Prowler accused of attempting to kidnap Memphis mayor appears in court after his arrest
By James Coleman Special to The Tri-State Defender
The 25-year-old Memphis man who was arrested after being caught prowling in the neighborhood of Memphis Mayor Paul Young last week made his first appearance in court Friday, June 20.
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Trenton Abston was arraigned on charges of attempted kidnapping, stalking and aggravated criminal trespass on the evening of Sunday, June 15. His bail was set at $50,000. His family plans to hire an attorney to represent him.
He allegedly wanted to discuss crime with the mayor, particularly the city’s crime rate. A bail review hearing is scheduled for Monday, June 23. Outside the courtroom, Abston’s uncle described the aspiring law enforcement officer as “remorseful.”
“I have spoken with him. He’s very remorseful, and he said, ‘I wish I had done something a little bit different,’” said Theodore Martin, who identified himself as Abston’s uncle and spoke briefly outside the courtroom. “He made a bad decision. One time. It’s a big one, but one time.”
According to the Memphis Police Department, private security cameras captured the suspect scaling a fence around the East Memphis subdivision where Young resides with his wife and two children. Abston walked directly to the front door of the mayor’s residence and knocked. Law enforcement was swiftly alerted.
In a Facebook statement, Young also said Abston had “a full pocket and a nervous demeanor.” At the time of his arrest, police officers also recovered a Taser, rope and duct tape from Abston’s Hyundai Santa Fe. Nearby cameras showed the vehicle registered to Abston
visited the area on several occasions over the month leading up to his arrest.
The incident comes at a time of heightened concern for the safety of elected officials. On June 14, two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses were shot at their respective residences by a gunman disguised as a police officer. One couple survived. Vance Boelter was apprehended by police two days later.
“In today’s climate, especially after the tragic events in Minnesota and the threats my wife and I often receive online, none of us can be too careful. The link between angry online rhetoric
and real-life violence is becoming undeniable,” read Young’s statement.
Elected officials from both political parties have reported increased threats in recent months.
“We understand the concerns raised by this incident and want to reassure the public that the Memphis Police Department remains fully committed to the safety of all residents, including our city’s elected officials. We take any potential threat seriously and will continue to act swiftly and thoroughly,” the MPD said in a statement.
President
Calvin Anderson Editor Stephanie R. Jones
Trenton Abston’s booking photoMemphis Police Department
Rhodes College professor Nasong’o awarded prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Fellowship
By Judith Black Moore Special to The Tri-State Defender
Dr. Shadrack Nasong’o, professor of international studies at Rhodes College, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Fellowship for the 2025–26 academic year. He will spend 10 months in residence at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, where his research will focus on the global decline of the humanities and social sciences under neoliberal economic policies.
Nasong’o selected the University of Johannesburg as his host institution because of its Institute for Global African Affairs (IGAA), a joint initiative between the University of Johannesburg and the University of the West Indies. The institute’s mission of fostering collaboration between Africa and its diaspora in pursuit of solutions to shared challenges to African progress and global prosperity aligns closely with his scholarly objectives. Diaspora is a group of people who live outside their original homeland but maintain cultural connections.
“The institute also seeks solutions to shared challenges and to advance common aspirations, using the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 as guiding frameworks,” Nasong’o said. “In addition, the director of IGAA, Professor Siphamandla Zondi, was prepared to host me at the institute given my research interests and scholarly background.”
Nasong’o’s research will examine how neoliberal economic policies, first aggressively implemented by Western leaders such as Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher and later imposed on African nations through structural adjustment programs, have contributed to a global crisis in the humanities. He aims to explore how these policies have reshaped college curriculums, particularly the devaluation of humanities and social science disciplines in favor of career-oriented training.
“Indeed, in the Global North, many colleges and universities have discontinued some of these disciplines — hence the crisis in the humanities,” he said. “My research seeks to understand how neoliberal policies have affected these disciplines and what can be done to recuperate their teaching and popularity, given their significance to human existence and progress.”
While at IGAA, Nasong’o plans to conduct workshops and seminars open to both local and international participants. Following his time in Johannesburg, Nasong’o intends to share his findings with students and colleagues at Rhodes and deepen institutional ties.
