People around the world were shocked and horrified when Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine last week. The idea of an actual old-school land invasion of a settled, sovereign country seemed somehow incomprehensible in 2022. Mercilessly launching missiles, bombs, and cannon fire into cities full of civilians, hospitals, schools, and churches surely could not be happening. But it was. And then the world watched as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky instigated a fierce resistance that has continued into Tuesday morning, as I write this.
There were mass demonstrations against the war across Europe. Cities all over the free world began lighting up buildings, iconic edifices, and bridges in the blue and gold colors of the Ukrainian flag. Except in Memphis.
It wasn’t for lack of interest. Or trying. On Twitter, people began suggesting that Memphis light its bridges in blue and gold as early as last Thursday. It seemed a no-brainer. As someone tweeted on Saturday (possibly a Flyer senior editor): “If Memphis bridges aren’t gold and blue tonight, somebody has got some damn explaining to do.”
But Mighty Lights, the nonprofit organization that runs the light displays on Memphis’ two interstate bridges, was totally unresponsive. Some people filled out the form on their website, which appeared to be the only method to communicate with the group, to no avail. Increasingly caustic comments on the group’s Facebook and Instagram accounts also got no response. Was anyone home? It didn’t appear so.
The tweeting started to get a little snippy: “Is Tucker Carlson running things over there?” “Memphis should be leading instead of following!” “MLGW is still working on the problem [sarcasm].” “I know a lot of people who’ve reached out to them and gotten no response. What is the damn deal with these people?”
What was the damn deal with these people? I still don’t know. I do know that on Sunday afternoon, on a freshly created Twitter account, @MightyLightsMem issued its first tweet, and it went over like a fart in a crowded elevator: “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” it read. “On Tuesday, March 1, the Mighty Lights will glow purple, green, and gold for Mardi Gras!” There was an accompanying photo of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge in Mardi Gras colors.
Mardi Gras? Who was in charge over there? People tagged, texted, and emailed Mayor Strickland and other leaders. They tweeted pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Christ statue in Rio, the Roman Colosseum, the Empire State building, all lit in blue and gold, next to a screenshot of the Mardi Gras tweet, and wrote: “The rest of the world vs. Memphis.” Tambo38104 spoke for most when he tweeted: “This is the most tone deaf thing I think I have ever seen. What is WRONG with you?”
We’ll never know what finally sparked the change, but I’m guessing somebody with clout probably noticed the growing outrage and made a call. The Mardi Gras tweet came down within the hour and was shortly replaced by one that read: “Tonight, February 27, and on Monday night, February 28, The Mighty Lights will join iconic landmarks around the world to glow in solidarity with Ukraine,” accompanied by a picture of the M bridge lit up in blue and gold. Never mind that it was an old photo from after a Grizzlies game, they seemed to have finally gotten the message. On Sunday and Monday nights, the bridge was a beautiful blue and gold.
Still, I think it’s safe to say some adjustments need to be made. Mighty Lights has been a wonderful addition to Downtown, but after the events of the past week, it appears — how to say this, delicately? — no one is home. At the very least, somebody needs to be monitoring social media, so they aren’t caught looking clueless again. Someone should also be responding to comments and questions on the group’s social media pages. This is sort of Marketing 101.
I get that this is not a big-bucks organization. It’s a nonprofit with little staffing that does nice visual things for Downtown. But those bridges are public highways, and the public needs a way to communicate with whoever’s controlling the switch.
Someone needs to keep a light on.
