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OUR 1693RD ISSUE 08.05.21 Croquet heaven: “A mythical state or region where all attempted roquets are successful and all wicket strokes are achieved on the first try and all rushes are executed with perfect precision.” — United States Croquet Association

JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE, HAILEY THOMAS Senior Account Executives MICHELLE MUSOLF Account Executive BRYCE HAYES Classifieds Coordinator ROBBIE FRENCH Warehouse and Delivery Manager JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE Chief Executive Officer LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Controller/Circulation Manager JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer MARGIE NEAL Production Operations Director KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director MARIAH MCCABE Circulation and Accounting Assistant KALENA MATTHEWS Marketing Coordinator

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About two months ago, high on the hope promised by a much-anticipated double dose of vaccine, I wrote about gambling on the future. Not big risks — my gamble was in the form of a pair of tickets for a plane trip to Boise, Idaho, where my then-girlfriend’s family lives.

My sister and brother-in-law joined us for the trip, which we took just last week.

One morning, we decided to take a short walk along the trail to Goose Falls. It was supposed to be an easy, two-mile hike. So we drove up a mountain to a parking area, dutifully read the signs warning us of what to do to avoid becoming a snack for a bear, and started on our way down the only evident trail. We clomped downhill, occasionally commenting on the sound of unseen water, falling into silence, and then startling out of our reveries when my sister would boldly state her name and place of origin. You’re supposed to “announce yourself,” you see, to avoid surprising a bear.

After about three miles of walking with no sign of the falls in sight, we decided we had taken a wrong turn. Scenic trails through the mountains tend to wind and weave, to meander along picturesque views, but we were following a dusty road steadily downhill, haunted by the sounds of an unseen and apparently unreachable river. So we turned around and began the climb back up the trail. Before long, we were forced onto the side of the road by a Jeep making its way downhill.

“Are you all looking for the trail to Goose Falls?” asked the older woman in the Jeep.

“Yes,” we said in chorus, aware that we looked like dusty idiots who had mistakenly walked for miles on a “scenic” service road. Because that’s exactly what we were.

“It’s back up the hill and across the road,” she told us, adding, “The signs they put up aren’t worth anything.”

So we walked back up the service road. And across the parking lot and across the road and all along the (much more picturesque and blessedly shaded) path to Goose Falls.

Somewhere along the way, our two-mile hike quadrupled in length, but the falls, when we reached them, were lovely. That might have been when and where I proposed, except we were all covered in dust and sweat and we hadn’t brought enough water — and anyway, I had other plans.

First, I had to call Sydnie’s father. Not to ask permission, of course, it being the 21st century, but I owed him at least a heads up. So, while everyone else was away from our little rented cabin on the mountain, I attempted to have a heartfelt conversation, made all the more difficult by Ryan’s responses sounding as though they were mumbled through a bad vocoder on the other side of a long, metallic tunnel. I was on the verge of asking him to tap the receiver twice for “you have my blessing” when Sydnie, Coleen, and Justin pulled up in the car and the phone went totally silent. I looked at the screen to find that my phone had connected to the car’s Bluetooth. Isn’t technology lovely?

Later, phone call finished, in the middle of a game of croquet — right before the middle wicket, in fact — I proposed to Sydnie Blair Hammer with a substitute ring because the one she wanted was delayed somewhere in the mail. She accepted.

Why during a game of croquet? It’s the Davis family obsession. As family legend has it, before she was a grandmother, Grannie hoarded Greenbax Stamps and bought the family a croquet set — a game of their very own! Decades later, the Davises are the kind of weirdos who play croquet by the negligible light of the full moon or in the rain — without anyone suggesting quitting. So, with Sydnie’s family there to witness, along with my sister and brother-in-law, and playing the Davis family’s favorite pastime, it seemed right. A way to say without words that we see each other fully, with all our strange traditions and history, and we love each other all the more for them. You N E WS & O P I N I O N don’t just marry the person you know — you THE FLY-BY - 4 take all the selves they have been and will be, NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 6 POLITICS - 6 too. It’s a frightening time to make plans, these AT LARGE - 8 days, when each decision feels like a gamble, SPORTS - 9 so better to move forward with eyes open.

COVER STORY It was my way of saying I know there’s no “SMART MEMPHIS” “croquet heaven” when things work out “with

BY TOBY SELLS - 10 perfect precision.” We’ll take the wrong road, WE RECOMMEND - 14 MUSIC - 16 get lost, and come across our fair share of CALENDAR - 18 substitute rings and sticky wickets.

FOOD - 25 And truthfully, as long as we’re together, I FILM - 27 can’t wait.

C LAS S I F I E D S - 29 Jesse Davis LAST WORD - 31 jesse@memphisflyer.com

CONTENTS

JESSE DAVIS Editor SHARA CLARK Managing Editor JACKSON BAKER, BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Senior Editors TOBY SELLS Associate Editor CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor SAMUEL X. CICCI, MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers ABIGAIL MORICI Copy Editor JULIE RAY Calendar Editor LORNA FIELD, RANDY HASPEL, RICHARD MURFF, FRANK MURTAUGH, MEGHAN STUTHARD Contributing Columnists AIMEE STIEGEMEYER, SHARON BROWN Grizzlies Reporters ANDREA FENISE Fashion Editor KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

3

THE

fly-by

MEMernet Memphis on the internet.

M AY B E N O T M E M P H I S By now we know the photo of the guy who took his sex doll to dinner was likely not at the Applebee’s on Union. The photo was claimed by others across the country to show their local Applebee’s, too. I mean, who wouldn’t?

POSTED TO TWITTER BY @TEE__BANDSS

LES S O N F R O M C H E F TAM Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe urged vaccines and mask-wearing for COVID-19 precautions as “the Delta variant is rising all around us.”

“There’s a strong probability that you’ll contract this virus and not recover!” Chef Tam wrote. “I love y’all real big and I wanna see what God has in store for you, but I can’t see it if we finna experience slow singing and flower bringing cause y’all tired and wanna party and wanna be out in the world!!!”

August 5-11, 2021

W AY B A C K M A C H I N E

POSTED TO FACEBOOK BY WEVL

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Volunteer radio station WEVL FM 89.9 reminded us in a cool post last week that “65 years ago today, 24-year-old Johnny Cash took baby Rosanne Cash to the Memphis Zoo.”

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Questions, Answers + Attitude Edited by Toby Sells

W E E K T H AT W A S

By Flyer staff

“Swatter,” Bridge, & COVID-19 A deadly plot for a Twitter handle, traffic returns, and state GOP now urges vaccines.

BRIDGE OPENS Officials announced last week that the Hernando De Soto Bridge would partially reopen this week, ending a two-month closure. Eastbound lanes of the bridge reopened Monday morning. Westbound lanes were slated to open sometime Friday.

“We know having the bridge closed has been incredibly inconvenient,” said Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Clay Bright. “We appreciate the public’s patience while our team made the repairs and performed extensive inspections to ensure it’s structurally sound for many years to come.”

NEW MLK50 LEADER MLK50: Justice Through Clockwise from top left: Partial bridge-reopening; MLK50’s Adrienne Johnson Martin; Journalism named Adrienne swatter sentenced and pastor indicted; temperatures soar into the high 90s ; Tennessee Johnson Martin as the nonprofit mayors urge for immigration reform; GOP letter urges depoliticization of vaccines. newsroom’s first executive editor.

Johnson Martin has worked at the Los Angeles Times, The (Raleigh) (north of Memphis) was sentenced to 60 months in federal News & Observer, and was most recently the managing editor prison for his participation in a swatting call that led to the for Duke Magazine, Duke University’s alumni publication. death of a grandfather in Sumner County last April.

Joshua Henley, 32, a former West Tennessee pastor and GOP COVID FLIP elementary school girls’ basketball coach, was indicted here The same party that politicized state oversight of COVID-19 last week for using three minors to create sexual abuse material vaccines urged Tennesseans to get the vaccine last week, saying and for transporting a minor interstate to engage in criminal it “should not be political.” sexual activity.

A letter from the Tennessee state Senate Republican Caucus noted the recent spike in cases and said that “virtually all” of M AY O R S U R G E I M M I G R AT I O N R E F O R M those who require hospitalization have been unvaccinated.

Mayor Jim Strickland of Memphis, Mayor John Cooper of Gov. Bill Lee fired Dr. Michelle Fiscus, the state’s top Nashville, and Mayor Tim Kelly of Chattanooga joined mayors vaccine official. She claims she was scapegoated to appease from 28 states in sending a letter to President Joe Biden, Vice state Republicans angered by the promotion of vaccines to President Kamala Harris, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, minors. and Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling for pathways to citizenship Last week’s GOP letter said that “unfortunately, efforts to get for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, more people vaccinated have been hampered by politicization essential workers, and their families via budget reconciliation. of COVID-19” and “this should not be political.”

T H AT H E AT “ S W AT T E R ” A N D PA S T O R P R O S E C U T E D The Memphis heat arrived last week.

Federal prosecutors sentenced a serial “swatter” to prison As temperatures soared into the high 90s, the Tennessee time for a deadly scheme to get a Twitter handle and indicted Valley Authority (TVA) recorded peak power demand (around a pastor on child sexual exploitation charges, both men from 30,000 megawatts), not seen since 2012.

West Tennessee.

Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of Last Tuesday, Shane Sonderman, 20, of Lauderdale County these stories and more local news.

Lawmakers urge national prohibition on human safety concerns.

Should federal law forbid owning a chimpanzee as a pet?

That was a question before federal legislators, including Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) last week. Lawmakers reviewed the Captive Primate Safety Act in a Water, Oceans, and Wildlife hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee.

The bill would make a federal law against the purchase, trade, or transport of any live species of nonhuman primate like chimpanzees, galagos, gibbons, gorillas, MEMPHIS ZOO/FACEBOOK lemurs, lorises, monkeys, Pet primates are illegal in Tennessee. orangutans, tarsiers, or any hybrid of such a species.

Conservation of Nature, which said The bill was introduced in May by about 75 percent of wild primate Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) and populations are declining. He asked has 53 co-sponsors in the House. The Steve Guertin, deputy director of the bill passed the House in a previous U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, whether session, Blumenauer said, “only to die a or not U.S. primate pet ownership played lingering death in the Senate.” However, a role in the declines. he hopes the bill has a shot with the “The pet trade of nonhuman new Democratic majority in the Senate, primates certainly drives a market where he believes the sponsor Sen. that contributes to the decline of wild Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) populations, and the U.S. is a part of will “be able to get it over the finish line.” that trade,” Guertin said. “However, we In testimony Thursday, Blumenauer believe that the primary threat to the said most people cannot provide the conservation of the species globally is special housing and social structure the removal of primates in the wild. This primates require and “puts their welfare is poaching. This is bushmeat. This is at risk.” illegal trafficking.”

“Even if you’re not a huge fan For this, Guertin said his department’s of animal welfare, you ought to be focus is on law enforcement to shut concerned about human welfare because down poachers and shut down criminal this behavior puts humans at risk either networks of animal traffickers. from the transmission of disease or Tennessee, like many other states, serious injury or death,” he said. “When already has laws on the books against primates reach adolescence, they often owning a primate as a pet. Here, demonstrate aggression towards those primates are categorized as Class I who they perceive as lower-ranking wildlife, species that are “inherently members of their troop. dangerous to humans.” They’re in the “When kept as pets, this means these same class as wolves, bears, elephants, teenagers can inflict great physical harm rhinoceroses, lions, and more. In on children, friends, and neighbors.”

Tennessee, this class of wildlife can Cohen cited a report from only be possessed by zoos, circuses, and the International Union for the commercial propagators.

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The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Crossword ACROSS

35 High-flown 65 Chooses for speech or office writing … or a 66 Gumbo cookers description of 17-, 22-, 51- and DOWN 57-Across?

9 Make harmless, as a snake 1 Dances violently 41 Chops (off) 15 “Original copy” or 42 Poseidon’s realm 2 Urge strongly “open secret” 3 Rapper/actor 43 Letters on a Gibson 16 “Ma-a-aybe” wanted poster 4 In the thick of 17 Shy sort 44 $ource of ca$h 5 High-ranking 19 Broke ground?

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7 You, to Yves beautiful destinations 8 Record of a 54 Meadow year’s events 22 Epithet for a 55 Very heavy British beauty 9 Dump, as stocks with fair skin 56 Flying nuisance 10 Elevator innovator Otis 28 Magnificent 57 Full of energy and enthusiasm 11 Stop on an 30 Grp. meeting in elevator a school gym, 63 1996 best12 “Talking” system often selling guide for for the deaf, in “grammarphobes” 31 Long in the tooth brief 64 One registering 32 “Buffalo Bill,” for 13 Born, in high with the William Cody society American Kennel 14 Comprehend Club 34 Warm and cozy 18 Firm hold ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 22 Fashion magazine with a I D T A G A B S R A S T A French name F O R C E M E W E A T O N 23 Hair removal F R E E T R A D E F R O N T brand Y A K B O S S E S P O S H 24 Color of an B U D S T H E D I E overcast sky C H E E S E D E A D C A L M 25 Actress Chaplin C O M F Y T O N G U E S of “Game of S O B E N A M E S L I F E Thrones” A L R O K E R S E D A N 26 Counterfeit token B U R L I V E S S P R E A D 27 Rim I N K G A S P L A Y 29 Legislatures write A W E D S A V I O R L E O them N O D U H B I L G E P U M P 33 ___-mo replay C R O N E O N E M E R I T 34 Like arias and A N N E X W E D E W E R S anthems 1 Information about other information

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39 Onetime radio host Boortz 40 Larson who created “The Far Side”

45 Grad student’s big paper

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59 Broker’s charge 60 Boozehound 61 Grow long in the tooth

44 If everything goes 53 Things detectives 62 ___ Jones right pursue industrial average

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August 5-11, 2021

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On the eve of what will be another major election year in 2022, the Tennessee Democratic Party managed to whoop up a decent crowd of a couple hundred on Saturday, July 31st, at the Propcellar on Summer for “The Party is Here,” a summons to action from various party luminaries including state party Chairman Hendrell Remus, Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen, and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, the latter two certain to be among the ballot’s major marquee attractions next year.

The assembled Democrats also heard what amounted to a valedictory address from outgoing local Shelby County Democratic Chair Michael Harris, who was elected in 2019 and is concluding a two-year term that was prolonged a few months beyond the usual by the COVID-19 pandemic.

(A reminder of that circumstance was the prevalence of masks among Democrats on Saturday, in keeping with the latest coronavirus outbreak, fueled by the currently raging Delta variant.

Several “The Party is Here” attendees also met privately after the meeting with Dr. Michelle Fiscus, the former state vaccine chief who became a cause célèbre of sorts after her recent firing, ostensibly for excess zeal in pursuing vaccination of juveniles.)

Harris’ ascent to the chairmanship had not been without incident. At the time of his election, reports of misconduct charges relating to his law practice became a major controversy. Harris managed to avoid any further issues, though, and focused on a number of reasonably successful party events and membership-building activities.

The two candidates known to be

seeking to succeed Harris as chair are Gabby Salinas and Corey Strong.

Salinas, a cancer survivor, has been — literally — a poster child for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where she became a youthful patient after her family emigrated from Bolivia.

Salinas is a veteran of two strong, but losing, races in recent years. In 2018, she won a contested Democratic primary for the District 31 state Senate seat but narrowly lost to Republican incumbent Brian Kelsey in the general election. And last year she was once again a primary winner, for the District 97 state House seat, but was defeated by the GOP’s John Gillespie in the general election.

Strong is a former chairman, elected in 2017 to lead the revived Shelby County Democratic Party organization after the state Democratic Party had responded to what then state Chair Mary Mancini called “years of dysfunction” and had withdrawn the local organization’s charter in 2016.

A Naval reserve officer, Strong gave up the party reins in 2019 at least partly because of his ongoing military obligations. He has also been a business owner and served as special projects director for the Shelby County Schools system. Strong ran unsuccessfully against Rep. Cohen in the 2020 Democratic primary.

• Numbers that speak for themselves: A Vanderbilt University poll conducted in May indicates that 79 percent of Tennessee Democrats have received at least one dose of an anti-COVID vaccine, compared with 56 percent of independents and 49 percent of Republicans. More poll results: The percentage of Republicans who did not plan to get vaccinated is 37 percent, that of disinclined independents and Democrats, 30 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

PHOTO: JEFF ETHERIDGE

Democrats at Propcellar

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y fellow liberals, it plan to let Black and brown and queer is time to face up to people take over and turn the country the simple truth: The communist and give everybody free MAGAs have won. healthcare and college tuition. They They’ve seen through our charade. The knew COVID was another liberal hoax, game is up. They have owned the libs. just like climate change, and they raised For 18 months, we’ve attempted to the alarm. fool them into thinking COVID-19 was Now the gory “statistics” on COVID real, and for 18 months they’ve resisted. are rising again, but the Republicans and We tried to convince them it was a their faithful base are hip to our scam. deadly disease and that only a vaccine They’ve figured out it’s just more fake would stop it and save news, another attempt to all of us from a plague give the evil communist of sickness and death.

Democrat Joe Biden more We reassured them that power over the lives of real the vaccine didn’t cause Americans. birth defects or contain a GOP governors microchip, but they were in Texas, Mississippi, too smart for us. We told Missouri, Florida, and them over and over again elsewhere in Trumplandia how important it was to are standing strong, wear a mask, but they signing executive saw that scam for what it orders banning schools, Anthony Fauci really was: just another businesses, and local way for us to take away their freedom. governments from issuing mask We tried everything: scientific mandates or vaccine requirements. The “evidence” from the Centers for Disease courageous Ron DeSantis of Florida, Control, terrifying mortality statistics, whose state was averaging more new scary maps of infected areas in red infections a day than the entire country states, tearful and heartfelt testimonies of France last week (if you believe from overworked healthcare providers, those “statistics”), issued the following and even interviews with dying people statement on Friday while banning mask saying they wished they’d taken the mandates for schools: “For more than vaccine. None of it worked. The MAGAs a year our freedom has been under a saw through it all like cheap plastic constant assault by the radical left. Now wrap. All that “news” about the vaccine they’re coming for your freedom again.” being 90 percent effective, all those It’s time for liberals to admit defeat. crisis actors in nurse uniforms, even MAGAs and others are not going to take “Dr. Fauci” — it was all in vain. (In the vaccine or wear masks, and there is retrospect, having Fauci rhyme with simply nothing we can do about it. We “ouchy” was a bad move.) tried to take away their freedom but They didn’t believe us when we they stopped us. told them 35 million unvaccinated Perhaps it would help if we started to (and counting) Americans had gotten accept that the vaccine is like a comfort COVID. Or when we said more than blanket for us liberals. We get it because 625,000 Americans had died from the it makes us feel safer. And since we’re disease. Or when we pointed out how not hurting anybody by getting that quickly the disease receded once we silly jab, let’s keep doing it. In fact, if the started getting millions of Americans Republicans don’t want it, maybe we vaccinated in January of this year. Or can start using the country’s remaining when we tried to explain that there was vaccine supply for boosters for us snowa new strain that is about to make us go flakey creatures who would take some through pandemic hell all over again if solace from it. we don’t get 70 percent of us vaccinated.

