2026 Progress Report
The streets don’t close, so we don’t close.
Where do we grow from here? Building a safer, stronger Memphis
2
People often ask how we know Memphis
dangerous neighborhoods and apartment
Allies’ efforts to reduce gun violence
complexes. Employing frontline staff with
and change lives are working. The short,
lived experience and LTO (license to operate),
statistical answers are that 88% of SWITCH
we reach the otherwise unreachable.
and SWITCH Youth participants have not
Program participants undergo shifts of
received a new violent or gun charge while in
heart and mind that they previously could not
programming, and that from 2023 to 2025,
have imagined. Or as a participant who once
murders in Memphis dropped 47%.
held rank in a gang said: “I didn’t see nothing
Those statistics are important and
wrong with what I was doing for a long time.”
encouraging, but we also see beyond them:
So, yes, making Memphis safer for all is
To the growing number of community
a long-term mission. Creating new paths of
partners (now 100-plus and counting) joining
opportunity for those leaving a gang-involved
Memphis Allies to make the city safer.
past behind is a long-term journey.
To the more than 1,800 people at the
Our goal of growing to serve 850 people
highest risk of gun violence that we have
daily — a 31% increase — is a long-term
served and see working toward better lives.
strategy that requires foundational support
To the ongoing need for public and
and commitment from leaders and ordinary
private investment to sustain this vital work and bring it to scale for maximum impact.
citizens alike. Even one life lost to gun violence is
It has now been more than four years
one too many, so there is no time to waste.
since Memphis Allies first sent outreach
Please join us and let’s keep the momentum
specialists into some of the city’s most
going. Susan Deason,
Carl Davis,
Executive Director
Managing Director of Operations
ABOVE: Carl and Susan, with Brittney Ragin, director of clinical programs and Jevonte Porter, director of community relations 3
Broader reach, more impact Between SWITCH, SWITCH Youth and SWITCH Mobile, Memphis Allies has the capacity to reach high-risk people wherever they are. SWITCH Youth services are available across the city; SWITCH has expanded to serve every neighborhood severely affected by gun violence. SWITCH Mobile provides enhanced flexibility. In short: we are scaling to maximize impact, with more than 650 high-risk people served every day. The next goal is to reach 850 people. The mission to reduce gun violence and make Memphis safer is ever-growing. 4
1,800+
SERVED 88 since launch in FY22
(Includes participants served in either Active Outreach or full programming) Total murders by year in Memphis
400 300 200 100 0 2023
2024
2025
2026 as of Oct. 1
Source: Memphis Safer Communities Dashboard
%
of SWITCH and SWITCH Youth participants have not received a new violent or gun charge while in programming
83 of participants have avoided violent or gun charges since discharge* %
Top 5 Referral Sources 01 Outreach
02 Legal System
03 Community
04 Internal Referrals
*Based on publicly available data for 469 SWITCH participants who discharged from the program; data on SWITCH Youth participants is not publicly available
05 Self
5
Social media triggers retaliatory gun violence A teenage gang member posts a threat about another group on social media. Someone from that group responds, saying they’ll be “strapped” and ready. Now that the lines have been drawn, even a chance encounter at a corner store or gas station can have lethal consequences. “Social media is a key driver of gun violence,” said TCion Cason, a SWITCH Youth outreach supervisor. And often, it just takes seconds to post an emoji or a threat. Part of Cason’s job: breaking the modern Morse code that is the emojis, letters, numbers and rap lyrics used in posts. This is critical because, on average, one shooting leads to four more because of retaliation. “We’re doing a better job of catching things early,” said Carl Davis, Memphis Allies’ managing director of operations. “Some things we know happen because of social media. We’ve seen it brewing; we’ve seen the 6
We’ve seen it brewing; we’ve seen the trailer online. We have to prevent the movie from happening. trailer online. We have to prevent the movie
posting a picture of an ambulance from the
In the meantime, Cason knows the power of
from happening.”
site of a shooting.
social media can be used for good, too. So,
Brittney Ragin, director of clinical
Of course, not everything posted on
he is posting about his life, amplifying the positives.
programs for Memphis Allies, likens the
social media can be taken at face value.
influence of social media on gun violence
Young people might want to make others
“I’ll be out walking with my daughter,
to a huge spider web. Follow any individual
believe they are ready to kill when they
and I’ll post a picture,” Cason said. “You can
strand long enough, and it will eventually
are not. Or that their fledgling rap career
be a father and still be cool.”
connect with every other strand on the web,
has made them rich. Both deceptions
Ragin said.
unintentionally put a target on their backs.
