For the record, the latest entry on the bogus ballot scene is this one, purportedly by longtime pol and former City Councilman Rickey Peete. Billed as an “official” ballot for Democrats, it has no relationship to the Shelby County Democratic Party, whose position on the three ballot referenda is to vote No/Against.
Peete joins a field that at election time consists of ballots by the likes of such entrepreneurs as Greg Grant, Bret Thompson, and M. Latroy Williams — all of whom charge candidates (and, in this, case, backers of referenda) a pretty penny for the honor of appearing on sample ballots that are either handed out or mailed out to voters. It’s an industry.
Some of these balloteers have been the subject of lawsuits for their linguistic efforts to confuse voters about their party credentials. Peete’s ballot is unusually direct and misleading in that respect.
A new restaurant – fam – a fast, casual Asian restaurant, is slated to open November 13th at 149 Madison.
The name is short for “family,” says Ian Vo, an owner.
He describes the restaurant, which is staffed by veteran Memphis sushi chefs, as a modern, fast-paced take-out restaurant, which will be open for dining in or for curbside service. The restaurant also will deliver. And catering will be available.
They’ll serve a variety of rolls and bowls, including sushi hibachi-style grill rice bowls, noodle bowls, sushi rolls and spring rolls.
Their sushi will be in half rolls so customers can choose more options.
“Everything is roll or bowl,” Vo says.
Orders will only take 10 to 15 minutes, he says.The restaurant, which will serve beer, will be open for lunch and dinner and will be open Monday through Saturday.
Edmund Ford Jr., who was recently elected as a Shelby County Commissioner and is currently serving his last two weeks on the Memphis City Council, was named the Memphis Public Libraries’ new financial literacy coordinator Monday.
Dan Springer, the city’s deputy director of media affairs said Ford’s role is a newly-created position at the library. The salary is $78,000 per annum.
A statement from the city on Ford’s new position reads:
“We are pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Edmund Ford, Jr. as our new Financial Literacy Coordinator. Our libraries have long been a central hub of learning, and this position will offer Memphians another important avenue towards financial freedom and stability.
Financial Literacy is one of the cornerstones to help lift citizens out of poverty. Dr. Ford will focus his work with the most impoverished and highest needs citizens primarily in the North and South Memphis areas. As Budget Chair on City Council, Dr. Ford demonstrated his passion for knowledge and strong financial background. Now, he will be able to share that with the greater community.”
Springer said the position is net-neutral, budget-wise, as “there was already a vacancy at the library.”
Ford, who is also employed as a teacher for Shelby County Schools, was elected to the county commission in August, and has yet to resign from the city council.
A Memphis man was arrested at the Wolfchase Galleria on Saturday for videotaping an incident between Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers and two young black men, which was sparked by the mall’s no hoodie policy.
The 59-year-old African American man, Kevin McKenzie who is a former reporter for The Commercial Appeal, documented his arrest and the incidents leading up to it in a Facebook post.
“I witnessed a mall-to-prison pipeline in action and I will not support it,” McKenzie wrote.
The incident began when McKenzie noticed a mall security guard following a group of young black men through the mall, according to his Facebook post. The men were then escorted off the premises for violating the mall’s no hoodie policy. However, they soon returned.
When they returned, McKenzie, who recorded the exchange, said they were met with MPD officers and were told they would be arrested for criminal trespassing if they did not leave.
“For reasons I didn’t hear, one young man in what appeared to be a nylon blue and white jacket with a hood that was not on his head was handcuffed by a Memphis officer and led away as my video rolled,” McKenzie wrote. “That’s when a black sheriff’s deputy approached me and told me I also was breaking the mall’s rules.”
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McKenzie was asked to put his phone away and stop recording, and then told he would be arrested if he didn’t leave the mall.
“Before I could respond, he twisted my arms behind me and placed me in handcuffs and marched me down the escalator to a back office at the mall,” McKenzie said.”
McKenzie, who was ultimately issued a misdemeanor citation, told the officers that the mall’s policy is discriminatory. However, the officers argued that that policy is set by the group that owns the mall, the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group.
A statement from Wolfchase said the policy is to promote a safe environment and that Saturday’s incident was handled by MPD, to which all questions should be directed.
