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Community Trust Suffers
As the National Guard hits Memphis, critics say a similar operation in D.C. has hurt business, increased racial profiling, and jeopardized the homeless.
PHOTO: HARPERDREWART | DREAMSTIME.COM
Won and Oh! Three thoughts on the undefeated Memphis Tigers. p11
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The Man Without a Country Memphis legend Tav Falco on his acclaimed new album, Desire on Ice p18
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NEWS & OPINION
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“THANK YOU, TRUMP”
“For the rst time in ve years, my kids have been able to play in the backyard comfortably,” DeeDee Manning said in a TikTok video over the weekend. “I haven’t heard a gunshot in two weeks.” e video was labeled “I feel safe … thank you Trump” and had been viewed 345,000 times in two days.
{ WEEK THAT WAS
By Flyer staff
Questions, Answers + Attitude
Edited by Toby Sells
Free the 901, Abortions, & Trump
Group calls for protection from task force, abortion numbers rise, and a clinic closes.
FREE THE 901
Members of the community asked Memphis Mayor Paul Young and other elected o cials to put public safety at the forefront as the National Guard arrived in Memphis.
COPTER WATCHING
Memphians have been glued to ight trackers and the skies as helicopters have populated our daily air tra c.
Elizabeth Williams caught the one above in South Memphis, “ ying so low you can see the shadow on the street — McLemore-Walker and Mississippi area.”
Are they for ICE or the Memphis Safe Task Force? Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said he doesn’t know.
“Our administration has received no information about why a militarystyle helicopter has been circling the city. #FreeTennessee,” he said in a Facebook post last week.
SPOOKY TIME
Memphis Redditor u/delway unveiled maybe the “spookiest Halloween decoration in Midtown?” this week.
“I present to you the clapped-out bumper-less Nissan Altima WITH a drive-out tag custom-made Halloween decoration,” u/delway said.
Free the 901, a campaign combining community, faith, labor, and civic organizers, released a letter to Young asking for executive orders to ensure protection from Memphis Police Department (MPD), federal agents, and the Guard.
TRUMP CLOSES MEMPHIS CLINIC
Planned Parenthood temporarily closed one of two Memphis clinics last week as a result of a federal appeals court decision that allowed the Trump administration to block patients from using Medicaid as their insurance at the reproductive health provider. Agency o cials said because of this they temporarily closed the clinic on Summer close to the intersection of I-40 and I-240.
“Absent an emergency or in the case of criminal misconduct, I do not believe that the terms of elected o cials should be shortened,” wrote Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris.
HOMELESS GRANTS TARGETED
ELECTION RULE VETOED
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris vetoed a resolution last week from Shelby County commissioners that would have put all nine Memphis school board seats up for election in 2026.
The controversial measure to reset school board election dates would have also cut short five current board members’ terms. In a two-line memo sent to commissioners, Harris cited that effect as the reason for his veto.
“Absent an emergency or in the case of criminal misconduct, I do not believe that the terms of elected officials should be shortened,” Harris wrote in the memo obtained by Chalkbeat Tennessee.
The commission could override the mayor’s veto with eight votes from its 13-member group within 30 days of the veto. Even if the mayor’s veto stands, changes are still coming for school board elections next year. Candidates will face a partisan primary for the first time and new term limits approved by the County Commission in August.
Cuts to a vital federal program could include permanent housing solutions for Memphis’ homeless population. National groups are watching potential threats to an annual federal funding program that brought $12 million to Memphis. e Community Alliance for the Homeless (CAFTH) is responsible for bringing this grant money to Memphis each year.
e group said the impending changes would include funding reductions for organizations that “previously used any type of racial preference or recognized gender nonconforming or transgender people.”
OUT OF STATE ABORTIONS
In 2024, 10,020 Tennessee residents travelled out of state to obtain an abortion, according to data compiled by Guttmacher Institute, a policy organization that advocates for reproductive rights.
However, an additional 5,840 patients terminated pregnancies with medication obtained through telehealth appointments. e total number of Tennesseans obtaining abortions — both surgical and medication — in 2024 surpassed those obtained before the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision triggered a Tennessee near-total abortion ban in 2022.
Chalkbeat Tennessee and Tennessee Lookout contributed to this report.
Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.
PHOTO: ADAM SCHULTZ
‘A Safer Memphis’ {
CITY REPORTER
By Kailynn Johnson
Top city o cials detail the National Guard’s role in ghting Memphis crime.
City o cials drew a more detailed picture of how the National Guard will operate in Memphis in a virtual meeting last week by the Memphis Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Memphis Police Department (MPD)
Chief C.J. Davis spoke and answered questions in the meeting called “Defending Democracy Together: A Safer Memphis.”
Davis said she knew citizens are concerned about having a similar occupation as occurred Washington, D.C. But she said in D.C. the Guard was under a federal authority.
“Here in Memphis, the Guard has been deployed by the state,” Davis said. “We are not utilizing them to do checkpoints or anything like that. We really want to dispel some of the myths and the rumors of what people think is going to happen with our service men and women.”
Davis has had special brie ngs with MPD o cers to remind them that they will not deviate from local policies and procedures. Also, MPD o cers are re-
sponsible for documenting and reporting any troubling behavior by federal agents. Community members can also report incidents to the MPD.
In terms of public safety, Davis said they’re trying to use the Guard in “nonenforcement capacities.”
“We’re hoping to utilize our Guard personnel to help direct tra c, be visible in retail corridors, and all of these other things,” Davis said.
e Guard will be visible in increased highway and tra c surveillance, Davis said. But they also have a “violent crime warrant detail” that seeks to arrest those with outstanding warrants for violent crimes.
“You may not see that in the news,” Davis said. “You may not feel that — that could be at 2 o’clock in the morning. Obviously what you see every day is some of the tra c activity, but there’s hundreds of people doing other types of work.”
Davis said these duties include investigative work, analysis, and more.
Overall, Davis said crime in Memphis has decreased over the past several months. She said homicides and shootings
have slowed down, and vehicle the s are reducing. While noting these changes, she did say the city needs federal help, and they have requested this assistance in the past.
“We didn’t ask for it in such large numbers, but it’s here and the mayor and I have worked with these teams to try to make sure [federal help] is working for Memphis,” Davis said.
Young added that while they have seen improvements in crime numbers, they’re “still too high.”
e NAACP referenced the progress that United States Attorney General Pam Bondi touted as a result of the Memphis Safe Task Force. Davis said any numbers that are reported by the task force are a combination of their e orts and MPD.
She said MPD doesn’t have the resources to support all cold-case and homicide warrants. Federal analysts and other resources will help them tackle these issues, along with identifying violent criminals, Davis said.
e NAACP Memphis recently issued a survey on the Guard’s deployment. In it, “probably 75 percent” strongly disap-
e National Guard here is overseen by the state, not the feds.
proved of the decision. Young acknowledged there are several opinions regarding the Guard’s presence, but he believes all citizens can agree on wanting a safer city.
“While I know there are a number of people that don’t support the National Guard, there’s a number of people that do,” Young said. “ ose that do are supporting it because they want to see safety in their community.”
He also noted community comments regarding what Young’s administration should be focused on. According to the NAACP, many hope for support around a ordable housing, criminal justice reform, and economic opportunities.
Young said he agreed that these elements would bring “long-term safety and vibrancy” to the community along with mental health and trauma response resources for those a ected by violence.
Graham and the Dance of American Diplomacy
PHOTO: TENN. AIR GUARD MASTER SGT. KENDRA OWENBY
HALLOWEEN CONTEST
CATEGORIES: HORROR, COUPLE & MOST ORIGINAL
EFREE NTRY
POLITICS By Jackson Baker
Weighing the Candidates
Some pointers in the 9th congressional district race, already underway.
A er dreaming nonstop Sunday night of fevered and intense local competition between Democratic factions over the 2026 9th District congressional race, I wake on Monday to nd, perhaps unsurprisingly, that things are nowhere near that point in reality.
All that will come in time, but as of now most stirrings on social media are on other matters — the ongoing federal/ state intervention in Memphis a airs and on its roadways being perhaps the most prominent of things addressed.
But partisans of the two Democratic candidates — incumbent Steve Cohen and challenger Justin J. Pearson — as well as the candidates themselves, are weighing in with what appear to be their essential talking points.
Addressing a certain nervousness in Democratic ranks about his challenge to a long-time party incumbent, Pearson said at a campaign rally last week, “We’re not running against a person. We’re running against the status quo.”
As for Cohen, he spoke for his troops when he responded to Pearson’s opening announcement by citing his many years of experience in expediting solutions to the majority-Black district’s needs. ere is more to it than that, however.
Pearson is aware of the e ect his persona and oratorical skill have on his would-be constituency — not just the Blacks in it but among its progressive whites as well. e reaction to his instant claim to national — nay, international — fame from his “Tennessee ree” days has continued to mark him as a unique political specimen with generational relevance.
And he keeps his hand in on virtually every topical issue that comes along —
most recently, both the xAI matter and the ongoing co-occupation of local options by state and federal authorities.
And Cohen is famous, not just for his quicksilver wit and instinct for the partisan core of current issues but, to those who have paid attention over his long career, for his ability, less heralded but equally real, to work across the political aisle and to strike bargains with the opposition. Witness only his perseverance as a state senator in enacting a state lottery against multiple obstacles.
Whereas Pearson is going a er the Trump administration’s actions in Memphis with hammer and tongs, Cohen conducted a trenchant but smooth Judiciary Committee interrogation of FBI head Kash Patel that le room for useful compromises when push comes to shove.
Ideologically, there is little if any di erence between the two contenders. Both are capital-D Democrats with demonstrated concern for local grievances. at will not keep personality factors from inserting themselves in the campaign, however. Pearson has already expressed his conviction that Cohen is “arrogant.” And it’s clear that Cohen, for his part, regards Pearson, a congressional intern of his in the past, as something of an ingrate and usurper. (“I knew something was up when he didn’t invite me to his wedding,” the congressman observed of his former charge.)
In any case, though there will be other races of interest on our ballot next year, there will be nothing else anywhere near as supercharged as the one for the 9th congressional district.
Can I pick a winner at this early point? I cannot. We’ll just have to see the movie, with all its turns and unforeseen plot twists, to nd out what happens.
The thought police have arrived.
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of a library.” — Jorge Luis Borges
For most of the second Trump administration, it’s been difficult to keep up with the incessant machinations of the president and his minions. Sure, we got outraged at the dangerous and foolish cutting of medical research, university funding, and thousands of vital federal jobs, and at the short-sighted gutting of all energy funding except for fossil fuels, and at the misuse of the Justice Department to selectively prosecute perceived presidential “enemies,” including law firms, media companies, colleges, and individuals, but it didn’t connect with most of us on a personal level.
That has changed. The National Guard and up to 15 federal agencies are patrolling the streets and skies of Memphis, 24-7. How long they’ll be here is anyone’s guess, as is the net effect of their presence.
Last week, it got personal for a lot of Memphians in a most unexpected way. Here’s a note I received from a reader: “Bruce, might there be an interest by the Flyer to cover a new Memphis public library policy. My son works as a librarian. All book displays now must be approved by the city attorney before being set up.”
