcement in Memphis and Shelby County. Often, such intentional omnipresence in media attention bespeaks an intention to seek higher office.

Yet, as Cambron points out, Taylor’s name is rarely to be found in public speculation about the 2026 governor’s race.

(In fairness, it should be pointed out that when the Flyer queried Taylor about a possible ambition to run for governor, the senator replied, “The short answer is no. The long answer is hell, no.”)

• As it happens Saturday, January 25th, is also the date for a GOP chairmanship decision, this one for the leadership of the Shelby County Republican Party, the issue to be decided at the Venue at Bartlett Station.

The two declared candidates are former Memphis City Councilman Worth Morgan and longtime GOP activist Naser Fazlullah. As noted previously in this space, Morgan has been the beneficiary of a hyped-up PR campaign involving numerous public endorsements from influential local GOP figures.

All of that has gotten the goat of one prominent Republican, however. Former County Commission Chairman Terry Roland of Millington, who praises Fazlullah’s “selfless” service to the local party, denounces the pro-Morgan faction’s “Revive” campaign as nothing more than an “elitist” plot to suppress grassroots Republicans.

And Roland, who has headed up local campaign efforts for Donald Trump from 2016 on, levies what may be the worst charge in his vocabulary against Morgan, whom he calls a — wait for it — “Never-Trumper.”

Categories
Art Art Feature We Recommend We Recommend

Q&A with Metal Museum’s Master Metalsmith

Preston Jackson (American, b. 1944), Jolly and the Mississippi Flood, c. 2005. Cast Bronze. Courtesy of the artist.

In October 2024, the Metal Museum named Preston Jackson as its 38th Master Metalsmith. “A Hidden Culture,” the exhibition now on display in honor of Jackson’s achievement, features 16 freestanding sculptures and four paintings by the artist, who describes the show as revealing “history that has been buried, forgotten, or deemed unimportant by society.” The Flyer had a chance to speak with Jackson about the show for our “Winter Arts Guide,” published in December 2024. 

Memphis Flyer: What was your reaction to being named the Metal Museum’s Master Metalsmith?

Preston Jackson: When I got the call to get involved in this, especially being in Memphis, you know, where my ancestors are from, I jumped at that opportunity, and I took it on, even preparing new works for the show. So it was an uplift to do what you’re supposed to. 

Your work goes into history and wants to uncover hidden histories, right?

Yeah, things that people feel uncomfortable talking about. … I find that looking back and re-understanding, rethinking things that were only a hint in your past because you didn’t have the facilities to understand them or express them, it’s almost like admitting it’s good to be human.

Preston Jackson, Madame Fruitvale and Her Dog, c. 2003. Courtesy of the artist.

Did you always know that you wanted to tell stories of other people, or was this something that you developed? 

A lot of these traits that I have today were discovered, as my parents tell the story of my growing up, many years ago, right at the beginning of my little life as a young kid. Growing up in Decatur, Illinois, a product of the great migration that happened, my life is so much a part of that history. My exhibit gave me a chance to express my feelings about that.

And when you’re looking at these stories, are you doing a lot of research? 

Yeah, you don’t want to be wild in your thinking because of how important it is to tell the truth. Just look at our politics today. Truth is sought after, and it’s valuable. If we live a lie or believe in lies, we’re going to sort of destroy the entire civilization.  

Metal Museum, 374 Metal Museum Drive, “A Hidden Culture,” On display through January 26. 

Categories
Letter From The Editor Opinion

Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah … (Photo: Tlakebluemoon | Dreamstime.com)

You’ll notice a couple of places in this issue where I’ve been named responsible for the “New Year, New You” cover story. That dang editor is at it again! The truth is, the Flyer has done some form of this theme for as long as I can remember for its first issue at the turn of a new year. It had its place on the publication calendar long before I took the helm, so, objectively, for this edition at least, we’re still the same ol’ Flyer despite annually rallying for a “new you.” (Former editor and longtime “New Year, New You” “responsible party” Bruce VanWyngarden finally let the intrusive thoughts win this round; see “New Year, New Ewe.”) 