“I hope to establish a lasting relationship between my host institution and home institution that generates mutual benefits for faculty and students,” he said. “I look to more actively engage in promotion of educational exchanges with a particular focus on bringing renown international scholars to Rhodes and sending Rhodes scholars into the global arena.”
A native of Kenya, Nasong’o has previously participated in research and academic programs in Ghana, Senegal, Rwanda, Great Britain and Canada. Although these previous experiences were shorter, he said his professional experiences over the years have prepared him for this longer academic journey in South Africa.
“My personal journey from Kenya through the American East Coast to the South, has shaped me as a teacher-scholar,” he said. “I believe in being both a rigorous researcher and an accessible mentor. In the classroom, I combine traditional lecturing with collaborative learning to meet students where they are.”
The research supported by the Fulbright fellowship will ultimately result in a book publication. Nasong’o hopes the project will elevate Rhodes College’s academic profile and underscore the role of engaged scholarship in addressing global challenges.
Dr. Shadrack Nasong’o
“I
hope to establish a lasting relationship between my host institution and home institution that generates mutual benefits for faculty and students. I look to more actively engage in promotion of educational exchanges with a particular focus on bringing renown international scholars to Rhodes and sending Rhodes scholars into the global arena.”
— Dr. Shadrack Nasong’o
Rep. Johnnie Turner honored with 85th birthday celebration and street naming
From the childhood humiliation that sparked a lifelong fight for justice to advancing legislation that helps ensure it, a newly named street bears her name
By Judith Black Moore Special to The Tri-State Defender
The celebration of former State Rep. Johnnie Turner began with a Sunday birthday party and ended with a permanent marker of her legacy unveiled on Monday.
Friends, family, legislators and her beloved sisters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. gathered Sunday to honor Turner’s 85th birthday. The Life Center Hall party room was filled with admiration and laughter as tributes highlighted every corner of her life — political, personal and community.
State Sen. Raumesh Akbari presented a formal resolution from the Tennessee Senate and House before revealing a framed replica of the new highway sign that now bears Turner’s name. “(Tomorrow) We are unveiling a permanent marker that will show everyone that drives down this street that the person that was dedicated to this district was permanently memorialized here,” Akbari said Sunday.
The sign will stand at the corner of Third Street and Levi Road in Tennessee House of Representatives District 85 as a lasting tribute to Turner’s years serving the area at the Capitol in Nashville.
Rep. Karen Camper reflected on the deeper meaning behind the legislative recognition. “This resolution enshrines her legacy in history,” Camper said. “In the annals of Tennessee history, her name is going to come up. The things she has done will go down in history
for us to reflect on for years.”
Her commitment to the fight for justice and equality under the law for African Americans went beyond government to her service with the nation’s premiere civil rights organization, the NAACP. She began as a volunteer and eventually served as executive director of the group for more than a decade.
Rep. G.A. Hardaway called himself her “seat mate” and confidant in Nashville. “She is the one and only who could get certain things done — like the Cold Case Civil Rights Bill. Ms. Johnnie got it to the finish line. It serves as a template for legislation all over the country because of Mrs. Turner.”
In January 2010, after the death of her husband, longtime District 85 Representative Larry Turner, Johnnie Turner was appointed to succeed him. She held the seat through 2018, choosing not to run again. During her time as a state legislator, she became the House Democratic Floor Leader, and served on key education and transportation committees, while maintaining active involvement with the NAACP and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. One of her final and most significant legislative achievements was sponsoring the Tennessee Cold Case Civil Rights Crime Act, signed into law in May 2018. The act established a permanent cold case unit within the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to investigate unsolved racially motivated murders and violent crimes from 1940 to 1979. Tennessee Lookout notes Turner worked alongside Hardaway
and Sen. Mark Norris to pass the bill, which has since allowed reopening of languishing investigations.
Turner’s influence as a mentor and civil rights leader echoed throughout the room.
Attorney Van Turner referred to her as his “political mother” and recalled her holding him accountable early in his political career. “She got on me about putting the campaign signs down crooked,” he said. “She let me know they needed to be straight, she told me, ‘That’s a representation of the campaign.’”