And I think we liberals should keep They knew better. Of course, they wearing masks in public indoor spaces had help. Republican Party leaders and for a while longer. It’ll be a cool way for their friends at Fox News and elsewhere us to recognize each other. in the right-wing media caught on to That and the fact that we’re not dying the liberal hustle years ago — our secret on a ventilator.

S P O R TS B y Fr a n k M u r t a u g h

Harris English Talks WGC

READY

Catching up with Harris English on his way to TPC Southwind this week for the World Golf Championships.

FOR

Memphis Flyer: Welcome back. What do you recall about your first visit to TPC Southwind eight years ago?

Harris English: A lot of good memories there. I rented a house off the first tee The PGA Tour is entering what amounts with some good friends. We had a fun to a post-Tiger era. Do you feel like week. One of my best friends from high the sport is in good hands with new school in Chattanooga was in med school headliners, including yourself? there. It felt like I had a There are so many big crowd cheering me good young golfers. It on. Closing it out with a shows where college birdie on 17 and a solid programs have been the par on 18 will always last 20 years. Players are make special memories. ready for action on the You never want to have a PGA Tour. They have tournament given to you, experience and they’re and I felt like I had to earn not scared. They can it. It makes you believe in play under pressure. yourself, and it couldn’t In our sport, you can have happened at a better have a 22-year-old win a place than Memphis. tournament or a 52-yearCLIFF HAWKINS/GETTY IMAGES old win a tournament.

Harris English You have found a groove It’s unique to our sport. in 2021, doubling your The game’s in great career victories (now four). What’s been hands. Like everyone else, I want Tiger the difference in your game? to come back healthy and win more I’ve found more consistency. I don’t like tournaments, but we have some other missing putts. My putting and short big names playing well and carrying game have always been the backbone of what Tiger and Phil Mickelson are my game. And tee to green, I’ve gotten leaving behind. better, given myself more chances to win golf tournaments.

The tournament remains deeply connected to St. Jude Children’s You finished third in the U.S. Open (at Research Hospital. Any thoughts on this Torrey Pines in San Diego), the closest relationship? you’ve come to winning your first major.

It’s incredible. It puts things in What was that final round like, knowing perspective. Here I am, playing golf, you were in the mix for that trophy? doing what I love to do, and a few miles That’s why you put all the hours in, both in away, there are kids struggling with the gym and on the course. I love how the something they didn’t deserve. As much U.S. Open is set up. You have to play smart money as we can raise, it’s amazing. I and be good, all-around, and disciplined. donate to St. Jude every year. It’s one of It’s nice to showcase that. I really enjoyed the charities I hold dear to my heart. I it. I’m getting closer and closer. love helping kids get healthy, so they can grow up and be whatever they want to Memphis is getting used to World Golf be. It’s cool how the Tour gets behind Championships status (third year for the the cause.

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FedEx St. Jude Invitational). Could you share some perspective on the significance of the WGC events?

I’m really happy for Memphis. FedEx has been the biggest sponsor on the PGA Tour for years. It’s great that they have a tournament where they’re guaranteed many of the biggest names in the sport, right in their backyard. [The WGC status] has given me even more of a spark to get back there. I love the people that run the tournament. It made it even sweeter. You have to earn your spot there.

It’s not easy to make the field.

NEWS & OPINION

H

arris English will be a familiar face when fans return to TPC Southwind this week for the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. The 32-year-old PGA veteran has risen to 14th in the World Golf Rankings and finished third in this year’s U.S. Open. His very first Tour win came in Memphis (in 2013).

9

C OVE R STO RY BY TO BY S E LLS

Smart Memphis How technology will shape our city.

© MICROVONE | DREAMSTIME.COM

F

August 5-11, 2021

leets of self-driving cars don’t pilot Memphis streets, but it’s time we started to think about the day they will.

Prepare the streets. Prepare the technology. Prepare local policies. John Zeanah, director of the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, said the advent of connected and autonomous vehicles in Memphis is still far out on the time horizon. But the potential is here and there’s already opportunity for pilot projects, so Memphis should be ready.

Self-driving cars may be a cool vision for the near future. But for Zeanah, “government efficiency is really cool,” and the time to plan for technology’s role in our near future is now.

For some things, the future is already here. Fiber lines connect and 10 coordinate about half the city’s traffic signals. Memphis Area Transit Authority

(MATA) riders can access free wifi on the bus. In-pipe sensors tell Memphis Light, Gas, and Water (MLGW) if a drain is clogged with fat, oil, and grease.

Though, when Zeanah and his team looked around Memphis, they found technology integration across the city system was uneven, ad hoc — usually driven by individual departments solving a single issue and not by high-level policy. More fiber lines were needed.

Broadband subscription rates were lower in the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

When Zeanah and his team were about a year away from finishing the Memphis 3.0 Plan, the underlying document for much of the city’s current development, they were also asked to begin research on a “smart city” plan. The culmination of that work is the multi-pronged, multi-year Smart Memphis Plan. Approved in April, the plan will touch nearly every department

at Memphis City Hall and services across the city.

“You’ve observed the same thing that we have that’s happening nationwide and worldwide,” Zeanah said. “Technology is changing a lot of the ways in which companies do business, governments provide services, and now how the built environment is being shaped.”

Smart City Overview

Years ago, new technology brought a wave of new products to the market, and homeowners were scrambling to Google “internet of things” to see what the fuss was all about. Early adopters came home in the early 2000s with products somehow connected to their internet that they somehow commanded with their phones.

The Nest Thermostat, though, was the earliest, smart-home introduction for most in 2010. Apple’s HomeKit smart-home hub launched in 2014, the

same year Amazon’s Echo (with Alexa) was introduced. These brought smarthome solutions to the masses. Now, homeowners are comfortable controlling tens of thousands of devices with their phones, with their voices, or with automation.

Homeowners use the products to run a better household, helping to control systems like security, lighting, and energy use. Cities use smart technology to run better city services, helping to control systems, like transportation, healthcare, wastewater, education, and law enforcement.

Before you think this is some tech trend, consider that Forbes Business Insights projects the global smart-home industry is expected to grow by 29 percent through 2026, with an estimated value of $622.5 billion that year. The smart-city tech industry is expected to grow by about 20 percent each year,

Smart City Profile: Chattanooga

EPB, Chattanooga’s power and telecom company, installed 1-gig, high-speed internet in 2010, the first city to do so in the United States. It doubled down in 2015, offering community-wide 10-gig service.

For it, PCMag called the city a “tech hub.” Vice magazine said Chattanooga was “the city that was saved by the internet.” The online Techdirt said the city was the No. 1 remote-working town in America. Maybe more importantly, independent research from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga found the fiber network’s 10-year return on investment was $2.69 billion.

In Chattanooga, the “world’s fastest internet” can be yours for $68 per month.

“No Dinosaurs”

The Smart Memphis Plan looks ahead only three to five years. That’s on purpose, Zeanah said. His team started with a blank slate and a short-range plan would really outline the immediate steps needed in the next few years, instead of trying to predict the future.

Tech usage in city division here is gauged on a maturity index that asks: How far along are city departments in their use of technology? On a scale from 1 (using tech in an ad hoc, stand-alone way) to 5 (using tech for shared solutions across divisions), very few Memphis city services make it to the third level. Most hover around 1 or 2 on the scale. Some are at 0 (not working to advance tech).

But this wasn’t a surprise to Zeanah, and he said that “it’s not uncommon for most cities.” So, the starting point for the Smart Memphis Plan was for services that were just beginning to use technology or not using technology at all. “‘No dinosaurs’ was a mantra we used to try to train our thinking as we were moving through our recommendations not only for our team but for other divisions as well,” Zeanah said. “That was always a good touchpoint to keep coming back to … as we’re moving beyond some

of the systems and processes of the past and embracing smart technology in a more integrated way.”

Smart City Profile: Birmingham, Alabama

The city won a Smart Cities Readiness Grant from the Smart Cities Council in 2018 to push a host of improvements.

City leaders want to create an open data portal for citizens, a real-time bus tracker for public transportation, a gunshot detection system for public safety, online energy payments, LED upgrades for streetlights, and a collection of bike-share data to prioritize future bike-lane projects.

MATA

Board a MATA bus today and your phone will find a relief for any modern commuter, a wifi signal.

MATA buses recently got massive tech upgrades: onboard vehicle health monitoring systems, camera security systems, and a next-generation fare system that is slated to come online next year. This all required cellular phone service data for buses.

