Congressman Cohen Says National Guard Won’t Solve Memphis’ Endemic Problems

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today responded to President Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in Memphis with the following statement:

“First, I had hoped the National Guard would not be deployed here. Mayor Young told me earlier this week that it was a possibility and that, if Governor Lee decided to send them, he would work to use them in a manner that is secondary and supportive of the police. 

“Memphis is not ‘a troubled city,’ as President Trump has said. We have a crime problem. We do have problems that may be ‘endemic,’ but they are the result of centuries of racial discrimination, including slavery that separated families without educational opportunities. Even after they were freed, they faced Jim Crow discrimination in the South. These are the historical facts. What Memphis needs is consistent federal investment in police protection with additional, permanent patrols and community policing to establish relationships. We need programs like the Minority Business Development Center that Trump’s Commerce Department just eliminated which helped create jobs and capital accumulation.

“In the short run, the Guard can help the police in a supportive role. In the long run, Memphis needs federal dollars invested in proven programs.

“D.C. has been my second home for 19 years. I have a condo and a car, and I live in the city after work (not in my office). I do not perceive any change in the level of safety since Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in D.C. The president recently went out to a restaurant in D.C. and said that it is now the safest town in the world, and that it is safe to walk anywhere. That’s not true. There have not been ‘many arrests of very bad people,’ as he puts it. Most of the arrests are for low-level offenses. While D.C. crime is bad, it was declining and doesn’t differ much from national trends. 

“For Memphis, major investments in proven programs will make a difference; deploying the National Guard through a short publicity stunt will not. I certainly hope this not a facade for increased ICE enforcement in Memphis. That’s what I think this is about, and that would harm our local economy, particularly the tourist and construction industries. This is all about Trump showing the world that he’s a tough guy. This is the Trump Show 2.0.”

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