Anyhow, we like you exactly as you are! And you get bonus cool points just for being here. But if you’re thinking of reinventing yourself, exploring new activities, or (not-so) simply putting the phone down for a change, our writers have some thoughts for you. 

If, like me, resolutions aren’t your thing, maybe you’ll take a lesson in something I’ve learned from my dad: zip-a-dee-doo-dah. Let me explain. My 60-something-year-old father is the primary caretaker for my paraplegic brother, a commitment he fulfills with love and grace. He’s the family’s black sheep — outspoken, a country boy through and through, perhaps a bit wild — if you believe the stories (hint* they’re true). By most accounts, his life hasn’t been easy. Through the back-to-back deaths of my grandparents, my brother’s health challenges, nearly two years of sibling squabbles over estate matters, (minor outbursts aside) my dad remains as calm and cool as can be. “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah,” he says as he tells me my brother threw a fit to be discharged from the hospital. “It’s another wonderful day!” he responds when I call stressed out over … any of the many things that stress me out. “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah,” he replies when I swear everything is falling apart (it’s not). 

Before I go any further, I’m aware of controversy over the 1946 Disney film from which the line “zip-a-dee-doo-dah” was pulled. What I’m writing here has nothing to do with that. Please don’t hang me out to dry! Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, for my dad anyway, is a way of life, a motto by which to live. It’s closely akin to “hakuna matata” — which, thanks to The Lion King, we all know means “no worries.” Maybe I should have used that as the title of this piece instead. No one has anything bad to say about The Lion King. (Who am I kidding? You name it, someone’s got a gripe.) Oh well. The idea is to stop taking things so seriously. This has been a longtime battle for my overthinking, overanalyzing brain: Everything is serious! Something could go wrong at any time, and what do we do then? Let’s ponder every possible, surely horrible outcome! 

So that is what we won’t do this year, okay? We won’t be guided by fear. We won’t expect the worst. We won’t agonize over things that haven’t happened yet. Instead, we will let go of what we can’t control, or the need for control. We’ll smile through the hard stuff. When life starts life-ing a little too hard, we will say to ourselves, quietly (or loudly to really drive it home), “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah!” And you’ll know when it’s time. A flat tire? Zip-a-dee-doo-dah. Water heater went out? Zip-a-dee-doo-dah. Editor asks you to write another “New Year, New You” blurb? Zip-a-dee-doo-dah! Much like “hakuna matata,” it’s a “problem-free philosophy.” 

We’ll still run into problems, of course. But maybe we’ll look at them as opportunities. Maybe we’ll start with small steps to address the ones we want to fix. But we certainly won’t worry. There’s just no sense in that. We’re going to go with the flow. We’re going to let that sh*t go. My dad says so, and that’s that.

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Jackson’s All-Around Effort Powers Grizzlies to Victory

Jaren Jackson Jr. after 119-104 win over the Dallas Mavericks on January 6, 2025. (Photo by: @memgrizz Instagram/X)

Despite playing through a myriad of injuries, the Memphis Grizzlies prevailed over the Dallas Mavericks 119-104 on Monday. The Grizzlies were without Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Marcus Smart, Santi Aldama, GG Jackson, and Vince Williams Jr. The Mavericks were without Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, so both teams were not playing with a full hand.

In gaining their first victory at home in 2025, the Grizzlies (24-13) rallied from an early deficit and improved their home record to 15-4 on the season. Memphis has won 10 of its last 11 games at FedExForum.

Jaren Jackson Jr. had a dominant showing for Memphis by recording his third double-double behind 35 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

The Michigan State alum became the first player in franchise history to record a 30-10-5 stat line with three steals. His stellar performance in every area further solidified his status as one of the best two-way players in the NBA.

