The most important race on the 2022 Shelby County ballot is the District Attorney’s race. Even more important than County Mayor, because of the DA’s wide, single-handed power. The DA has broad discretion over who to prosecute, what to charge, what plea agreements to accept, and what sentencing recommendations to make.
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 MoreAs one of Shelby County’s ten Judicial Commissioners, I must decide whether or not a person should have an order of protection against another person. Our office reviews and makes decisions on thousands of petitions every year in an effort to provide abuse victims legal protection from their abuser. Although we rarely know the outcome of individual cases, we are all keenly aware that an order of protection is an important and powerful tool for helping victims escape abusive situations.
Read MoreFuture 901 has been instrumental in cultivating grassroots successes across our community. They have recruited and supported candidates in our most important swing seats. They have created opportunities for the wider community to plug in and participate in electoral politics. I am pleased to have received their endorsement. This is an important electoral season and Future901 has demonstrated time and time again they understand this process.
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 MoreEvery week I sit with a group of leaders and law enforcement officials from around our community to discuss the shootings in our city the prior week. We look at each case, each victim, each life forever altered by gun violence. We methodically go through every precinct, every shooting, every injury, every hospital admission, every death. And while we look for patterns, connections, ways to help, ways to serve our heartbroken community, every week it becomes more and more clear - we are fighting not just the COVID-19 pandemic, but a pandemic of gun violence as well.
Read MoreIn Making the Grade 2020, the Educational Law Center (ELC) gave Tennessee a grade of “F” for public school funding level and funding effort, as the state spends on average $3,655 less per student than the national average. But this isn’t a new problem. According to the ELC, “if they had made the same effort to fund schools as in 2008, Tennessee would have raised $1,065 more per pupil in 2018.” But the issue isn’t just a lack of effort, it’s a problem with the formula.
Read MoreVictories for the victors are short and sweet. The victory of Memphis and Shelby County over the multi-billion dollar Byhalia Pipeline was a triumph of common sense. The threat of an oil spill was an accident waiting to happen. All of us who live in this part of the world know that our drinking water is not worth the risk. The community was galvanized by the fight – but this was a potential threat to our water supply. What about the existing pollution?
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:
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