Soon thereafter, the news was all over local social media, accompanied by pictures of empty shelves in public libraries that had originally been set up for Banned Book Week. Yep, in the ultimate irony, the banned book displays in the Memphis Public Libraries system were banned. And, just to make sure the president knew we weren’t misbehaving out here in the hinterlands, the library’s annual Banned Book Week was renamed “Freedom to Read Week.” Because nothing says “freedom to read” like removing books the government doesn’t want people to know about. I don’t know if the Thought Police were included among the 15 federal agencies assigned to Memphis, but they appear to be here now.
The Daily Memphian’s Jane Roberts was the first reporter in town to get the story. From her October 11th report: “Early Monday, October 6th, banned book displays at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library were quickly dismantled; the displays have remained empty. Other branches around the city followed like a cascade of dominoes.
“As of Thursday, October 9th, library employees have been directed to get pre-approval for book displays and all
library signs.”
Why? It appears to have come down to the city wanting to comply with Trump administration edicts to do away with DEI programs — and to avoid public controversy. Roberts reported on a memo written by Chris Allen, HR compliance officer for the city, stating that the city had gotten complaints that the library was using public funds for programs aimed at specific demographic groups. The city’s new policy seems to be to have the public library try to dance around those complaints rather than confronting the censorship head on.
Roberts cited three examples: The Black Child Book Fair Tour, which the library has sponsored for several years and which featured books with Black characters and themes, was relabeled the Children’s Book Fair. The library’s annual Pride event was relabeled the Vincent Astor Celebration, in honor of a prominent local gay activist. And a trivia contest at the Orange Mound branch library that has traditionally been about Black sitcoms is now billed as “Sitcom Trivia.”
As the Flyer’s Kailynn Johnson reported on Monday, the city now says the displays were removed while the city “revamps” its approval process to have more “consistent display strategies across” their 18 locations. Okay.
Since the Memphis Public Library system can no longer safely celebrate Banned Books Week, let me offer you a top 10 list of notable banned books: The Catcher in the Rye, The Sun Also Rises, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, Brave New World, The Grapes of Wrath, The Color Purple, Of Mice and Men, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Animal Farm.
To be clear, these books are all no doubt available in Memphis public libraries. We haven’t descended to the level where agents of government are going into libraries and confiscating books deemed unsuitable by those in power. We have, however, descended to the level where complaints from some members of the public and a federal edict against promoting diversity can intimidate local officials into censoring library displays.
Going from “Banned Books Week” to “Freedom to Read Week” is a slippery slope in the wrong direction. Here are a few quotes from George Orwell’s 1984 to remind you: “War is Peace,” “Freedom is Slavery,” “Ignorance is Strength.”
CROSSTOWN ARTS
THURSDAY OCTOBER 16
REED TURCHI
WORLD ON FIRE ALBUM RELEASE SHOW with special guest ART EDMAISTON
MUSIC | 7:30 PM | THE GREEN ROOM
SATURDAY OCTOBER 18
CROSSTOWN SYNC presents
EN SYNC
feat MO JCKSN , TANGELA , and A$H
MUSIC | 7:30 PM | THE GREEN ROOM
THURSDAY OCTOBER 2
JOE RESTIVO and FRIENDS
A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP RECORD RELEASE SHOW
MUSIC | 7:30 PM | THE GREEN ROOM
SATURDAY OCTOBER 25
DEAD SOLDIERS
CIVILWARLAND RECORD RELEASE SHOW
feat BLVCK HIPPIE
MUSIC | 7:30 PM | CROSSTOWN THEATER
EDUCATION
By Alex Greene
On History and Ourselves
Author and scholar Jelani Cobb celebrates a nonprofit connecting the past with the present.
Being raised in Jim Crow Memphis required some strenuous mental gymnastics among the white people who benefited from it, certain tricks for not thinking. Far too many embraced such mental sleights of hand unquestioningly, but others, as they learned of the wider world, learned to think outside the racial box. And in them was stirred a determination to foster change.
Margot Stern Strom was one of the latter sort of Memphians, with powerful consequences. As she relates in an online video about her youth here, “From the day I was born, I began to learn my lessons. I learned it is possible to pray at night and ride in a Jim Crow car the next morning. … I learned it the way all my Southern people learn it, by closing door after door, until one’s mind and heart and conscience are blocked off from each other and from reality.”
And then she unlearned it. After her educational career took her to Boston in the 1970s and she found herself teaching 8th graders about the Holocaust, she began to see connections and contradictions between the lessons our communities teach us and the way our own history is represented. And so, in 1976, she founded a nonprofit seeking to address those contradictions headon: Facing History and Ourselves.
Now, nearly half a century later, that nonprofit continues its mission of using “lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to racism, antisemitism, and other forms of bigotry and hate,” still going strong after Strom’s passing in 2023. Headquartered in Boston, it now has branch offices in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, San Francisco, Cleveland, London, and, yes, Memphis.
necessary FHAO’s lessons are.
“I’ve always been a fan of what you might call applied history,” he says. “A lot of times, young people aren’t interested in history because they think it’s just an arid collection of dates and facts. The way we present it to them, the past is inert. We don’t give them a sense of how the past is ambient, how it surrounds us, and how it can inform the way we move through the world right now. And so I think that’s one of the most vital things that Facing History does.”
As Cobb explains, teaching history with that in mind can have a profound effect on our lives. “It’s crucial that we have history be applicable to the world that we’re operating in now,” he says. “That was the initial rationale for us even studying history in an organized way, just to understand long term patterns. We study history for the same reason that people used to have weather almanacs: to try to understand how to navigate the world we’re in.”
“It’s crucial that we have history be applicable to the world that we’re operating in now.”
And, Cobb emphasizes, studying history is also an object lesson in critical thinking. “When we talk about things like media literacy, which is obviously increasingly important, what we’re really trying to get at is a particular type of critical and analytical ability, and that’s fundamental to what we’re supposed to be doing in education.” To that end, his talk at the FHAO event will focus on “the historic vulnerabilities of American democracy, and how they inform the moment that we’re in right now.”
That lends a personal dimension to the fundraising event that Facing History and Ourselves (FHAO) is hosting in Strom’s hometown, taking place at the Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center on Thursday, October 30th, at 6 p.m. And, with the powers that be seemingly poised to restore Jim Crowlike regimes in our time, showing support for FHAO is more important than ever.
That’s a sentiment shared by the event’s keynote speaker, Jelani Cobb. As both a staff writer for The New Yorker and dean of the Columbia Journalism School, he’s confronted racial and cultural politics in his writings for over two decades, and knows just how
Connecting the dots between then and now, of course, is FHAO’s strong suit. As Cobb puts it, “The way that we teach history needs an overhaul, and we have to present our students with a sense of the past that lets them understand the stakes, that lets them understand the kind of human dimensions, the drama, the striving, the ambitions, the longings of people who lived and died before they did. But also to say that humanity hasn’t changed that much. It’s not that hard to put ourselves in the shoes of those people, and therefore it’s not that hard to understand the applicability of what we learned from history to the current moment.”
Community Trust Suffers
As the National Guard hits Memphis, critics say a similar operation in D.C. has hurt business, increased racial profiling, and jeopardized the homeless.
COVER STORY
By Meghnad Bose and Micaela Watts, Institute for Public Service Reporting
Mayor Paul Young leaned into the microphone and announced in a deep, resonant voice that he was less than enthusiastic about the National Guard coming to Memphis.
“I want to be clear,’’ Young told reporters last month, “I did not ask for the National Guard. And I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime.’’
But the mayor said he planned to make the most of President Trump’s
decision to send troops to Memphis.
Days later, Young reported that he and his team had consulted city leaders in National Guard-occupied Washington, D.C. — the model the president says he wants to replicate in Memphis.
“What we heard was encouraging,’’ Young wrote in his weekly newsletter.
“The Guard there served as ‘eyes and ears on the streets,’ more like a large-scale neighborhood watch than frontline police officers. This extended police capacity brought a sense of calm.’’
But the calm the mayor cites seems more like chaos to advocates working on immigration, homelessness, and human rights in Washington.
ey say the deployment of more
than 2,000 National Guard personnel there has stirred widespread fear among immigrant populations, led to a surge in racial pro ling, caused a downturn in economic activity, and reduced footfall in the city’s restaurants. As one advocate told the Institute for Public Service Reporting, the usual tourist congestion in the nation’s capital has been replaced by “empty sidewalks.”
Meantime, an amicus brief led in court by organizations working on homelessness argues that the National Guard has not received adequate training for one of its key Washington assignments: clearing out dozens of homeless encampments.
As the rst National Guard troops
began patrolling in Memphis last Friday following the surge of federal agents who have made hundreds of arrests since arriving September 29th as part of Trump’s “Memphis Safe Task Force,” activists in Washington remain perplexed by the surge of troops and agents there.
e Guard’s deployment in Washington has been estimated to cost roughly a million dollars a day.
“ at is a huge cost to our national government that is being footed by all taxpayers in this country,’’ said Alicia Yass, supervising policy counsel for the Washington branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “ is is an enormous waste of money because the government is paying them for
PHOTO: JOHN PARTIPILO | TENNESSEE LOOKOUT Agents from multiple federal agencies and Tennessee High Patrol o cers have been pulling over motorists in Memphis for minor violations as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force.
duties that could be done by local people who could just be hired to get a job.”
In addition to patrolling tourist sites and the city’s main train station, the Guard has been involved in cleanup activities — raking, mulching, and landscaping.
Responding to questions from The Institute, a spokesperson for the National Guard’s Joint Task Force in Washington said in an email that troops are making a difference in the city.
“We have been activated by our Commander-In-Chief to ensure the safety and beautification of the Nation’s capital,’’ the Guard spokesperson wrote. “The activities you mentioned (raking, mulching, landscaping) are all a part of improving the look of Washington, D.C., and making the city a better place to live and visit.”
Adverse economic impact
In addition to the cost to taxpayers, the Guard’s presence in the capital is also leading to a downturn in some economic activity.
In the week following the Guard’s deployment in Washington, restaurant reservations in the city were down nearly 25 percent, on average, according to data collected by OpenTable.
There has been a decline in hotel bookings and international travel to Washington as well. Michael Lukens, the executive director of Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, said the difference in the number of tourists in the city, too, is undeniable.
The week federal forces took over the capital, foot traffic in Washington dropped 7 percent on average, according to an analysis by Pass_by, which creates estimates by compiling data from multiple sources.
“It’s definitely not the D.C. we’re used to,” Lukens said. “It used to be that you get out of the metro on a hot summer day in August and think, ‘I cannot stand how many tourists are here in my city because they’re in my way.’ And now, it’s empty sidewalks.”
Heightened immigration enforcement
Mayor Young emphasized in his September 19th weekly newsletter that President Trump’s focus on Memphis involves more than the National Guard.