For the season, the 25-year-old big man is averaging 22.7 points per game, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.5 steals. 

Scotty Pippen Jr. added 18 points and a career-high five steals. Luke Kennard chipped in 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists as a reserve while going 3-of-5 from three.

Rookie forward Jaylen Wells garnered his first career double-double with 17 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. John Konchar grabbed 13 rebounds as the starting shooting guard. Konchar has recorded 10+ rebounds in all three starts this season. Jay Huff put up 11 points off the bench. Memphis is now 14-2 when Huff scores in double figures.

Up Next

The Grizzlies are set to host the Houston Rockets on Thursday, January 9, at 7 p.m. CT at FedExForum. This matchup is expected to be intense, with the Grizzlies looking to defend their home turf against the Rockets, who are currently on a three-game road win streak.

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News News Blog News Feature

Nonprofit Eyes Former CA Building as Vo-Tech Training Center

Photo Credit: Colliers International

A nonprofit organization is working to raise $1.1 million to turn the building that once housed The Commercial Appeal into an immersive, vocational development program for underserved youth.

Ty Cobb, president of Have a Standard Foundation, presented his plans for his CoreFire program to the Memphis City Council today during the Public Services, Arts, and Youth Initiatives Committee meeting.

The building is set to be auctioned on January 27. Cobb acknowledged that it could be difficult to raise funding in such a short amount of time from the City Council, yet he still wanted to make them aware of his plans to work with 10,000 youth through vocational training.

He said this training is different from other programs that aim to intervene between youth and crime.

“Our program focuses on the youth that are at the highest rate of dropping out,” Cobb said. “If we want to reduce crime in Memphis, we need to begin by understanding that the traditional training programs are not designed to reach youth that are most likely to commit crimes and live in poverty.”

Cobb referenced trade school education, and noted the state’s initiative to offer free trade school education. While he commended the state for being the first to do so, he said it is not succeeding with the population it was meant to reach.

“Only about 15 percent of the low-income, at-risk youth who start the free education actually earn a trade certificate,” Cobb said.

He also said he noticed that several of these programs use lectures as a way to connect with children — which he said is not effective. As a result of his observations from volunteering with at-risk youth in the nineties, Cobb built the first escape room in the United States. Since then, he has built more than 30.

“Teaching through escape rooms works with the most disengaged youth because you teach through fun, immersive, story-telling,” Cobb said.

After visiting all 24 community centers in the area, Cobb found a common thread of understaffing. 

He plans for the building to be run by high school interns, and youth from underperforming schools will be allowed to participate at no charge. After completing the program the interns will be paid and trained to lead after-school robotic classes and leadership training that they can use to give back to community centers in their neighborhood.

“When we give youth confidence for experiencing vocations in a fun, exciting, environment, the negative forces pulling them down do not look so enticing,” Cobb said. “They know a path in a negative direction does not end up anywhere good. They just need to experience a positive alternative.”

Cobb added that income will come from ticket sales from a daily, live show produced by the interns that range from culinary exhibitions to drone and robotic competitions.

In addition to contributing to the workforce of the city, Cobb said 10,000 youth can be trained at the facility without any government funding.    

“It’s a unique system where a nonprofit is able to produce income that self-sustains the funding through the years,” Cobb said.

Mark Lovell, founder and CEO of the Delta Fair and Music Festival, has supported the program for 10 years and has invested $500,000 into it. Lovell has also committed another $250,000 towards the bid.

“We have a problem,” Lovell said. “Some people want to admit it, some people don’t. I own the Delta Fair and one of the biggest problems we have is on Saturday night. We have a bunch of young kids aged 13-20 who just want to cause trouble. We need to reach these young children at a young age before they get pulled into the wrong system.”

Councilman Edmund Ford, Sr., said the city won’t be able to fully tackle crime if it doesn’t help young people.

