If you live on Mud Island or are considering moving there, read this Fox 13 News story: Shooting at Mud Island apartment leaves residents concerned. Ashleigh Scroggins, who is a personal friend of mine, had a friend over to her apartment to hang out Tuesday night. He left her apartment about 2:45 AM Wednesday, and sat in his truck in the parking lot of her apartment complex, the Riverset Apartments, for several minutes watching TikToks. Two men approached the truck and shot Ashleigh’s friend 7 times. His arm was shattered but fortunately, none of the bullets hit major arteries or veins.
I sat on a patio with Ashleigh yesterday afternoon as she held back tears. She said that she’d been living in East Memphis, but as a young woman, she wanted to be closer to all Memphis had to offer. So she moved Downtown, after hearing that Mud Island is one of the safest parts of the city. Now she regrets her decision. Downtown, this is the impression we are leaving upon new residents.
Most of the apartment communities on the north end of Mud Island are gated, but Riverset is not. Criminals can drive right in and out and be back in North Memphis in under 3 minutes.
Very longtime readers of this blog remember that in 2006, I absolutely WENT OFF on this blog about how unsafe Downtown had become. Friends of mine were getting knocked out and robbed, and aggressive panhandling was out of control. The crimes in 2021 are different, but Downtown is approaching the lack of safety seen in 2006.
There will be a public meeting of the Downtown Memphis Commission’s Safety and Traffic Task Force on Tuesday, October 26 at 9 AM. The meeting will be held in the large conference room at 114 N. Main (corner of Main and Adams). The principal agenda is planning for the St. Jude Marathon in December, but if you’re concerned about crime Downtown, I would encourage you to attend and voice your feelings on that issue.
Another step you can take is a step I took yesterday – I rejoined the Downtown Neighborhood Association. I left that organization around 2007, but I have kept my eye on it. Current president Jerred Price has been an excellent liaison between Downtown residents and city staff and the police, voicing concerns and effecting change. I’m happy to once again be a part of DNA and I look forward to meeting fellow members next Tuesday.
Many people, myself included, thought the Center for Southern Folklore had gone out of business when they vacated their storefront on the Main Street Mall, but a Facebook post reveals that the Center is still around and open for business:
Borrowing liberally from a Mark Twain quote, the CSF store’ death has been greatly exaggerated. We’ve moved but we haven’t gone far – just inside Pembroke Square. – down from our old location and behind the Belz Museum. Now, we’re truly a one-stop experience. The museum or cultural center stands inside one side of 119 S. Main and the store is located on the other side. We’re virtual, too, with our online store at https://www.southernfolklore.com/store for the best of Memphis art, CDs, DVDs, Books and more. And you can still use our venue for meetings, seminars and conferences. So come and visit. We’re open Tuesday thru Fridays. Weekend openings soon.
Tin Roof on Beale Street is looking for photographers/videographers to record happenings there. They posted the following to Facebook:
We’re looking to bring on some photographers / videographers to capture live content at our Tin Roof locations.If you’re interested, please send Moncell@tinroofbars.com the following for consideration:– The city and state you are based in– your insta / social handles– any website content you have– and/or your top 5 best picturesWe are especially interested in candidates with a background in Low Light / Live Music Photography.Thanks for your interest! We can’t wait to hear from you
Left Unsung will perform a Grateful Dead tribute on the outdoor beer garden stage of Wiseacre Downtown this Friday from 7 to 10.
The South Main Association is organizing a neighborhood clean-up this Saturday. They will supply gloves, bags, and pickers, and you can work alone or with a buddy or a team. Meet at Talbot and Main near Slider Inn at 10 AM to take part in the clean-up. Following the clean-up, volunteers are invited to hang out at Slider Inn.
From MakeUseOf: 4 ways to tell if someone was snooping on your PC
From the CA: The Shelby County mask mandate could be extended past its current expiration date of October 30. Some leaders are asking why, given that CDC guidance recommends masking even among the vaccinated in areas where there are more than 50 new cases per day per 100K population. Shelby County’s current rate, according to COVID Act Now, is 13 cases/day/100K. I’ve heard rumors from folks in the restaurant industry that the health department wants to keep the mask mandate through the holidays.
Ja Morant dropped 37/6/6 in a Grizzlies win over Cleveland last night, 132-121.
Today is a sports equinox, a rare day when MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL games will all be played.
Today is also the International Day of the Nacho. You have a number of good choices Downtown but my pick would be Huey’s.
Today is the one day a year that a WWE pay-per-view event happens during the daytime. Crown Jewel will be broadcast live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, starting at 11 Central time, on the Peacock network. (If you’re an Xfinity customer, you get Peacock for free.) The main event is intriguing. Roman Reigns defends his WWE Universal title against Brock Lesnar, and no one is sure whose side special counsel/advocate Paul Heyman is truly on.
That’s the news for now. Back tomorrow.