NAACP Memphis Branch President Kermit Moore added, “She is the epitome of an activist and freedom fighter. She is still getting memberships for the NAACP and continues to inspire many across the state. She is still mentoring the next generation of freedom fighters.”
Vickie Terry, executive director of
the NAACP Memphis Branch, praised Turner’s continued support. “She taught me everything I know,” Terry said. “She said to me, ‘I am here to help you with whatever you need to be successful,’ and she has done that and continues to help.”
Similar sentiments flowed as others shared reflections and memories.
Ernest Long, longtime security guard for the NAACP Freedom Fund Gala, recalled, “Mrs. Turner is an excellent lady. She didn’t take no mess though, but she is sweet and dedicated. She would try to compromise, but she would not let you walk on her — or the NAACP — and certainly not Larry Turner.”
Charlotte Freeman, president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Memphis Alumnae Chapter, honored Turner’s sorority contributions: “She stands head and shoulders above all. I appreciate what she has done for the sorority.”
Former State Rep. Johnnie Turner shows she still knows her Delta Sigma Theta Sorority moves during her 85th birthday party Sunday. (D’Angelo Connell/The Tri-State Defender)
■■ COMMUNITY
The celebration continued Monday at noon in 90-plus degree heat, where local and state dignitaries joined Turner at the corner of Third and Levi for the official sign unveiling.
Turner stood beneath a canopy formed by umbrellas held high by her
Delta Sigma Theta sisters, shielding her from the sun as her son unveiled the new sign: Rep. Johnnie Turner Highway.
Among the crowd, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy reflected on her civil rights legacy: “I don’t
think people realize all that she has done. She has been a champion for civil rights. Now, with this physical marker, we are documenting what’s been done.”
Her journey, however, began long before she held elected office.
She has previously shared about the humiliation she felt being forced as a schoolgirl to give up a bus seat to white children who taunted her, and of being harassed by older white students on late night bus rides home during her years as a student at LeMoyne-Owen College.
Her peaceful resistance to those attacks was the start of her fight for dig-
nity and civil rights for her people and others that is ongoing to this day.
In Voices of the Civil Rights Movement, a documentary project by Comcast NBCUniversal, Turner offered a reflection that encapsulates her life’s work:
“Discrimination against anybody is wrong, because I know what it’s like to be discriminated against. I know what it’s like to be humiliated. I know what it’s like to be treated as a second-class citizen. ... Making life better in terms of freedom, equality and justice for all has been my life’s story.”
Party guest and co-planner, Vanecia Kimbrow greets the evening’s honoree, JohnnieTurner, at her birthday bash at Life Center Hall. (D’Angelo Connell/The Tri-State Defender)
Kermit Moore, NAACP Memphis Branch president, left, and Atty. Van Turner paid tribute to Johnnie Turner at her party. (D’Angelo Connell/The Tri-State Defender)
A sign is unveiled Monday at the corner of Third Street and Levi Road renaming a stretch of road Rep. Johnnie Turner Highway. (Judith Black Moore/The Tri-State Defender)
FedEx Founder Fred Smith left immeasurable and indelible impact on Blacks in Memphis
By Lee Eric Smith Special to The Tri-State Defender
Ever since word spread that FedEx Founder Fred Smith had died Saturday at the age of 80, an outpouring of love and gratitude has followed, regardless of race, gender or political affiliation of those sharing tributes. We at The TriState Defender also want to pay respect to his life’s work by acknowledging his enormous impact on African Americans across the globe and, specifically, here in Memphis.
But how does one even measure that? How many Black families in Memphis were (are) supported by FedEx jobs? How many African American pilots got their wings flying FedEx jets? How many children have benefited from Smith’s quiet philanthropy? Does Memphis even have an NBA team (or downtown arena) without Fred Smith?
Like most lives of great consequence, perhaps the best view is through the individual stories. So we turned to social media, where there is no shortage of personal stories of Smith’s impact and the lives of African Americans touched by Smith’s life and work.
Capt. Carroll Waters, FedEx’s first black pilot
As legend has it, despite being a veteran Vietnam-era pilot, Carroll Waters knew that jobs for black pilots in a still racially divided America would be scarce in 1973. But at the prodding of a friend, he took a shot and called this new startup, Federal Express. He found himself on the phone with Smith.