“This program is a very big program,” Ford said. That’s why I want all y’all that got money, that y’all give it to the wrong folk — I hope you’re listening today where we can raise this $1.1 million. This is what we need to do this year.”

Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton said she’d like to see more data, as well as how they plan to address transportation.

“I need to see data, I need to see success stories, I need to see what you’ve done,” Cooper-Sutton said. “I need to see how many children that have been successful, that have been with Corefire and have gotten jobs, and they’re not in poverty.”

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News News Blog News Feature

Lee Rejects Money to Give Free Summer Meals to Children

Posted to Facebook by Tennessee House Democrats

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee rejected $1.1 million in federal grant funding at the beginning of the year, an action that will end free summer meals for up to 700,000 Tennessee children. 

Lee’s adminstration indicated last year that it would not renew the state’s participation in the federal Electronic Benefits Transfers Program for Children (Summer EBT). His office told NBC News last month that it costs too much to administer the program, noting that the federal government began shifting the adminstration cost to the states.  

The program issued a $120 EBT card, called Sun Bucks, to 700,000 children in Tennessee last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administered the program for the federal government. They were available for children aged 6- to 17-years-old for June, July, and August, when most children are on summer vacation. The money could only be spent on food. 

Lee’s adminstration did not formally announce the rejection on any public platform. Instead, his office quietly missed the January 1 deadline renewal. 

The rejection brought questions and anger from many. 

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) requested an explanation of Lee’s decision by January 17th. He said child hunger is “especially pressing in Tennessee,” where 40 percent of families report food insecurity, according to data from Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy. 

“While I understand your office issued a statement claiming that the program was ‘established in the pandemic-era to supplement existing food assistance programs in an extraordinary circumstance’ and that the program is ‘mostly duplicative,’ I urge your administration to reconsider,” Cohen wrote in a letter to Lee this week. “Congress’s decision to make the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) a permanent summer program through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 reflects the bipartisan recognition of its success and necessity. 

“Feeding our children is not just a matter of public policy — it is a moral imperative. Well-nourished children are better able to learn, grow, and lead healthy, well-adjusted lives.”

Knowing that Lee’s decision on the matter was at hand, many Tennessee relief agencies advocated for him to keep the program. 

The Nashville-based Tennessee Justice Center urged its followers to send Lee a form letter, which asked him to keep the program. 

“In 2024, Summer EBT served over 650,000 children in Tennessee and brought nearly $79 million into the state economy,” the center said. “Tennessee children aren’t going anywhere. They will continue to need food during the summer months in 2025 and beyond.”

In a December opinion piece in The Tennessean, Rhonda Chafin, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, said opportunities like the Summer EBT program are rare, and praised Lee for joining the effort in the first place.

“Opportunities to create such profound, positive change for children — at minimal cost to the state — are rare,” Chafin wrote. “By continuing Summer EBT, Tennessee can address child hunger, boost educational outcomes, and stimulate local economies simultaneously.

“Governor Lee has demonstrated compassionate leadership in this area before, and we trust he will do so again. The children of Tennessee are counting on us to stand up for their well-being. Let’s not let them down.”

Tennessee House Democrats were more direct in their assessment of Lee’s decision. Before Christmas, the group posted a photo of Lee dressed as The Grinch with a sack on his back, that reads “Food $$$.” The meme asks, “Will the Governor steal your child’s summer meals?” 

The post also carried this treatment of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

“’Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the state,

Tennesseans were begging Gov. Lee to stop with the hate.

Letters were sent with stories of how,

Lee’s decision on summer EBT for children was needed now,

With hopes that he will renew the program with glee,

Call his office with a hopeful plea.”

Categories
News News Blog News Feature

State GOP Bill Would Tamp Down Hate Groups

A Neo Nazi group called there Goyim Defense League yelled anti semitic slogans at tourists in downtown Nashville. Photograph by John Partipilo/ Tennessee Lookout ©2024

With support from Metro Nashville’s mayor, two Republican lawmakers are sponsoring a measure designed to handcuff hate groups such as those that targeted a synagogue and marched in Nashville last year.