But the systems didn’t need all of the data, so MATA took the unused portion and made it available to customers as on-board wifi, said MATA President and CEO Gary Rosenfeld.

He and his team found a huge surprise when the wifi system went live.

Nearly 500,000 wifi requests came from customers in the first 30 days. In June, the system was hitting about 500,000 wifi requests per day, Rosenfeld said.

The next tech step for MATA was the GO901 Mobile app. On the app, users can already buy tickets, manage their accounts, see where their bus is on a map, find schedules, plan trips, and subscribe to system alerts via text, voice, or email. But Rosenfeld says the next version of the app will have on-time data for customers, and it could transform much about the way we now think about transit tickets.

Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies and diamonds: Those are but two things Hong Kong subway riders can buy with their transit passes, Rosenfeld said. It could work the same way in Memphis, he

© ROMAN EGOROV | DREAMSTIME.COM

said, as long as any company out there was willing to think outside the box. He envisioned, maybe, buying Graceland tickets or Memphis Zoo tickets through the GO901 Mobile app.

Such a system could also benefit those with little money. The app could be connected to social service providers in Memphis, just the same as businesses.

Partnerships with nonprofits, schools, churches, and more could find pools of funds to pay for bus fares for those who can’t afford it and add it straight to their transit ticket account.

Rosenfeld said there’s even a more direct way the new tech system will help MATA’s poorest users: fare capping.

“About 80 percent of our passengers today buy their bus fare on a daily basis,” he said. “They don’t take advantage of [cheaper] monthly passes in many cases because they can’t afford that much cash at the beginning of the month.”

With the new fare system, MATA will be able to track a customer’s use of the system. Once they use the system a certain number of times in a month, MATA will stop charging them.

MATA data also turned up the need for a new kind of transportation system Downtown, in the Medical District, and in New Chicago. Groove On-Demand allows users in those zones to call for a ride on an app, just like Uber or Lyft. It was eyed as a tool to provide affordable, efficient, and convenient public transit in an area brimming with growth in the pipeline and to help those there get to work, to stores and restaurants, and to medical appointments.

The service was launched in February in a collaboration with the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) and the Memphis Medical District Collaborative. Given COVID-19 restrictions still in place at the time and a still-small Downtown

population, Rosenfeld said the service has carried “a couple thousand passengers” and is still “somewhat limited service.” However, he said to expect to see some additional Groove On-Demand services added this month.

MATA’s technological leaps and service opportunities for customers would not be possible, Rosenfeld said, without data.

“You can’t really manage anything you don’t track,” he said. “So the first step is setting up an accountability system you can track and [to be able to] respond and react to changes in trends or for directions.”

Smart City Profile: Long Beach, California

A “smart” Long Beach does not mean flying cars and a monorail down Ocean Boulevard, according to the city’s website. It does, however, mean using data and technology to solve community problems and taking a citizens-first approach to it.

Many Long Beachers had never heard of a “smart city” when leaders there began researching its 2019 smart plan, according to a story in Cities Today.

Many worried about data privacy. Some could see benefits to a smart city; others could not. So, those leaders flipped the conversation, citizens — not tech companies — would dictate the city’s “smart” vision.

The city is now using tech to monitor air quality, moving police reports from paper to digital, gathering resident feedback on policy decisions, and giving them a digital dashboard to track development projects.

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

according to a review by Research and Markets, for a total worth of $2.51 trillion in 2025.

Certainly don’t think Memphis is alone in reaching for “smart city” advances. In fact, it would be hard to find a city not working to squeeze government efficiency from technology.

The “smart city” movement is big enough, for example, to support the nonprofit Smart Cities Council, with hundreds of member cities worldwide, and Cities Today, a magazine devoted to urban tech innovation.

continued on page 13

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Memphis Fire Services

Memphis firefighters are sometimes called to help women giving birth.

Seasoned firefighters knew these OBGYN calls came from certain areas of town. But that was institutional knowledge, not data points — that is, until numbers were crunched and plotted on a map.

“The community risk assessment enabled the command staff to visualize all of this information and make decisions,” said Andrew Cole, a senior data analyst with Memphis Fire Services (MFS).

With this new tool, MFS leaders could easily spot the need in the community.

They could then ensure areas that needed extra OB-GYN care were staffed with personnel with the right kind of training.

Decision-making tools like this got a boost recently, Cole said. Leaders can now see MFS’s equipment fleet spread across the city in real time. How many trucks responded to one incident? Is that too many? Should we shuffle some equipment around?

Thanks to new tech from a thirdparty vendor, fire leaders have up-todate situational awareness on their phones, tablet, or laptop. “[Firefighting equipment] is a finite resource,” Cole said, “so they’re able to see that we’ve got this much availability and these resources are at the ready or these resources are currently committed.”

Dashboarding data is a big push for MFS, Cole said, and is used in the agency’s day-to-day operations. Data informs decisions on everything from service calls and training to how well a firefighter employs a piece of gear compared to their counterparts.

Smart City Profile: Columbus, Ohio

Thanks to a $69 million investment of federal, state, and local funds, Columbus concluded its mobility-focused Smart City Challenge in June. The city’s locally produced Pivot app brings together payment for buses, bikes, rail, taxis, and rideshares and offers turn-by-turn navigation throughout central Ohio.

You can find and reserve parking in the ParkColumbus app.

A $10 million private grant helped electrify the city’s transportation network with more than 900 EV charging stations, which influenced more than 3,200 residents there to buy electric cars and lower greenhouse gases.

Fiber Challenge

Street design and pedestrian safety

measures aided by speed cameras.

Increased free public wifi at city buildings, parks, and bus stops.

LED street lights. Alternative energy production at wastewater treatment plants. Greener building codes.

Predicting blight. Clear policies on use of police body-camera footage. Sensors that alert crews when trash cans are full.

All of these are recommendations in the Smart Memphis Plan. They’re all achievable, according to the plan, but they all have a common challenge, Zeanah said: broadband access.

“It’s going to be necessary for the city to have that fiber backbone to be able to support advancement of many of the recommendations in the Smart Memphis Plan,” he said.

Telecom companies laid miles of fiber here in 2019 in the run-up to Verizon’s 5G service launched here in late 2019. A map in the Smart Memphis Plan shows the city’s existing fiber lines, heavily concentrated Downtown and far fewer across the city.

On the map, it’s easy to see how scanty fiber lines in North and South Memphis correlate to low broadband internet subscription rates there. But the Smart Memphis plan aims to fix this, too.

First priority for fiber expansion will go to neighborhoods with low broadband rates that have community anchors as outlined in the Memphis 3.0 plan, and are close to existing fiber lines — think Uptown or Hollywood.

Next will be areas with no close access to fiber, and the final push will focus on neighborhood anchors with regular broadband subscription rates.

Memphis is certainly not alone in the digital divide. Broadband rates are lower across the country for racial minorities with lower incomes and less education and for those in rural areas, according to the latest data from the Pew Research Center, which has tracked Americans’ internet usage since 2000. In Shelby County, 99 percent of the population has access to broadband internet but only 43 percent of the population uses broadband internet speeds, according to the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission and Microsoft.

In many ways, Memphis is just starting its “smart” journey, but the Smart Memphis Plan gives a road map to the future. That future is not sci-fi with flying cars, hoverboards, or self-lacing Nikes. But it’s cool if you think getting development permits online is cool.

Zeanah does. If your next encounter with city services (paying a bill, requesting a new recycle bin, or needing emergency help) is made easier, you will, too.

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Memphis TN 38104

Solid Gold

By Julie Ray The Stax Museum has a huge collection of funk and soul music items from the ’60s and ’70s. On Friday, 926 — the Stax Music Academy Alumni Band — is helping to PHOTO: CLAIRE JAMES, COURTESY OF STAX MUSEUM celebrate the opening of a new and exciting temporary The new exhibit features exhibit, “Solid Gold Soul: The Best of the Rest from the the Bob Abrahamian Stax Museum.”

Collection of more than The exhibit collection includes never-before-seen 35,000 rare records. staff favorite objects, including rare photographs of Otis Redding performing in Memphis, stage costumes worn by members of Funkadelic and the TSU Toronadoes, and rare vinyl records and photographs from the recently acquired Bob Abrahamian Collection. Each artifact tells a story about the person who used, wore, or played it.

To add to the celebration, local performers will share the stage with 926. There will be family-friendly games and activities, local food trucks, back-to-school giveaways, arts and crafts activities designed by the Stax Museum, informational booths, a Stax Museum sidewalk sale, and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for those who qualify.

“This is a way for the Soulsville Foundation to re-engage with the community after the past year-plus of closing temporarily at various times, canceling most in-person events, and many of us living in isolation,” says Soulsville Foundation Communications Director Tim Sampson. “We hope this will be a fun, entertaining, informative, and productive event that will finally allow us to all come together in person.”

As an added bonus, the Stax Museum will be open and offer free admission to all attendees during the celebration. That’s solid.