In that way, Cason added, it is “100%”
Cason speculated that if social media
true that every act of gun violence by a
suddenly disappeared, gun violence in
teenager can be traced, or will be traced,
Memphis might drop more than 50%.
to social media. Even if it is just someone 7
Everything starts with outreach DeAngelo Luckett used to live the gang life, carrying a gun as part of his daily survival strategy. Today, he is a Memphis Allies outreach specialist walking into the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods and apartment complexes to start building lifesaving relationships. “A lot of people say they have the LTO (license to operate), but he truly can go into any community,” said Carl Davis, Memphis Allies’ managing director of operations. “We reach out to him a lot for finding someone or making a connection.” In Memphis and other large cities, there is an exponential component to gun violence: on average, one shooting leads to four more because of retaliation. Outreach specialists and other Memphis Allies team members urgently piece together what happened after a shooting and make a plan for how to stop the next shooting. Often, social media provides something of a road map: the place where threats originate and multiply. Outreach Specialist Antonio Dowdy uses social media to “connect the dots,” adding, “A lot of times, I’ll know what’s behind it just based on the neighborhood.”
DeANGELO LUCKETT
Accurately identifying the highestrisk individuals is not only vital to stopping the next shooting, but to enrolling the right people in Memphis Allies’ SWITCH (Support with Intention to Create Hope) program model. While people might feel trapped in their current situation, Luckett and Dowdy are living examples that this need not be true. “I tell them, ‘I was right where you are now,’” Luckett said. “Just mean you’ve got to stay there.” To
• Involved in a gang/ clique/crew
that point, Dowdy says other members
• Recently shot/shot at
because you’re not there yet doesn’t
of the same clique or crew often will follow one person who enrolls in Memphis Allies’ SWITCH programming. So, just as with the shootings, there can be an exponential impact — only
ANTONIO DOWDY
Programming covers four stages and typically lasts 12 to 18 months. Participants are identified as most likely to be involved in gun violence and have risk factors including:
now, it’s for good. “Instead of just stopping one person involved with gun violence,” Dowdy said, “you can stop a whole group.”
• Had family member or friend recently shot/shot at • Has a history of criminal justice interaction • Has not completed high school • Currently unemployed
STAGE 1
STAGE 2
Laying the foundation
Participants learn how emotions can drive decision-making
A Memphis Allies life coach working with participants in Stage 1 of the
When SWITCH participants move into Stage 2 programming, they focus even
SWITCH program is like a personal trainer. “It’s most important to show
more on self-awareness and self-regulation. Many come to Memphis Allies
who you are,” said Life Coach Patrick Table. “I’m going to help you get
with a long history of trauma.
where you want to be in life.”
“We go in depth about trauma, primary and secondary emotions, and
Stage 1 is designed to last at least 60 days and starts with weekly
self-regulation,” said JaVunya Hodge, a SWITCH clinical specialist. “We’ll do a
sessions including meeting with a clinical specialist. Later, participants
situational analysis to understand what triggers them.”
attend group therapy. A Stage 1 SWITCH participant is expected to meet
The goals of Stage 2 include taking steps to reduce personal risk,
several important competency goals, including no social media posts
learning self-control in stressful situations and increasing motivation to be
concerning guns or threats, no arrests and meaningful progress toward
non-violent. As participants continue to meet regularly with their life coach,
life goals and treatment objectives.
case manager and clinical specialist, they also attend other sessions led by
“They normally come to us unemployed, going from home to home,”
SWITCH-supporting partners. Some participants are involved with Everystory,
Table said. “We build solid relationships, but you’ve got to read between
a Memphis ‘playback’ theater group.
the lines.” Real progress takes time. Table counts every positive step as
Stage 2 lasts about four months, giving participants time to examine
a small victory.
thought patterns and risky decision-making. If a program participant has been
He recalls a participant he worked with in Stage 1 who got into major
shot recently, or shot at, or is a member of a gang engaged in ongoing conflict,
trouble. Now in Stage 3, that participant is back in school and working. “When we first talked, I was anxious about what might happen next,” Table said. “But now we talk, and it’s `Pat, I’m supposed to get a promotion, and I aced this test.’ He’s more of a joyful spirit now, and he’s on a great path.”
there will be danger.