“As we consider what is coming next, it is important to think about the resources in two buckets — the National Guard and the twenty-two federal agencies that will support our existing Memphis-focused initiatives,’’ Young wrote. Other federal agencies expected to participate in Trump’s Memphis initiative include the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi posted on social media on October 9th that Trump’s Memphis Safe Task Force had made 562 arrests to date, seizing 144 illegal guns. Accompanying those arrests are a number of complaints from the city’s Hispanic neighborhoods, with claims of harassment and rights violations. The Latino rights group Vecindarios 901 alleges that state troopers accompanied by ICE officers are saturating Hispanic communities, pursuing work trucks, pulling over motorists for petty violations such as not activating headlights in the rain, and seizing vehicles.
“This is not crime prevention and does nothing to make us safer,’’ Vecindarios activist Hunter Demster said on social media while reporting that task force members were pulling over motorists for brake light infractions.
In Washington, ICE’s ramped-up presence is most concerning to human rights activists.
According to data released by the White House, there were more than 2,300 arrests between August 7th, when federal law enforcement began their deployment, and September 9th. More than 40 percent of those arrests were related to immigration, an analysis by the Associated Press found.
Lukens said the Guard soldiers are not necessarily a direct threat to targeted communities. Soldiers, Lukens said, are mostly “standing around” and not “going around trying to intimidate people and causing trouble.” Rather, it’s the surge of other types of federal agents, including ICE agents, and the federalization of the police that has upended the daily lives of both immigrants and U.S. citizens.
“One of the first things was a crackdown on moped drivers because we have a really big food delivery economy done on mopeds,” Lukens said. ICE agents, supported by local law enforcement, have been pulling over mopeds for minor, non-moving traffic violations like a flapping license plate or failure to use a turn signal. On-the-spot questioning often results in an arrest.
The complement of federal agents, backed by the Guard, was unleashed in neighborhoods with high immigrant populations, leading to numbers of heavy-handed arrests, advocates say.
“Knowing your rights and being able to, in a chaotic situation, press for your rights are two very different things,” Lukens said. The need for services from organizations such as Amica, which provides legal representation and programming like “Know Your Rights” workshops, has increased dramatically, he said.
The threat to individual rights is compounded by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that paves way for law enforcement to question someone
August 26, 2025: The reflecting pool and Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., with two soldiers patrolling the area
“People just aren’t leaving their homes as much just because they’re fearful of what might happen.”
based on their appearance. The ruling has enabled federal agents to utilize racial profiling when stopping residents, according to human rights advocates.
“We have people who were pulled out of Ubers. A cop would pull someone over, and ICE would be questioning someone in the backseat,” said Lukens. “That person would end up getting arrested because they admitted they didn’t have documentation.”
Meantime, the infrastructure to support the sharp uptick in arrests of undocumented residents is insufficient. Lacking adequate bed space, ICE field offices have turned into crowded temporary holding facilities before
arrestees are transferred to official detention centers — often hundreds of miles away from home.
Reports from those detained in field offices not meant to host humans are grim, said Amy Fischer, director of Refugee and Immigrant Rights at Amnesty International.
“There’s no bed, so people are sort of sleeping, sitting up. They’re being fed one single burrito a day,’’ Fischer said. “They don’t have access to drinking water. … It’s been very, very dire. They do not care about the safety or wellbeing of the people they are arresting.”
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin sharply denied Fischer’s assertions.
“Any allegations of ‘inhumane conditions’ at ICE facilities are FALSE,” McLaughlin said in an emailed statement. “Make no mistake, these types of lies are contributing to the over 1000% increase in assaults on the men and women of ICE who put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens.”
All detainees receive “proper meals, quality water, blankets, [and] medical treatment,” McLaughlin said.
But Fischer, who doubles as an organizer for the grassroots organization Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, said the aggressive immigration crackdown is keeping aid workers busy in neighborhoods throughout Washington.
“We have on video multiple occasions in which federal officers are legitimately telling the people that they are arresting that their instructions are just to [arbitrarily] take them off the streets, bring them in, and have them processed,” Fischer said.
The actions have stirred fear throughout the city.
“People just aren’t leaving their homes as much just because they’re fearful of what might happen,’’ said the ACLU’s Yass.
Community trust is tested
There has been a considerable reduction in overall violent crime since the crackdown started, according to an analysis of Washington police data by The Institute. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) recorded 178 violent crimes between August 11th and September 11th, a drop of 40 percent compared to the same period last year. Property crime went down by 15 percent compared to the same period in 2024.
Yet, as in Memphis, data shows crime already was declining in Washington before the deployment.
In January, Washington’s MPD and the U.S. Attorney’s Office released a
continued on page 14
PHOTO: FEDECANDONIPHOTO | DREAMSTIME.COM
continued from page 13
report indicating that total violent crime in Washington in 2024 was down 35 percent from the previous year, marking the lowest rate in over 30 years.
More concerning, Yass said, Trump’s deployment of the National Guard has led to questionable policing in Black and brown neighborhoods and mixed communities where community trust already is fragile.
broken up, a White House official told The Guardian
The encampments were cleared “with very little notice given to them,” Yass told The Institute. “It’s really been a very haphazard approach without setting up all of these people with any sort of stable housing to transition into. So it’s very disruptive for them.”
According to a Reuters analysis of records from Washington’s superior court from the first few weeks of Washington’s takeover by federal forces, federal agents had been “converging in large numbers on low-level crimes such as marijuana use and public alcohol consumption.”
Local organizations have had to step in to help many of these unhoused people, Yass said, putting their belongings in storage facilities so that they don’t lose important documents and possessions.
Last month, the ACLU was part of a coalition of Washington-based civil rights and legal service organizations that filed an amicus brief in support of the District of Columbia’s lawsuit challenging Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in the city.
While you shop, enjoy seasonal brews and good vibes in our Crafts & Drafts Beer Garden, plus all the festive fun Crosstown has to offer. SAT NOV 8 10a-4p CROSSTOWN CONCOURSE Shop local. Sip seasonal. Celebrate creativity.
It’s the holiday shopping event with serious personality! Meet some of the Mid-South’s most creative makers, crafters, and artists - just in time to find the perfect, not-so-basic gifts.
A spokesperson for the National Guard told The Institute that troops were assisting the Washington MPD and federal law enforcement but not conducting searches or arrests themselves.
The spokesperson said, “Guard members will provide a visible crime deterrent, not arrest, search, or direct law enforcement.”
Lukens and Fischer described Guard activity as mostly “standing around,” picking up trash, and assisting in the occasional arrest. Officers from multiple agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the DEA have shown more aggression, Fischer said.
Among its contentions, the brief
“It’s going to make people distrustful of our own police force, even once all these federal forces leave.”
Federal agents working with police have clamped down on commuter movement throughout the city, pulling over scores of non-white residents. A Washington Post analysis of more than 1,200 arrest records — not including the arrests made by ICE — showed that while arrests are occurring in every pocket of Washington, the majority are occurring in neighborhoods with the least amount of White residents. The Post analysis found young Black men comprise the majority of these arrests.
“It’s going to make people distrustful of our own police force, even once all these federal forces leave,’’ Yass said. “So any gains that our local MPD has made in community policing are going to have to be rebuilt, and that takes time — that’s not done overnight.”
Breaking up homeless encampments
In the first few weeks of the Guard’s deployment in the capital, around 50 homeless encampments had been
states the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless has provided training on homelessness for more than two decades to nearly every Metropolitan Police Department recruit class. That includes connecting unhoused people to resources. National Guardsmen have had no such training, the brief says.
“That’s not helping to make anyone more safe,’’ Yass said, “particularly when it’s done by people who are not trained to do it and are not providing any sort of adequate support.”
PHOTO: HARPERDREWART | DREAMSTIME.COM National Guard Military Police patrol the National Mall.
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steppin’ out
We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews
The Bunker
By Abigail Morici
Kiara Santos was in the bunker for a while there. at’s what she called her safe zone, away from the dangers of judgment and anxiety. “I was afraid that I would be made fun of,” she says. “I was afraid that maybe I wasn’t as good as anybody else.”
In 2020, Santos began painting — out of boredom, out of curiosity, and a need for a hobby in Covid-riddled times. “I had nothing else to do,” she says, “and at the time, somebody was like, ‘Wait, you’re actually pretty good. You should do this more o en.’ And so that turned into me painting more o en. I had this very small collection that is really kind of embarrassing to look at nowadays because my art has progressed so much.”
Eventually, she began to sell her work until self-doubt and imposter syndrome caught up with her, sending her back into her bunker. “I stopped painting, I started getting a little discouraged, and, quite frankly, I got lazy,” but, she says, “Somebody called me out, and it was a hurtful truth that I wasn’t really open to accepting, but it was tough love, and that ignited me.” e next night, she took her anger out on the canvas — the rst time she painted from emotion, rather than from boredom. “Since that day, painting became a passion. It became a way for me to express my emotions because sometimes I have a hard time doing that verbally.” at piece also sparked the idea for her to host an art show. “I was like, ‘I think it’s time to step out of that safe zone. It’s time to step out of the bunker.’”
And she followed through, hosting her rst show, “ e Bunker,” last year at the Medicine Factory with a theme of personal growth and perseverance. Now, Santos is gearing up to host the second edition of “ e Bunker,” this time featuring art by herself, Kennedy Holley, Sarai Payne, and Kaitlyn Miller, along with songs by Nick Black, Yella P, Aybil, and Soleil. “ e theme this year is ‘A Septic Love Story,’” Santos says. “And so that’s really just a metaphor to tell a story about our heartbreaks. We’ve all experienced our relationships that might have been a little toxic. ere might have been abandonment, neglect, betrayal, lies. And I wanted to give a platform to other artists to tell their toxic love story, or their septic love story.”
e night will be fully curated beginning with a showcase of the musicians’ songs tied to the theme before moving to the visual arts portion of the gallery show. “ e Bunker” will also include giveaways and an interactive piece, and guests are encouraged to wear “antique white, emerald green, and midnight black.”
“I promised myself that I would do it again and again, and the end goal is to make it grow so I can take this to other cities,” Santos says. “So here I am at the second show, keeping my word to myself, which is really the most important thing.”
Purchase tickets at tinyurl.com/32fx9a3s.
VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES October 16th - 22nd
Tambourine Bash Bene ting
Music Export Memphis Overton Park Shell, 1928 Poplar Avenue, ursday, October 16, 7-10 p.m., $20/general admission
Music Export Memphis’ Tambourine Bash is back for its h year at the Overton Park Shell for a night of musical collaborations. On the lineup are Ozioma + LaDarryl + Keenya Creates, Ryan Peel + Madame Fraankie + Mak Ro, Raneem Imam + Graham Winchester + Cyrena Wages, Black Cream + Marcella Simien + Lucky 7 Brass Band, and Unapologetic. + Future-Everything.
Purchase tickets at tinyurl.com/3t 66z.
Memphis Legends
Baron Von Opperbean, 101 Island Drive, Saturday, October 18, 6-10 p.m., $100+
Homes for Hearts, a Memphis-based nonpro t dedicated to building affordable, sustainable tiny homes for individuals experiencing homelessness, will host its rst-ever fundraising event, Memphis Legends. e evening will raise critical funds to construct the next tiny home in North Memphis’ Hyde Park neighborhood, speci cally for an unhoused Memphian vetted by Room in the Inn. e organization’s mission is simple yet transformative: from homelessness to tiny homeownership.
