With the current outbreak of gun violence in Memphis, one would possibly assume that crime is on the rise, and that youngsters are doing many of the killing and their victims are primarily different teenagers.
However in line with knowledge offered by Keeisha Kenan of the Joint Workplace of Neighborhood Security and Engagement, each of these assumptions could be improper.
“Our youth will not be committing the murders and homicides,” Kenan instructed dozens of involved Memphians at a current Safer Memphis 365 gathering at Riverside Missionary Baptist Church. “What they are doing, truthfully, is that they’re breaking into your automobiles, they usually’re on the lookout for your weapons.”
In response to the information, between 2022 and 2024, greater than 6,100 firearms have been reported stolen out of autos in Memphis — usually from authorized gunowners who left them unsecured. In 2023 alone, that quantity was 1,615.
And whereas murder numbers are trending downward up to now in 2025, the concern on the streets — and the trauma — remains to be very actual.
That stress is what introduced group members, activists, elected officers and even a former NBA star collectively for the most recent Safer Memphis 365 work session — half city corridor, half technique lab and half household assembly.
Amongst these in attendance was former Memphis Grizzlies star Tony Allen, whose message hit simply as exhausting as his on-court protection.
“My coronary heart is on this work,” Allen mentioned. “I come from Chicago — housing authority child. Dad wasn’t round. Single father or mother family. And I knew strolling outdoors my door in that sort of setting, certainly one of three issues would occur: both I used to be gonna get shot; shoot anyone; or do one thing that’s gonna land me in jail. And I hate these choices for my group.”
Allen mentioned he needs to increase his contribution to Memphis past his time on the court docket. “My coronary heart is on this work,” he mentioned. “I’m accomplished taking part in basketball. I can use my platform to reinforce consciousness.”
What’s Safer Memphis 365?
Unveiled final 12 months as a one-of-its-kind cooperative effort, the Joint Workplace of Neighborhood Security and Engagement launched Safer Memphis 365 to convey collectively knowledge, technique and grassroots perception.
In response to Deputy Director Tamika Williams, the work is structured round a six-phase mannequin that features group enter, pilot packages, and in the end, a replicable framework for violence discount.
“Group isn’t just organizations — it’s individuals with large hearts and keen palms,” Williams mentioned. “You come from totally different components of city, so you realize what your group wants. We wish to accomplice with you to construct the proper initiatives in the proper locations.”
What the information says
Kenan drilled via a few of the night’s most eye-opening statistics — a lot of which challenged widespread public narratives:
- Solely 9.6% of murder suspects in Memphis are below 18.
They kill much less, however steal plenty of weapons. - The true hazard zone? Ages 18 to 34.
In response to the information, 63.9% of murder suspects and 53.3% of victims fall in that age vary. “These are the high-risk people in our metropolis,” she mentioned. “They’re those who’re each the victims and the perpetrators.” - Between 2022 and 2024, greater than 6,100 weapons have been reported stolen from autos — usually left unsecured by their house owners.
“You’re questioning why they’re breaking into your automobiles?” Kenan requested. “Since you’re leaving weapons improperly secured, and these are the weapons ending up within the improper palms.” - Home violence is rising — notably within the Metropolis of Memphis, even because it falls in surrounding suburbs.
“We’re seeing progress, however we’ve bought to maintain pushing,” she mentioned. “As a result of in the event you don’t consider what you hear, consider what you see — knowledge drives options.”
Road-level truths and community-born options
Whereas the group session echoed with applause and coverage discuss, the actual work unfolded in smaller rooms the place attendees rolled up their sleeves to confront Memphis’ most entrenched challenges. In these Safer Memphis 365 breakout teams, knowledge met real-life expertise, and folks instructed the reality.
Within the youth-focused session, one man delivered a gut-punch of a actuality: Some shootings in Memphis aren’t random — they’re hit.
“There might be $50,000 on the market on somebody’s head,” he mentioned. “Typically, once they get out of jail, they don’t want a hug. They want a bit of cash and a go-bag. As a result of in the event that they keep on the town, they’re not gonna make it.”
One other concern surfaced round psychological well being and reentry. Whereas incarcerated people might have entry to psychiatric meds; they usually go away jail with only a 30-day provide and no follow-up care.
“Now they’re out right here, no meds, no meals and wandering,” one speaker mentioned. “And that turns into a criminal offense downside.”
Within the “Finish the Silence” group on home violence, members recognized obstacles like stigma, housing shortages, and the failure to acknowledge abuse earlier than it escalates. Advised options included after-hours emergency housing, trauma-informed training in colleges, and grassroots assist from church buildings, barbershops and fraternities — locations individuals already belief. Throughout the room, somebody scribbled the necessity for therapeutic areas, not simply shelters.
In the meantime, the “Neighbors Defending Neighbors” circle centered on blight, mistrust and ignorance. They proposed group cleanups led by youth, useful resource festivals, and even a printed booklet of packages and contacts — “one thing actual people can maintain of their hand,” one participant mentioned.
The “Empowering Youth” group echoed the urgency: Younger individuals want secure areas, trauma-informed adults and consistency from the techniques round them. One handwritten word summed it up:
“Know your neighbor. It begins there.”
Nonetheless, there was concern that key voices have been lacking.
“Them individuals in there, they ain’t those out right here within the streets,” mentioned one street-level organizer. “The individuals they want in there ain’t there.”
Cooper-Sutton: Knowledge alone gained’t repair issues
Among the many public officers current, Memphis Metropolis Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton reminded attendees that statistics should be paired with lived information.
“Knowledge is at all times vital. Memphis is a data-driven metropolis and knowledge helps us perceive what we’re missing and what we have to meet within the center,” she mentioned. “However I additionally 100% agree with boots on the bottom. The group is aware of the place the weapons are. They know the place the issue homes are.”
She additionally pointed to the hundreds of stolen weapons talked about earlier within the night time.
“I’m not towards gun possession,” she mentioned. “However if you don’t correctly deal with your gun and safe it the way in which it needs to be, I’ve an issue with that.”
One Crew, One Objective
For Allen, the options don’t stay in spreadsheets or speeches alone — they stay within the streets, the gyms, the sanctuaries, and sure, the breakout rooms. They stay within the willingness to indicate up.
“I like it,” Allen mentioned in a post-event interview. “All of us have the identical mindset, or we must always. I wish to see extra of those. And I wish to see us bringing within the individuals inflicting the havoc, sitting them down and letting them hear simply how a lot hardship they’re placing on the remainder of us.”
