Members of the Free the 901 Campaign, along with other Shelby County residents urged the Shelby County Board of Commissioners to take legal action against Gov. Bill Lee and his decision to deploy the National Guard. The group asked the commission to introduce a resolution that would take legal action against Lee and remove the National Guard.
This request comes a year after officials made the decision for the troops to occupy Memphis.
In a statement, the Free the 901 Campaign referenced the death of 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson, who was killed by National Guard members in July. Organizers said the incident prompted questions about appropriate use of force, accountability, and transparency.
The campaign also noted the financial impact of the Guard’s deployment, citing information from the Center for American Progress.
“By the end of 2026, the cost of this deployment is estimated to reach $319 million for the National Guard alone,” Free the 901 said. “Meanwhile, Shelby County’s poverty rate sits at 19 percent, well above the national average of 10.2 percent.”
Organizers believe the funding allocated to the Guard could be used for long-term public safety solutions, violence prevention, food, housing, and more.
During a Monday meeting of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, a member of Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope’s (MICAH) Immigration and Inclusivity Accountability committee asked the commission to support a resolution to sue Lee and end the Guard’s occupation.
The member also argued that the Guard has not significantly contributed to crime reduction. “Because the Guard provides logistical and operational support rather than traffic stops, patrols, or arrests — impacting our crime numbers falls on the police department and other enforcement agencies that were already collaborating before the Guard’s deployment,” the member said.
Venita Doggett, executive director of MICAH, asked the commissioners to “rethink their position” on the Guard.
The comments come almost a year after Shelby County Commissioners Henri E. Brooks and Erika Sugarmon joined other elected officials to challenge Lee’s decision to deploy troops to Memphis.
The officials filed the suit in Davidson County Court and said the Guard’s presence violated the Tennessee Constitution and state statutes.
In April, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing as they could not prove they had been harmed by Lee’s decision.
