The promised arrival of federal troops in Memphis has awakened a sense of urgency for community organizers to come together with a “constituent-centered” response.
This past weekend, the Free The 901 campaign launched with a “No Cooperation with Occupation” march to reject what they refer to as “authoritarian overreach.” The coalition is made up of groups including ACLU-TN, Memphis for All, Decarcerate Memphis, The Equity Alliance, Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH), and will host training, orientations, and rapid-response organizing for the community.
“This is a compilation of several different organizations that have the well-being of the community at the focal point,” said Tikeila Rucker, executive director at Memphis for All. “This is not about activists trying to get together and disrupt. This is about coming together to prepare people on how to stay safe in an unprecedented time.”
Rucker said organizing was almost an instantaneous response to the announcement of the National Guard’s deployment in the city. Rucker said groups came together to figure out how to “strengthen their movement” at this moment.
“We understand the importance of expanding the leadership in the campaign – the importance and the need to do that,” said Rachael Spriggs, statewide director of power-building for the Equity Alliance. “The folks that were on the ground came together and we knew we needed to do something — provide some type of infrastructure so that people could come into [the campaign.]”
When it was announced that the National Guard, along with other resources were being dispatched to the city, several politicians and local leaders sought to rectify what they saw as an impending issue for residents in the city. While many may have instinctively turned to these elected officials for answers, this may not have been the obvious choice for others.
The Equity Alliance, a Tennessee-based Black-led organizing group, found that many Black people trusted police over politicians. The organization interviewed 20,000 Black Tennesseans to compile their Black Print strategic plan.
Spriggs said the information is noteworthy, considering the state of justice in Memphis. “We have a lot of work to do to rebuild trust between the community and between the politicians that have been voted in to be the voice of constituents,” Spriggs said. “The voice of constituents that are coming and showing up is that we don’t want the National Guard.”
Rucker and Spriggs emphasized the shared-leadership model of the campaign, making it an inclusive space for people to “fight together.” Rucker added that this also challenges activists who seek to “skew the narrative.”
“We’re focused on creating and shaping a new narrative about justice and safety,” Rucker said. “We also want to make sure we’re reshaping the narrative about what it means to show up for your community and not being centered as somebody not aligned with doing what’s best.”
Reshaping this narrative means actively opposing the presence of the National Guard, but also advocating for policy that promotes the safety and wellbeing of those in the city.
“[We need] policy that is going to make sure the Guard has uniforms on — that they have badges, and cars that are identifiable,” Rucker said. “These are things we’re going to be asking the mayor, C.J. [MPD Police Chief CJ Davis] — whoever makes these decisions— to put something in place to make sure that people are safe in the midst of them being here.”