Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) and Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) will hold a joint event with Memphis Mayor Paul Young at Memphis City Hall.
In a Thursday media release from Sexton’s office, the leaders revealed they plan to “make a major announcement alongside Mayor Young, law enforcement officials and community leaders” on Friday at 10:30 a.m.
When asked if the announcement would reflect a promise by Young to promote public safety, a spokesman for Sexton confirmed to The Tennessee Star that the announcement will relate to law and order.
Memphis experienced a crime wave in 2023, with overall crime up 9.6 percent, driven by a 5 percent rise in violent crime and a 26 percent rise in major property crime.
The crime spike was reflected in a study that showed Memphis has the highest homicide rate per capita when compared to all major U.S. cities, including those like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit, which have well-reported issues with violence.
Deteriorating safety in Memphis may have contributed to the decline in the city’s population, which has decreased by more than 30,000 since 2017. Memphis was the only large city in Tennessee to decrease in population during the same time period.
Last year, Young pledged to release a “hard-hitting crime plan” within his first 100 days in office after the murder of St. Jude research doctor Alexander Bulakhov, when he said the city would receive a “multi-pronged, hard hitting, and focused effort” to “combat this lawlessness” under his administration.
Sexton previously contemplated impeachment proceedings against Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy when the district attorney refused to enact a law passed by the Tennessee General Assembly.
Having completed his first year in office last September, Mulroy’s office recently released a report containing his accomplishments from the previous year.
The report repeatedly highlights the importance Mulroy places on fairness, and reveals Mulroy successfully increased diversity across the government office. It also highlighted Mulroy’s partnership with the Justice Innovation Lab, which recently drew the ire of State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) due to the group’s overt desire to abolish bail in the criminal justice system.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Paul Young” by Paul Young. Photo “Jack Johnson” by Jack Johnson. Background Photo “Memphis Skyline” by photophone02. CC BY-SA 3.0.