SOLID GOLD SOULSVILLE: A CELEBRATION OF THE MUSIC AND COMMUNITY AT THE GLOBAL CAPITAL OF SOUL, STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC, 926 E. MCLEMORE, FRIDAY, AUG. 6, 6-8 P.M., FREE.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES August 5th - 11th Arthouse Film Series: Wild at Heart Crosstown Concourse Theater, 1350 Concourse, Thursday, Aug. 5, 7:30 p.m., $5 A David Lynch film starring Laura Dern, Nicolas Cage, Thrashers Powermad as Elvis Presley, Diane Ladd, Crispin Glover, Harry Dean Stanton, Willem Dafoe, and a cameo by Laura Palmer.

Bob Sumner “Back to Comedy” Showcase The Comedy Junt, 4330 American Way, Friday, Aug. 6, 9 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 7, 8 p.m., $20 Producer Bob Sumner is looking for the next comedy star. Hosted by Bob Lowe featuring 10 comics doing 10-minute sets.

Memphis Film Prize Malco Studio on the Square, 2105 Court, Friday-Saturday, Aug. 6-7, $30 A film festival and contest featuring 10 short films made by filmmakers in and around Memphis. Audience votes for the winner of the $5K cash prize.

Zane Lamprey’s Laughs & Drafts Wiseacre Brewery, 2783 Broad, Saturday, Aug. 7, 6 p.m., $25 Award-winning travel show host and comedian performs stand-up comedy based on his experiences while shooting Three Sheets and Drinking Made Easy.

Elvis Week 2021 Graceland, 3717 Elvis Presley, Wednesday, Aug.11, continues through Aug. 17, free-$78+ An amazing lineup of events to celebrate the music, movies, and legacy of the King of Rock-and-Roll.

Country Comedy Night: Dusty Slay & Friends Lafayette’s Music Room, 2119 Madison, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 7 p.m., $15 Enjoy a country comedy night with Slay, who grew up on Lot 8 of a mobile home neighborhood in Opelika, Alabama, and has been making people laugh his whole life.

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“What Ya Drinking On” the new hit single coming from the underground scene of The Playaz Reppin Memphis, TN is now ready to be heard nationwide. The official video can be watched on YouTube and several other platforms such as Soundcloud, Cd Baby, Radio Memphis and Underground Network. More projects coming from both productions. To purchase this single and other bookings call (901) 281-8020.

quarian Blood first grew started playing the acoustic songs again. prominent on the Memphis It was natural.” According to Laurel, scene in a burst of “there was no real thought of ‘This is psychedelic punk with what we’re gonna do now.’ It just kind their 2017 debut LP on Goner, Last Nite of happened.” in Paradise, chock-full of rapid-fire riffs, As they describe it, it’s easy for squalling synths, and shrieking vocals. things to “just happen” when you’re So their sophomore album, 2019’s A constantly recording at home, and that’s Love that Leads to War, came as a shock the real secret to their layered sound, to many — an extremely mellow shock. be it mellow or noisy. “It’s very easy,” While the band says J.B. “It doesn’t always featured the take long to set up.

PHOTO: NATALIE HOFFMAN husband-and-wife There’s not a lot of Aquarian Blood duo of J.B. and Laurel pressure. We just Horrell at its core, keep it to where it’s a the second release friendly, hospitable featured only them, environment. ‘I feel for the most part, with like singing that part folkish guitar ostinatos again.’ ‘I feel like and world-weary laying down a guitar songs evoking lives and percussion part.’ haunted by betrayal Sometimes you can and exploitation, think you have it punctuated with the tonight, and then occasional gonzo you’ll wake up and synth or drum machine. think, ‘I might do that a little better.’”

That change in direction is bolstered “Or,” Laurel adds, “there are times by this year’s equally haunting LP, where we think we don’t have it, and Bending the Golden Hour, their third then the next day, you’re like, ‘Wait a full-length on Goner. But as I speak with minute!’” the couple in their Midtown home, it’s J.B. agrees. “Then you high five! ‘That clear that this pursuit of haunted folk was it!’” sounds was not the sea change it was Both are musical omnivores, perceived to be, and that this new record having listened across nearly all genres is merely a continuation of musical throughout their lives. “My aunts loved landscapes they’ve explored for years. music, but they all had different tastes,” “Even before our debut LP, there were says Laurel. “I saw Ratt and Billy Squier two tapes of 15 songs each, that came when I was 7 or 6. My grandmother out in 2014 and 2015. And those were loved country music. My dad loved both just she and I playing and singing classical.” J.B., for his part, cites country everything,” J.B. explains. “There was no guitarist Merle Travis and folkies like band. When we started doing it, we were John Fahey or Bert Jansch. But the real involved in three different bands. And secret to the past two albums, they say, after we figured out a quick and easy has been curation. way to record at home, around 2013, we “Some of the tracks will be two years wanted to start doing things that didn’t old, some of them will be three weeks fit into any of those bands’ formulas. old, when I give them to Zac [Ives],” We’d do ridiculous stuff, like rubbing J.B. says. “And he’ll put them in this the edge of a crystal wine glass. Or stuff order that, from his perspective, feels with drum machines or synths, things right. That’s why we credit him as a like that. And a friend of ours had a tape producer. Most people like to control label, called ZAP Cassettes. That’s when their own sequencing, but I like it we gave it the name Aquarian Blood. better when I give it to Zac and he just “And on those first two tapes, there picks what he likes.”

Aquarian Blood, performing their are some completely chill, mellow acoustic songs but with an expanded acoustic guitar tracks. So when band, will appear Friday, August 13th, at [drummer] Bill [Curry] broke his arm, Bar DKDC. after our tour for the first album, we just

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CALENDAR of EVENTS:

August 5 - 11

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com or P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101.

DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY.

“Mona Hatoum: Misbah”

ART AN D S P EC I A L E X H I B ITS

Exhibition of a contemporary art installation where the viewer stands in a darkened room, lit only by a rotating lantern dangling from the ceiling. Through Jan. 9.

38th Annual Juried Student Online Exhibition Featuring work by University of Memphis students. Ongoing.

ART MUSEUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS (AMUM)

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

New Art by Dr. Tom Gettelfinger

“Africa on My Mind”

Exhibition featuring new and recent artwork by Ethiopian artist Dereje Demissie and Nigerian artist Johnson Uwadinma. Ongoing.

Artwork exhibition in the Crosstown Concourse West Atrium and the Church Health Welcome Center. Through Sept. 30.

UREVBU CONTEMPORARY

Artists’ Link Summer Show

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE

Exhibition of work by members of Artists’ Link. Through Sept. 2.

“On the Road: Chocolate Cities”

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Exhibition featuring multiple artists curated by Larry OsseiMensah, which explores notions of Blackness coupled with the convergence of place and space.

Through Sept. 18.

“Contemporary & Ethnographic Works of Art”

Exhibition of contemporary and ancient works by multiple artists. Ongoing.

TONE

JAY ETKIN GALLERY

“Persevere and Resist: The Strong Black Women of Elizabeth Catlett”

“Divine Legacies in Black Jewelry”

Exhibition of jewelry to contextualize the history of modern Black American jewelry production during the 20th and 21st centuries and to expand our understanding of Black jewelers and their work.

Through Sept. 12.

METAL MUSEUM

“Drift”

Exhibition of two-dimensional paper pieces and sculptures by Tim Crowder. Through Aug. 28.

DAVID LUSK GALLERY

“Drip”

Exhibition of paintings by Kevin Ford. Through Aug. 21.

TOPS GALLERY: MADISON AVENUE PARK

“Escape to Water and Sky”

Exhibition of paintings by Ann Brown Thomason on display in the Grand Hall. Through Sept. 30.

Enjoy culinary delights, auctions, and music at Agricenter International’s Feast on the Farm on August 7th.

“Hillbilly Rock”

Exhibition featuring items from The Marty Stuart Collection.

Ongoing.

GRACELAND

“Hindsight 2020”

Exhibition offering a reflection of the events of 2020 through the lens of artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, and others.

Through Sept. 30.

ART MUSEUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS (AMUM)

August 5-11, 2021

“IEAA Ancient Egyptian Collection”

Exhibition of Egyptian antiquities ranging from 3800 B.C.E. to 700 C.E. from the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology collection. Ongoing.

ART MUSEUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS (AMUM)

“Images of Africa Before & After the Middle Passage” Exhibition of photography

by Jeff and Shaakira Edison.

Ongoing.

SLAVE HAVEN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD MUSEUM

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

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Exhibition highlighting the historic and current plights of Black women in America.

Through Aug. 31.

“Inside the Walt Disney Archives”

Exhibition celebrating the legacy of The Walt Disney Company archives, with behindthe-scenes access never before granted to the public. Through Jan. 2, 10:00 a.m-4:00 p.m.

GRACELAND EXHIBITION CENTER

“Invisible Aquaphobic Art” Exhibition of art installation in the plaza fountain that will reveal artworks only when exposed to water by artist Stacey Williams-Ng. Through Aug. 31.

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

“Piece of Cake”

“King of Karate”

Exhibit highlighting Elvis’ lifelong passion of the art of karate.

Ongoing.

GRACELAND EXHIBITION CENTER

“Meet the Dixons”

Exhibition highlighting Margaret and Hugo Dixon’s personal lives, collections, and legacy.

Through Sept. 26.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

“Micro-Aesthetic”

Exhibition of microscopic images presented by Amir Hadadzadeh.

Through Sept. 30.

ART MUSEUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS (AMUM)

Exhibition of confectious sculptures by Greely Myatt. Through Sept. 26.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

“Pieta Mondrian”

Exhibiton of sculptures by Christopher Chiappa. Through Aug. 21.