Guests will enjoy an unforgettable night honoring the past and present legends of Memphis with food, drinks, music, and art from some of the city’s most beloved names. ere will be a
cocktail contest, live art by Birdcap, a cake art sculpture, tours of Baron Von Opperbean, and an auction.
Purchase tickets at tinyurl. com/2xc6z843.
RiverArtsFest
Riverside Drive, Saturday-Sunday, October 18-19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $20/ weekend, $15/single day, $5/child RiverArtsFest, the largest and longestrunning ne arts festival in the MidSouth, returns to Riverside Drive for its 19th year. e two-day, family-friendly festival features more than 160 ne artists from across the country, live music, hands-on art activities, artist demonstrations, food, and performances. Voted a top-20 ne arts festival in the U.S. by Sunshine Artist Magazine, RiverArtsFest is a must-attend event for art-lovers and families alike. Tickets are available at RiverArtsMemphis.org.
“THE BUNKER ART SHOW: (EP. II) A SEPTIC LOVE STORY,” COMEBACK COFFEE, 358 NORTH MAIN STREET, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 6:30 P.M., $17.85.
PHOTO: COURTESY KIARA SANTOS Aybil
MUSIC By Chris McCoy
The Man Without a Country
Memphis
legend Tav Falco on his acclaimed new album, Desire on Ice
Tav Falco exploded like a hand grenade into the staid Memphis music scene of the late 1970s. Along with his friend Alex Chilton, he founded Panther Burns, the anarchic ensemble which de ed norms and de ned Memphis punk. Now, he has an acclaimed new album, Desire on Ice, which revisits some of the best tracks of his storied career with the assistance of an all-star cast of collaborators. e Memphis Flyer interviewed Falco via email from his home in Bangkok, ailand. e following Q&A has been edited for length.
Memphis Flyer: e reviews for Desire on Ice have been very good, with Mojo awarding you a perfect ve stars. How rewarding does that feel?
Tav Falco: Not sure our records have ever received such critical accolades. Typically our stage shows are greeted with howls of contempt on the one hand and squeals of ecstasy on the other.
Your musical relationship with Mario Monterosso has been very fruitful. How do y’all work together? What do you think he brings to the Tav Falco table?
“I have only one song to sing, whether it is film or music or writing. For I have but one persona.”
Mario allowed himself to become a collaborator rather than simply ll the role of a guitarist. When we met in Rome, I don’t think he was ready for that, but a er a few sessions in the recording studio, I knew he was ready. I also realized Mario had the musical ability and sensitivity to become a producer, and the kind of producer my music needs: a producer who can work outside the box and not look back.
Our intent on this new album, I might add, was to create new, crossgenre treatments of a selection of my songs beyond the originally recorded versions. is led us to drown the songs in undercurrents of beat jazz, ’60s Italian movie themes, and deviant folk blues. Mario was crucial to con ating this mix of genres and their nuances. e treatments re ect where we’re at today, while reimagining the thematic contours of the originals, then hurling the entire album into the future.
You have a huge variety of guest stars on this record. How did you go about recruiting talent for the record?
We thought to invite those who’d had involvement with the music either directly on stage, on record, or in some spiritual or political way over the course of my performing career. It is indeed a staggering array of artists who responded to the panther howl I am know for, yet who were willing to embrace the concept Mario had explained — of capturing the original import of the songs while exploring how those songs resonate in today’s turbulent times. Turns out the resonance was deep and wide. Artists from Kid Congo Powers to the inimitably exquisite performance artist Ann Magnuson brought a willingness combined with insight into how to interpret my visions of hilarity, absurdity, love of lost causes, fetish, and sexual fantasy, all soaked in the rhyme and ritual of Orphic mysteries. Among them,
our original Memphis drummer, Ross Johnson, probably knows my moves and motivations better than anyone.
How did your deep history with Memphis music in uence Desire on Ice?
Aside from the cultural cross-currents adri in the city, and the process of association they engender, it was Phillips studio itself that mattered — a kind of temple we call our recording home. Walking through those studio doors again to record this album as I had done so many times before, I felt other Memphis artists were walking with me. Not only musicians like Teenie Hodges and Roland Robinson who had also played with me, but other kinds of Memphis artists whose in uence was formative, like the photographer William J. Eggleston, sculptor John McIntire, lmmaker
Carl Orr, and others who cumulatively colored what, how, and why we recorded what we did.
What I learned from them was starting in the middle and working your way out. at’s how it is done in Memphis, learning by doing. Also echoing in my mind as I entered Phillips studio to record Desire On Ice was the advice of another Memphis mentor, Sun recording artist Charlie Feathers: “If you’re not doing anything di erent, Tav, you’re doing nothing at all.”
e Flyer’s Alex Greene will be doing a live score for your lm e Urania Trilogy, at Crosstown eater on November 20th. What was your inspiration for making the transition into lm? How does it feel to trust someone else with the music for your lm? e transition was actually from lm to music. When I came down to Memphis from the hills of Arkansas riding on a Norton motorcycle, I came because of the poets, painters, writers, and archivists who lived and worked there. I came to join that community and to become a lmmaker. I got a job making movie titles at Motion Picture Laboratories on South Main Street, and for two years I learned 16 mm lm working there. Doesn’t matter really because I have only one song to sing, whether it is lm or music or writing. For I have but one persona. It is the secret eye of the persona that matters, and that’s all that interests people in an artist. e themes, the narratives, the abstractions, the psychic thrusts, and fractals are all a product of that secret eye.
My movie, e Urania Trilogy, is an experimental feature lm now to be seen in its re-mixed, colortinted, and de nitive form. It has a disembodied soundtrack, but on the 20th of November at Crosstown Arts eater Film Series, Alex Greene and the Rolling Head Orchestra will deconstruct that soundtrack and infuse a live soundscape on stage of their own creation. Cinema is a collaborative medium. is sui generis projected moment of e Urania Trilogy and the Rolling Head Orchestra together will be proof of that.
PHOTO: EUGENE BAFFLE Tav Falco
AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule October 16 - 22
Avon Park EP Release Show
Saturday, Oct. 18, 8 p.m.
B-SIDE
Apollo•5
e acclaimed British vocal ensemble spans many genres.
Friday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m.
CALVARY EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Gia Welch and JD Westmoreland
Live music on the front porch.
Saturday, Oct. 18, noon-2 p.m.
SOUTH POINT GROCERY
Kelly Hunt and Sara Morgan Sunday, Oct. 19, 3 p.m.
SOUTH MAIN SOUNDS
Soweto Gospel Choir
A Grammy-winning group.
Saturday, Oct. 18, 7-8:30 p.m.
BUCKMAN ARTS CENTER AT ST.
MARY’S SCHOOL
A Sonic Landscape:
“with abundance we breathe”
A vibrant tribute to South Asian composers within the classical tradition. $18/general admission. ursday, Oct. 16, 6-7:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Blooms and Brews
With live music by the Candace Mache Trio, featuring Jim Spake and Jim Duckworth. $35. ursday, Oct. 16, 5-7:30 p.m.
HUEY’S COMMUNITY GARDEN
Call of the Banshee
With Alicia Gail, Bailey Bigger, Rachel Maxann, Sarah Spain, and Victoria Dowdy. Sunday, Oct. 19, 8 p.m. BAR DKDC
Corey Lou & Da Village A celebration of the Memphis Music Initiative’s 10th anniversary. With Savannah Brister. Free. Friday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
Dirty Streets
A patio show. With the Narrows. Friday, Oct. 17, 8 p.m. BAR DKDC
Dysmorphia
With Swampgrave, Ectospire, Ritual Fog. Tuesday, Oct. 21, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Jazz Jam with the Cove Quartet
Jazz musicians are welcome to sit in. Sunday, Oct. 19, 6-9 p.m.
THE COVE
JD Westmorland Band
Monday, Oct. 20, 10 p.m.
B-SIDE
Joe Restivo 4
Sunday, Oct. 19, noon.
LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM
JW Francis Magic River Tour
With Chelsea Days. Wednesday, Oct. 22, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Level Three
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 10 p.m.
LOUIS CONNELLY’S BAR
Mary Hatley
With Jupitor Jones, Wilshire. Friday, Oct. 17, 5 p.m.
GROWLERS
Memphis Mini Fest
With Eenie Meenie Minnie Moe, D.O.G.S., David Luka, Jon Marc Burge, Bigmark870, Nyomi, J. West, Nbasay, Baggman Deezie, and others. Free. Friday, Oct. 17, 6:30 p.m.
HI TONE
Mind’s Eye
With Hot Flash Heat Wave, Short Fiction. Sunday, Oct. 19, 8 p.m.
HI TONE
Night Shift
With Nikki V. and Scotty B. Saturday, Oct. 18, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Ontology
Sunday, Oct. 19, 10 p.m.
B-SIDE
Opossums
With Friday Boys, Overshare. Friday, Oct. 17, 9 p.m.
LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE
St. Paul & the Broken Bones
ursday, Oct. 16, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Susan Marshall & Friends
Sunday, Oct. 19, 4 p.m.
B-SIDE
Tambourine Bash
Bene ting Music Export Memphis. ursday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
Optic Sink
With Suroor Hassan. ursday, Oct. 16, 8 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Owlbear
Friday, Oct. 17, 9 p.m.
B-SIDE
Ravefurrest Memphis 3.0
With Demi end, Crispy, Kittenhouse. 18+. Friday, Oct. 17, 9 p.m.
GROWLERS
Reed Turchi
With Art Edmaiston. ursday, Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Shawty Pimp Listening Event
Saturday, Oct. 18, 6 p.m.
MEMPHIS LISTENING LAB
Stars & Guitars
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
The Distilled Alliance Tour
With Gatecloser, To Fight For, Ashes Reign. Friday, Oct. 17, 8 p.m. HI TONE
The Wailing Banshees With Wicker, Pesky Crow.
Free. Saturday, Oct. 18, 9 p.m. HI TONE
U of M: Bluff City Fest Nine student groups from the popular music program. $10. Wednesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.
THE GREEN ROOM AT CROSSTOWN ARTS
Vallencourt With Shame nger, TIOB.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 8 p.m.
HI TONE Vended
Friday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Zoso (Led Zeppelin Tribute)
Friday, Oct. 17, 8 p.m.
MINGLEWOOD HALL
Jim Lauderdale & The Game Changers
With Chuck Mead & the Stalwarts. Friday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Junior Brown
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 8 p.m.
HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY
Static-X
Friday, Oct. 17, 8-10:30 p.m.
GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE
Herbie Hancock
A giant of jazz and funk. $81. Saturday, Oct. 18, 8 p.m.
GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Short in the Sleeve
ursday, Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m.
THE GROVE AT GPAC
Ska-Tober Fest
Featuring nine ska bands. $15/ advance, $20/at door. Saturday, Oct. 18, 5-11 p.m.
MEDDLESOME BREWING CO.
T. Graham Brown
With music from his newest album, From Memphis to Muscle Shoals. $50. Friday, Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m.
