Memphis Stories – Memphis Is Incredibly Dangerous. Don’t Go There. But If You Must, Stay Alert And Watch For Killers. (Op-Ed By Milton Huddleston)

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Submitted by Milton Huddleston –

I’m writing this as a good deed. I think it’s true but if you see errors or have something to add, please comment below. There are a lot of links below to information.

The truth needs to be told about Memphis and everyone needs to know how dangerous Memphis is. I think everything below is true. The first step to solving a problem is to admit there is a problem and Memphis officials seem to be in denial.

Memphis, TN is the most dangerous city in America – its Crime Index is much higher than Detroit, Baltimore, or any other city. 

My advice > Do NOT visit Memphis or move there. It is seriously dangerous and has been for at least 20 years. Tell your friends and family. It is truly one of the most dangerous cities in the US and by far the most dangerous in TN. If you must go, stay alert and watch for killers. Realize that someone might walk up behind you and shoot you in the back. Criminals drive around in stolen cars looking for someone to rob. 

Can outsiders solve Memphis’ crime problems? I doubt it. I think Memphis residents are going to have to want to solve their crime problems. It appears that the people in Memphis have become accustomed to crimes that are shocking to most people, but normal to Memphis. An abnormal culture of crime has become “normal” to them and they aren’t outraged like most people would be. They will say “That’s just Memphis” and its nickname is “Memphganistan”. Examples are below.

Some people say the Memphis government is corrupt (see below) and in May 2025, Homeland Security labeled Shelby County as a “Sanctuary Jurisdiction”. If the government is corrupt, that needs to be discussed and stop being a Sanctuary County, focus on reducing poverty and the crime rate.

# 1 – Memphis Stories. A test of your ability to think like a criminal. Answers are at the end of this paragraph >

(a). In Memphis workers can’t go up an electric pole without an armed guard on the ground. Why?

(b). Have you ever heard of a “Memphis Door”? Can you guess what it is for?

(c). Can you guess why a Memphis company told employees to close the blinds if they were working after dark?

Answers > (a). Because criminals drive around in stolen cars and if they see someone on an electric pole without a guard they will stop, pull out a gun and say “Throw down your wallet”. (b). Memphis Doors are Steel doors to keep out Home Invaders. The criminals steal a van, fill it with armed criminals, back up to a front door, bust it down, and rush in and rob the occupants. (c). So they won’t be killed by snipers.

# 2 – Memphganistan > A famous rapper from Memphis named MoneyBagg Yo wrote a song in 2021 named “Memphganistan” and in 2024 it was made into a movie. Memphis is so dangerous that he moved to Atlanta in 2022 to escape the violence in Memphis after his friend Big Nuskie was murdered.

# 3 – Have you ever heard of a city where this happened > In 2018, the CEO of the Memphis Chamber of Commerce was murdered – a random robbery – he was shot in the back. The killers were driving a stolen truck looking for someone to rob. They jumped out, killed him, and then robbed him. 

# 4 – Sanctuary County > As recently as May 2025, Homeland Security labeled Shelby County as a “Sanctuary Jurisdiction”. In response, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris rejected the label and emphasized Memphis’ diversity. That is incredibly dumb given the poverty and high unemployment in Memphis, but I’m not surprised.

# 5 – Corruption?  There’s a video titled The “Homicide Capital” of America | Memphis, TN” and one of the comments says > “I live in Memphis and work as a security contractor…. The city is corrupt from top to bottom.” Is this true? I wouldn’t be surprised. Here’s an article from Oct. 2025.

# 6 – Residents have gotten used to crime > An abnormal culture of crime has become “normal” to residents and they aren’t outraged like most people would be. They will say “That’s just Memphis”. Below are 4 Memphis Stories that I heard or experienced personally >

(a). I worked with a guy from a rich Memphis family. One day he told me he was going to a funeral because one of his wife’s girlfriends in Memphis had been murdered. Keep in mind that these were rich people and he was in his 30’s. He said she had gone to meet a friend for dinner at a nice restaurant, came out to her car, and a stranger walked up and shot her in the head. They thought it was a gang initiation. I was shocked and said “That’s terrible. I’ll bet that was front page news”. He looked at me and said words I’ll never forget > “No. That’s just Memphis”. 

(b). The same guy told me that he visited his family in Memphis over Christmas. He was talking to his brother who lived in a Gated Community with a security guard surrounded by a brick wall. The brother said “I could just kick myself.” The reason was because he forgot to chain his bicycle to the pole in his garage and it was stolen. Think about that. A gated, walled community with a guard and he still had to chain his bicycle to a pole in his garage. And he blamed himself because it was stolen.

c). Where can I get a Memphis Door? The rich guy was given a home in a wealthy area of Nashville by a family member, He came into my office and said “Do you know where I can get a Memphis Door? I’ve looked all over and can’t find one. Everyone has them in Memphis.” I had never heard of a Memphis Door and asked “What is a Memphis Door?” He explained to me that it was to keep out the home invaders who would steal a van, back it up to a front door, break down the front door, rush inside, and rob the occupants. I told him “We don’t need that in Nashville.”

(d). Add it to my collection > 2 guys who worked for a Memphis company went there for training. The facility had an outdoor track. They were walking on the track and one stepped on something. It was the lead part of a bullet. He took it inside and handed it to the security guard. The guard pulled out a can full of lead bullets and said “Add it to my collection.”

# 7 – Denial and Not Admitting There is a Problem > Google “memphis crime problem” and look at the articles that come up. As recently as Sept. 2025 the Memphis Police Dept. bragged that “Overall crime is at a 25-year low”

# 8 – Two personal Memphis Stories >

(a). 7 carjackings in one week > About 20 years ago a client asked me to look at a small retail property on a 5-lane highway near the Airport. I pulled up at about 10 am and noticed bars on the windows. I’ve seen that before but it worried me a little. There was a Bank of America next door and a security guard was out front. I walked over and asked him if he was taking a break. He said “No, I’m stationed out front.” I said “In Nashville, the guards are inside the bank.” He said “There’s a guard inside the bank too. I’m out here because there were 7 carjackings last week in this parking lot.” I got out of there.

(b). The “dead-eye gang” > On the same trip I drove to the north side of Memphis to take photos of a property across from the Raleigh Springs Mall. It was about noon. I noticed weird writing on the back of the building – later I was told it was gang-tagging. I noticed a guy about 100 feet away walking slowly down the sidewalk. I thought he was drunk or on drugs because he would take one step and stop, and then slowly take another step. He stopped and turned to look at me. He stared at me making eye contact and never blinked or moved – like a statue. It was scary and weird and after a minute I turned around and went to my car. Later I told the rich guy from Memphis and he said “That sounds like the dead-eye gang. They walk around like zombies. I carry a big handgun in my car and if they walk in front of my car I hold it up and they walk away.”

I believe everything here is true but if you disagree, please comment below. People need to know the truth.