PATRICK TABLE
JaVUNYA HODGE
Hodge does not brush those concerns aside, adding, “We try to figure out how to mitigate the risk.” The clinical component stressed in Stage 2 is foundational to ongoing success. “I’ve heard participants say, ‘I don’t leave the same way I came in,’” Hodge said. “They walk out of the program a different person.”
STAGE 3
STAGE 4
A community is all for one and one for all
Building confidence and stability for the long haul
Participants often reach Stage 3 still holding a narrow view of their
In the final stage of SWITCH programming, participants previously served at
everyday surroundings. Many have never been to city landmarks such
regional sites are served together in a cohort for 16 weeks, meeting at one
as Shelby Farms Park or the Memphis Botanic Garden. Their vision of
location. A vocational coordinator leads eight weeks of soft skills training,
“community” is what they can see from the front door.
followed by eight weeks of in-the-field job training or beginning the transition into
“It’s strictly the block where they grew up,” said Community Relations
a higher education setting.
Coordinator Kendra Rounds. The first eight weeks in Stage 3 are geared
The goal: build a foundation for long-term economic sustainability.
toward helping participants pursue active employment and/or higher
For many, that will mean an apprenticeship in a trade such as welding, HVAC,
education. The second eight weeks center on engaging in the broader
electrical work, barbering or cosmetology.
community.
Vocational Coordinator Memry Wilson first meets them as they are going
Participants are responsible for creating, planning and carrying out a
through Stages 2 and 3.
community action project, such as holding a toy drive, hosting a cookout
“I try to start planting the seeds, see what they might want to do,” she said.
or acting as guides at a career/college fair. “It teaches them to be part of
A resource Wilson often relies on is Binghampton Development Corporation, a
a team,” Rounds said. It also helps them to see their past, present and
nonprofit with a focus that includes paid job training.
future in a new light. “Participants get to see the damage they were doing
“It’s a good place to start for individuals who don’t have a lot of experience,”
in the community and try to do something about it,” said Debbie Thompson,
she said. “They’ll give them room to make a mistake.”
community relations manager for Memphis Allies. Rounds often invites entrepreneurs and pastors to speak about the importance of community. “We invite people that look like them — not only African American, but men,” she said. “Participants understand they’re part of the community and the community is part of them.”
KENDRA ROUNDS
MEMRY WILSON
Although participants in Stage 4 have made progress, they’re still working on self-confidence and self-regulation. Wilson cherishes those moments when participants pause and make better decisions. “That’s a win,” she said. “And I can hear it in their voice, see it in their face: `I’m proud of me.’ I can see something clicked.”
Partnerships help drive Memphis Allies’ work
put ourselves out of business.” Other partnerships might not be obvious, but can still have a huge impact. Kinah Burks, the founder of Leading in Life Enterprise, works with Memphis Allies participants to increase their self-awareness not only for better mental and emotional health, but also for better decision-making and increased personal accountability.
Memphis Allies is always leaning into its
obvious than others. With the goal of
name and the commitment that partners
stopping the next shooting, it is only logical
“The core question is what happens
are invaluable. Now, four years into the
that Memphis Allies partners with Regional
inside me?” Burks said. “It is understanding
initiative, Memphis Allies has more than 100
One Health and Le Bonheur Children’s
emotions are data and not direction. With
community partners.
Hospital.
that data, I can figure out what is valid and what is true.”
Not all these partners are involved at the
Regional One offers “Prescription for
same level, nor do they need to be. But each
Change,” a program directed at reducing
makes a distinct contribution.
violence. In concert with that effort, Regional
theater group, seeks to transform lives
One often makes referrals to Memphis Allies
through story-sharing and a research-
partner,” said Susan Deason, executive
after someone has been the victim of a
backed program model.
director of Memphis Allies. “We knew from
gunshot.
“There is no such thing as a minor
Everystory, a Memphis-based playback
Founder Virginia Murphy said Everystory’s mission to “be the peace”
the start we would only be effective to
Josh Dugal, a Regional One vice
the extent we could collaborate with other
president over trauma, burn and vascular
makes the playback theater “inherently anti-
community organizations and draw on each
services, said the Memphis Allies
violence work.”
other’s strengths.”
partnership is part of a lofty goal: “The
Some alliances are probably more 14
overall mission of every trauma center is to
“Partnering with Memphis Allies,” Murphy added, “is an aligned and natural fit.”