The full statement reads: “Wolfchase Galleria is focused on providing a safe environment for all customers and employees. We require customers to not conceal their identity while on mall property as a matter of public safety. It is important that our security cameras and security personnel be able to see the faces of everyone on property.
Mall security personnel respectfully ask all customers concealing their identity to conform to the policy. Police are only called if a customer refuses or becomes belligerent. In this instance, a Memphis Police Department officer repeatedly requested the individual to remove his ‘hoodie.’ He did not comply with this directive and was removed from the mall. The incident on Saturday night was managed by the MPD and we refer all questions about the circumstances to MPD.”
Officials with MPD did not immediately respond to the Flyer’s inquiry about the incident.
Man Arrested for Recording Police Interaction at Mall
This story has been updated with a statement from Wolfchase Galleria.
Tonight, the 21st annual Indie Memphis Film Festival closes with a program that is always a highlight. The Hometowner Music Videos bloc contains 35 exceptional videos by Memphis artists and filmmakers.
At the awards ceremony last Saturday night, the Indie Memphis jury awarded Best Music Video to “Gomenake” by Someone Who Isn’t Me (S.W.I.M), directed by Akis Papastathopoulos. Both the band and the filmmaker are from Athens, Greece.
Music Video Monday Special Edition: Indie Memphis Winners (2)
The jury awarded two Hometowner videos: Honorable Mention went to “BW” by Weird Maestro, directed by your columnist, Christopher Scott McCoy. “BW” will make its world premiere tonight at the festival, and we’ll feature it on Music Video Monday when Unapologetic Records is ready to drop it.
The Hometowner Jury Award winner is a Music Video Monday alumna: “I’m Yours” by Faith Evans Ruch. The video was helmed by Melissa Anderson Sweazy, who co-directed Good Grief, the documentary which pulled off a rare sweep of the jury and audience awards and the poster contest at Indie Memphis 2017.
Music Video Monday Special Edition: Indie Memphis Winners
Tune in tomorrow (after you vote) for a full list of winners from Indie Memphis 2018!
Stubby Clapp is headed back to the major leagues. Nearly 18 years after last donning the uniform of the St. Louis Cardinals as a player, Clapp is taking over duties as first-base coach for the club. In two years as manager of the Memphis Redbirds, Clapp won a pair of Pacific Coast League championships (and the 2018 Triple-A National Championship) and was twice named the PCL’s Manager of the Year. He’s currently managing the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League.
Your name came up in discussions about managerial vacancies in the big leagues. What can you share about the process that led you to taking the coaching job in St. Louis? I went through three interviews with Texas and didn’t get considered for other [big-league jobs] beyond my name being thrown around. St. Louis was up front and forward about wanting me to be on staff if things didn’t work out on the managerial side. I feel blessed with the opportunity. To play for the Cardinals, and now bounce back and get to coach with the club . . . it’s a special honor.
You aced the test in Memphis, with two championships in two seasons. And you were required to use more than 60 players each year. Was there a unifying quality to the 2017 and 2018 Redbirds that led to such success? I’ve thought about this, and I’ve given a bunch of different answers depending on my mood or thought process. But the more I think about it, the more I think about my staff both years. We were together on things, had each others’ backs to make sure we were doing things the right way. The first thought was always, “What’s best for the player?” Winning came second. That positive attitude translated to the players, and they grabbed hold of it. It became a culture. When you have good culture and talent, good things come to fruition.
Positive energy has a stronghold over talent. If you’re bitter and you’ve got talent, you’re always looking at what you didn’t do. I’m a big believer in a positive atmosphere and knowing that it’s okay to fail in trying to be great.
Despite all the wins and trophies, it couldn’t have been easy. Were there stumbles along the way? There were struggles. Times we had to look ourselves in the mirror. Last year, there was more [roster] movement early on, especially on the pitching side of things. Guys stepped up and did great jobs. You just gotta believe that something [positive] is going to happen. And go for it.
What kind of relationship do you have with Cardinals manager Mike Shildt (another former Memphis skipper)? We’ve developed a relationship over the last couple of years. I have a lot of respect for the way he’s made his way in the game. It’s unbelievable. He’s worked hard. He’s a great story. He’s got a good idea of the way things should be run, and he’s a very good communicator. I can’t wait to help out in any way.
