Memphis Citizens Fighting Back

Budget cuts and violence

blmcgaughy — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:03:50 GMT

I think the violence in our city and what is going on with our politicians goes hand in hand. If we are not putting money into schools and education then how are we to eduacate and change the lives of our rising generation? Our children learn by example and in turn teach what they learn. And if they see those who have sworn a duty to protect and serve them not being held accountable for the decisions that are being made in their behalf then why should we expect them to know any different. The Mayor with all due respect should stop looking out for himself and remember why he made the decision to be in politics. He is a leader in the community and many will follow his example. And we should hold him accountable for his stewardship. And our city should not have to suffer and sacrifice our safety and the future of our children. This is not what America was built on and this is not the heart of Memphis. The Mayor needs to remember who he is and where he came from. Because people cared for him as a child he is where he is today. That same opportunity should be given to the citizens of Memphis. And as we educate our children and show a repect for the law and for the people of Memphis then I believe that things will change. We become what is expected of us. That is human nature.

Converter Boxes

lisafranchette — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:10:32 GMT

Channel 30, is my favorite station. After today, I don't know. I think it was poor judgement on the stations part to continue with the transfer the station doing at this time. If the Federal Goverment changed the date to June 12th, why channel 30 could not wait? I have not received my coupons yet, and it has been a month. I was going to purchase a converter box Sunday. Radio Shack was out. I spoke to friends and family members. They are experiencing the same problem. This to me is another way for you to have to spend money. This process has become a big mess. Channel 30 and 24 has not help, in this matter. How are you going to cut out the way most people view your program, when the station knows there is a problem with the process of getting a converter box. I really don't think this is right. Channel 30 and 24 could have waited just like the other local stations. I wonder how much intrest do the cable company have in this proccess.

neighborhood info

caroleeee — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:08:31 GMT

Where is the info about crime in the neighborhoods - the real time crime tracker?

WARNING ALL CAR BUYERS

dean2 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:36:07 GMT

Warning! I went to the Chuck Hutton Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership on Mount Moriah, in Memphis, Tennessee to the labor day sale to buy a new dodge truck that was advertised at 50% off in the Commercial Appeal newspaper. When I got there I felt good because they had the truck that was advertised. As we went to test drive the vehicle I was not surprised to find someone else who had come in after me was wanting to drive the same truck. I test drove the truck, shook the hand of the sales guy while still in the vehicle on a cash deal agreement to buy it at the advertised sales price in the paper. Back at the dealership things started turning ugly real quick. They wanted to charge me 1000 more because I was paying cash. After much arguing I finally gave in and agreed to that!! Then they started trying to sell me on a different truck. I was standing firm and insisted we had an agreement on this truck. Then I found they were selling the same truck to the guy that came in behind me and who was in the lobby. When I told this man I was buying this truck, his salesman told him don't listen to me, and then said," he isn't buying the truck." The next thing I know- someone else was test driving the truck! When I refused to buy a different truck my salesman finally admitted to me that they had sold that SAME truck to someone else earlier. I was helpless and have never seen such arrogant -in-your-face-oh-well-and too-bad, frivolous sales operation. It was very obvious they were using this one low-priced truck to try to sell everyone else on a different and more expensive vehicle. I feel like hiring an attorney! If you experienced the same please post it on these guys. They wasted my entire day and I felt extremely "used" after the experience.

center city commission pays to get rid of bums

theboxman — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:28:13 GMT

Street-people.com, a memphis based website, was started almost two years ago to do something about the street people in our city. After serving as volunteers at soup kitchens, working on fundraisers for shelters, and donating to the parking meters that are supposed to provide programs for the street people we got feed up. It seemed our city leaders felt that they had designed pretty posters telling us not to give change to beggars and that was all it was going to take to make the street people problem go away.

Yet it seems to get worse every day. It got so bad for two downtown cubical slaves that this site was launched to document that the guy you just gave a dollar to while you made a dash to your office to punch in before being considered late, or coming out of a restaurant on your lunch break, is not going to use it to get off the streets. He is most likely going to use it to buy some substance that will scramble his brain until tomorrow when he can ask you for another dollar.

We hoped a little shame, a little truth, and some outrageous comments would get something to change. It has to a degree. The street people team has been featured on local radio and news raising awareness. Our effort seems to be a clarion call as news media from around the country has featured stories about our efforts including an interview with our team being named one of the “Top Ten Interviews for 2007” by WAQY radio. Our site will be featured in Xploited magazine from San Francisco.

