Tennessee House Speaker Wants “Strike Force” To Hit Memphis Gangs

Photo: Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton is calling troops — both federal and state — to be deployed to Memphis. Photo Credit: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout

**Note from The Tennessee Conservative – This article posted here for informational purposes only.

By Sam Stockard [Tennessee Lookout -CC BY-NC-ND 4.0] –

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said Thursday he favors sending a federal-state combo “strike force” into Memphis to cut down on gang activity there.

In the latest episode of “To deploy or not to deploy,” Sexton told reporters he and other state officials are talking to the Trump administration about sending National Guard troops to the West Tennessee city. The Crossville Republican said he supports more federal resources in Memphis with limited use of Guard personnel, possibly at night to maintain law and order.

In addition to a role for the National Guard there, Sexton said the state needs to activate an “anti-gang unit” or “strike force.”

“There’s over a hundred gangs in Memphis right now that are doing most of the crime damage and shootings and everything,” Sexton said.

The speaker said newly-appointed U.S. Attorney Mike Dunavant could help with prosecutions, bypassing Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, who is considered soft on crime by Republican lawmakers.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order two weeks ago directing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to set up quick strike forces that could be deployed in the nation’s largest cities.

Gov. Bill Lee, who sent Tennessee Guard troops to Washington, D.C., said last week anything is possible with deployment, changing his tune a bit after saying the previous week that sending troops to Memphis wasn’t under consideration. Initially, he defended his stance by pointing toward a 15% decrease in Memphis crime over the past year.

Democratic state Rep. Jesse Chism of Memphis last week responded to calls for an audit of the Memphis Police crime report by saying the efforts of the agency shouldn’t be doubted, nor should the National Guard occupy Memphis.

“The barometer’s going in the right direction,” Chism told the Lookout Thursday, referring to the same crime report as Lee. “I’m afraid that if you bring in troops that know nothing about the city or people in it, the unintended consequences would be people being harassed or detained for no reason other than misinformation.”

Trump ordered the California National Guard to Los Angeles this summer in response to protests over his immigration deportation policies, then sent in Marines. Gov. Gavin Newsom sued Trump, and one court ruled the president broke the law.

In Tennessee’s case, Republican leaders are more willing to side with the president. 

Sexton didn’t appear quite as enthused about putting troops on the streets of Nashville, which he said isn’t in the White House conversation for deployment.

Still, because of Trump’s concerns about cracking down on crime, he cautioned local government leaders to focus on law enforcement to protect residents and tourists.