The World Series seemed to tilt on the managers’ use of their bullpens, an area you handled well in Memphis. Any thoughts or secrets you can share on proper bullpen management? I did it in a way that made sure the guys were ready to produce in the big leagues. I followed those parameters and used some creativity to make sure we had enough innings [covered] every day. Between my pitching coaches [Bryan Eversgerd in 2017, Dernier Orozco in ’18] and I, we made sure they were ready. It wasn’t necessarily who we had to throw every day, but making sure the proper workloads were there, even on back-to-back days. There was constant communication. But we let the pitchers dictate what part of the game they were good at, whether it’s middle relief or end of the game, one inning or ground-ball [specialist]. We let them dictate rather than demand something out of them. Then we let them excel in those situations.
It’s been a long time since you’ve been in the big leagues. What kind of impact do you hope to make, starting in 2019? Positive impact on day-do-day activities and game preparation. Any way they need me. Infield work, base-running … if they just need a pump-up session. Whatever Shildty needs me to do, I’ll be there ready to roll and try to get some things accomplished.
Two public officials backing the local opposition to Memphis City Council-backed referenda on the election ballot have charged that “the ‘public education’ campaign” endowed by the city council with $40,000 in taxpayer funds “is actually a one-sided advocacy campaign designed to influence rather than educate.”
In a press release, U.S. Representative Steve Cohen of the Memphis-based 9th Congressional district and former council chair Myron Lowery joined with the Save IRV Memphis campaign to contend that a series of ads advocating the repeal of Instant Runoff Voting (also known as Ranked Choice Voting) purport to be originated by a private PAC but are actually the products of the Carter Malone Group, a local advertising and PR agency the council has contracted with.
“They shouldn’t be using our tax dollars to fund a Vote Yes campaign in the first place, but if they do, they should disclose on every ad, email, and piece of literature that tax dollars are paying for it,” said Congressman Steve Cohen. “And they certainly shouldn’t imply that it’s all coming from a private group.”
The ads — in both audio and video format — are embedded in an email sent out from “bmalone@cmgpr.com,” the Carter Malone Group’s email address, and, as the press release notes, “explicitly push a ‘Vote yes’ message in clear advocacy, without neutral public education.” Deidre Malone, who heads the Carter Malone agency, recently confirmed that the council had asked her to handle the council’s paid publicity campaign on behalf of three ballot referenda, including the one that would repeal IRV.
In the wake of Chancellor Jim Kyle’s decision last week not to issue an injunction against the use of public funding for a one-sided advocacy campaign, Council Attorney Allan Wade used the terms “influence” and “educate” interchangeably in discussing the Council’s plans with reporters.
In the required disclaimer as to the source of their funding, the ads list “Diversity PAC,” a private political action committee — a contention that Cohen, Lowery, and the Save IRV Campaign Memphis committee all insist is purposely misleading. “The voters deserve to know when they’re being lobbied by their own money,” Lowery said. “Anything less than full disclosure is downright deceptive.”
A healthy Darrell Henderson proved to be plenty for the Tigers to secure their first road win of the 2018 season. Two weeks after leaving the Missouri game with an injury to his left hamstring, Henderson ran for 132 yards, caught three passes for 72 more, and scored three touchdowns to help Memphis end a two-game losing streak and improve to 5-4 on the season.
East Carolina erased a 31-17 halftime deficit and tied the score at 31 just five minutes into the third quarter when Pirate quarterback Holton Ahlers connected with Trevon Brown for a 31-yard touchdown. But the Tigers answered with a 75-yard scoring drive, Patrick Taylor plunging into the end zone from a yard out to give Memphis the lead for good. Henderson scored on the Tigers’ next two possessions, first on a 20-yard run, then on a 39-yard jaunt that followed a pair of Memphis penalties. The scores give Henderson 38 career touchdowns, two shy of Anthony Miller’s total and third in U of M history.
The Pirates scored on their opening possession of the game, a one-yard run by Darius Pinnix that followed a pass-interference call against Memphis in the end zone. But on the Tigers’ first possession, Henderson took a screen pass from Brady White and dashed 71 yards to pay dirt. Memphis trailed again (14-10) until Tony Pollard ran seven yards for a touchdown to open the second quarter. Pollard added another touchdown (one yard) late in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 89 rushing yards and 30 receiving.