“I’m a black pilot, and I’m looking for a job,” Waters reportedly said. And without flinching, Smith reportedly replied, “When can you get here?”
Shortly thereafter, Waters became employee #373, FedEx’s third pilot overall. By the time Waters’ career was over in 1996, he’d paved the way for
countless other black pilots and helped found the Organization of Black Aviation Professionals. When Waters died in 2015, FedEx flew his ashes back to Virginia.
“Some days, it hardly felt like work,” Waters said in an article on FedEx.com spotlighting black pilots. “It felt like a privilege. Without the opportunity that Fred Smith gave me, who knows if I would have flown professionally again or, if I had, if I would have been treated so genuinely.”
A thankful family
On Facebook, Damon Griffin, himself a former FedEx employee, shared that his father, James Griffin Sr., was hired as a pilot in FedEx’s earliest days, setting the stage for generations of prosperity.
“It was God’s doing that connected my dad to FedEx in the early 1980s,” Griffin wrote. “FedEx swooped in and poached my dad from Weyerhaeuser in Seattle. Mr. Smith had an affinity for Vietnam military pilots, and my dad was able to get in the door at the early
point of FedEx and flew the world for over 20 years.”
The elder Griffin went from the cockpit to the pulpit, becoming pastor at New Beginnings Community Church in Memphis. When he died in 2023, Smith reached out personally.
“He called me personally on the worst day of my life, my dad’s passing,” Griffin wrote. “He sent a personal note to my mom during that time as well. The Griffin family (of about 20 now) would not be in Memphis, but for God connecting my dad with Fred Smith and FedEx in 1983. Rest well sir.”
From day one
Audrey Pfeiffer was there from the beginning. Literally.
She met Fred Smith at a computer training school in Memphis, where he came personally to talk about a bold idea: overnight delivery.
“He came and talked about his dream,” Pfeiffer recalled in a film clip by Our American Stories with Lee Habeeb. “It was so vivid and so real. I went the next day and got hired on the spot.”
A Memphis legacy, lived and felt Rose Jackson-Flenorl, who has risen through the ranks to become global citizenship manager for FedEx, shared a heartfelt moment involving her daughter, Lillie. When Flenorl told her daughter she was going to work for FedEx, Lillie, normally reserved, asked if she could meet the man behind the company.
“She said she wanted to meet the man who had a vision and worked until that vision became a reality,” Flenorl wrote on Facebook. “Lillie approached him. They talked. Then I heard her ask for a picture.”
Lillie picked up the story from there.
“I was just in awe,” recalled Lillie, who now works for Baptist Memorial Hospital. “I’ve always admired Mr. Smith and the things he’s done for our community and the world. To get the privilege to meet him was a moment I’ll always remember. Just having an idea and turning it into a global company … that’s extraordinary.”
Rose was grateful for the impact he had on her daughter and the city.
“He was committed to the Memphis community, the global community,” she
Fred Smith, founder of FedEx, died Saturday, June 21, at age 80. He is remembered not only for revolutionizing global shipping, but also for his profound impact on the African American community in Memphis, where FedEx has long been a major employer and philanthropic force. (Courtesy FedEx)
From left, Rose Jackson-Flenorl, global citizenship manager at FedEx, Fred Smith, founder of FedEx, and Lillie Flenorl share a moment in this undated photo. Lillie, inspired by Smith’s legacy, asked to meet “the man who had a vision and worked until that vision became a reality.” (Courtesy photo)
COMMUNITY
FedEx founder Fred Smith received the National Civil Rights Museum’s Freedom Award in 2022 for his commitment to expanding opportunity in underserved communities. Under Smith’s leadership, FedEx supported the museum through annual MLK Day sponsorships, employee volunteerism, and funding for programs like Unpacking Racism for Action and educational space improvements. (Courtesy FedEx)
said. “He cared. He was engaged. Thank you and rest in peace, Captain.”
‘You have left a legacy’
Dr. Pam Chatman, founder of the Boss Lady Workforce Transportation Initiative, credited Smith with bringing jobs and dignity to struggling families in the Mississippi Delta and Little Rock, Arkansas.