Don't ask me for money

Locally others have joined the effort from bloggers, to reporters, message boards and forums. Paul Ryburn (http://www.paulryburn.com/blog) has done a great job rallying downtown people to address the issue and his efforts have probably been one of the reasons the Center City Commission got so many calls asking for something to be done.

What beggars?

A special thanks goes to our Mayor Herenton. We are all so glad that you lead this effort to promote downtown business and tourism in our city by leading the effort! The again I guess this could be considered your job creation program. Even in a post this serious you need a little sarcasm.

The Center City Commission is now planning to spend budget dollars to hire a private security firm to combat aggressive panhandling. Street-people.com applauds the effort to a degree. We hope this will not be the only effort to address the issue because if you read through our site you will learn that other cities used this technique and all it did was relocate the street people to another part of the city that was not being patrolled. What our city needs is to combine all the efforts of the social programs, church based efforts, and shelters. Could it be that the free lunches that churches give to the homeless and the shelters offering a warm place to sleep might just be enabling these people to stay on the street?

It might be time as a community to rethink how we address this issue because the street people population is made up of a diverse mix of people from those who work but just can’t make ends meet, to substance abusers, to those with mental health issues. It would seem a better use of budget dollars for all these organizations and our police to start tracking street people; much like the police do gangs, and work to get them into comprehensive social programs with long term impact.

Alpha-Omega Veterans service is successful at getting veterans off the street, reconnected to a social network, and into a job. Why can’t we create a joint effort between all the people that are currently enabling these street people? Think about the cost of taking a street person to court for a fine – if they don’t have the money all they are going to do is lock them up in jail after they get two or three panhandling fines and then we the citizens are going to be paying to support the street person through our taxes.

I'll wait here to ask you for change

I would rather have police dollars spent on stopping the next murder or high school shooting than dealing with a street person. It would be better use of our tax dollars, of the money donated by donors to the soup kitchens and shelters, and of social service budget dollars to create a comprehensive program. In Prague, they have a program that provides street people with shelter each night. While at the shelter, social service officers work to identify street people with substance abuse issues, mental health issues, or in need of social programs so they can work to get them back into society. If we are truly the greatest nation on earth why can we not treat our citizens in the same manner? It seems to make good business sense as this type of program would cost less in the long run. Otherwise when the Center City Commission stops funding the security – like human cockroaches the panhandlers will be back.

The Community Project

Prince Rome — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 21:55:18 GMT

There are alot of issues that I am very concerned about, one is gangs in our community as well as in our schools. I myself was a gang member at one point in my life and right today I can't find any reason why I made that choice. I've been to jail, prison, shot at and lost the respect of people I needed. I stayed drunk, high, beat people up just because I thought it was a cool thing to do, what did I get out of it? Nothing but a reputation that I can't run from. I'm here to share with you the young generation that gangs is not a good way to go. The only future in gang bangin is death and/or prison for doing negative things that could have been avoided. Ask yourself this question. Do you feel that your "so called" gang homies will have your back if you commit a crime and all of you were picked up by the police? Who do you think will tell it all? There is someone doing time now because they felt that their homies had their back. There is no such thing as a cool gang, they all run on the same principles and when you get caught up in the life, it don't make you cool, but it will make you look foolish. Only cowards join gangs because they think they are safe and that the homies got their back, but what happens when the homies turn their back on you? Why kill people over stupidity? Why beat people up over things that can be resolved peacefully? Another issue is guns. Only cowards tote guns. Gun violence has torn this community apart. We all have lost loved ones due to gun violence. Why would you kill someone mother, father, brother or sister? What kind of joy could a person get out of that? Why would you want to spend the rest of your life in prison for taking the life of someone who wanted to live? You have to ask yourself these questions.

Our communities need peace. Our communities need Rolemodels. Our communities need to stand up and take responsibility for our communities in which we live. Quit trying to blame someone for all your problems and start accepting the fact that we all have failed each other as parents, community leaders, teachers, law enforcement officers and community activists like myself.

Let us all come together in unity and take back our communities. Teach and educate our children, keep our children in school and create after-school activities that will keep them off the street.

These are just a few of the many issues that are troubling our communities and if we don't start rebuilding now it will get worst in the future. Until next time, Peace!