BARTLETT PERFORMING ARTS AND CONFERENCE CENTER
PHOTO: COURTESY GPAC
Herbie Hancock
CALENDAR of EVENTS: October 16 - 22
ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS
“2024 Accessions to the Permanent Collection” is series honors the new additions to the museum’s permanent collection each calendar year. rough Nov. 2. METAL MUSEUM
“ARTober ’25”
Over 40 original works in a vast variety of media. Free. rough Oct. 29.
WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER
“B.B. King in Memphis” Exhibit
Photographer Alan Copeland’s images of King’s 1982 show. rough Oct. 19.
STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC
Brantley Ellzey –
“Reflection + Ritual + Refuge”
A major solo exhibition featuring the spiral as a recurring form. rough Jan. 25.
CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE
Colored Pencil Society of America Art Exhibit
Featuring the art of Melissa Bess, Diane Cambron, Susan Hyback, Janice Ingram, Susie Logan, Claudelle Lyall, Ally McNatt, and Patty Simon. rough Oct. 29.
ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
David Onri Anderson: “Altar of Earth”
Paintings rooted in communing with angels, spirits, and the environment. rough Nov. 8.
SHEET CAKE
“Drawn of the Dead”: A Mid-South Cartoonists Association Art Exhibition
An art show running in conjunction with GCT’s performances of Frankenstein rough Nov. 10.
GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE
“From Paris to the Prairie”: The George H. Booth II Collection
Eleven spectacular prints, including works by PierreAuguste Renoir, Peter Ilsted, omas Hart Benton, Grant Wood, and Rockwell Kent. Free. rough Jan. 11.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Jana Jones Exhibition
Works in watercolors and pastels. Free. rough Oct. 31.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
“Last Whistle: Steamboat Stories of Memphis”
Featuring detailed model boats and original steamboat artifacts. rough June 26.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
“L’Estampe Originale: A Graphic Treasure”
An extremely rare portfolio featuring 95 works of graphic
art by seventy-four artists. Free. rough Jan. 11.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“Manor in Mourning”
View over 100 artifacts relating to mourning and grieving in the 1800s, with attire, prints, hair jewelry, and more. rough Oct. 31.
DAVIES MANOR HISTORIC SITE
Mary K. VanGieson:
“Chasing the Ephemeral”
VanGieson creates prints, sculptures, and installations using alternative materials such as co ee lters and foraged plants. rough Dec. 31.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Memphis Germantown Art League Art Show
A group exhibition. rough Oct. 31.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
“Navigating Knowledge” is exhibition explores vessels and navigation as metaphors for the containment and transmission of knowledge. rough Oct. 31.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
“Overcoming Hateful Things”
Stories from the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery. rough Oct. 19.
PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION
“Redemption of a Delta Bluesman: Robert Johnson”
A series dedicated to reimagining the story of the mythical crossroads account where the bluesman purportedly made a deal. rough June 30.
GALLERY ALBERTINE
Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com.
DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENT LISTINGS, SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.
ciphering coded diaries from his family’s past. ursday, Oct. 16, 6 p.m. NOVEL
John T. Edge: House of Smoke
Ace Atkins speaks with the author about growing up in a house wrecked by violence and a South haunted by racism, and nding escape through food. Wednesday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m. NOVEL
CLASS / WORKSHOP
Advanced Figure
Drawing: The Torso and Limbs
Master the intricacies of the human form. Connect with fellow creatives and enhance your skills. $20/general admission. ursday, Oct. 16, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Art as a Business
Explore requirements and suggested processes to effectively operate as a creative entrepreneur. Saturday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo: “The Scarcity of Sand”
Works exploring the living grief of contending with our own mortality - questioning how a person chooses to act in the present in response to faith and fear. rough Nov. 1
CLOUGH-HANSON GALLERY
“Speaking Truth to Power: The Life of Bayard Rustin” Exhibition
“Speaking Truth to Power”
explores Rustin’s innovative use of the “medium” to communicate powerful messages of nonviolence, activism, and authenticity. $20/adult, $18/senior, college student, $17/children 5-17. Through Dec. 31.
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
Summer Art Garden: “A Flash of Sun” Immerse yourself in the radiant spirit of summer with these geometric sculptures that cast vibrant hues in the shi ing sunlight. rough Oct. 20.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
ART HAPPENINGS
“Art = Freedom: The Frances Dancy Hooks Art Exhibition”
A powerful exhibition exploring creativity as liberation — where identity is reclaimed, healing begins, and voices rise. $10/general admission. Tuesday, Oct. 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
JOHN S. WILDER TOWER
Art in Focus
An event for adults 55 and over, hosted in partnership with Creative Aging. Free. ursday, Oct. 16-Oct. 17, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
Art on Fire e hottest night of the year!
$95/general admission, $75/ Dixon member, $250/VIP Hot Spot. Saturday, Oct. 18, 7-11 p.m.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“From Wind Near Confetti” Art Reception
Explore the graphite portraiture of Mark Loughney, whose work captures the humanity and passage of time within
prison walls. Tuesday, Oct. 21, 5 p.m.
THE COMMONWEALTH
Hot Off the Wall Art Sale
Discover and purchase works of art by local and regional artists. Tuesday, Oct. 14-Oct. 19.
THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
“The Bunker Art Show: (Ep. II) A Septic Love Story” is explores the journey of human transformation through three acts: Love Lost, e Break, and Restoration. $15/general admission, $20/ at the door. Friday, Oct. 17, 6:30-10 p.m. COMEBACK COFFEE
BOOK EVENTS
Elaine Blanchard: I Remember You: The Making of an Activist
Willy Bearden speaks with the author about her new work on the healing process and a life devoted to recovery and activism. Tuesday, Oct. 21, 6 p.m. NOVEL
Gloria J. BrownMarshall: A Protest History of the United States
Deidre Malone speaks with the author about what the unsung heroes of social movements past can teach us about navigating our chaotic world. Friday, Oct. 17, 6 p.m. NOVEL
Jeremy Jones: Cipher: Decoding My Ancestor’s Scandalous Secret Diaries
Maria Zoccola speaks with the author about his book on de-
URBAN ART COMMISSION
Fall Cookie Decorating with AkyBakes at Heirloom House
A lovely evening of decorating cookies, sipping bubbly, and vintage shopping, with Andrea Solis from AkyBakes leading a hands-on cookie decorating beginner class. $125. ursday, Oct. 16, 6-8 p.m.
HEIRLOOM HOUSE
From Foundation to Canopy: Caring for Our Urban Forest
An informative event focused on the growth and care of trees in our urban environments. $85. ursday, Oct. 16, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Super SaturdayKalamkari Textile Design
Celebrate the work of Suchitra Mattai and learn about the art of Kalamkari. Free. Saturday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m.-noon.
MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART
COMEDY
Comedy Night
With your hosts, Ben and Bush. Sign-ups at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.
BAR DKDC
Open Mic Comedy Night
A hilarious Midtown tradition. Tuesday, Oct. 21, 8 p.m. HI TONE
COMMUNITY
Circular Mid-South Summit
A landmark gathering designed to bring together businesses, community leaders,
PHOTO: COURTESY DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS omas Hart Benton’s e Music Lesson (1943) is one of 11 spectacular prints from the collection of George H. Booth II of Tupelo, Mississippi.
PHOTO: COURTESY SHEET CAKE
e Alchemist, by David Onri Anderson, is but one of the artist’s works rooted in communing with angels, spirits, and the environment.
entrepreneurs, and changemakers to facilitate actionable pathways for a circular economy Free. Tuesday, Oct. 21, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
FEDEX EVENT CENTER
Freedom Award Student Forum
A hybrid celebration for and by young trailblazers open to 5th to 12th grade school groups to engage with Freedom Award honorees. Free. Thursday, Oct. 16, 10:30 a.m.-noon.
MISSISSIPPI BOULEVARD CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Grand Opening of BlueCross Healthy Place at Founders Park
The National Civil Rights Museum will officially open its newest outdoor addition. Free. Thursday, Oct. 16, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
No Kings 2.0: Memphis Resistance Fest
A demonstration in support of the U. S. Constitution, with speakers, music and art. Free. Saturday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
POPLAR & HIGHLAND
Our Stories Matter Laps-for-Literacy
Promoting reading for children and teens, a walk including children’s books, snacks, and face painting. Saturday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m.-noon.
BERT FERGUSON COMMUNITY CENTER
State of Black America Address Luncheon
An afternoon of dialogue, featuring Marc H. Morial of the National Urban League (NUL).
$50/general admission, $75 VIP tickets. Thursday, Oct. 16, 11:30 a.m.
UNIVERSITY CLUB OF MEMPHIS
DANCE
Joshua L. Peugh’s Macbeth
A bold world premiere ballet: 80 minutes of raw movement, original music, and striking design. Friday, Oct. 17, 7:30-9 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 18, 7:30-9 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 19, 2-3:30 p.m.
BALLET MEMPHIS
EXPO/SALES
Monster Market Pop-Up Shop
The closing day sale, with discounts on many items. At 6 p.m.: Last Respects Party ft. DJ Witch Hazel from WYXR. Thursday, Oct. 16, noon-8 p.m. MEDICINE FACTORY
FAMILY
Boo at the Ballpark
A free family-friendly Halloween and trick-ortreating event. Saturday, Oct. 18, noon-4 p.m. AUTOZONE PARK
Fall Break Bonanaza
Hands-on kids’ fun. Thursday, Oct. 16, 1-3 p.m. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS
Homeschool Tour Day
Especially for homeschooled students. $10. Wednesday, Oct. 22, 10-11:30 a.m. ELMWOOD CEMETERY
Pop-Up with Author & Artist Lauren
Cannon
A vibrant day of creativity, connection, and clucking good fun with Jumpstart Art and the beloved art bus, Freddie. Free. Saturday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
HEIRLOOM HOUSE
FESTIVAL
Fantasy Faire
Partake in a fantastical afternoon, full of crafts, games, food, and more. Saturday, Oct. 18, 12:304:30 p.m.
CORDOVA BRANCH LIBRARY
Halloween Hike
A daytime trick or treat alternative. $15. Saturday, Oct. 18, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN
Memphis Legends Fundraiser
Edible cake art, an art auction, food trucks, cocktails, and a costume contest. Proceeds benefit Homes for Hearts. $100. Saturday, Oct. 18, 6-10 p.m.
BARON VON OPPERBEAN (BVO)
Oyster Fest 2025
Oyster Fest is back featuring fresh oysters galore. Saturday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
CELTIC CROSSING
RiverArtsFest
The largest and longest-running fine arts festival in the Mid-South returns to Riverside Drive for its 19th year. Saturday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
RIVERSIDE DRIVE
FILM
Crosstown Arts Presents: The Ancestral
A Vietnamese supernatural thriller where grief, memory, and folklore collide. $5. Thursday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
FRIGHTOBER Film Series: Corpse
Bride
When a shy groom practices his wedding vows in the inadvertent presence of a deceased young woman, she rises from the grave assuming he has married her. Free. Tuesday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
Hispanic Film Festival
The department of world languages and literatures at the University of Memphis is proud to present the 16th Annual Hispanic Film Festival. Through Oct. 16.