Notably, it prohibits the transport of people in box trucks, such as the rental vehicles used to carry neo-Nazi groups to Nashville locations, and gives police more latitude to charge people with violating the law.

But one First Amendment expert said the bill is on “constitutional thin ice” even though California adopted a similar law.

“It’s important to remember that hate speech is completely protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It’s not a close call. Hateful things are protected under the First Amendment no matter how ugly or disturbing or rude they happen to be,” said Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center at MTSU in Murfreesboro.

Allowing government to define hate speech would be “extraordinarily dangerous,” Paulson added, because each administration could find different things to be hateful.

Those committing hate crimes need to be held accountable, says Tennessee House Majority Leader Rep. William Lamberth of a proposed bill. (Photo: John Partipilo)

House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) sponsored a resolution in 2024 condemning neo-Nazis that marched through downtown Nashville carrying swastika flags and wearing masks. With the 2025 legislative session approaching on Jan. 14, Lamberth and Sen. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) are sponsoring House Bill 55, which revamps state laws dealing with littering and trespassing, police procedures and obstruction of justice, and road safety to tamp down hate speech and intimidation.

Groups handed out anti-Jewish literature to members of a Nashville synagogue and held signs at overpasses promoting hateful messages.

“These tactics are deliberate efforts to terrify people and create profound distress,” Lamberth said in a statement. He added that people who commit hate crimes, “often anonymously,” should be held accountable. 

Pody, who represents part of Davidson County, said the bill represents the state’s “unwavering commitment” to protecting communities from antisemitism, intimidation and extremism.

Dubbed the Protecting Everyone Against Crime and Extremism Act (PEACE) Act, the bill sets up new limitations for littering and trespassing to keep hate groups from flooding neighborhoods and parking lots with fliers.

Lamberth said Monday the bill is “carefully crafted” to avoid problems with broad interpretation or the potential for police to crack down on rallies and protests that don’t involve hate speech.

The Metro Nashville Council passed an ordinance last year targeting hate groups after marches took place in Nashville, and Mayor Freddie O’Connell said in a statement he appreciates the effort to stop such intimidation and give law enforcement more tools to handle these situations.

“It sends the message that hateful acts will never be tolerated here,” O’Connell said.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported 122 incidents in 2023 motivated by bias involving race, religion, sexuality, and disability, down slightly from 129 in 2022 and 135 in 2021. Some 35 percent to 41 percent of those were anti-Black or African American, the report shows.

It’s not a close call. Hateful things are protected under the First Amendment no matter how ugly or disturbing or rude they happen to be.

– Ken Paulson, director, Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University

State Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) said Monday he appreciates the spirit of the legislation because he feels too many people, including his family, have been victims of the type of hate speech the bill is trying to prevent. Clemmons, though, indicated the measure might need changes.

“I hope to work with the sponsors to ensure that the legislation, in its final form, is constitutionally sound and achieves its stated, intended purpose,” said Clemmons, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

The measure makes it a Class A misdemeanor to pass out literature considered a form of hate speech or intimidate someone to prevent them from exercising constitutional rights such as religious freedom or the ability to vote.

The bill also gives law enforcement officers more leeway for enforcement.

For the second week in a row, neo-Nazis take to Nashville streets

It creates a buffer zone of 25 feet between officers and people who are ordered to stop and makes it a Class B misdemeanor to violate that space.

The bill also requires a person to give their name to an officer who asks them to identify themselves and makes it a Class C misdemeanor to refuse or to give a fake name.

Using a box truck to transport people would be made a Class B misdemeanor under the bill. At least one group used a rental truck to bring its members into town to rally.

Likewise, the bill would make it illegal to put a sign, signal or marking on a bridge, overpass or tunnel.

