Most victims of gun violence survive their assaults. Unfortunately, many of these individuals are left with life-altering injuries and grossly inadequate support to help them move forward. First, according to the Memphis Crime Commission, there is a disturbing increase in the rate of violent crime in Shelby County/Memphis. The murder rate has rightfully gotten a lot of attention. Unfortunately, this only tells part of the story. Left out is the ongoing damage for those that survive.
Read MoreMoms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America work to prevent gun violence. Moms filed an Extreme Risk Protection Order (Red Flag) bill in the TN General Assembly earlier in 2021. 19 states and DC have enacted ERPOs, most since 2018 following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Florida. Legislators in those states understood that perpetrators without guns cannot easily kill.
Read MoreIn this Q&A, Justin Pearson, co-founder of Memphis Community Against the Pipeline (MCAP), shares his experience on how he got involved with the Byhalia Connection Pipeline, what he sees as the next top environmental concerns for Memphians, and offers some encouragement to others wanting to make Memphis a healthier place to live.
Read MoreTennessee Governor Lee, aided and abetted by his all too compliant “Republican” majority legislature has launched various executive orders and pushed legislative actions to insist on: Prohibited Concepts in Public Instruction, prohibiting mask mandates in schools (and communities), refusing to allow vital virtual education for students or educators homebound due to quarantine or isolation as well as opting to reduce the number of students schooled in-person to reduce the risk of covid infections surging.
Read MoreSince March of 2020, Baptist Memorial Hospital has seen many patients affect by COVID-19. This letter from Dr. Jeff Wright, a Pulmonologist and critical care medical director, addresses Baptist Hospital staff—and the general public—as there are still many questions surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines. Here’s Dr. Wright’s letter:
Read MoreRecently, Gov. Bill Lee announced and Executive Order that would allow parents to “opt out” of any masking requirements put on their kids by schools or county Health Departments. Unfortunately, doing this has the effect of reducing the effectiveness of masking policies. The primary benefit of a mask is that it greatly reduces the risk that someone who is infected will transmit the virus to others. The natural consequence of Gov. Lee’s EO is that people who are infected will end up not wearing masks
Read MoreAs a scientist who has studied groundwater aquifers and the complex of laws and regulations that keep an aquifer healthy for years, I understand the very real risks an oil pipeline spill would pose to the region’s most precious resource, the Memphis aquifer.
Read MoreThe American Rescue Plan (ARP) that I voted for last week and that President Biden has now signed into law is truly transformational for residents of Memphis. Not only does it address the immediate needs associated with the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout, which has led to much misery, closed businesses and increased unemployment, but it also shores up our modern social safety net in a way that’s both unexpected and long overdue.
Read MoreI remember the days when then-State Senator Steve Cohen was a lone voice in the wilderness as he began introducing medical cannabis bills in TN. Since then, year after year, legislators in Tennessee propose cannabis law reform bills without much hope of passing them. Unfortunately, Tennessee does not have the ability to place citizen-backed ballot initiatives up for the entire state to decide. T
Read MoreTennessee is in a healthcare hole and our government keeps digging. Shelby County, like the rest of the state, faces an ongoing healthcare crisis from the COVID-19. Like everyone else, I have followed the news closely as hospital capacity has dwindled and deaths have soared. As an attorney whose practice involves helping the injured and the disabled, I have increasingly seen the secondary casualties of the epidemic.
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