UNIV. OF MEMPHIS, UNIVERSITY CENTER THEATER
PERFORMING ARTS
Crosstown Theater Presents: I Hear America Singing
This celebration of American legends by Opera Memphis features the Memphis premieres of two newly commissioned operas, with words by Jerre Dye and music by Rene Orth and Kamala Sankaram. $40/general admission. Saturday, Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m.
CROSSTOWN THEATER
Spillit Slam: Thrillers
An evening of your stories about chills and thrills, with live storytelling in front of an audience. Storytellers have seven minutes to tell a tale. $10. Saturday, Oct. 18, 6-8 p.m.
NOVEL
SPECIAL EVENTS
34th Freedom Awards
The National Civil Rights Museum recognizes exceptional contributions to civil and human rights. The honorees are Marc H. Morial, Velma Lois Jones, and Mark Suzman. Free. Thursday, Oct. 16, 7-9 p.m.
ORPHEUM THEATRE
Not Your Mom’s Gyno: CHOICES
Flash Tattoo Party
Your next tattoo can do more than make a statement — it can make a difference! Free. Sunday, Oct. 19, noon-7 p.m.
CHOICES: CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Crossword
ACROSS
1 Wide open, as the mouth
6 Treaties
11 “What ___ I say?”
14 “Whoa, ease up!”
15 Stan’s co-star in over 100 early film comedies
16 Made-up story
17 *Government’s credit limit
19 Hubbub
20 Like many infield grounders
21 Lester Holt and Anderson Cooper
23 Issa ___ of HBO’s “Insecure”
24 Smith or Scialfa of rock
27 Vienna’s home: Abbr.
28 *Beanbag juggled with the feet
32 Massage intensely
36 Put on a black coat?
37 Guarantee
38 Great Plains tribe
39 “Start the music!” … or what one could do to the finish of the answer to each starred clue
41 Vaping device, informally
42 Full-time resident of a college community
44 “___ you through?” 45 Belles at balls, informally 46 *✓ 48 “The ___ & Stimpy Show” 49 Labor organizer Chávez 52 Resort with mineral waters
55 Like a gift from above
58 Reproductive part of a flower
60 18+, e.g., in order to be able to vote
61 *Much-visited site in Jerusalem
64 Sleuth, in slang
65 Bury, as ashes
66 Girl Scout cookie with a geographical name
67 Cry of fright
68 Barely warm
69 “E” on a gas gauge
DOWN
1 Intense devotion
2 Actress Davis of “The Accidental Tourist”
3 Edward who wrote “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” 4 Trail
5 Onetime police officer
6 Dish made from taro root
7 None’s opposite 8 Medical facility 9 Fork prong 10 Motorized
THEATER
Shout-Out Shakespeare Series: Much Ado About Nothing
Ideal for the outdoors, families, and picnics, Shakespeare’s romantic comedy plays gleefully in 90 minutes. Free. Friday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m.
OVERTON SQUARE
Shout-Out Shakespeare Series: Much Ado About Nothing
Bring a chair and picnic. Free. Sunday, Oct. 19, 4 p.m.
OVERTON PARK SHELL
The Drowning Girls
Three ghostly brides surface from bathtubs full of water to gather evidence of their murders by reliving the shocking events leading up to their deaths. $25/adults, $20/seniors. Friday, Oct. 17, 8-10 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 18, 8-10 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 19, 2-4 p.m.
THEATERWORKS
The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
A play poking fun at the corny thrillers of Hollywood’s heyday, as the cast untangles the mystery of the “Stage Door Slasher.” Sliding panels, secret passageways, and swiveling bookcases figure in as the “Slasher” strikes again — and again. Friday, Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 19, 2 p.m.
LOHREY THEATRE
Edited
by Will Shortz No. 0520
We Saw You.
with MICHAEL DONAHUE
Widespread chill (as in “laid back-ness”) permeated the grounds in front of Radians Amphitheater on day three of the Mempho Music Festival, which was held October 3rd through 5th at Memphis Botanic Garden. A relaxed, happy crowd of people lolling on blankets in beautiful weather enjoyed the event, which, over the weekend, featured 20 performers, including Widespread Panic, Lucero, and Tyler Childers, says Anastazija Pomelov with Mempho.
“ ere was pure magic in the air this weekend and I feel blessed to have been a part of it,” Pomelov says. “ e love that the Mempho Presents team has for music and the people of Memphis was undeniable. Although his was my rst Mempho Fest, it de nitely won’t be my last. And I’m already counting down the days to next year’s.”
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE above: Frank and Sharon Murtaugh, Chip Googe, and Chris McCoy circle: Noah Riggs and Taylor Cruse below: (le to right) John Mark Lee and Hailey Yount; Amanda Dent and Anastazija Pomelov; TJ Shackelford and Mia Morgan bottom row: (le to right) Mary Helen and Alex Willingham; Zach and Jordan Kitchens
above: Holly and Casey Dillon circle: Ben Nichols
right row: (top and below) Haskel Scha er and John Nielsen; Shanna Welch and Slade Granger below: (le to right) Liv Cunningham and Ollie Williams; Bobby and Mona Ford; Kristin Turpin and Marcus Franklin; Matthew Ryan Self and Danielle Harvey bottom le : Ada Hood and Gage Tegetho
FOOD By Michael Donahue
Smokin’ on the Weekends
e Baker’s Corner Gluten-Free Cafe & Co eehouse takes up gluten-free barbecue on the weekends.
The Baker’s Corner GlutenFree Cafe & Co eehouse in Hernando, Mississippi, is a transformer. Not the humanoid robot type that changes into di erent objects, but a restaurant that changes its identity on weekend nights.
Beginning at 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, e Baker’s Corner at 39 West Commerce Street becomes “ e Corner Smokehouse.” e breakfast and lunch menu converts to a dinner menu and owner Leslie King and her husband Charles begin serving gluten-free barbecue and all the xings.
As the sign reads, “Real BBQ, Real Flavor — Bet Your Tootin’ ere Ain’t No Gluten.”
“Well, earlier this year we had talked about trying to do something di erent at nighttime because people don’t necessarily want co ee late night or lunch or breakfast menus at night,” Charles says.
ey tossed around ideas and came up with gluten-free barbecue. “We just gured barbecue was a good t. ere’s not another barbecue restaurant in Hernando.”
ey already had most of the ingredients they needed on hand except the meat and proteins.
“We did have to spend some money on new equipment,” he says. “A commercial smoker to do the meats was one. And then we got a rapid-cook oven so we could heat up entrees and stu like that. We prepare entrees to order instead of having them pre-made.”
“Meat is naturally gluten-free,” Leslie says. But she had to use gluten-free ingredients “to make the barbecue sauces, rubs, and marinades.
“People who do not have to be gluten-free bragged about how good the bun was.”
“I had to make sure the ingredients are gluten-free. A lot are made in factories where they come in contact with wheat or they use some kind of wheat starch.”
She modi ed her bun recipes to be gluten-free. “I already had a bun that we were using, but it was not so like you would think of a hamburger bun. I had to modify my bun recipe to make it a so er bun, so it was more like a regular bun. It’s basically the same ingredients. Just the proportions of the ve di erent ours that I use. ose had to be changed. And the baking time and temperature.”
Leslie can eat regular barbecue. “I
PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE
Charles and Leslie King (top) o er sides and desserts (below) that aren’t available at e Baker’s Corner.
can eat the meat,” she says. “But I don’t have celiac. I’m just intolerant. So I can eat a lot of things that a lot of my customers cannot.”
Coleman’s Bar-B-Que, Hernando’s longtime barbecue restaurant on Commerce Street, closed during the Covid pandemic, Charles says. And the building was demolished.
ey began spreading the word about their upcoming gluten-free barbecue a few months ago. “We started telling some of our regulars,” Leslie says. “ ey were excited. en we decided on an opening date. I think we put it out on Facebook last week. And it was overwhelming. People are really excited to have a barbecue restaurant back in town. Our gluten-free customers are really excited. ey don’t really eat barbecue anywhere else.”
As far as they know and researched, they’re the “only dedicated gluten-free restaurant in the whole Mid-South.”
“One of the most surprising and great responses we had was the people who do not have to be gluten-free who bragged about how good the bun was. e most common word was ‘amazing.’”
e menu features pulled pork and chicken, barbecued bologna, and barbecued pork and chicken nachos and salads.
Ribs aren’t on the menu. “Not yet,” Charles says. “We just wanted to get the work ow down in the kitchen and get the servers well adjusted. Keep the menu simple.”
e Corner Smokehouse also includes sides and desserts that aren’t available at e Baker’s Corner.
Charles is in charge of barbecuing. “I had a great mentor teach me how to barbecue. He was probably one of the best known barbecuers in Memphis — John Willingham.”
e late restaurant owner was synonymous with barbecue. “At that time John had won probably every major barbecue championship in America. And, I mean, he was on national TV.”
Since they were friends, Charles kept a er him to show him his barbecuing techniques.
is “went on for a year,” Charles says. Finally, one day he asked him and Willingham said, “Be at my house Saturday at 6 in the morning.”
Charles spent several weekends that summer at Willingham’s house learning to make di erent rubs and how to barbecue chicken, brisket, and “a lot odd things, too. We did shrimp, salmon. We made some bread on the grill one time. John was a very, very interesting character. He was always fun to be around.”
Willingham always had “some interesting and wild” stories. “He could tell a story without bragging.”
Charles also discovered Willingham owned a lot of patents on his inventions, including some type of part “used on a lot of planes.”
He was also the creator of the W’ham Turbo Cooker, “an o set smoker that would keep the heat evenly distributed.”
Charles was on a barbecue team, which participated in numerous regional competitions, including Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
Charles’ team went by various names, including “Shakin’ and Bakin’” and “We Don’t Know What We’re Doing.” “We would just make up a name every time we entered the competition.”
He stopped competing around the late ’90s. “It just got too expensive. We were older.”
Charles plans to include more barbecue items at e Corner Smokehouse. “Ribs will probably get added to the menu. I’ve got a shrimp recipe.”
He’d also like to do a barbecued shrimp dish he loved at the old Gridley’s Bar-B-Q in Memphis. “I would like to gure out how to replicate that.”
The Aquarian Age
Pluto in Aquarius brings intense transformation.
veryone’s favorite planet/ not-really-a-planet, Pluto, has been in retrograde since May. It stationed direct on October 13th a er a ve-month retrograde. is leaves us with only four planets in retrograde for the rest of the year: Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter.
Pluto’s retrograde highlighted our psychological habits and forced us to learn to be more exible. When Pluto is retrograde, it can expose areas of your life where you are trying to force things to work. Part of the lesson of a Pluto retrograde is to surrender to the universal current, take a step back, and see what happens when you cease to force something to change or be something you want it to be. is period was a time for internal work, facing di cult truths, and letting go of what no longer served you. Now, with Pluto direct, we are encouraged to take conscious, empowered action based on the insights we gained.
your authentic self. Re ect on the relationships within your communities and the support you receive or o er. Use the wisdom gained from confronting past failures to rebuild stronger foundations and step into your personal power.
While Pluto lives in Aquarius, expect to see movements around collective action, humanitarian e orts, and the advancement of technology, as well as a critical reevaluation of how power is shared within groups. If you combine the possibilities of Pluto in Aquarius with the numerology for this year, the next couple of months could be a wild ride.