Jerome Higgs

718 Lewis Street, Forrest City, Arkansas.72335

Email: jhiggs@2by2.net

FORMER PRESIDENT FOR THE WEST TENNESSEE VICTIM'S RIGHTS TASKFORCE OFFERS A CRIME SOLUTION FOR MEMPHIS -CREATING A VOICE FOR SILENCE CAMPAIGN-DEMANDS VOLUNTEERS TO ENGAGE IN SOCIAL CHANGE TO REDUCE CRIME...

Oracle — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:08:19 GMT

CREATING A VOICE FOR SILENCE CAMPAIGN-DEMANDS VOLUNTEERS TO COME OUT AND ENGAGE IN "SOCIAL WELLNESS" -OCT 13,2007

As the former president for the West Tennessee victim's rights taskforce and a rehabilitating Five Star perfoming member of management , it saddens me to see little to no change in this area of crime. The worst reality check is that crime is "everywhere' and "injustices" in Memphis echoes our Southern condition as relayed by Ida B. Wells in the "People's Grocery " case right here in Memphis. The same operation of "Career Lynchings" are breeding "social violence and crime"-we must address the southern condition /position now in order to save our future/children. I am currently , a U of M senior designing a degree in Social Wellness and Community Research Resource Technology Development in order to apply some of the many techniques learned from years of research, work experiences and life lessons into our global community. On Oct 13, 2007 at 3030 Poplar Ave, memphis , Tennessee from 9am-1, ARIZE V RENAISSANCE CENTER, my non profit organization (501c3) will begin to address THE issue of Social Wellness and introduce some applications (HUMACULTURE as a solution with Dr. Dayo Ajanaku commitment to be present to lead this charge for social change). We have several Overton high School Kappa Artist who have worked with us passionately through the summer using their art to decrease crime: We committed to "responding to JENA6 after our return and this therapeutic artistic strategic plan is our response to promote dialogue and healing globally. This is one of the SOLUTIONS we must journey to promote Social Wellness Contact: 901-340-7946/ arizeindependent@bellsouth.net. We must begin to "engage in social change on the grassroots level" before we will see any results in crime. years of research, assisting victim's families, rallies, faciliating government organizations, lobbying for laws and even , attempting to incoporate cultural diversity in Corporate America has "proven that " the ARIZE solutions for social change must begin now. So, if citizens and organizations really want to make a difference in our CRIME-Come and register to be apart of the many projects ARIZE will incorporate into our global community to save our future and future workforce.

citizens against crime

pksc — Tue, 22 May 2007 04:08:13 GMT

crime is out of control in this community, true...but going to nashville isn't going to solve the problem. those going are frustrated and want to do something....anything.

the problem is right here and so is the solution..make our local government face their responsibilities...and that doesn't mean throw more of our tax dollars at the problem. we have the assets and laws in place; herenton and godwin have to face their indecision and ineptness and crack down using the resources at hand.

we don't need more redundant laws on the books; we need to demand that the laws we have are enforced and the courts don't drop the ball. no bail for violent offenders. especially repeat offenders. there'as a mandantory 10 year FEDERAL law on the books that can be used for anyone committing a crime with a firearm...but the clowns downtown have to CHARGE a suspect with it. it's like the "forget" a gun was involved in this or that crime...a criminal is charged with aggravated robbery or assault...but no firearms charge is EVER levied.

i'll give more money to a responsible administration whose focus is on crime....herenton and wharton need to quite dismantling the fairgrounds and making grand plans for their legacies...quite thinking about more STADIUMS and build more JAILS....quite spending on more do-nothing social programs and start spending on long, hard time....

Street people one year later

theboxman — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 12:34:23 GMT

www.street-people.com is celebrating the one year mark of documenting the panhandlers, scammers, and street people in our city. It is not something we are happy to celebrate. We had hoped by highlighting the issue something would change

Our effort has raised the interest of other bloggers, started a forum, and generated interest in local media.

The street people are part of the problem in several ways:

1. They create an image that our city is unsafe because people are panhandled. Street-people.com has tracked the panhandlers from downtown, mid-town and all the way out east in Germantown. It is a county wide problem

It impacts tourism dollars, conference meeting that might get scheduled here, and business development just as the hookers by Smith& Nephew impacts their business.

2. Police are called to deal with panhandlers and are taken away for more serious crimes. Often the police need to address the drunk and disorderly panhandlers (not that all are) but they arrest the panhandlers who go to jail for a day or two, get free meals on our tax dollars and medical care, and then are back out on the street. Maybe if we had a better system for dealing with these people it would be a better us of our police department, and tax dollars.

So I think addressing this issue needs to be part of the crime discussion as it we solve it we would free up officers to deal with larger crime