Image Credit: Screengrab from FOX13 Memphis
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A Memphis area pastor is calling for the National Guard’s assistance as violence continues to overtake the city.
Reverend Kenneth T. Whalum is asking Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris to “request from Gov. (Bill) Lee that” the National Guard be mobilized to “patrol our streets overnight until we get crime under control.”
A weekend shooting in Memphis injured eight individuals and sparked the latest request for more extreme help.
“I have reached out to them twice; both times they responded…they both said no,” Whalum stated. “If it’s true, it militarizes our streets, guess who’s been militarizing our streets? The gangs.”
According to Whalum, the situation has gotten out of control.
“Our kids can’t go to a football jamboree without being worried about being shot,” he said, referencing gunfire that happened at a football game at Cordova High School last weekend.
Whalum says the situation has reached the point of “emergency.”
“I think it has reached the level of public health emergency as well as public safety emergency,” he continued.
Whalum’s plea for help comes as the Tennessee legislature prepares to hold a special session on public safety.
Democratic Senator Raumesh Akbari of Memphis blames the weapons, previously stating, “We have a real opportunity with our special session to get rid of some of the guns that are on the street.”
Whalum disagrees, saying, “The gangs and the dope boys…are more well-armed than we are.”
According to the Commercial Appeal, the rate of violent crimes all increased in the first quarter of 2023 with the murder rate rising 34% from 2022-2023 and cases of rape rising 41%.
Akbari did, however, note that a big part of the problem is that guns are often stolen from vehicles. During Lee’s special session, discussion will take place to consider options to incentivize individuals for using safer gun storage options.
5 Responses
Interesting and really naive that Akbari thinks ‘stolen guns’ are the problem – what a joke – the criminals won’t stop at stealing gun from cars, they’ll steal them from homes, firearms retailers….so, obviously, Akbari really believes that ‘guns are the issue’ and we need to rid ourselves of them all! Except, thugs will be thugs and they’ll use what ever works, to perpetrate their crimes. Violent crimes are rising because our enforcement and judicial systems ‘coddle’ criminal behavior, period. Don’t you dare take the rights of good citizens away because criminals are more active. Leftist’s arguments can’t hide their agenda – total control….”from my cold dead hands!”
CORRECT. WHY DOES A DR INMATE NEED A LAPTOP? WHAT ABOUT THE COST OF EXERCISE EQUIPMENT? ART CLASSES?
Memphis is as Deep Blue as NYC. Crime is rampant because they allow it to be. No bail stupidity makes it worse. Eliza Flechter’s story was another Willie Horton one. The same goes for the Christian Newsom story in Knoxville. Violent Career Criminals are released too often.
What about electing Politicians who believe in the Rule of Law and not defund the police and give criminals a FREE pass??
These are street gangs; an organized criminal enterprise. Guns and violence are tools of the trade. These professional criminals are purchasing their guns, probably in bulk. Even the guns that were stolen were probably not stolen in TN. Bay Area gangs in California were importing weapons from Southeast Asia and Mexico then distributing them across the US. I am sure they were not the only source. The broker on that deal, Ca State Senator Leeland Yee, was known as California’s leading proponent of gun control before his arrest. Point is, professional criminals will source the tools to do their work from other professionals who supply those tools. Until Memphis and other Blue areas stop looking at gangs as “at risk youth” and making dishonest and stupid excuses for their behavior, that behavior will continue.