In addition, police could use “probable cause” to charge someone with violating the law regardless of whether they saw the person commit the act.

Paulson said most controversies have two points of view, and each side believes the other is hateful. 

Governments can ban all littering and banners hanging from overpasses, but they can’t prohibit only those pieces of literature and banners they regard as hateful, Paulson said.

“If you ban Nazi pamphlets, you also have to ban pizza joints passing out coupons in public. You cannot discriminate on the basis of ideas,” he said.

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.

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News News Blog News Feature

City Dashboards Show Crimiest Memphis ZIP Codes

Credit: city of Memphis
Credit: City of Memphis

If you’ve been paying attention to news at all, you’ll know crime is down in Memphis.

Yes, it’s a national trend. But, like, who cares. Falling crime in Memphis is good news no matter where it comes from. 

Total crime across the city fell 13.3 percent from 2023 to 2024, according to data released from the city at year’s end. Crime was down in every ZIP code in the city, except for 38131 and 38152.

Credit: city of Memphis

Those two are head-scratchers. (We’re not data experts, so we’re not equipped to label them “aberrations” or whatever.) But 38131 is a neighborhood wedged between Memphis International Airport to the south and I-240 to the north. Last year saw 54 crimes there, and that’s up 42 percent from 2023. 

The other area — 38152 — is on the eastern part of University of Memphis campus, encompassing Ball Hall, Campus Elementary School, and big parking lots. Across a big ditch there, nice homes stand in the same ZIP code along Grandview. Last year saw 57 crimes there, and that’s up 83.9 percent from 2023. 

The city did not give any details on the crimes in these areas, aberrations or no. In his weekly newsletter Friday, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said, “We are working on it!”

Year-End-Crime-Presentation-Year-End-Crime-PresentationDownload

In addition to that year-end report, you can track Memphis crime now with two (new to us) crime stats dashboards. 

The first shows Memphis crime year to year. The Crime Analytics dashboard shows unfiltered stats on 40 different types of crimes (from credit card fraud to murder) in three major crime categories — property crimes, personal crimes, and crimes against society. 

In total, there were 101,363 total crimes in Memphis last year. Of those, 10,642 were deemed violent crimes. There were 42,647 property crimes, 299 homicides (235 of those were murders), and 9,821 car thefts. 

Credit: city of Memphis

Pulling way back, though, the dashboard shows a map of concentrations of crime. We know you can likely overlay a map of poverty and other factors over the crime map and get commanding results. We’re not here to issue judgments about anything. But (and you knew that was coming) you can see, objectively, where the most crime happened in Memphis in 2024. 

Top three ZIP codes for Memphis crime 2024: 

Credit: city of Memphis

1. 38118 (Oakhaven, Parkway Village): 8,565 crimes

2. 38115 (Hickory Hill): 7,900 crimes

3. 38116 (Whitehaven) 6,841 crimes

Top three ZIP codes for Memphis homicides 2024: 

Credit: city of Memphis

1. 38127 (Frayser): 33

2. 38109 (Raines): 31

3. 38118: (Parkway Village): 30

Top three ZIP codes for Memphis rapes 2024

Credit: city of Memphis

1. 38127 (Frayser): 56

2. 38116 (Whitehaven): 52

3. 38118 (Parkway Village): 50

Another dashboard, also maintained by the city of Memphis, shows weekly crime stats. This one does not give as much detail, like locations, nor does it break the crimes down much beyond the surface. But it still gives an interesting look at the state of the city. 

Credit: city of Memphis

For example, over the last seven days (as of Monday, Jan. 6th), 835 crimes were committed. The seven days before that, 827 crimes were reported. Aggravated assaults (152) led all crimes as of Monday, with robbery (40), and rape (5) following.

On one metric — though — the dashboard somehow makes the city’s homicide count feel more real. It seems hard to fathom 299 homicides for a community in one year. It can also seem perfectly reasonable to have 299 homicides in a city the size of Memphis. But when the dashboard reports three homicides over the last seven days (and four homicides the week before that), the data seem more personal — these were people — and sad — these were someone’s family and friends.   

