Friday update: Weekend safety plans for the entertainment district

Jerred Price, president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, reported the results of a Zoom call concerning Downtown safety this Memorial Day weekend. MPD needed to step up big in response to the recent drag racing and shootings on the weekends, and it looks like they’re doing it. Here’s the plan:

  • The biggest thing: 20+ local checkpoints manned by MPD. These roads will be CLOSED except for residents, business employees, and business customers only. Simply pull up, tell the officer where you are going, and you’ll be given access.
  • The return of Beale Street Bucks: $5 cover to get on Beale Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.
  • Extra staffing from MPD will be brought in.
  • Following the Grizzlies games, some streets may become one way to allow for easy exit from the area.

A partial list of the traffic checkpoints:

  • Union & Second
  • Union & Front
  • Front & Peabody Place
  • Front & Beale
  • Front & MLK
  • MLK & Main
  • Beale & Main
  • Second & Peabody
  • Second & George W. Lee
  • Second & MLK
  • BB King & MLK
  • Fourth & MLK
  • MLK & Danny Thomas
  • Danny Thomas & Beale
  • Beale & Fourth
  • Gayoso & Danny Thomas
  • Union & Fourth

Thank you Jerred & DMC for taking the initiative on this to keep Downtown safe. It’s going to be a boring weekend for thugs in Chargers and Challengers.

… That is, if the cops actually DO anything. A neighbor of mine, who works at a business on one of the streets in the bullet points above, said he saw a car burning tires for several minutes at Beale and Main last weekend. At least 5 cops were parked nearby and none of them intervened.

More news from DMC… Caption by Hyatt, the hotel to be built at One Beale down the street from Hyatt Centric, will feature a lounge called Talk Shop in the ground floor. It will be only the second of Hyatt’s Caption brand, the first being in Shanghai.

Talk Shop sounds like a fine name, but if they really wanted a bar that fits in with neighborhood happenings, they’d make Flaming Dr. Peppers their signature drink and name the bar Shots Fired.

We may see Dillon Brooks in the Olympics this summer, but he won’t be playing for the U.S.:

There was a fire in the ReNew Riverview Apartments (99 N. Main) last night. A woman was taken to the hospital.

It’s International Hamburger Day! My recommendations would be a Double Double from Dyer’s, a Yonge St. Burger from Kooky Canuck, a Majestic Burger with parmesan fries from the Majestic, or a Soul Burger from Earnestine & Hazel’s.

Loveland Duren Trio will play the Ghost River taproom tonight 6-9. Free show.

Maciel’s announced they will close for the Memorial Day weekend, today through Monday.

Single-game tickets to all Memphis 901 FC matches will go on sale Tuesday, June 1. Soccer fans can also look forward to these upcoming sales:

  • June 1-2: $10 tickets for June 16 home opener
  • June 3-4: $75 Bowtie Bar tickets for June 16 home opener
  • June 7-8: All scarves $15
  • June 9-10: 3-match packs for $30
  • June 14-15: 50% off 2020 and 2019 jerseys

Apparel shop Odds Atelier will have a grand opening party tonight at 7:30. 304 S. Main. Free cocktails. Free food. DJ.

Yesterday I was talking to one of the pizza chefs at Silly Goose and he told me a chorizo taco pizza with refried beans, made in the wood-fired oven, is in his plans for next week.

River Time Market & Deli will be closed this weekend.

Re-reading the list of traffic checkpoints, and I gotta say, my sympathy to the people who live on Front south of MLK and also on G.E. Patterson. These checkpoints aren’t gonna do a damn thing to make your weekend safe and peaceful.

Back tomorrow with more news. Hopefully not news that I heard gunshots.