TOPS GALLERY

“Point of View: Beauty in the Small Things”

Exhibition of paintings by Anna Parker. Through Aug. 31.

FRATELLI’S

continued on page 20

Dry eyes causing you discomfort?

Working from home or spending too much time on digital devices can worsen dry eye symptoms.

Visit our dry eye doctors at FocalPoint at Crosstown Concourse!

901-252-3670 focalpointcrosstown.com Inside Crosstown Concourse A SOUTHERN COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY CLINICAL FACILITY

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m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

CALENDAR: AUGUST 5 - 11 continued from page 18 “Sketching Europe: A Tour through the Eyes of Memphian Samuel H. Crone”

Exhibition of sketches and watercolor paintings by Samuel Hester Crone in the permanent collection. Ongoing.

ART MUSEUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS (AMUM)

“Solid Gold Soul: The Best of the Rest from the Stax Museum” Exhibition of items from the archives including Isaac Hayes’ white and red tufted-velvet desk and chair, rare photographs of Otis Redding, and newly acquired Bob Abrahamian Collection. Ongoing.

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

“Structure(s)”

Exhibition of works by Lester Merriweather. Through Aug. 6.

2021 PROJECTS

marvels of natural engineering.

Through Aug. 31.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

Hear the peace offerings made up of artists’ voices, instruments, ambient noises, and reverberations in a healing space featuring work by Hank Willis Thomas. Ongoing.

Parts of a Whole: Sculpting the Human Figure in Ceramic Clay

Tributaries: Tiff Massey I “Everyday Arsenal”

Exhibition of works inspired by African standards of economic vitality. Includes both largescale and wearable sculptures, music, and performance.

Through Sept. 25.

METAL MUSEUM

Warehouse Studios Artist Collective Exhibition of work from metal arts to fine woodworking to vintage electronics to painters, and more by over 20 artists.

Through Aug. 7.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

“The Machine Inside: Biomechanics”

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

An immersive exhibit for all ages that takes visitors on an intriguing journey into the

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

MEMPHIS PARK (FOURTH BLUFF)

“Wayne Thiebaud 100: Paintings, Prints, and Drawings”

Exhibition of works by William Eggleston. Through Oct. 24.

Exhibition of paintings by Ann Brown Thomason on display in the Grand Hall. Sunday, Aug. 8, 3:30-5 p.m.

The Peace Project

OFF THE WALLS

“The Louisiana Project”

Opening reception for “Escape to Water and Sky”

Exhibition of works by artist.

Through Oct. 3.

The Stax Museum’s “Solid Gold Soul” showcases neverbefore-seen artifacts that tell Stax Records’ history.

“When We Rode ‘Mike’: The Somerville Accommodation Train, 1914-1920”

Exhibition by the Casey Jones Model Train Group. Through Dec. 31.

MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY

“Yellow Jack”

The mansion is prepared for yellow fever and a season of mourning. The dimly lit mansion will be staged as the 1871 yellow fever epidemic will be recounted and martyrs remembered. Through Aug. 29.

WOODRUFF-FONTAINE HOUSE MUSEUM

ART HAPPE N I NGS

MGAL Member Showcase and Sale

View and purchase artwork by local artists who are members of the Memphis Germantown Art League. Through Aug. 31.

WKNO.ORG

Mid-South Artist Gallery OUTMemphis Fundraiser

Features art by Katie Lindsey, Lyle Morris, Jon Woodhams, Maja Price, and other area artists plus food, silent auction, door prizes, and more. Saturday, Aug. 7, 2-4 p.m.

MID-SOUTH ARTIST GALLERY

Join ceramic artist C.A. Traen for this series on ceramic sculpting of the full human figure using a unique and approachable method suitable for artists and hobbyists alike.

Saturday, July 10, 9 a.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Pastry Demo

Aryen Moore-Alston, director of operations at Park + Cherry

by Chef Phillip Dewayne, will host a pastry demonstration via Zoom. Wednesday, Aug. 11, noon.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Senior Studio: Mosaics for the Garden

Learn the basic steps and techniques of mosaic art, then design and create your own piece with Creative Aging and teaching artist Kristi Duckworth. Thursday, Aug. 5, 1:30 p.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Statement Ring with Brandy Boyd

Create a one-of-a-kind ring that is meant to turn heads. $65.

Saturday, Aug. 7, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

The Moveable Collection Artist Talk Series Artist talks featuring Juan Rojo, Larry Walker, Maritza Davila, Susan Maakestad, Lawrence Matthews, Carol Buchman, and Carl Moore. Thursday, Aug. 5, 9:30 a.m.

UACMEM.ORG

Virtual Tours at Two

Join a Dixon docent or curatorial staff member on a virtual tour of the current exhibitions. Free, $5.

Tuesday, July 6, 2 p.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

WE Gallery

Gallery benefiting artists.

Through Aug. 31.

WOMAN’S EXCHANGE OF MEMPHIS

B O O K EVE NTS

Memphis Reads

Selected book, Thick: and Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom, engages Memphians in the Black female experience in today’s America. Through Oct. 31.

CBU.EDU/MEMPHISREADS

continued on page 22

August 5-11, 2021

SIT DOWN A GAMBLER

20

RISE A LEGEND Must be 21 years or older to gamble or attend events. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2021, Caesars License Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

CALENDAR: AUGUST 5 - 11 continued from page 20 C O M E DY

Bob Sumner “Back to Comedy” Showcase

Hosted by Bob Lowe, featuring 10 comics doing 10-minute sets. $20. Friday, Aug. 6, 9 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 7, 8 p.m.

THE COMEDY JUNT

Country Comedy Night: Dusty Slay & Friends

Stand-up comedy, country style. $15. Wednesday, Aug. 11, 7 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Jason Banks

Second show on Friday and Saturday, 10 p.m. $25. Friday, Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m.

CHUCKLES COMEDY CLUB

Zane Lamprey’s Laughs & Drafts

United Way of the MidSouth: Driving The Dream For those impacted by COVID-19. Puts callers in contact with essential services, without individuals having to repeat the circumstances for the call.

Follow-up ensures those connections were made. Ongoing.

UWMIDSOUTH.ORG

DA N C E

The Firebird

A new immersive modern dance experience based on the original ballet and score by Stravinsky. Visit the website for schedule, offthewallsarts.org. $20. Through Aug. 7.

OFF THE WALLS

E X P O/ S A LE S

Award-winning travel show host and comedian performs standup comedy based on his experiences while shooting Three Sheets and Drinking Made Easy. $25. Saturday, Aug. 7, 6 p.m.

Kids Town

WISEACRE BREWERY

Memphis Modern Market at MoSH

COM M U N ITY

Thistle & Bee Ambassador Program

Email oholmes@thistleandbee. org for details. Free. Ongoing.

THISTLEANDBEE.ORG

Shop consignment for kids under one roof. Thurs. Aug. 5, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fri., Aug. 6, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Sat., Aug. 7, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL

Features work by regional artists.

Includes modern and less traditional arts, as well as traditional art. Fri., 5-8 p.m., Sat., 10:30 a.m.5 p.m., and Sun., noon-5 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 6-Oct. 10.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY

FA M I LY

H2Oh! Splash Water Park Garden-themed exhibit with 40+ sprayers including jet streams, mists, geysers, and water tunnels. Free with admission. $15. Through Sept. 6.

CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF MEMPHIS

KangaZoo Outback Experience

Experience the outback and meet one of Australia’s largest marsupials, the red kangaroo.

Free. Through Oct. 31.

MEMPHIS ZOO

F E ST IVA L

Elvis Week 2021

An amazing lineup of events to celebrate the music, movies, and legacy of the King of Rock-andRoll. Wednesday, Aug. 11-Aug. 17 GRACELAND

Memphis Film Prize

A film festival and contest featuring 10 short films made by filmmakers in and around Memphis. Audience votes for the winner of the $5K cash prize. $30. Friday, Aug. 6-Aug. 7.

MALCO STUDIO ON THE SQUARE

Solid Gold Soulsville: A Celebration of the Music and Community at the Global Capital of Soul Features performances on an

outdoor stage, games and activities, food trucks, school supplies giveaways, informational booths, sidewalk sale, and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

Friday, Aug. 6, 6-8 p.m.

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

Soulin’ on the River: J. Buck

Features music, food trucks, and more. Friday, Aug. 6, 6 p.m.

MUD ISLAND RIVER PARK

Watermelon Festival

Features petting zoo, bounce houses, giant water slides, hayrides, train rides, watermelons, and more. Through Aug. 15.

PRIDDY FARMS

Blackpink the Movie

Celebrates the 5th anniversary of the girl group debut. $15.

Sunday, Aug. 8, 1 p.m.

MALCO CORDOVA

Reset

Takes global audiences on a journey of rediscovery of our world through the eyes of young people. $15. Monday, Aug. 9, 7 p.m.

MALCO PARADISO CINEMA GRILL & IMAX

Shirobako the Movie

Musashino Animation has gone through unprecedented changes, and things are looking bleak for the studio. Also screening at Collierville Towne Cinema, 380 Market. $15. Tuesday, Aug. 10, 7 p.m.