White connected with Damonte Coxie for a 75-yard touchdown on the opening play of the second half. Coxie caught 10 passes for 176 yards while White completed 21 of 30 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns.
Ahlers completed 34 of 62 passes for 449 yards and three scores for ECU. Brown caught 10 of his passes for 193 yards.The Pirates fall to 2-6 with the loss and are now 0-5 in the American Athletic Conference. Memphis improves to 2-3 in AAC play.
The Tigers return to the Liberty Bowl next Saturday to host Tulsa. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.
Saturday is the most packed day of Indie Memphis 2018.
Kristina Amaya, Karla Jovel, and Leslie Reyes road trip through Los Angeles in Sepulveda.
It begins with Sepulveda (10:30 a.m., Hattiloo Theatre), a film about friendship I wrote about in this week’s cover story.
August at Akiko’s (10:45 a.m., Studio on the Square) by director Christopher Makoto Yogi is a meditative visit to Hawaii, made by a native of the island paradise.
Indie Memphis 2018 Saturday: Van Duren, Brian de Palma, and Shorts Galore
The Hometowner Youth Filmmaker’s Showcase (10:45 a.m., Playhouse on the Square) presents 17 shorts from the recent Indie Memphis Youth Festival, including the winning film by 16-year-old Jaynay Kelley, “The Death of Hip Hop”.
Jaynay Kelley’s ‘The Death Of Hip Hop’
The first Hometowner feature of the day has a distinctly international flavor. Waiting: The Van Duren Story (1 p.m., Playhouse On The Square) is simultaneously a story out of music history and the saga its own creation. Van Duren is a Memphis musician who spent time in the Ardent/Big Star orbit in the 1970s. His two albums of immaculate, forward-looking power pop fell victim to the same kind of dark machinations as Alex Chilton and company. When Australian filmmakers and music fans Greg Carey and Wade Jackson discovered these obscure records, they had no context for the music and set out to discover the story of how Van Duren fell through the cracks. The film chronicles their own journey of discovery and Van Duren’s wild ride through the music industry. Both the filmmakers and their subject will be on hand for the screening, and Van Duren will perform at Circuit Playhouse at 3:30 PM.
Van Duren meets Bruce Springsteen in Waiting: The Van Duren Story
The feature documentary Wrestle (3:30 p.m., Playhouse On The Square) has been on a festival circuit roll lately, taking home both the Audience Award and the Best Sports Documentary Award at the recent Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. Wrestle, which follows a team of high school athletes from J.O. Johnson High School in Huntsville, Alabama, was praised by the Hot Springs judges for its “intimate and personal cinematography and elegant editing.” Co-director Suzannah Herbert has a Memphis connection: her father is artist Pinkney Herbert.
Wrestle
When asked about recommendations for what to see at any film festival, I always point people towards shorts blocs. These programs are always full of diverse, different films not bound by the rules of mainstream feature filmmaking. Plus, if you don’t like one film, just wait a few minutes and it’ll be over, and the next one will probably be better! Shorts are also the best way to discover up and coming new filmmakers.
The first of two shorts blocs Saturday afternoon is the Narrative Competition (3:45 p.m., TheatreWorks). The seven short films in this year’s main competition come from Canada and the U.S. The 19-minute “Magic Bullet” is from director Amanda Lovejoy Street, who previously appeared at Indie Memphis as an actress in Amber Sealey’s 2011 feature How To Cheat.
Indie Memphis 2018 Saturday: Van Duren, Brian de Palma, and Shorts Galore (2)
The Hometowner Narrative Short Showcase (6:30 p.m., TheatreWorks) includes films from Memphis filmmakers Jessica Chayney and Amanda Willoughby; Nathan Chin; Justin Malone; and O’Shay Foreman. Alexandra Van Milligan and Sammy Anzer’s “Stand Up Guys” is episode 3 of a web series by a local improv troupe. “Dean’s List” by Daniel R. Ferrell is a high school noir thriller that made its debut at this year’s Memphis Film Prize. “U Jus Hav To Be” is a story of workplace ennui directed by and starring Anwar Jamison, an Indie Memphis veteran and film educator. “The Best Wedding Gift” is the latest by prolific comedy director and Indie Grant benefactor Mark Goshen Jones, a two-hander with Savannah Bearden as a scheming bride-to-be and Jacob Wingfield as a best man who is in for a big surprise.
