Author: Joshua Cannon

Joshua Cannon

Echoing protests that have sparked across the country in response to the unprecedented presidential election of Donald Trump, nearly 200 people gathered in Overton Park and marched through Overton Square to Cooper Young Friday evening.

Joshua Cannon

“I’m pleased that you are here,” said Congressman Steve Cohen to a growing crown in Overton Park. “This is the worst election result we’ve had in my lifetime and maybe the country’s history. It’s scary the racist and xenophobic statements that were said about people by candidates — and the tolerance of them. It’s really important that people come out and show that they don’t believe in this and they don’t endorse it.”

Wearing a Memphis themed ball cap, Cohen said he wore it because “our city has a soul,” even if the country didn’t represent that on Tuesday. Cohen asked that protesters “not turn violent,” noting damage done by protests — some still ongoing — that began in cities from New York to Los Angeles earlier this week.
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As protestors crossed Poplar Avenue and made their way to Overton Square, Memphis police officers did little to disrupt the protest. Officers blocked traffic with their cars, allowing those marching to cross the street. Officers on foot directed traffic, often asking protests which direction they would be walking next. Protestors, too, stuck to the sidewalk, not blocking traffic for the most part.

Joshua Cannon

Jacqueline Quintanar, 32, helped organize the protest. Quintanar said felt it wasn’t a time where she could stand by and do nothing.

“I saw friends around me crying and their families being torn apart,” she said.

Anne Smith, 33, along with her two children Zoey, 5, and Ezra, 2, said she came to the protest to show them how important it is to vote and use their voice.

“I think it’s important to show our children who is going to represent us as a country,” Smith said. “I don’t think President Trump can represent myself or my country. We’re very open with them, and we try to educate our kids as much as possible.”

Joshua Cannon

Once protestors neared the intersection of Cooper Street and Young Avenue, they formed a circle at the gazebo. Raising high a sign that read “Science is not a hoax: Protect our earth,” Kase Spilman, 22, said she was a staunch supporter of clean energy, saying climate change is the “the least discriminatory force in the world that will affect everyone no matter their race, religion, or where they came from.”

“If we don’t take care of it now it’s going to be too late,” Spilman said. “Trump’s 100-day plan involves directing funds away from climate change. He’s already appointed Myron Ebell, a top climate skeptic, to take over the Environmental Protection Agency. We can’t have people who don’t believe in climate change in charge of what we’re going to do to combat climate change.”

Joshua Cannon

Mark Sturgis, 34, stepped into the middle of the circle amidst chants of “pussy grabs back” and “this is what democracy looks like” and said Friday night’s protest would be the first of many during Trump’s presidency.

“This is an active resistance to an agenda of hate,” Sturgis said. “This is just a warn up.”

There will be another protest on Main Street Saturday from noon to 1:30.

This story will be updated with better photos and videos.

Fund Invests in Memphis to Transform Recycling Program

In an attempt to increase recycling efforts across the city, the Closed Loop Fund has invested in the transition from dual-stream recycling to single-stream recycling in Memphis.

“Memphis is the first major municipality in the South we’ve invested in,” said Bridget Croke, the CLP’s external affairs coordinator. “It’s the largest city we’ve invested in so far.”

Pouring $3.25 million into Memphis at zero interest, the Fund, a collection of consumer product companies and retailers who aim to increase recycling across the United States, will allow the city to purchase 40 thousand single-stream recycling carts. Rather than residents parsing their recyclables into separate bins and carrying them to the curb, they’ll be able to fill a single 96-gallon cart and roll it to the sidewalk.
[pullquote-1]”We’re excited to watch Memphis become an example and create a case study that proves to other similar municipalities that recycling should be a priority and makes economic sense,” Croke said.

The new carts will hold five times more than the current bins. Projections estimate it will divert 17 thousand tons of trash from local landfills and reduce 48 thousand tons of Greenhouse Gas emissions across 110 thousand homes in the Mid-South.
Joshua Cannon

“This is a big benefit to us,” said Mayor Jim Strickland, noting that the carts will streamline an often neglected task. “My wife and I both work full time, and we have two kids. Sometimes it’s hard to remember to recycle. These carts make it so you don’t have to think. They will make a difference to busy people.”

The partnership also includes an education grant and resources to kickstart the initiative. In addition to the carts, 100 recycling containers will be placed around FedEx Forum beginning December 3rd when the Grizzlies take on the Los Angeles Lakers.

“We know just setting them out is half the battle,” said John Walker, the executive vice president of business operations for the Grizzlies. “Education is key to this initiative, so we will be running public service announcements through all Grizzlies games and through other events at FedEx Forum.”

The Grizzlies will also work with local organizations Clean Memphis and Memphis City Beautiful to create recycling incentives for kids at schools across the city. 
Joshua Cannon

“Recycling is nothing new in Memphis, we’ve had an active program for many years,” Strickland said. “But we think we can do better.”

When Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter visited Memphis earlier this year to assist Habitat for Humanity in revitalizing the Bearwater Park neighborhood, he met a once homeless man who planned to become a first-time homeowner when the project was complete.

“He told me that seven years ago, he was living under a bridge,” the former president told The Flyer. “He was addicted to drugs, and he decided to turn his life around. He got a job at a fast food place, and now he’s in charge of Chick-fil-A’s kitchen.”

And soon he can purchase his first home.

Following the work of more than 1,500 volunteers, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis will dedicate 21 homes, 19 of which were part of Habitat for Humanity’s 2016 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project. The Carter’s also worked on ten beautification projects in Uptown and six Shelby County “aging in place” ramp projects. Habitat’s dedication will commemorate the realization of the project.

Those interested in purchasing a home must be first-time homebuyers who meet a specific criteria: a demonstrated need and the ability to repay a zero-interest mortgage. Habitat homeowners will attend a multi-week homebuyer education course. They’ll also complete 350 to 400 hours of “sweat equity” by working on their homes, the homes of others, and volunteering at the Habitat ReStore — a nonprofit home improvement and donation center.

Homeowners must also put down a $1,000 down payment and save $1,000 for an emergency fund. After purchasing their homes, they will make monthly payments to Habitat’s Fund for Humanity, which supports the organizations ongoing mission.

The officers involved in last year’s shooting death of Jonathan Bratcher will not face criminal charges.

Bratcher, 32, was killed Jan. 27, 2016, near Mississippi Boulevard and South Parkway East after firing at officers while fleeing from his vehicle to avoid arrest. His car was being pursued by police on traffic charges.

“Weighing the totality of circumstances of Jan. 27, 2016, no criminal charges will be filed and no indictments will be sought against any officers in the death of Jonathan Bratcher,” Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich said Wednesday. “I believe a jury would find that the officers had lawful justification to fire their weapons at the suspect in self-defense, in the defense of others and in order to affect an arrest.”

[pullquote-1] Weirich’s statement follows the district attorney’s review of an investigative file compiled by the Violent Crime Response Team of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The TBI investigates all fatal shootings that involve Memphis police officers and the Shelby County Sheriff’s department per a memorandum of understanding signed last October by those parties and Gen. Weirich.

While by law TBI’s investigative reports are not open to the public without a subpoena or court order, Gen. Weirich filed a petition Tuesday in Chancery Court asking a judge to open the investigative report to the public. A hearing on that request has not been set.

Joshua Cannon

Nearly 11 months after receiving a federal resilience grant to assist with unmet recovery needs following ruinous flood damage in 2011, government officials outlined Thursday at John F. Kennedy Park how they will combat future disasters brought forth by climate change.

“For those who don’t accept science, too bad,” said Congressman Steve Cohen. “This project will work to protect us from future floods. We need to be on the frontline of preparing our people for the disaster that’s coming. It’s going to come because we’re ruining our earth.”[pullquote-1]

In January, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded Shelby County $60 million in part of its National Disaster Resilience Competition. Breaking up a seismic $1 billion and spreading it between select counties, states, and cities, as well as Puerto Rico, it’s an initiative to strengthen the environment for future generations, said Ed Jennings, Jr., HUD’s southeast regional administrator.

“On behalf of the Obama administration, resiliency is a priority we’ve set,” Jennings said. “It’s not just about how we have enough money to rebuild housing or infrastructure, but that we protect ourselves for a new generation.”

Shelby County’s plan, called “Greenprint for Resiliency,” will restore wetlands and flood storage areas along the Wolf River to protect downstream homes and residents. A portion of the grant will be allocated for repairs and upgrades to Rodney Baber Park and Kennedy Park — which, currently, is the only city park with a boat launch ramp into the Wolf River. About $9 million will go toward completing the 18-mile Wolf River Greenway Connection, said Keith Cole, executive director of Wolf River Conservancy.

“For many people, getting outside, enjoying the river, hiking and biking, that’s what the Wolf River Watershed is all about,” Cole said.

HUD’s grant will further assist the Wolf River Conservancy with mitigating future flooding and preventing soil erosion that could have negative affects on the Memphis Sand Aquifer. Native wildlife, too, will be better protected, according to Cole.

“The mission of the Wolf River Conservancy is just as relevant today if not more so since our founding in 1985,” Cole said.

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland championed the Greenprint plan, saying it was accomplished by officials at all levels of government working together. Pointing to a nearby softball field where he played as a teenager, Strickland said “the same thing that was true then is true now, you win with teams.”

Noting other recent “game changers” in the Mid-South, Cohen mentioned the new bike and pedestrian friendly Harahan Bridge, a $15 million dollar Tiger grant to increase downtown walkability, and a $30 million federal grant to revive Foote Homes. Though the Greenprint project isn’t “sexy like the Harahan bridge,” Cohen said it was just as imperative.

“This here, $60 million, this is a very big deal,” Cohen said. “Memphis is the city of good abode. This project is going to help people in need, and that’s what we need to do with our time on earth. This is what cities need to be known for.”