Brrrrrrrt! Pop pop pop! Dut-dut-dut-dut-dut! Prrrt prrrt prrrt!
These were the soothing sounds of New Year’s Eve from my U of M-area home. It’s a dumb tradition for folks in this city to exclaim “Gunshots or fireworks?!” during this time (and July 4th, or generally whenever loud noises are heard by our neighbors; see Nextdoor or your neighborhood Facebook group). But, for better or worse, we’re used to it. For the nearly two decades I’ve lived in Memphis, each of these holidays brings guns to the party. We know for sure which of the bangs aren’t fireworks, and try to name the firearms. (This year, Chris was certain he heard RoboCop’s ED-209 out there blasting away.) A few years ago, I woke up on New Year’s Day to a fresh hole in the hood of my car from a stray bullet. Our city’s weapons cache is on full display on a night like New Year’s Eve.
So it surprised me to see in my inbox on January 2nd a press release from the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF) announcing the seizure of “12 illicit firearms” on December 31st. The release noted there were 25 criminal arrests that day, but highlighted only one: a person detained on charges ranging from aggravated kidnapping to possession with intent to distribute. The release also noted that during that single search and arrest, eight firearms were recovered.
While Memphis residents slept to a lullaby of the rapid-fire pops of automatic rifles and deep blows of modified shotguns, seemingly right outside of our windows, MSTF seized eight guns from one guy and a measly four beyond that. The danger of stray bullets alone should have had the thousand-plus agents sent here for “public safety” on the hunt for celebratory shooters. Imagine how many illegal firearms could have been recovered if they’d driven the neighborhoods or used their helicopters and fancy tech to find the culprits haphazardly shooting this direction and that. But, no. Instead the big show continued, with droves of National Guardsmen posted on Beale observing the festivities there.
Another January 2nd press release: “Memphis Safe Task Force rings in New Year with nearly 4,700 arrests, and more than 750 illicit firearms seized.” From the statement, since it launched, “The MSTF has arrested 4,698 violent fugitives, seized 758 illegal firearms, and safely located 132 children. Of those arrested, 463 have been gang members, 24 were for homicide, 76 for sex offenses, and 505 for controlled substances.”
The breakdown in the second sentence gives the appearance of details. But I do wonder, what is the identifying criteria for “gang members”? We have already heard stories of innocent immigrants given false charges and falsely labeled as gang members. MSTF claims all 4,698 of those arrested were “violent fugitives.” Huh? Today, January 6th, at least 1,110 of the current 5,343 arrests are still listed as “other” — meaning the charge has not been publicly released. More than 20 percent of arrests are for unknown charges, according to their own useless data dashboard (memphistn.gov/safedata). But of course, “MSTF has arrested 4,698 violent fugitives.” What, too, of the 132 missing children found? I have yet to hear from a single parent or caregiver who welcomed home a missing child. You’d think our TV news outlets would be knocking down doors to get interviews with reunited families. No peep, though.
President Donald Trump in last weekend’s press conference boasted that “crime is down 77 percent” in Memphis as a result of the operation here, which he said, “just sort of started a few weeks ago.” The Memphis Police Department’s most current data showed a 22 percent reduction in overall crime from 2024. And MPD announced on September 9, 2025 — before any news of a coming task force — “Overall crime is at a 25-year low, with robbery, burglary, and larceny also reaching 25-year lows. Murder is at a six-year low, aggravated assault at a five-year low, and sexual assault at a twenty-year low.”
You won’t find anything close to a 77 percent drop in any crime category, so where Mr. President came up with that figure is anyone’s guess. If our leader can make up statistics, so can the MSTF. But, hey, at least I received an “acknowledgment letter” on January 5th from U.S. Marshals regarding the records request I submitted November 4th: “Your request is currently assigned to the complex queue, as the records you seek, should they exist in USMS systems or files, are likely maintained outside of this office. As USMS FOIA will need to search a separate office for potentially responsive records to your request (and this qualifies as ‘unusual circumstances’ effecting [sic] processing times), the Agency is permitted to invoke an extension to the statutory time limit to respond to your request.”
Public records are our right. Government transparency is crucial. But so many sheep believe the lies, agree with unjust actions, and kneel at the feet of those whose aims are to control and profit off of us.
With liberty and justice for all …