MALCO PARADISO CINEMA GRILL & IMAX

FI LM

Arthouse Film Series: Tampopo

A 1985 Japanese satirical “ramen Western” comedy by Juzo Itami that tells the story of two truck drivers who embark on a search for the perfect ramen restaurant but have yet to find it. $5. Monday, Aug. 9, 7:30 p.m.

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE

The Great Muppet Caper 40th Anniversary Also screening at Collierville Towne Cinema, 380 Market. $15. Sunday, Aug. 8, 3 p.m.; Wednesday, Aug. 11, 7 p.m.

MALCO PARADISO CINEMA GRILL & IMAX

FO O D A N D D R I N K

Canoes + Cocktails

A David Lynch film starring Laura Dern and Nicolas Cage. $5. Thursday, Aug. 5, 7:30 p.m.

Enjoy a guided evening sunset paddle on the lake followed by socially-distant cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, yard games, and music at Hyde Lake Pavilion.

Friday, Aug. 6, 7 p.m.

CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE

SHELBY FARMS PARK

Arthouse Film Series: Wild at Heart

Carpenter Art Garden

Pick up seasonal veggies every Monday and Thursday. Cash or Venmo is accepted. Visit Facebook page for weekly offerings.

Thursdays, 3:30 p.m.

CARPENTER ART GARDEN

City Tasting Tours

Savor tastings at eateries, interact with chefs and managers, and sample local flavors while learning about the city.

Ongoing.

CITYTASTINGTOURS.COM

Cordova International Farmers Market

Large selection of produce and meat. Tuesdays.

INTERNATIONAL FARMERS MARKET

Feast on the Farm

The evening includes food from area chefs and restaurants, live and silent auctions, and music.

Saturday, Aug. 7, 6-11 p.m.

AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL

Food Truck Friday

Every Friday in Garrott Court through September. Features food trucks and lunch in the gardens. Zio Matto Gelato will also be on-site for a sweet treat to cool off in the gardens.

Fridays, 11:30 a.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

continued on page 24

Transform your life

and our city.

Volunteer. Find year-round opportunities to serve. Learn more about poverty, hunger, and homelessness in our community. Give. See how you can help support high-impact programs.

For your appointment call (901) 361-1403 www.edharrisjewelry.com August 5-11, 2021

Visit community.mifa.org

AUG 22

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AUG

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SEP

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

CALENDAR: AUGUST 5 - 11 continued from page 22 Haunted Pub Crawl

Knowledgeable and entertaining guides take you on an informative and humorous walking tour of Downtown Memphis restaurants, bars, and taverns. $25. Friday, Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m.

THE BROOM CLOSET

Old Dominick Distillery Tours

See firsthand the dedication and passion put into every bottle. Tours are held Thursdays-Sundays, noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 6 p.m.

Reserve your spot online. $15.

OLD DOMINICK DISTILLERY

Peabody Afternoon Tea

Traditional English afternoon tea, three-course menu of savory tea sandwiches, assorted sweets, and warm scones. $35, $45. Wednesdays, 1 p.m.

CHEZ PHILIPPE

Whiskey Tasting at Celtic Crossing Hosted by D.J. Naylor featuring Balvenie Caribbean Cask, Blanton’s Single Barrel, and Knappogue Castle. 21+. $50.

Thursday, Aug. 5, 7-8:30 p.m.

CELTIC CROSSING

Whitehaven Farmers Market

Nature’s Champions: Olympic Games Trek

Features a University of Tennessee extension booth with children’s activities, recipes, and more. Monday, Aug. 9, 10 a.m.

Celebrate the Olympic Games Garden style this summer. Take a self-guided walk around the Garden to discover nature’s amazing feats. Through Aug. 8.

MEDICAL OFFICE COMPLEX

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Wilson Wine Experience

Train Heritage Day

This flight tasting allows you to taste different Cabernet Sauvignon vintages of the same region or producer or different regions of the same year of production. $20. Friday, Aug. 6, 4 p.m.

Features goody bags and conductor hats while supplies last, train photo opportunities, live music at the gazebo, history talk, and Mempops. Saturday, Aug. 7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

WILSON CAFE

H EA LTH A N D F IT N E S S

Outdoor Total Body Burn A high-energy, fast-paced 30-minute workout that will require nothing but a little space and your own body. Bring some water, a mat, and a friend. $16.

Thursday, Aug. 5, 6:15 p.m.

GRIND CITY BREWING COMPANY

Tai Chi

Classes held near Woodland Discovery Playground. $8.

Wednesdays, 3 p.m.

SHELBY FARMS PARK

Yoga

Join Peggy Reisser in the Garden, weather permitting.

Saturday, Aug. 7, 10:30 a.m.

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Nashville-based comedian Dusty Slay will perform at Lafayette’s Music Room on August 11th.

S P E C IA L E V E N TS

Fab Friday Laser Shows: Pink Floyd

Three shows nightly, Dark Side of The Moon at 7 p.m., Welcome to The Machine at 8:30 p.m., and The Wall at 10 p.m. $10.

Friday, Aug. 6.

AUTOZONE DOME PLANETARIUM

First Fridays on Broad

Join the shops on Broad for themed events, specials, and pop-ups. Friday, Aug. 6, 5-8 p.m.

BROAD AVENUE ARTS DISTRICT

Ghost Walk

Join the Historical Haunts Investigation Team and explore the macabre and dark history of Downtown Memphis. $20.

Friday, Aug. 6-Aug. 7, 8 p.m.

THE BROOM CLOSET

National Civil Rights Museum’s 30th Anniversary Celebration The Museum celebrates with extended hours through Labor Day. Free admission on Sept.

25, opportunities to share your memories, and a special fall exhibition. Through Sept. 25.

August 5-11, 2021

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

S PO R TS

Memphis 901 FC vs.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

Memphis 901 FC vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Tuesday, Aug. 10, 11 a.m.

AUTOZONE PARK

World Golf Championships: FedEx St. Jude Invitational

Brings the best players in the world to Memphis for one of the strongest fields of the year benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. $30.

Through Aug. 8.

Dangerous Entanglements

Occurs within the backdrop of Erotica Cosmetics, as five women struggle with their careers, their emotions, and life choices being involved with the CEO of the company Mike Vanderveede. $25. Thursday, Aug. 5-Aug. 15.

THEATREWORKS

George’s Truck Stop and Drag Bar: The Original

When a group of misfit drag queens/kings are displaced by a fire at their country bar, they take refuge in a roadside diner run by waitresses Mary Kay and Maybelline. $27/Truck Stop Ticket. Friday, Aug. 6-Aug. 7, 8-10 p.m.

THE EVERGREEN THEATRE

TO U R S

Tales from Elmwood: A Cemetery Walking Tour Get to know the residents of Elmwood Cemetery on this 90-minute walking tour of the cemetery grounds. $20.

Wednesday, Aug. 11, 10 a.m.

ELMWOOD CEMETERY

TPC AT SOUTHWIND

FAB FRIDAYS Memphis Museum of Science & History

WWW.MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG

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MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY

T H EAT E R

Laser light shows in the Planetarium, Friday nights at 7PM, 8:30PM, 10PM

FOOD By Michael Donahue

The Candy Lady Can When it comes to food, Precious Thompson Jones does it all.

it opened. I always wanted a Waffle House-type restaurant.”

She visited Goodwill and other places for equipment. “I got on Facebook talking about my dreams and goals. All kinds of strangers donated cash and equipment to help me get this restaurant open.”

The restaurant is painted black and white and pink, which were her “wedding colors”; purple for “royalty”; and yellow.

“Yellow is Big Mama. I buried my grandmother Big Mama in yellow.

“I want it to be funky. I want to bring Hollywood to Memphis.”

Her extensive menu includes Big Mama’s peach cobbler, and she has her characters. “If you want to sit down and eat chicken and waffles with Mickey Mouse or PAW Patrol, you can do that at Fabulous Flavors.”

In the works are a funnel cake truck, a hot dog truck, and a games truck. The energetic Jones, who still operates her Fabulous Flavors food truck, also caters and teaches food truck classes.

She has help, but The Candy Lady, who might be wearing a large pink chef’s hat, is usually at the restaurant to greet her customers. “They always say you’re going to sleep when you’re dead. But nobody is going to run my business like me.”

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m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

ther, the store’s namesake.

“We sold bootleg liquor.

We sold appliances. I am the ‘Candy Lady.’

I always had to stay under my grandfather selling snacks. My grandmother was Big Mama.”

When she was 8, Jones began helping Big Mama in the kitchen. “I learned how to make her peach cobbler, tacos, pies, different cakes.”

She kept her nickname in Memphis.

“I started being a Candy Lady at Oakshire Elementary and, later, when I went to Whitehaven. I was selling the chips. I was selling the drinks, the popcorn. I was selling the pickles. I used to do hair perms.

I was a jack of all trades when I moved to Memphis. When I was in high school, I started selling CDs and DVDs and purses.

The fake Gucci and Louis Vuitton.”

But, she says, “When I got out of high school I got in trouble. I became a felon.

My identity got stolen. I went to jail for four months, but that was the best four months of my life. My pain turned into my passion. They had a cafeteria in jail. I started cooking there.”