“He and his team gave so many families the opportunity to get on their feet from struggling from day to day poverty and struggles,” she said in a post. “We have heard countless stories of how this program has changed so many lives. Thank You for what you have done here in the Mississippi Delta. … You have left a legacy for others who will come behind you.”
Another FedEx executive, Natasha R. Ashworth, reflected on a generational journey.
“We are a FedEx family,” she wrote. “Both of my parents retired from the company. I left the Memphis Grizzlies for a chance to grow with FedEx. … Today, I have the honor of designing large-scale experiences that recognize and reward top sales talent from around the world — living a dream bigger than anything I could have imagined.”
Institutional impact
FedEx’s relationship with Black Memphis extended beyond employment. In 2022, the National Civil Rights Museum awarded Smith its coveted Freedom Award, recognizing his lifelong commitment to building “bridges of opportunity for underserved communities.”
“Fred Smith … embodied the spirit
of innovation, resilience and community uplift,” the Museum said in a statement after his death. “He promoted careers, education and leadership for Memphis residents … His entrepreneurial spirit, deeply connected to the Civil Rights Movement, reinforces a powerful truth: Lasting change occurs when leaders honor their roots, invest in those they serve and challenge tomorrow’s leaders to dream bigger.”
The company has sponsored free admission to the museum on MLK Day for years. Hundreds of FedEx employees volunteer annually. Funding from FedEx helped expand key programming, including the Unpacking Racism for Action series and enhancements to the museum’s educational spaces.
A city reflects
Memphis Mayor Paul Young perhaps summed it up best.
“Fred Smith didn’t just launch a company, he changed the way the world moves,” Young said. “FedEx has brought jobs, investment and international recognition to Memphis, and Fred’s impact is woven into the fabric of who we are today. In many ways, he gave our city wings.”
And then there was Penny Hardaway — University of Memphis Tigers legend, NBA star and U of M men’s basketball coach — who reminded everyone of Smith’s civic spirit on and off the court.
“Fred Smith cared! His love for our city showed daily,” Hardaway wrote. “I want to also personally thank him for his contributions to Memphis Men’s basketball. He will be missed.”
COMMUNITY Barbara Neely, co-founder of Jim Neely’s Interstate Barbecue, dies at 87
By Lee Eric Smith Special to The Tri-State Defender
Barbara Neely, co-founder and longtime matriarch of the legendary Interstate Bar-B-Q in Memphis, passed away Monday, June 16. She was 86.
Neely wasn’t just the wife of barbecue icon Jim Neely. For nearly half a century, she was the restaurant’s beating heart and smiling face, working tirelessly alongside her husband to build one of Memphis’ most treasured culinary institutions.
Jim Neely was the taste; Barbara was the “face of Interstate,” Jim Neely told The Tri-State Defender after another full day at the restaurant, his second since her death Monday.
“When you walked into Interstate BarB-Q,, I don’t care who you were — politicians, celebrities, regular folks — first face you were gonna see was Barbara,” he said. “And that’s who you were gonna be talking to most of the time.”
The Neelys opened Interstate BarB-Q in 1979, converting a former South Memphis grocery store into a barbecue joint that would go on to receive national acclaim. Jim handled the pit and the product; Barbara ran the front, managed the phones and made sure every guest was welcomed like family.
And those who didn’t know how to behave?
“She had something for ‘em. People used to ask her, ‘Why aren’t you scared working down here?’” Jim said.
“She said, ‘No. I’ll pick up this billy club and knock his a$$ off.’ She didn’t play.”
Barbara was still working up until just weeks before her passing — spending 14 hours at the restaurant on Memorial Day, even while sick.
“She went up there on Memorial Day, and she was there for 14 hours,” Jim recalled. “When she got home, I said, ‘Barbara, why would you go up there and stay that long?’ But that was her life. She got up every morning at five o’clock and she would go up there. I said, ‘Stop going. Go at six.’ She wouldn’t hear it.”
The couple worked side-by-side for 45 years. When asked about the secret to building both a business and a marriage that endured, Jim said:
“You know what it was like? Knowing when to hold and when to fold. Knowing when to shut up and just let her have her say. Because if you don’t, you’re just gonna get tired.
