Residents line up to express their concerns to Memphis city leaders at evenings town hall held at Whitehaven High School. photos by Don Mooney
by Don Mooney
MEMPHIS, Tenn—60-days into his administration Memphis Mayor Paul is making moves shoring up his commitment made during his campaign and inauguration speech establishing an holistic approach to positively affect and change the direction of the city. Memphis Mayor Paul Young held his first “One Memphis” community meeting in Whitehaven on Tuesday. Facing a barrage of questions from fellow Memphians worried about the city’s future.
Whitehaven High School was the first stop of a series of meetings designed for the mayors office to meet constituents face-to-face and hear concerns of citizens across the city. The tone for tonight’s gathering was set by Whitehaven High School’s marching band inside the campus auditorium energizing Bluff CIty residents.
“We are the largest majority-minority Black city in the nation. My goal is for us to wear that as a badge of honor,” Mayor Young told the crowd gathered in the Whitehaven High School auditorium. Mayor Young and his department heads, including Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis, took questions from constituents.
“My question is about the smash and grabs,” said Lawanda Thornton, owner of two Lavish stores. “My store in Whitehaven has been hit not once, not twice, but three times!”
“I’ve got a restaurant that was broken into several times,” said restaurant owner Jason Gardner, owner of TRAP Fusion. Chief Davis told them her officers are cracking cases and catching criminals.
“We’ve made several arrests of individuals who are part of these smash and grabs,” said Chief Davis. “Our issue, and I’m just going to put it out there, is keeping them in jail.”
Mayor Young also talked about crime-fighting solutions. He said Memphis is looking at OMAHA 360, a successful program used in Omaha, Nebraska, that leverages a network of organizations that meet weekly and share data. Young stated Memphis is doing a Gun Problem Analysis, studying gunshot data to determine who is responsible for much of the crime.
And the Memphis Police Department, assisted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, recently unveiled Operation Code Zero, making hundreds of traffic stops looking for guns, drugs, and lawbreakers.
Young said non-profits and local groups are working with troubled youth. Community clean-ups and blight patrol efforts are increasing. It’s a holistic approach, he said, to making Memphis safer.
”So, it’s not just about the law-enforcement aspect. It’s all about making the community whole,” said Young. The “One Memphis” conversation will move to other parts of the city. The Tennessee Texan will provide updates and keep you posted on dates, times, and locations.