Posted inDemocracy

Rep. Justin J. Pearson expelled for speaking against gun violence

The Tennessee state legislature, with its Republican supermajority, will vote Thursday on whether to expel three Democratic lawmakers, including Shelby County’s Justin J. Pearson, who represents the 86th District. Pearson, Gloria Johnson of Knoxville and Justin Jones of Nashville are facing expulsion for “disorderly behavior.” Last Thursday, they briefly disrupted a legislative session, leading chants […]

Posted inMethodist Hospital and Debt Collection

Methodist Le Bonheur almost never gave discounts to poor patients during collections, documents show

Since 2014, Memphis’ largest health care system, collected just over $169 million from more than 977,000 patients with bills at least 30 days past due, but only 1% of those received financial assistance during the collections process, the hospital reported in a lengthy response to a query from Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee.

Posted inElections

Van Turner: ‘I can bring credibility to the mayor’s office’

This series is in partnership with the Memphis Flyer. Much of Van Turner’s past work and position have led to him being critical of policing in Memphis. The 48-year-old lawyer, Memphis NAACP chapter president and former county commissioner has marched in support of unarmed Black people killed by police, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and […]

Posted inElections

Floyd Bonner: ‘We’ve got to hold people accountable’

This series is in partnership with the Memphis Flyer. Floyd Bonner, 64, believes in accountability. While discussing public safety with The Memphis Flyer and MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, the two-term sheriff spoke often of the importance of people being held accountable — parents, youth, gun toters.  Yet the Orange Mound native seemed to resist the […]

Posted inGrants

MLK50 receives $190K grant from The Kresge Foundation

MLK50: Justice Through Journalism has been awarded a $190,000 grant from The Kresge Foundation. Founded in 1924 to promote human progress, today “Kresge fulfills that mission by building and strengthening pathways to opportunity for low-income people in America’s cities, seeking to dismantle structural and systemic barriers to equality and justice,” according to the foundation’s website.  […]

Posted inCriminal Justice

What federal judges’ rulings reveal about Memphis police tactics

This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletters, and follow them on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and Facebook. It was a warm weekday afternoon, and Maurice Vaughn had just pulled into his brother-in-law’s driveway — a Memphis police car tailing closely behind, its blue lights flashing. A […]