When she got out, Jones got into programs, including Second Chance Agency and Habitat for Humanity. “From all those programs, they put me with Memphis City Schools. I was a cafeteria lady for 10 years.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

P

recious Thompson Jones Jones got laid off after the schools — aka “The Candy Lady” — merged with Shelby County Schools. “I found a sweet spot to sell her had just met my husband [Lonnie Jones]. cuisine.

He said, ‘You always said you wanted to Jones, who strictly operated out of a go to culinary school.’ I enrolled in L’Ecole food truck, opened Fabulous Flavors & Culinaire.”

Friends restaurant two months ago.

After graduating, she worked for the “We have both chicken and waffles and Memphis Grizzlies and St. Jude Children’s t-bones and waffles, omelets, quesadillas,” Research Hospital, and she bought her first she says. “I have soul food, peach cobfood truck, which she opened in a Cash bler, banana pudding. We sell a little bit of Saver parking lot. everything.”

In addition to food, Jones added Jones, who is from “characters,” which the west side of Chicago, are the “Friends” in moved to Memphis 28 her restaurant’s title. years ago. “I love MemChildren dress up phis. Memphis saved my in Mickey Mouse, life.” Chicago wasn’t safe, PAW Patrol, and she says. “The criminal other costumes at the history is so bad. … So, restaurant, food truck, my parents decided to pop-up parties, and move to a different state.” parades she organizes.

Jones got her nickFor two years, name working at Big Jones had her eye PHOTO: MICHAEL DONAHUE Daddy’s, the candy store on her restaurant’s Precious Thompson Jones owned by her grandfaspace. “And finally got

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August 5-11, 2021

NOW VOTE FOR YOUR LOCAL FAVORITES!

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AUG 25 Winners Crowned in the September 30 Best of Memphis issue.

bom.memphisflyer.com 26

FILM By Chris McCoy

Medieval AF Dev Patel goes on a Camelot head trip in The Green Knight.

Dev Patel (above) is Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, who faces coming-of-age and a challenge set forth by the Green Knight (bottom), played by Ralph Ineson.

continued on page 28

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anything. That’s when a mysterious figure on horseback charges into Camelot. The Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) delivers a challenge. Any of the brave knights of the Round Table filling their bellies with figgy pudding can come take a free swing at him, but next Christmas, said knight must be willing to journey to the Green Chapel and submit to exactly the same wound he inflicts. Since the Green Knight is 8 feet tall, apparently made out of living wood, and wielding a magic axe, the knights are reluctant to take up his challenge. Gawain, needing stories to tell, volunteers. When Arthur loans him Excalibur, Gawain has an idea: If he cuts off the Green Knight’s head, he won’t have to worry about keeping his end of the bargain! But Gawain’s game theory comes undone when the Green Knight calmly picks up his severed head and says, “See you next year, sucker!” It’s all been a magic test of the future king’s capacity for mercy, and Gawain has failed the pop quiz.

Failure will be a recurring theme for our hero. The next Christmas season, he sets out alone to face decapitation. On the way, he is subject to a series of tests and temptations which, more often than not, he whiffs. Do you see Lancelot getting jumped by bandits and tied to a tree, or accidentally eating magic mushrooms while lost in the forest?

The Green Knight unfolds like a tapestry, as Lowery and cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo serve up one luscious image after another. The episodic story is held together, to the extent that it is, by Dev Patel’s charismatic performance

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

K

ing Arthur movies rise and fall like ancient kings in history books. You usually know what to expect: valiancy, swordplay, armor fetishism, forbidden courtly romance, etc. But David Lowery’s The Green Knight is a different breed of fairy tale.

The closest comparison is Excalibur, director John Boorman’s 1981 labor of love. Excalibur was nothing like the turgid Knights of the Round Table from the ’50s or the musical Camelot from the ’60s. It was an attempt to tell a story of King Arthur in a way that the original audience would have understood. Sure, the “original audience” was made up of medieval Christian fanatics imposing their performative masculinity onto stories of a Romano-British warlord, and if you showed them a moving picture rife with gratuitous nudity, they would have burned you for witchcraft, but that didn’t stop Boorman. Excalibur is a visual feast of verdant Irish landscapes and shiny armored men, featuring an all-time great battle sequence filmed in a real medieval castle.

But unless you watch it a few times and develop a working knowledge of Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, it’s pretty hard to follow.

The Green Knight signals it’s coming from a similar place with the title card, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: A filmed adaptation of the chivalric romance by Anonymous.” When we meet Gawain (Dev Patel), Arthur’s nephew is waking up in a brothel next to Essel (Alicia Vikander), a commoner. It’s Christmas, so he has to sober up and go to dinner with King Arthur (Sean Harris) and Guinevere (Kate Dickie). When his uncle asks him for a story of his exploits, Gawain admits he has never really done

27

FILM By Chris McCoy continued from page 27

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Personally, I loved The Green Knight for its uncompromising vision and flights of downright weirdness, but I realize it’s not for everyone. If you’re looking for Conan the Barbarianstyle, hack-and-slash action, you’ll be disappointed. The film has bawdy moments, but there’s no Game of Thrones-style exploitation. There’s humor in Gawain’s plight, but not the

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Lowery channels Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal and, in a stunning, wordless climax, Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. I found Lowery’s deliberate pacing hypnotic, but as my wife said, “There’s a lot of gazing.” My advice is, don’t worry too much about the intricacies of chivalry and magic. To get on The Green Knight’s wavelength, just sit back and let the mists of Avalon wash over you.

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A photograph of Sohail Pardis’ bloody, decapitated head is circulating on the internet. On May 12th of this year, Pardis, age 32, was stopped at a roadblock on the highway between Kabul, Afghanistan, and Khost Province. The roadblock was manned by Taliban fighters. Witnesses reported that the Taliban pulled Pardis from his vehicle and cut off his head. Sohail Pardis left behind a 9-year-old daughter.

So why should you care that much about the murder of Sohail Pardis? Most Americans quit thinking about Afghanistan years ago. The war has just been something in the background of our lives for some time. Here’s why you should care about the murder of Sohail Pardis. He was murdered because of what he did for our country. Almost a decade before his murder, Pardis served as an interpreter for 16 months with U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

In a story published by CNN on its website on July 23rd, Pardis’ friend Abdulhaq Ayoubi said Pardis had been receiving death threats from the Taliban: © CTTPNETWORK | DREAMSTIME.COM “They were telling him you are a spy for the Americans, you are the eyes of the Americans, and you are infidel, and we will kill you and your family.” This was not an idle threat for Pardis, and it is not an idle threat in general. Since 2014, No One Left Behind, an advocacy group for Afghan and Iraqi interpreters, estimates that approximately 300 Afghan interpreters and family members have been murdered by the Taliban.

In 2006, our government began a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program for Afghan and Iraqi interpreters and their families. Congress intended that applications for SIVs were to be processed within months, but most applicants must wait at least three years for a decision on their applications. Many have been waiting for years longer. Successive administrations have allowed a great backlog of pending cases to pile up. When President Biden announced on April 15th that the U.S. would withdraw its forces from Afghanistan by September 11th, almost 18,000 Afghan interpreters and their families were waiting for a decision on their applications.

The president made no provisions for those Afghan interpreters and their families in his withdrawal announcement. The withdrawal has moved quickly, and Taliban has made significant advances since the president first spoke. Fearing for the lives of our comrades and their families, American veterans and other concerned Americans began to speak up. We talked to the media and we wrote opinion pieces. We emailed our congressmen and our senators, and we emailed the president. We demanded the evacuation of those Afghans who had served with us, for so long and so well.

We’ve been heard, to some extent. On July 8th, President Biden told those Afghans who served with us as interpreters, cooks, and drivers “[t]hat there is a home for you in the United States.” On July 14th, the Biden administration announced the launch of “Operation Allies Refuge,” a program of relocation flights for Afghans and their families who have pending Special Immigrant Visa applications. Evacuation would begin in the last week of July, and 2,500 interpreters and their families, whose visa applications were all but complete, would be flown to Fort Lee in Virginia for final processing. Talks were reportedly underway with third countries to temporarily house those Afghans and their families, whose visa applications are not as far along.

On July 22nd, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan ALLIES Act, by a vote of 407-16. The legislation will increase the number of annual Special Immigrant Visas by 8,000 and will streamline the complicated SIV process. Congressman Steve Cohen was a co-sponsor of the ALLIES Act. Local Republican Congressman David Kustoff voted for the act.

Our Afghan comrades and their families are not out of jeopardy yet. Evacuation flights were to begin in this last week of July. As of today, July 27th, flights have yet to begin. The 2,500 interpreters and their families who will be flown to Fort Lee represent just a tiny percentage of the thousands of Afghans and their families who have pending SIV applications. The evacuation planes will fly out of the airport in Kabul; those Afghan interpreters and their families who live in Afghan cities and towns other than Kabul will have to run the gauntlet of Taliban roadblocks to get to Kabul.

Much remains to be done before our country makes good on its promises to those Afghans who stepped forward to serve shoulder to shoulder with U.S. forces in the war. It’s too late to save Sohail Pardis, but it’s not too late to deliver on that promise to thousands of other brave Afghans and their families. If you think our country’s word ought to mean something, then contact President Biden. Contact your senators and your representatives. Tell them it’s time to give those who helped us a chance to restart their lives in the United States of America.

Kevin R. Rardin is a retired Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

The U.S. needs to live up to its promises to help Afghans who helped our troops.

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