Toby Sells
Members of the Blue Suede Brigade 2.0.
Gone are the sashes, khakis, and pith helmets, but their shoes are still blue suede.
A brand new Blue Suede Brigade now walks the street of Downtown Memphis. There’s more of them, now 12. They have new hours, including Sunday (see below). And they cover more ground, all the way down to G.E. Patterson.
The Blue Suede Brigade 2.0 was introduced to the members of the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) during a meeting Friday. Training for the group kicked off on April 5 and the group officially hit the street last Wednesday.
The Brigade will cover fan area including Civic Plaza in the Core all the way down to G.E. Patterson in South Main and from B.B. King to Front. They cover that ground on foot (in special blue suede Nikes), bikes, and Segway transporters.
The group will continue to focus on hospitality and offer referrals to out-of-town visitors, of course. But they’ll also report nuisance issues and assist the city with identifying code violations.
The former Blue Suede Brigade uniforms — which included the tan pith helmets, blue shirts, a sash, khakis, and blue suede shoes — have been replaced with ones that more resemble a security officer.
Dark blue baseball caps feature the Blue Suede Brigade 2.0 logo. Lighter blue shirts feature an official-looking security badge stitched on one side, and the DMC logo on the other. The dark blue shorts are topped with a security belt outfitted with a radio, billy club, and more.
The Brigade will be out welcoming visitors from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday, from 10 a.m. – 10 – p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight.
