Image Credit: Antonio Parkinson / Facebook & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
Democrat Rep. Antonio Parkinson (Memphis-District 98) has seemingly broken from the more outspokenly hostile members of his party to acknowledge the additional policing of the community through the Memphis Safe Task Force has reduced crime and overall bad behavior.
Parkinson made national headlines after clips of an interview began circulating where he said “you can’t argue” that crime rates have continued to drop with the presence of the task force and that behavior changes are happening.
“People are rushing out to get their [vehicle] tags now, you can switch lanes without a fen-fen [slang for a swerving car] almost knocking you off the freeway, zipping past you at a thousand miles per hour. There are behavior differences that are happening, and it’s evident,” he stated.
He even went a step further, revealing he had spoken with several members of the National Guard currently deployed as part of the task force, encouraging them to apply to the Memphis Police Department.
“I was telling them [Guard members] about some of the job opportunities we had with the police department, they’re from other small towns in some cases, and some of them were going to apply for some of these jobs…They were enjoying themselves, this was downtown, and some of them said they were already thinking about applying for jobs here. Wouldn’t that be a spin on the story?” he recounted.
Parkinson’s position is vastly different from other local Democrats who have publicly opposed the task force, especially the National Guard.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, alongside other county officials, filed suit against Gov. Bill Lee and other state officials seeking an immediate halt to the deployment, claiming it violates the Tennessee constitution and state law. A hearing for the injunction has been set for Nov. 3.
Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis-District 86), who is also running for Congress, has constantly called the President’s creation of the task force and deployment of the National Guard “authoritarian” and a “military occupation”, the same talking points used by other local Democrat elected officials to express their displeasure with the joint operations.
To date, the Memphis Safe Task Force has made over 1,200 arrests, with nearly 20% being immigration related. Over 60 missing children have been recovered, and many notable arrests have been made since the task force commenced less than one month ago.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
3 Responses
Good for Democrat Rep. Antonio Parkinson (Memphis-District 98). I might donate to him – he’s smart and honest.
Memphis is incredibly dangerous. Don’t go there unless you must and if you do, carry a gun and watch your back – the killers sheak up behind people and shoot them in the back.
Sounds like he might have a little sense, definitely in the minority. Nobody with good sense wants to work under lucifer’s accursed dimmercraps though.
“Parkinson’s position is vastly different from other local Democrats who have publicly opposed the task force, especially the National Guard.” That is because he is not thinking like a Democrat. He is thinking like a man that wants the best for the people he serves.