Memphis United

Memphis United Memphis United is a coalition of grassroots organizations, community groups, and Memphis residents formed to confront structural and institution racism.

Memphis United is a grassroots coalition that formed in February of 2013, when the K*K, form out of town, descended upon our city to protest the name changing of city parks, one of which honors infamous Klan leader, Nathan Bedford Forrest. The group knew that the Klan was baiting people for a reaction. Counter protestors came from out of town to confront them, and the city cordoned off downtown wi

th 400 militarized officers. Instead of taking the bait, MU decided to coordinate a counter event, not to ignore their presence, but to provide an alternative event for people to plug into work to address systemic and institutionalized racism, which we knew would remain, long after the Klan had packed their bags and returned home. In keeping with a structural and institutional analysis on racism, Memphis United reformed in October, following a string of incidents involving police harassment, excessive force, and arrests made while people were filming police. MU forced the city to release a policy that outlining the people's legal right to film MPD officers, but we didn't stop there. Since then MU has been pushing for greater police accountability on a number of fronts, including the reformation of the Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB), body cameras on ALL MPD officers, U-Visas for undocumented immigrants, resolution around Memphis' massive rape-kit backlog, sensitivity training for all officers around issues of homelessness, and many other aspects of criminal justice reform. The Memphis United Coalition includes partners from:
H.O.P.E. (Homeless Organizing For Power and Equality),L.O.U.D., Manna House Memphis, K'PreSha Boutique,Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition-TIRRC, Memphis Center For Independent Living, Adapt TN, Memphis Bus Riders Union,The Bridge Street Newspaper, Pro-Memphis Project, Subliminal Thought, Mid-South Peace and Justice Center and many concerned citizens.

05/23/2019
Call your State Senators TODAY, and urge them to vote AGAINST SB1407!The TN State House of Representatives just passed H...
03/18/2019

Call your State Senators TODAY, and urge them to vote AGAINST SB1407!
The TN State House of Representatives just passed HB 658 (SB1407) that would limit communities’ ability to decide how to hold law enforcement accountable, denying voters the option to grant police oversight boards subpoena powers to produce evidence and testimony from police departments.

"Memphis has a Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board, but it has only indirect subpoena power through the Memphis City C...
02/22/2019

"Memphis has a Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board, but it has only indirect subpoena power through the Memphis City Council. The bill is not expected to affect that process, though it would stop the board from being able to gain that authority, something board members have said they need."

The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee passed legislation this week stripping the subpoena power of police oversight committees, sidestepping opposition from Memphis legislators.

**Please Share With Your Contacts**"The TennCare program (Tennessee’s healthcare safety net) is seeking federal approval...
02/05/2019

**Please Share With Your Contacts**
"The TennCare program (Tennessee’s healthcare safety net) is seeking federal approval to change who is eligible for TennCare. If approved, most parents between the ages of 18-65 who have school age children will have to report to the state each month and document how many hours they worked, or they will lose their TennCare coverage.

The federal comment period on this proposal is open until February 7, 2019. We are collecting comments and want to hear what you think about these proposed changes, and how they would impact the people you serve, your community, or you and your family."

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

As the JJP organizing coordinator, Faith Pollan received the 2018 Volunteer of the Year award from Juvenile Court The J...
01/25/2019

As the JJP organizing coordinator, Faith Pollan received the 2018 Volunteer of the Year award from Juvenile Court

The Juvenile Justice Project works to reduce recidivism amongst young people with court ordered community service. We create relationships throughout the city to provide service opportunities that include education, vocational skills, leadership training, and more! We are dedicated to building a youth led movement.

"We’ve never had an incident like this before,” Bonner said. “Some issues came up and the children were rebelling. They ...
01/17/2019

"We’ve never had an incident like this before,” Bonner said. “Some issues came up and the children were rebelling. They were being juveniles.”

Maybe we should listen. Maybe if we dared to listen to the experiences of youth or see things from the perspective of young people caught in the criminal justice system instead of simply dismissing their actions at "being juveniles," maybe we'd be rebelling too.

Unfortunately there is concerning lack of information about what led to the "disturbance" and according to a statement from the Shelby County Public Defender:
“Our office has been trying to find out where the young people we represent are being held. We are not getting answers. We are very concerned.”

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said a disturbance that resulted in $3,500 to $5,000 in damages at the juvenile detention center led to five corrections officers being suspended last week.

Address

Memphis, TN

Telephone

+19017254990

Website

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