Savannah Bearden in ‘The Best Wedding Gift’
The Music Video Competition (9 p.m., Theaterworks) brings videos from the US, Israel, Australia, Greece, and this one from the German band Fortnite and directors Sven D. and Phillipp Primus.
Indie Memphis 2018 Saturday: Van Duren, Brian de Palma, and Shorts Galore (3)
Finally, at 11:30 p.m., a horror thriller gem from early in the career of Brian de Palma. Sisters stars future Lois Lane Margot Kidder as a knife-wielding psychotic who really, really doesn’t like cake.
Indie Memphis 2018 Saturday: Van Duren, Brian de Palma, and Shorts Galore (4)
Will Tom Lee Park’s redesign impact Memphis In May?
In its monthly newsletter, Memphis in May International Festival announced Studio Gang, the Chicago team creating a plan to redesign the Riverfront, met with MIM executives to discuss the Tom Lee Park design.
MIM has been working with Studio Gang and Memphis River Parks Partnership to, according to the newsletter, “ensure the redesigned park will protect Beale Street Music Festival patron capacity and full complement of World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest team spaces — not to mention their accompanying economic impact — and preserve the future viability of the festival and its events in Tom Lee Park.”
The final park redesign plan is scheduled for release in December. The initial plan for Tom Lee Park is slated to have landscape and hardscape improvements, including pocket parks with grassy knolls, trees and hills.
The question is — after all this is set in place — how will 225 barbecue teams fit in the park for the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest? And how will more than 27,000 people fit into Tom Lee Park for the Beale Street Music Festival?
The festival would go as planned in 2019, but after that, construction begins. Memphis in May events would have to move beginning in 2020. Where would these events go? The barbecue contest was held in 2011 in Tiger Lane. But that’s a long way from the Mississippi River and downtown hotels. Shelby Farms is a possible site, but, again, that’s a long way from downtown Memphis and its restaurants and hotels. And the traffic problem is another question. Getting thousands of people out of Farm Road and Mullins Station Road?
In its annual report, Memphis in May said it brought in $133.7 million last year in economic impact. And three and a half million tax dollars. Reduced space or a new location is, obviously, going to lower both these amounts.
“For the Beale Street Merchants Association, all Beale Street and all downtown, Memphis in May and the month of May for the festival are clearly the biggest things that happen to us all year long,” says Joellyn Sullivan, vice-president of the Beale Street Merchants Association and owner of Silky O’Sullivan’s on Beale Street. “The hotel occupancy is significant and the economic impact has been very well documented.
“And, to be clear, I am not familiar with the plans for Tom Lee Park. I have no idea. What I read in a newsletter from Memphis in May was the first notice. I saw a little bit about what was going on, but I haven’t seen plans,” says Sullivan
Things are slated to stay the same in 2019 when Memphis will be the honored Memphis in May country, but the next year? “Not only construction, but the ultimate design could decrease capacity for those events and it’s very concerning. We had a little bit of a test with the flood that moved the barbecue (festival) to Tiger Lane. And that definitely had an impact on downtown economics.”
A “key part” of Memphis in May’s mission is “to promote Memphis and, secondarily, Downtown,” says Sullivan. “So, it’s a showcase we all have. And our riverfront. To think that venue might not be there for that mutual promotion, that is concerning. Tom Lee Park is what it is. It’s a great, open park that is very welcoming. It’s got sidewalks and benches and it’s already got a play area. It’s an established port that now handles riverboat traffic. People don’t give that riverboat traffic credit. We can tell Downtown when those boats are coming in and out. You can definitely feel the economic impact.”
And, Sullivan says, “Our riverfront has been improving anway. The RiverArtsFest was down here this past weekend. And now we’ve got dueling bridges in terms of bridge lights.
“To be able to have a big, open space downtown that can be a venue for the music fest and barbecue is amazingly special. To have those world class events on the Mississippi River at the foot of Beale where Downtown as a whole can be impacted and showcased is a wonderful, wonderful- thing.”
And if Memphis in May has to move somewhere else like Shelby Farms? “That is devastating. And it’s also probably festival busting. This is not a festival that belongs anywhere but on the Mississippi River. And the whole purpose of Memphis in May, its history, everything about it, is Memphis.”
The Commercial Appeal 
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