Memphis trans advocates met with the mayor to address concerns over the National Guard’s presence in the city.
At the inaugural Southern Trans Celebration in Memphis, Tennessee, advocates pressed the local mayor over Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to the city.
On Sept. 19, OUTMemphis and local advocacy groups, including My Sistah’s House and WeCareTN, hosted the first Southern Trans Celebration in honor of Trans Advocacy Day. The event took place at Memphis City Hall, where attendees met with Mayor Paul Young to push for policies protecting the city’s transgender community, as reported by Action 5 News. Following Trump’s call to deploy the National Guard to address the city’s high crime rate, discussions included concerns over the Trump-created Memphis Safe Task Force and its impact on marginalized groups.
“I think one of my main concerns was what does safety look like,” said Jasmine Tasaki with WeCareTN. “Because so many times as Black transgender women and transgender people, we are often policed.”
“We’re asking and calling on our elected officials to make a stance, to come out in support of us publicly,” said Kayla Gore, the founder of My Sistah’s House. “So that we are clear here in Memphis that this is not Tennessee, and that the things that are coming from the federal and state level don’t necessarily affect the people who are here.”
After meeting with the mayor, the groups said they felt more reassured about their safety as the National Guard began patrolling their city.
“He assured us that the National Guard is here to support, to be eyes and ears of sorts, and not necessarily to police people,” Tasaki said.
“What we heard from our mayor is that he’s gonna do everything in his power to make sure the City of Memphis is still a safe place for people to commune, go to work, and for people to access services,” added Gore.
Mayor Young said his recent talks with D.C. Deputy Mayor Lindsey Appiah and Police Chief Pamela Smith highlighted how the National Guard supported law enforcement, beautification, and homelessness efforts in their city, areas he believes Memphis can also improve.
“For Memphis, I choose to view this as an opportunity,” Mayor Young wrote in a newsletter. “My commitment is to make sure every resource we receive strengthens our city, not just for today, but for the long term.”
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Source: Black Enterprise