In numerology, 2025 carries the energy of the number nine (add 2+0+2+5). Nine in numerology represents the end of a cycle and preparation for a new one. For the last two years, we have collectively been dealing with issues in our current cycle that need to be resolved but have been ignored or put o . As we wind down this year, we are running out of time and no longer have the option of ignoring these problems. ey are being brought to light to be identi ed and resolved, whether we like it or not.
PHOTO: BURADAKI | DREAMSTIME.COM
Let Pluto bring out your true self, so you can feel freer.
Pluto has been in the sign of Aquarius since March 23, 2023, and will remain in the sign until 2043. Pluto’s station in Aquarius emphasizes themes of groups, social change, and shared visions for the future. is is a time to solidify your contributions to the collective and align with your community’s long-term goals.
e period of Pluto in Aquarius is marked by fundamental changes in social organization, technology, equality, and civil rights, driven by the planet of death and rebirth. On a personal level, Pluto’s transit encourages you to shed things in your life that hold you back and rede ne long-term goals, leading to a personal rebirth.
is transit invites you to transform toxic dynamics, unhealthy patterns, and outdated beliefs that no longer support
Pluto in Aquarius can be a very transformative time for us, if we let it. We do not have to like or enjoy the changes, but ghting them doesn’t actually help us. Pluto is the planet named a er a deity of death. We are all equal in death’s eyes and death will come for each of us at some point. You can’t argue with death or escape it, so ride the ride willingly.
As Pluto settles direct in Aquarius be prepared to discard outdated ways of thinking and structures that no longer serve you. You’ve learned a lot this year; now all you have to do is incorporate that experience into your being. is period also invites a deeper connection to your authentic self and a courageous embrace of your unique individuality. Let Pluto bring out your true self, so you can feel freer and nd your true tribe. Don’t resist the intense, but o en necessary, transformations occurring both personally and collectively. It feels like we’re getting it from all sides right now. But we’ve got this!
Emily Guenther is a co-owner of e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.
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NEWS OF THE WEIRD
By the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
The Passing Parade
In Russia, doctors at the Kirov Regional Clinical Hospital were astounded when a 65-year-old man presented with a tumor the size of his head growing from the back of his neck, the New York Post reported. The surgeons were able to remove the tumor on Sept. 22 and identified it as a benign lipoma — a fatty lump that grows between the skin and muscle. The patient told doctors he’d been living with the lump for 16 years and had tried treating it with simple ointments, without success. Igor Popyrin, head of surgery at the hospital, said many patients “postpone a visit to a specialist, hoping that the formation will disappear on its own. The only effective treatment is surgical removal.”
Saw That Coming
someone likes chocolate and they’re craving something sweet, they eat it and they feel those happy chemicals being released in their brain. It’s like that,” Chapman said about living with pica.
News You Can Use
Mended Therapy
Combining mental health with a love of fashion, creativity, and sustainability, Mended Therapy was born. Ashley wants to show that although things may seem like they cannot get better, there is hope. Just like a mended piece of clothing is brought new life, the same can be said of us. She is here to walk with you through this journey with laughter, creativity, and challenging your beliefs about yourself. She is MENDED (and constantly mending). She hopes you will let her join you as you MEND.
Ashley specializes in working with LGBTQ+ populations and mood disorders.
For more information or to book an appointment, visit mendedtherapypllc.com.
She currently accepts Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, Quest Behavioral Health, All Savers (UHC), Health Plans Inc, Optum, Oscar, Oxford, Surest (Formerly Bind), UHC Student Resources, UMR, UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealthcare Shared Services (UHSS), UnitedHealthcare Global, and UnitedHealthcare Exchange Plans (ONEX) insurance plans. She does provide a superbill for out-of-network clients if they want to submit to their insurance. Self-pay is $125 for individual sessions.
On Sept. 22, as Lubbock (Texas) mounted police officers Bryson Lewis and William Trotter assisted with a routine patrol, they stopped a man who was walking in the road, rather than on the sidewalk, KCBD-TV reported. The officers thought 42-year-old Joseph Ramirez was acting suspiciously, and when they asked to check his pockets, he said no. Then Trotter joked that he had a “narcotics-smelling horse” — and Ramirez took off running. “He took it seriously, and the race was on,” Trotter said. But the police horses caught up with him quickly, and Ramirez was charged with evading arrest and tampering with physical evidence with the intent to impair. “Chasing bad guys is part of the fun in it for us,” Lewis said. “So when you get to chase down a bad guy and not even get tired, it’s a good day.”
People With Issues
Yaz Chapman, 34, of Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, was diagnosed at age 4 with pica, a disorder that involves eating items that are not typically thought of as food. As a child, she tried talcum powder, chalk, and cigarette rolling papers. According to LAD Bible, the mom of four currently eats about 10 sheets of paper each day. “I look forward to the postman,” Chapman said. “Certain papers taste different and they have different textures. I’ll rip a corner off just to test it.” She said she drinks plenty of water to help with constipation. “When
Looking for a get-rich-quick scheme? Start saving those fingernail clippings. In traditional Chinese medicine, Oddity Central reported on Sept. 26, clippings are incorporated into medicinal products to treat abdominal distension and tonsillitis. Companies that make the treatments purchase the clippings and wash them thoroughly before grinding them into powder, and the prices paid for them are relatively high (compared to, say, the value of throwing them in the trash). One woman sold clippings for $21 per kilogram (she’d been saving them since childhood).
Animal Antics
A black swan nicknamed “Mr. Terminator” was removed from his adopted home in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, on Sept. 30, The Independent reported. The swan, also called Reggie, turned up in the famous berg nine months ago, said swan warden Cyril Bennis. At first, residents and visitors loved seeing the creature among the native mute swans, which are white. “He became more popular than William Shakespeare himself,” Bennis said. “The darkest side of our Mr. Terminator happened when he tried to muscle in on a pair of our residents with a young cygnet. … He kicked out the male and the cygnet. He tried to take over its territory with the other female.” When the swan started trying to drown his fellow fowl, “It needed to move on.” Bennis is still recovering from injuries to his chest sustained during the removal process, but he said the “river is quiet and the mute swans are just relaxing.” Mr. Terminator is at his new home in Devon.
Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
NEWS OF THE WEIRD © 2025 Andrews McMeel Syndication. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Life is tempting you to tiptoe to the brink of the threshold of the rawest truth, the wildest beauty, and the most precious love. Your ancestors are conspiring with your guardian angels to lure you into the secret heart of the inner sanctum of spiritual truth. I am totally sincere and serious. You now have a momentous opportunity — a thrilling opening to commune with subtle powers that could provide you with profound guidance.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the forests of America’s Pacific Northwest, “nurse logs” lie fallen but fertile. These dead trees host seedlings, mosses, and new saplings that rise from their decaying trunks. I regard this as a powerful metaphor for you, Taurus. Something old in you is crumbling, like outdated beliefs, outmoded duties, or obsolete loyalties. Part of you may want to either grieve or ignore the shift. And yet I assure you that fresh green vitality is sprouting from that seemingly defunct thing. What new possibility is emerging from what was supposed to end? Resurrection is at hand.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A deeper, wilder, smarter version of love is beckoning you from the horizon. Are you ready to head in its direction? I’m not sure you are. You may semi-consciously believe you already know what love is all about, and are therefore closed to learning more. It’s also possible that your past romantic wounds have made you timid about exploring unfamiliar terrain. Here’s my assessment: If you hope to get exposed to the sweeter, less predictable kinds of intimacy, you will have to drop some (not all) of your excessive protections and defenses. PS: At least one of your fears may be rooted in faulty logic.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Princess Diana transformed the British monarchy because she insisted that royal duty should include genuine emotional connection. Her generosity wasn’t merely ceremonial but was expressed through hands-on charity work. She had close contact with youth who had nowhere to live. She walked through minefields as part of her efforts to rid the planet of that scourge. She hugged people with AIDS at a time when many others feared such contact. “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward,” she said. Her ability to maintain grace while remaining emotionally authentic reflected a genius for blending strength with sensitivity. Can you guess her astrological sign? Cancerian, of course. Now is a perfect time for you to draw inspiration from her example. Express your wisely nurturing energy to the max!
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Certain African lions in Kenya have no manes. Scientists
By Rob Brezsny
theorize it’s an adaptation to heat or a reflection of extra aggressive hunting strategies. But symbolically, it challenges expectations: Is royalty still royalty without the crown? I bring this to your attention, Leo, because I suspect you will soon be asked to explore your power without its usual accouterments. Can you properly wield your influence if you don’t unleash your signature roar and dazzle? Will quiet confidence or understated presence be sufficiently magnetic? Might you radiate even more potency by refining your fire? I think so. You can summon strength in subtlety and majesty in minimalism.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): During the next nine months, you will face a poignant and potentially inspiring choice: whether to wrangle with an endless tangle of mundane struggles or else to expand your vision to the bigger picture and devote your energy intensely to serving your interesting, long-term dreams. I hope you choose the latter option! For best results, get clear about your personal definition of success, in contrast to the superficial definitions that have been foisted on you by your culture. Can you visualize yourself years from now, looking back on your life’s greatest victories? You’re primed to enter a new phase of that glorious work, rededicating yourself with precise intentions and vigorous vows.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): During World War II, Scorpio actor and inventor Hedy Lamarr developed frequency-hopping technology to prevent enemies from jamming torpedo guidance systems. Her solution rapidly switched radio frequencies in hard-to-intercept patterns. The technology was so advanced that no one could figure out how to fully adopt it until years later. Engineers eventually realized that Lamarr’s invention was essential for WiFi, GPS, and cell phone networks. In the coming weeks, Scorpio, you, too, have the potential to generate ideas that might not be ready for prime time but could ultimately prove valuable. Trust your instincts about future needs. Your visionary solutions are laying the groundwork for contributions that won’t fully ripen for a while.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I guarantee you won’t experience a meltdown, crack-up, or nervous collapse in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. What unfolds may bring a similar intensity, but in the opposite direction: a personal breakthrough, a cavalcade of illumination, or a surge of awakening. I urge you to be alert and receptive for relaxing flurries of sweet clarity, or streams of insights that rouse a liberating integration, or a confluence of welcome transformations that lead you to unexpected healing. Can
LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 22): I’m pleased to inform you that the coming weeks will be an excellent time to make a big wish upon a bright star. But I must also tell you how important it is to be clear and exact. Even a slight error in formulating your wish could result in only a partial fulfillment. And aiming your plea at the wrong star could cause a long delay. Sorry I have to be so complicated, dear Libra. The fact is, though, it’s not always easy to know precisely what you yearn for and to ask the correct source to help you get it. But here’s the good news: You are currently in a phase when you’re far more likely than usual to make all the right moves.
you handle so many blessings? I think you can. But you may have to expand your expectations to welcome them all.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 1959, a Swedish engineer named Nils Bohlin designed the three-point seatbelt, revolutionizing car safety. Working for Volvo, he insisted the design must be made freely available to all car manufacturers. Bohlin understood that saving lives was more important than hoarding credit or profit. Capricorn, your assignment now is to give generously without fussing about who gets the applause. A solution, insight, or creation of yours could benefit many if you share it without reservation. Your best reward will be observing the beneficial ripple effects, not holding the patent.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your exploratory adventures out on the frontiers have been interesting and mostly successful, Aquarius. Congrats! I love how you have avoided tormenting yourself with self-doubt and roused more boldness than you’ve summoned in a long time. You have managed to ignore useless and superstitious fears even as you have wisely heeded the clues offered by one particular fear that was worth considering. Please continue this good work! You can keep riding this productive groove for a while longer.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In Korean tradition, mudangs are shamans who endure a personal crisis or illness and emerge with supernatural powers. They perform rituals to seek the favor of spirits. They heal the ancestral causes of misfortune and ensure good fortune, prosperity, and well-being for the people they serve. I don’t mean to imply you’re following a similar path, Pisces. But I do think your recent discomforts have been like an apprenticeship that has given you enhanced capacity to help others. How will you wield your power to bless and heal?