Our Community Allies A Better Whitehaven A Step Ahead Foundation AAON, Inc. ACTS Career Center Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival, Inc. Agape Child & Family Services All Star Training Academy American Job Center Baptist Memorial Health Care Benefits Solutions Group Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library BEVO Boys Fitness Academy Binghampton Community Church Binghampton Development Corporation Black Seeds Urban Farms BLOC Squad Bluff City Express Booker T. Washington High School Bridge of Hope Church Brotha2Brotha BSOY Foundation, Inc. Caldwell-Guthrie Elementary School Carpenter Art Garden Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) Community Redevelopment Agency Christ Community Health Center City of Memphis The City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development City Year Memphis University of Memphis College of Education Community In Action Community Unity Council Craigmont High School Cynthia Daniels & Co. Da Sammich Spot Resource Hub
Dave Wells Community Center Delano Public Schools Divine Life Church Eagle Eye Security & Training East High School Echols Catering EcOp (Economic Opportunities) Ed Rice Community Center Eikon Ministries Elite Performance Foundation Embassy of Faith Emmanuel Center Memphis End Time Revival Holiness Church Everystory F.A.T.H.E.R.S. Organization Families Matter: AFIRM First Baptist Broad Forever Staying Positive Frayser Community Development Corporation Frayser Community PTSA Frayser Democratic Club Frayser Community Urban Garden G.A.M.E. Changers Movement GI Apprentice, Inc. Golden Institute Goodwill Memphis Grace Baptist Church Grand Canyon University Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce Grind City Cares Guns Down Orange Mound Habitat for Humanity Hawkins Mill Elementary School Heal the Hood Foundation Healing World Counseling Center Heartfelt MoMents Hollywood Community Center Hollywood Library Hope City Church
HopeWorks I Am She Impact Ministries Inspire Memphis Iris Collective I Shall Not Die But Live! Jeffers Lawn Care & Landscape Jobs for the Future (JFF) Joint Office of Neighborhood Safety & Engagement Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South Junior League of Memphis Karen Hearts Foundation Keel Ave. Baptist Church Kirby High School Klondike Smoky City, CDC Knowledge Quest Larose Elementary School Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Leadership Memphis Leadership Tennessee Leading in Life Enterprise Legacy of Legends, CDC Lester Community Center LIA House, Inc. Lifewise Academy Lilac Impact Services Linking Hands 901 Literacy Mid-South LoveWorks, Inc. Luxe Apartments Manassas High School Melrose High School Memphis Athletic Ministries Memphis Botanic Garden Memphis Electrical Memphis Essential Millennials Foundation Memphis Juneteenth Festival Memphis Lift
Memphis Parks Memphis Police Department Memphis Public Libraries Memphis Rox Memphis Shelby County Schools Memphis Shelby Police Activities League Memphis Urban League Memphis Virtual School Memphis Welding School Metamorphosis Project Mid-South Christian College Mid-South Food Bank Millionaire Grind Mobile Homeless Ministries Moms Demand Action My City Rides NAACP Memphis Branch National Civil Rights Museum Neighborhood Christian Centers, Inc. North Branch Library North Frayser Community Center North Memphis Community Alliance Oasis of Hope Office of Community Affairs Olympic Career Training Institute One Accord Ministries One Glory Athletic Association One Stop Housing Operation Taking Back 901 Orange Mound Arts Council Orange Mound Collaborative Group Orange Mound Library Orange Mound Outreach Ministries Orange Mound Parade Committee Overton Park Shell Pentecostal Charismatic Churches of North America Porter-Leath ProGeny Place Project STAND
PURE Academy Raleigh Community Council Raleigh-Egypt High School REACH Memphis Red Door Urban Missions RedZone Ministries Regional One Health Repairers of the Breach Christian Church Restoration Time Family and Youth Services Seeding Success Shelby County Chapter of The Links, Inc. Shelby County Government Shelby County Juvenile Court Shelby County Office of Re-Entry Shelby County Youth Justice and Educational Center Shop Open Barber Shop Simply Rose CPR Safety N.E.T. Sista2Sista South Memphis Alliance Southern Security Federal Credit Union Southwest Tennessee Community College S.O.W. Community Outreach State of Tennessee Stop the Killing, Cut The Beef Telisa Franklin Ministries Temperature Control Institute Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Tennessee Department of Correction Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs Tennessee Valley Training Center Testament of Hope Community Baptist Church