“All we wanted to do was make it through the day so we were home at night. We didn’t go home and take no attitudes or Interstate to our bedroom. We shared (the title of) boss,” he continued.
“I respected what she was doing, and she respected what I was doing. I stayed in my lane. It’s just a respect for each other. You can’t be in there like cats and dogs all day. You’d be miserable. And you can’t make it, much less last 45 years.”
The Neelys nephew Patrick Neely said it was because of his uncle and aunt that he was able to open his own successful Memphis BBQ restaurant, Neely’s, and later have a television cooking show.
Barbara Neely, he said, was “the true backbone of the family. She preferred to stay behind the scenes, away from fame, but making sure the business was done. She was a remarkable, quiet woman,” he added.
“If it had not been for them, I never would have been on TV,” stated Patrick Neely, whose show with his former wife Gina, Cooking with the Neelys, ran seven days a week on the Food Network from 2008 to 2014. “They taught me all I know and encouraged me to pursue television.”
The respect Jim and Barbara Neely had for each other extended not only to family but to their staff — and especially to the young people who came through the restaurant over the years.
“I had a girl call me yesterday,” Jim Neely said. “When she worked there, she was young — teenager, dumb, belligerent. Barbara used to work with her. That girl went on and became a registered nurse. She called me just to thank me for the stuff we instilled in her when she was there.
“And we’ve done that for numerous people,” he said. “We mentored them, and they respected it.”
Together, Jim and Barbara also traveled the world — driving across Europe, exploring East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and even flying across the U.S. in a private plane Jim piloted himself.
In keeping with her wishes, a celebration of Barbara Neely’s life will be held Friday, June 27, at noon at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, 620 Parkrose Ave. in Memphis. Visitation is scheduled for Thursday, June 26, at R.S. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home.
Don’t expect to see Jim Neely at the visitation however — for the same reason he says Barbara’s casket will be closed during the service.
“I don’t want to see my wife in no casket,” he said, reflecting on the lingering pain of losing his son, Kelvin Neely in March 2015 from complications related to sickle cell disease.
“My son died — I told them ‘close that casket before I come in there,’ I‘d go to funerals as a kid and you’d be sittin’ in the front, lookin’ at your loved ones cryin’ the whole time.
“Aw, naw…. Hell naw,” he said. “I want her funeral to be a celebration of the life that we lived.”
Barbara Neely, co-owner of Neely’s Interstate Bar-B-Q, died June 16 at the age of 87. A constant and supportive presence since the restaurant’s opening in 1979, she worked alongside her husband, Jim, taking orders at the counter and helping in the kitchen when needed.
Marzie Thomas, former Tri-State Defender publisher, congressional staffer, has died
By Lee Eric Smith Special to The Tri-State Defender
Marzie Thomas, a former publisher of The Tri-State Defender who later served as a top staffer for Congressman Steve Cohen, died on June 12 at Methodist University Hospital. She was 72.
Thomas spent more than 16 years at the Defender, where she rose from advertising manager to general manager, editor and eventually publisher, becoming one of the few Black women in that role at the time. Her leadership helped sustain the historic Black newspaper through turbulent years of transition, financial hardship and evolving media landscapes.
“She was able to keep the paper going when it was on unsteady footing,” said former colleague and longtime Defender staffer Wiley Henry.
“She had a rapport with the community, the advertisers and the churches. She was respected by everyone — Democrats and Republicans alike. That was rare.”
In 2007, Thomas joined the office of U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) as a special assistant for veterans’ affairs and community outreach. She became deputy district director in 2009 and was promoted to district director in 2013.
“An extremely talented administrator, she understood the district and did an outstanding job meeting my constituents’ needs because of a deep familiarity with them as a 16-year newspaper reporter, editor and publisher for The Tri-State Defender,” Cohen said in a statement. “She will be sorely missed.”