Categories
Film Features Film/TV

Music Video Monday: “I Hope Like Hell We Get This Grant” by The Straight Cash Homie Jubilee Singers

The Memphis Music Initiative (MMI) is one of the most successful arts nonprofits in Memphis. They promote music education and provide young people with opportunities to work in the music business. Last January, they released a music video that humorously addressed the frustrations of the nonprofit life. As they put it, “We’re here to serve the underserved market of fundraising jams.”

Director and producer Princeton James put together the extensive list of talent for “I Hope Like Hell We Get This Grant.” Patterned after an old cable TV ad for compilation albums by companies like K-Tel, the video brings you hits such as “Giving Tuesday” and “When I Hit The Check.” After racking up tens of thousands of views (presumably among burnt-out nonprofit staffers worldwide), the video was just nominated for a Regional Emmy Award. “We are honored to receive this nomination on behalf of the entire team, which reflects the extraordinary talent of our Memphis creatives, community partners, and staff,” says Amber Hamilton, President of the Memphis Music Initiative. “At MMI, we believe in pushing boundaries to lift the voices of grassroots organizations doing transformative work. This video is our rallying cry — cut the check and trust the experts on the ground.”

If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Short-handed Grizzlies Fall to Hot-shooting Warriors

Zach Edey goes up for a block against Andrew Wiggins. (Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)

The Memphis Grizzlies come up short against the Golden State Warriors in their second-consecutive loss. With a final score of 121-113, the Grizzlies finished their five-game road trip at 2-3 and fell from from second- to third-place in the Western Conference.

Golden State was missing its star guard, Steph Curry, and backup guard, Gary Payton II.

The list of players on the injury report for Memphis was much longer: Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, Santi Aldama, Luke Kennard, John Konchar, Yuki Kawamura, Vince Williams Jr., and GG Jackson II.

Kennard and Konchar were game-time decisions previously listed as doubtful and questionable. Desmond Bane was also previously listed as questionable, but he was able to play.

Turnovers and poor three-point shooting kept the Grizzlies just out of reach of the Warriors throughout most of the game, with Memphis never holding more than a two-point lead.

Every Grizzlies’ player aside from Brandon Clarke and Cam Spencer committed at least one live-ball turnover, with Bane committing a game-high eight turnovers. All in all, Memphis had 23 turnovers that converted to 28 points for Golden State.

The Warriors outshot the Grizzlies 53.5% (23 of 43) to 33.3% (9 of 27) from beyond the arc. The Grizzlies did have a 64 (32 of 49) to 32 (16 of 30) advantage in the paint, but it was not enough to overcome such a large disparity in three-point shooting.

Memphis won the free throw battle 75% (12 of 16) to 62.5% (10 of 16). Both teams had a total of 18 fouls, with Desmond Bane, Dennis Schroder, and Draymond Green all earning technical fouls. Green’s technical foul came less than a minute after he committed a flagrant foul against Zach Edey in the fourth quarter.

By The Numbers:

Jaren Jackson Jr. led with a team-high 23 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

Desmond Bane finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, in addition to 8 turnovers.

Scottie Pippen Jr. put up 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block on 4 of 9 overall shooting and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.

Jaylen Wells added 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.

From the second unit:

Jake LaRavia led with 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 10 assists on 5 of 8 overall shooting and 1 of 2 from three-point range.

Brandon Clarke added 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal while shooting 5 of 7 overall.

Jay Huff added 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 3 of 4 shooting from beyond the arc.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies will return home to FedExForum on Monday, January 6th, to face off against the Dallas Mavericks in their first home game of 2025.

These two Southwest division rivals last met in Dallas during group play of the in-season tournament in December, when the Mavericks defeated the Grizzlies and advanced to the second round.

Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.