The Braid Foundation The Braylon Murray Project The Brotherhood B2M The Check-In Memphis The Christopher A. Pugh II Center The Collective Blueprint The Excel Center The Frayser Connect Center The Gradus Project The Hands of Rozay Foundation The Healing House The Heart of Hickory Hill The Original Project Team The Pursuit Center The S.O. What! Foundation The Sterling Institute The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) The Willie Mae Brooks Resource Center The Works Tillman Precinct Trezevant High School TWINS, Inc. Unite Memphis United Way of the Mid-South UrbanArt Commission Varsity Spirit WEE Care Juvenile Success West Tennessee Legal Services Westside Middle School Westwood Community Center Whitehaven Community Center Whitehaven Garden and Social Club Whitehaven Library Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis Xcelente Trucking YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South You First Community Foundation Young Actors Guild Young Man University
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TeamCARE Memphis Allies frontline responders need care, too Firefighter, paramedic, emergency room doctor... those job descriptions just come with more stress. The same is true for Memphis Allies’ frontline staff. “If you have lived experience, you have significant trauma,” said Brittney Ragin, director of clinical programs for Memphis Allies. “And it’s unique in that your trauma is why you’re doing this work.” TeamCARE, the wellness initiative for Memphis Allies’ staff, started a couple of years ago as it became clear that symptoms of PTSD, or posttraumatic stress disorder, were not uncommon. Of our 250 full-time staff members, Ragin said about one-third have taken advantage of the free therapy sessions through TeamCARE. That is significant. “It’s a stigma in the African-American community to go to therapy,” said Portia Williams, a placement manager for Memphis Allies and a TeamCARE ambassador. The stressful nature of the work means many staff members might need someone to listen to them. 16
PORTIA WILLIAMS
“They’re first-line responders working to make Memphis safer,”
violence. It can be the arrest of a former
said Dr. Archandria Owens, a
participant who fell back into old patterns.
licensed psychologist and founder of
“It’s compassion fatigue,” Owens
The Collective Healing Space, who is
said. “They are in chronic, acute
partnering with Memphis Allies. “People
situations.”
talk about things they might not be able to talk about with their friends and family.” Staff members also have trauma
TeamCARE utilizes a resiliency model, with four components: spiritual, emotional/mental, physical
in their own lives. Jemera Lloyd, a
and social. Each month, there’s
community relations coordinator for
programming to address those
Memphis Allies, lost her 25-year-old
four elements, including bowling,
brother in 2023 to gun violence in her
skating, get-togethers, step challenges
hometown of Jackson, Mississippi.
and family nights.
“It was heartbreaking,” Lloyd said. “I
BRITTNEY RAGIN
participant losing his life due to gun
just shut down.”
“I don’t know if I can always guide them perfectly, but they need to be
Memphis Allies has had great
gentle with their own grief,” Owens
success, with 88% of SWITCH and
said. “Because there’s always another
SWITCH Youth participants not picking
participant who needs their help.”
up a new gun or violent charge while in programming. Still, grief can hit staff in waves. It can be a participant or former 17
Community Outreach
1 DeVone Boggan, founder and CEO of Advance Peace and the Peacemaker Fellowship, keynote speaker at Breakthrough. 2 Program participants at a SWITCH graduation ceremony. 3 Staff and program participants planting produce at Blackseed Farms. 4 A night of fun at Memphis Allies InstaJam. 5 Memphis Allies hosted an annual back to school drive in partnership with I Shall Not Die But Live. 6 Memphis Allies’ community relations team reaches out to neighborhoods with services and programming. 18
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3
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Progress worth sustaining
In just over four years, Memphis Allies has served more than 1,800 people at the highest risk for gun violence; 88% of SWITCH and SWITCH Youth participants have not picked up a new gun or violent charge while in programming. The progress Memphis Allies is making for our community is real. Our collaboration with partners, along with the efforts of law enforcement, is transforming our city. Reducing gun violence means saving lives, and from 2023 to 2025, murders in Memphis dropped 47%. That is evidence that this bold initiative has momentum. But if we are to build on the progress made to date, we will need help: more cooperation, more collaboration and, yes, more sustained investment for a safer and thriving Memphis.
— Patrick Lawler CEO, Youth Villages Learn how you can be part of a safer, stronger Memphis. Visit memphisallies.org 20