A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School and LeMoyne-Owen College, Thomas also remained deeply rooted in Memphis’ faith community. A lifelong member of East Trigg Avenue Baptist Church, she sang as a soloist in the choir and grew up under the spiritual mentorship of the legendary Rev. Dr. Herbert Brewster, a noted gospel composer. She remained active in the church until her health declined. After leaving The Tri-State Defender, Thomas briefly worked with Art Gilliam’s WLOK Radio before beginning her work in public service. She was preceded in death by her husband, Alonzo Thomas Jr., who passed away in January 2024, and by her brother, the Rev. Richard Gates. She is survived by two daughters, Marthel Ellison and Richara Thomas; one sister, Aimee Gates; and a granddaughter, Madison Ellison.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by R.S. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home. A public wake will be held Thursday, July 3, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m. at R.S. Lewis, 374 Vance Ave., Memphis, TN 38126.
Her funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, July 5, at East Trigg Baptist Church, 1315 S. Bellevue, Memphis, TN 38106. Burial will follow at Elmwood Cemetery, 824 S. Dudley St., Memphis.
(Karanja Ajanaku, former editor of The TriState Defender, shared a YouTube video in 2023 featuring Thomas speaking about the newspaper’s origin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxkofCK51_k)
“She was able to keep the paper going when it was on unsteady footing. She had a rapport with the community, the advertisers and the churches. She was respected by everyone — Democrats and Republicans alike. That was rare.” — Wiley Henry
Marzie Thomas
■■ NEWS
Shelby County crime lab one step closer, property tax hike likely
By James Coleman Special to The Tri-State Defender
A new “focused” crime lab for Shelby County is one step closer to reality after county commissioners unanimously approved a resolution allocating $5.5 million to fund recurring operations at the proposed facility.
Due to the extra expense, commissioners will likely need to pass a property tax increase to balance Mayor Lee Harris’ revised FY 2026 budget. Earlier in the Wednesday, June 18, meeting, members agreed to certify the county’s tax rate at $2.69 per $100 of assessed value.
The rate was revised down by the state from $3.39 in FY 2025 — a difference of 70 cents. Meanwhile, blanks remain on the ordinance that would officially set the FY 2026 property tax rate.
“I think there are plenty of smart reasons why the commission might exceed the $2.69 to include an initiative like this,” said Harris. “Foremost of which is that this is one of the most important public safety initiatives that we’ve had before the commission.”
A special called meeting will be required to meet the deadline to set the FY 2026 tax rate ordinance. The rate is also expected to be finalized during today’s meeting. However, a public notice requirement must be fulfilled before a tax hike can be approved.
The special meeting date is to be determined.
The prospective crime lab would concentrate on three areas: rapid DNA analysis, cell phone/digital forensics and ballistics. The lab would not overlap with forensics currently handled at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab in Jackson, Tennessee.
That facility currently processes most rape kit analyses for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Memphis Police Department. The City of Memphis recently announced it will embed two scientists at the TBI lab to expedite work
being done on MPD’s behalf.
Unlike the MPD-TBI partnership, the new lab would be led by Shelby County government.
The lab would be located on the campus of the current West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center at 637 Poplar Ave., where post-mortem examinations are currently conducted. One-time costs would be reduced by contributions of lab equipment from the state.
Along with a $200,000 contribution announced by Memphis-Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, additional equipment is expected to be made available from the shuttered crime lab that relocated to Jackson in 2021 — a detail shared by Commissioner Erika Sugarmon.
“That’s news to me,” said Mulroy. “I was told they might consider selling it to us. That was the last I’d heard.”
The state previously declined the DA’s request to house a new crime lab in the former MPD state-run facility at 700 Poplar Ave.
Federal funding could also help with one-time costs.
“Congressman (Steve) Cohen has been kind enough to go ahead and put in a request for some federal grant funds, one-time funds for equipment that we could use for this effort,” said Mulroy.
Two of the three focus areas — rapid DNA testing and cell phone forensics — could begin almost immediately. They don’t require years of specialized training. Ballistics is another matter: It typically takes four to five years to certify a ballistics examiner. Mulroy floated a ballpark salary of $156,000 for the position during discussion.
A trained ballistics technician would likely improve turnaround times. Estimates for returns from the TBI, which currently handles most of the area’s ballistics work, run upwards of 16 months.
Most of the annual recurring costs for the lab would go toward staffing.