FILM By Chris McCoy
End of Line
Tron: Ares is a fantastically expensive Nine Inch Nails music video.
D
isney released the original Tron in the summer of 1982. It was inarguably the greatest year for science ction and fantasy in the history of cinema. In the month of June alone, audiences could see Star Trek II: e Wrath of Khan, Poltergeist, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, and e ing in theaters, all of which are now considered stone-cold classics. And that’s just one month! ere was also Paul Schrader’s Cat People remake; Arnold Schwarzenegger’s star-making turn in Conan the Barbarian; legendary animator Don Bluth’s e Secret of NIMH; the camp classic Beastmaster (we used to say HBO stood for “Hey, Beastmaster’s On”); the Michael Myers-less, techno-paranoia story Halloween III: Season of the Witch; the George Romero/Stephen King collaboration Creepshow; and the Jim Henson/ Frank Oz masterpiece e Dark Crystal Tron was pro table for Disney, which, at the time, was not the powerhouse they are today, but a rudderless studio struggling with their legacy. Yet in that miracle year, it was not enough to crack the top 10. It was signi cant for two reasons. It was one of the rst lms to make extensive use of what we now call CGI — computergenerated imagery. Second, it came out during the height of the rst big computer game craze. Pac-Man ruled the arcades, and Atari consoles were ying o the shelves. For those early joystick jockeys, imagining what it would be like to be trapped in a neon maze, Tron’s pitch was irresistible. Famed game developer Kevin Flynn (Je Bridges) is trying to defend the tech startup ENCOM from his rival Dillinger (David Warner) when he is digitized by an experimental particle laser and uploaded into e Grid, where he is forced to play the games he developed for life-or-death stakes.
e thing was, Tron was almost instantly obsolete. e same month Tron hit theaters, William Gibson published his rst short story, “Burning Chrome,” where he coined the term “cyberspace,” and the rst computer game craze came crashing down that Christmas with the release of the Atari E.T. game.
Despite the fact that Tron’s world of heroic coders ghting for net neutrality would become a familiar narrative in the real world, the lm didn’t spawn a franchise for another three decades.
2010’s Tron: Legacy was directed by Joseph Kosinski, who until that point was only famous for the “Mad World” Gears of War commercial, which led to low-energy covers of ’80s pop hits becoming ubiquitous in advertising. e return to e Grid carried the same narrative he as
the original — which is to say, very little he . (Ironically, Kosinski wasn’t even the best director on the Tron: Legacy set. at would be actress Olivia Wilde, whose directorial debut Booksmart was the best pure comedy of the decade.)
What both Tron and Tron: Legacy did have was great music. Tron featured a score by transgender electronic music pioneer Wendy Carlos which would resonate through arcades for decades. e best part of Tron: Legacy was the incredible soundtrack by Da Punk. e best way to experience the lm was to lay back, stop trying to understand what was happening, and let the combination of music and images wash over you.
Like its predecessor, Tron: Legacy was a modest success. Kosinski’s team started prepping a third lm, to be known as TR3N, before he and Disney lost interest. (Kosinski would go on to direct the megahit ’80s reboot Top Gun: Maverick for Paramount.) So it’s somewhat ba ing that now, 15 years later, we get Tron: Ares
Directed by Norwegian Joachim Rønning, Tron: Ares carries on the franchise tradition of aggressively mediocre lmmaking and kick-ass music. As the opening montage relates, Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), star of Legacy, is no longer in the picture, for reasons no one could be bothered to write, and ENCOM is run by CEO Eve Kim (Greta Lee). She is currently in a race with rival Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters) to perfect technology which allows cyberspace objects to exist in the real world. is form of hyper 3D printing can either be used to create good things, such as the orange tree Eve prints in the frigid wastes of Alaska, or bad things, such
Jared Leto answers the question, “What if there was a movie star with zero charisma?”
as Ares, the fully disposable super soldier played by Jared Leto.
e biggest problem with particle laser technology is that its creations only last about 30 minutes in meatspace before transitioning back to e Grid.
But Eve believes that Kevin Flynn solved that problem back in the ’80s, with an algorithm called e Permanence Code. She sets out to recover the lost data, while Dillinger watches over her shoulder, ready to steal it. When he sends Ares to kidnap Eve, the program goes rogue and wants to keep it for itself. “Pinocchio,” Dillinger sneers, “wants to be a real boy.”
As best I could gather, that’s the plot of Tron: Ares. Programs bring Grid concepts to the real world. ere’s a lightcycle chase through the streets of San Francisco (Eve, conveniently, is a motorcycle enthusiast who commutes on a dirt bike).
e goofy, Space Invader-like Recti ers oat menacingly above the city skyline, but don’t amount to much. e famous deadly glow frisbees now come in
inconvenient, triangular shapes. Subplots are set up, only to be abandoned without resolution. Jared Leto answers the question, “What if there was a movie star with zero charisma?”
In true Tron-dition, the soundtrack is the best part of Tron: Ares. is time around, it’s Nine Inch Nails, and it’s spectacular. I’ve listened to it three times while writing this review. Coming o last year’s Challengers triumph, it proves Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are the best in the lm music business right now. Tron: Ares isn’t as visually arresting as its two predecessors, but there’s still plenty of Industrial Light & Magic eye candy to zone out to while the absolutely impeccable sound design blasts through the Dolby Atmos sound system. It’s too bad the rest of the movie doesn’t have the bandwidth to match.
Tron: Ares
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Greta Lee, Jared Leto, and Arturo Castro vie for lost code.
Our critic picks best films in theaters.
Black Phone 2
Ethan Hawke returns as The Grabber, a serial child abductor and murderer who stalked suburban Denver in the 1970s. Or at least, he did before he was killed by Finney (Mason Thames), a would-be victim whom he was holding hostage in his basement catacombs. Now it’s 1982, and Finney’s trying to get over the trauma. Meanwhile, his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) is having visions of violence and hears a phantom phone ringing.
After The Hunt Challengers and Call Me by Your Name director Luca Guadagnino’s latest film stars Julia Roberts as Alma, a Yale University professor feeling the pressure as she is up
for tenure. So is her friend and colleague Hank (Andrew Garfield). When her star student Maggie (Ayo Edebiri) accuses Hank of sexual assault, he claims it’s a false accusation. During the scandal that follows, Alma’s secret past is revealed.
Truth & Treason
This timely tale tells the story of Helmuth Hübener, a young German in the 1930s who became an avid Boy Scout. When Scouting was banned by the Nazis, he joined the Hitler Youth. But after Kristallnacht, the night when the Nazis attacked German Jews en masse, he quit and started his own underground newspaper, where he ridiculed Hitler and his minions.
Ewan Horrocks stars as the young resistance fighter in this film by writer/director Matt Whitaker.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26
THE LAST WORD
By Jesse Davis
Menacing Memphis
Federal task forces are tools of intimidation, not crime prevention.
Memphis has long been the bugbear used to frighten rural, right-leaning Tennesseans. Now, as the National Guard and other federal agencies making up the Memphis Safe Task Force occupy the city, my beloved hometown is serving that same purpose at the national level.
Make no mistake about it, this initiative is pure political theater, albeit theater that can and will have very real and potentially permanent and life-altering consequences for Memphians. It’s not lost on me that Memphis is a majority-Black city, an island of blue voters amid a sea of red. e current state of a airs also brings to mind the severe power crisis that Texas experienced in the winter of 2021, as well as the national dialogue about the incident, which more or less amounted to, “let ’em freeze; they asked for this when they cast their votes.” Leaving aside that no municipality is a monolith that votes in perfect accord on every issue, that kind of thinking is cruel, short-sighted, and hopelessly wrongheaded.
Memphis is a Southern city with a history of bucking the state’s political trends, a so-called dangerous city, and so one imagines that sentiment might range from “maybe this will x things” to “lock ’em up, they asked for this when they didn’t x their own problem.” And yes, crime is a problem in Memphis, but an occupation by federal troops is hardly the most science-backed method for attempting to resolve that issue. I’m forced to wonder what a busload of federal dollars and a series of Baltimore-like social programs might do to combat crime, addiction, and poverty here.
Over the past several years, that Maryland city implemented a series of social programs, such as the Clean Corps, in which unemployed and underemployed individuals were hired to clean and maintain vacant lots; Baltimore Together, a multi-year Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy aiming to foster inclusive economic prosperity; and the Complete Streets Ordinance, which elevated the priority of pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users. ey fought addiction by partnering with nonpro ts and healthcare providers, attempting to destigmatize addiction and give drug users an o -ramp. ey increased funding for mental health services and better housing. In short, the city, led by Mayor Brandon M. Scott, worked to address the root causes of poverty, addiction, and crime. e result? Violent crime is down, and in 2024 the Community Justice Action Fund ranked the city at No. 2 in the nation in its Violence Prevention Index report.
Of course, evidence-based practices such as these are likely not as successful if one’s aim is to intimidate political rivals. Sending the National Guard to a city sends a clear message to the rest of the nation: Toe the line, or you’ll be next. I’m sure some folks in the suburbs feel a little safer — I’ve seen those op-eds in the past week or so — but how many of the majority of Memphis’ citizens actually feel protected and cared for?
Memphis and its people are being demonized in order to justify this so-called crusade against crime. Memphis is being made an example of so that people who have never been there, who already have money and power and an inordinate amount of control, can hoard more of the same without criticism from anyone who sees through this charade.
As of this writing, more than 500 Memphians have been arrested. Wiser individuals than I have voiced concerns about pretextual tra c stops, the potential dire consequences to Memphis’ Black and immigrant communities, the blatant authoritarianism on display when federal forces descend on a city to tackle civic issues, and more. I’ll leave the ner points to the bigger brains and say only that it ies in the face of the values this country was ostensibly founded on for the president to take a hand in local a airs in this way, even more so to single out cities based on the voting records of their populations.
Sending in a dozen national agencies to “protect” a city works well as an intimidation tactic. e best way to ght crime, however, is to address its root causes, treat people like the human beings they are, and work together to nd a solution based on actual data and human empathy.
Jesse Davis is a former Flyer sta er; he writes a monthly Books feature for Memphis Magazine. His opinions, such as they are, include the belief that Memphians have what it takes to make the city what they want it to be.
PHOTO: EMILY FINCH | UNSPLASH
