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 inCriminal Justice
Questions for Memphis’ next police director, from people not invited to ask
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism knew some folks with questions for the candidates. We asked nonprofit and religious leaders, activists and youth what they would ask if given the opportunity.
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
City Council pauses new gas station, used tire shop projects in Memphis
A 245-day moratorium on the building and opening of new gas stations and used tire shops, approved by the Memphis City Council on Tuesday, will pause such projects while officials study their growth and the effects on communities of color.
Posted inByhalia Connection Pipeline
Pipeline ‘reckless, racist and a rip-off,’ says Gore at rally against Byhalia project
“Thank you for having a backbone and a conscience,” Al Gore told property owner Clyde Robinson before an event opposing the pipeline.
Posted inCoronavirus
One year for workers under COVID-19: “I remember people saying we’re essential, but it feels more like we’re sacrifices”
Essential workers are medical and public safety employees, but also those keeping food and other necessities on our tables and in our homes.
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 inMemphis
Melvin Jones, Memphis’ Black business booster, dies at 65
Passing up a promising – and personally lucrative – career with a white shoe law firm in St. Louis, Melvin Jones struck out to do something that was more fulfilling and would be a legacy that showed his life had made a difference.
Posted inElections
You asked, they answered
As we approach one of the most momentous mayoral elections in Memphis’ history, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism and the Memphis Flyer have partnered on a unique experiment. With public safety on the minds of the voters, we polled our readers to find out what questions they would ask the mayoral candidates, if they had a […]
Posted inElections
Paul Young: ‘We have to build up this additional support for public safety’
This series is in partnership with the Memphis Flyer. While Paul Young, 43, has never held elected office, he’s been one of the most influential men in Memphis for a while. As president of the Downtown Memphis Commission for the last two and a half years, he’s led the quasi-governmental commission’s efforts to restart Downtown’s […]
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
Willie Herenton: At 83 ‘sharper than a lot of 30- and 40-year-olds’
This series is in partnership with the Memphis Flyer. Yes, Willie Herenton is 83. And he’s fit. If you ask, the former mayor will tell you that he takes two-mile walks by the Mississippi during the hottest part of the day just to challenge himself. (He brings water.) He mostly eats fish and vegetables 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 inNewsroom
Get These Hands and this joy with MLK50
Join MLK50: Justice Through Journalism for our second “Get These Hands” spades tournament and game night fundraiser at the Balinese Ballroom on Nov. 3. We’ll have a fun-filled evening centered on Black joy featuring card and board games, dancing, smack talking, food and an open bar. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and the event […]
Posted inCommentary
A call to action against systems of injustice
Memphis and Atlanta will always have a psychic connection due to the history and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Before the motel, the shooting, the riots and the mourning, there was the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike. In April 1968, King pivoted his work on the Poor People’s Campaign to travel from Atlanta to […]
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 inHousing
Widowed, betrayed and evicted: One woman’s story from an eviction crisis
When Howard Davis’ name was called in Shelby County’s eviction court on July 17, an older woman arose from her seat. The landlord’s lawyer, confused, turned to her and asked if she was Howard. No, she said, Howard had died in April; she was Dianne Davis, his wife. She explained that she would pay her […]
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 […]