Good Monday morning from Memphis, where a Memphian's action thriller is slated to be the subject of Netflix's most financially ambitious film project yet. But first...
One of the big questions during the pandemic has been how the shuttering of society would affect crime rates, especially in high-crime cities like Memphis.
And now we know.
After Shelby County mayors issued their stay-at-home orders on March 24, violent crime rates soared over the next three months, rising 9.7% in Memphis and 9.1% countywide, per the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, as reported by our Corinne Kennedy. The driving factors? Murders are up 29.9% in Memphis and 26.2% countywide, while reported aggravated assaults were up 15.3% in the city and 14.7% countywide. Earlier this month, we reported that 120 Memphians have been reported murdered so far this year, up from 92 last year, putting the city on pace to break its 2016 record of 228.
On the flip side, burglaries and robberies were down, although that was probably due to people staying home more often and to businesses being closed.
Back in May, a week the local reopening entered Phase 2, I made the case that a crime wave was coming — a wave that now appears to be crashing down on Greater Memphis — and that the city and county should be taking preventative measures like beefing up youth services. Here's an excerpt explaining the crux of the problem:
There's a growing body of evidence that the shutdowns will take all of the factors that go into someone's decision to commit a crime — including poverty and hopelessness — and make them worse. That's especially bad news for Memphis, which is already one of the poorest large cities in the U.S., with an overall poverty rate of 27.8% in 2018, and was last year ranked the most dangerous city in the South and second most in the U.S.
Worst of all, the worst might not be behind Memphis and the rest of Shelby County.
The number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is on the upswing again, with 469 new cases reported Sunday, the fourth day in a week that newly reported cases topped 400. (And remember, Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter recently said the county's contact tracers only have the capacity to handle up to 400 new cases a day in a timely manner.) As of Saturday, 89% of acute care hospital beds and of intensive care units were occupied. If cases and hospitalizations continue rising, they could mean more closures, although the closures would probably be more targeted.
Would another shutdown, or even a partial one, add to the misery and poverty that's helping drive up violence? That's one question local officials will need to consider as they weigh whether another shutdown to stop the spread of COVID-19 is worth the cost.
Forrest marker broken, will return
Back in 2018, after years of mostly behind-the-scenes work, a dedicated group of historians and advocates successfully erected a second marker at the site of the early home of Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest in Downtown Memphis.
The marker, which was installed outside of Calvary Episcopal, told the "whole story" of what the first marker callously described as Forrest's "business enterprises." The marker, titled "Forrest and the Memphis Slave Trade," clarified that his business was slave trading and that he was "uniquely engaged in the buying and selling of Africans illegally smuggled into the United States, in violation of an 1808 congressional ban."
That marker — and not the first one — was just broken off from its stand in an apparent act of vandalism, as reported Sunday by our Max Garland. It's (ironically) unclear whether the vandal(s) were trying to make a point — or if this was just a random act.
Either way, Tim Huebner, a Rhodes College history professor and member of Calvary who was instrumental in erecting the marker, said the marker will be back:
The broken marker has been stored inside the church, Huebner said. The church aims to repair the marker with help from the Metal Museum.
“If we’re not able to have it fixed in that way, we will figure out how to raise the money for a new marker,” Huebner said. “We are determined to put the marker up to tell the story of what happened at that site.”
Speaking of adding context: Memphis City Council member Michalyn Easter-Thomas penned an op-ed for us laying out her case for renaming the stretch of Poplar Avenue in front of the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center (aka "201 Poplar") "Black Lives Matter Avenue." She's proposed a resolution to do just that, as mentioned last week.
A Shelby County early voting update
Early voting ahead of the Aug. 6 Shelby County general election and state and federal primaries started Friday, and it's off to a decent clip, per the Election Commission:
If you're looking for more information about the candidates, the Memphis Library's "Informed Voter" page is a good starting point. And if you're looking for more on absentee voting, our Katherine Burgess has everything you need to know.
Netflix to adapt Memphian's thriller
On its way to creating a new James Bond-esque franchise, Netflix plans to spend $200 million on an adaptation of a Memphis author's thriller novel, our John Beifuss reports.
Mark Greaney's thriller "The Grey Man," about a fictional freelance assassin and ex-CIA agent, will become a Netflix movie starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. Gosling will portray the main character, Court Gentry, while Evans (aka Captain America) will play the villain, former CIA operative Lloyd Hansen. Lord willing and the 'rona don't rise, shooting on the first installment of the franchise is expected to begin in January.
Cool thing about Greaney: He's a Memphian by birth and by choice. More on his background and some of the ways he's given back to his hometown:
A 1985 graduate of White Station High School and a 1992 graduate of the University of Memphis, where he studied international relations and political science, the Memphis-born Greaney worked as a bartender at Paulette's for 10 years and also was a computer salesman before he began seriously pursuing writing. ...
At the same time, he has remained supportive of his hometown, participating in book signings and conferences at such places as Novel, the Barnes & Noble on Germantown Parkway and the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, and even hosting events that promote the work of fellow local authors.
What else is happening in the 901
- For subscribers: Thanks to COVID-19, Tennessee is bracing for an influx of bankruptcy filings. (Not a subscriber? Please consider becoming one.)
- RIP, John Lewis: As you've probably heard by now, the civil rights icon and lawmaker died Friday. Our Desiree Stennett looks at some of the Memphians he inspired.
- Our Max Garland looks at the issue of pilot fatigue at Memphis-based FedEx, which has seen demand rocket in recent months.
- Curious what the inside of Wiseacre's new brewery in the South Main area of Downtown looks like? Our Jennifer Chandler walks us through the new digs.
- From our Sports Desk: Will he or won't he? Our Mark Giannotto looks at why celebrity golfer Tigers Woods might — or might not — play the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis this year. As the NBA restarts the season, our Evan Barnes looks at how the lineup of the Memphis Grizzlies could change.
The Fadeout: Jamming with MonoNeon
Memphis' MonoNeon — born Dywane Thomas Jr. — recently joined a host of other musicians in a jam session sponsored by musical instruments maker Zildjian. You can briefly see MonoNeon in one of his calling cards, a self-branded hoodie, this one red...
Like The Fadeout? Check out The 901's Spotify playlist
Columnist Ryan Poe writes The 901, a running commentary on all things Memphis. Reach him at poe@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @ryanpoe.
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