Memphis City Council members rejected a resolution Tuesday, Sept. 23, that would have asked Gov. Bill Lee to oppose a federal proposal to deploy National Guard troops to the city.
It was the third such resolution to fail before a local governing body in Shelby County this week.
On Monday, Shelby County commissioners also rejected two proposals aimed at influencing the Republican governor’s decision.
The council’s resolution was fast-tracked during the morning’s Personnel and Governmental Affairs Committee meeting, when Council Member JB Smiley Jr. requested same-night minutes.
National Guard or Tennessee State Guard troops are expected to deploy as early as next week. However, Lee has not publicly indicated whether he will approve the deployment. Several council members believe the governor will ultimately honor President Trump’s offer.
“I’m here today, even though we may be ignored by Gov. Lee and Sen. Blackburn and (Sen. Bill) Hagerty and President Trump, because I am not going to be one of those good people who does nothing,” said Council Member Jerri Green.
Green and Smiley — 2026 candidates for Tennessee governor and Shelby County mayor, respectively — were among four council members who sponsored the resolution. In the end, only the four sponsors voted in favor. The resolution failed on a 4-4-2 vote, with two members abstaining.
A similar proposal from Shelby County Commissioner Erika Sugarmon failed Monday in a 5-4 vote. In addition to urging Lee to reject the deployment, it called for “strategic investment” in a new crime lab for Shelby County. Currently, most DNA and ballistics analyses are processed in Jackson, Tennessee, or Nashville.
For many elected officials in both city and county government, the root cause of Memphis’ public safety issues lies in long-term underinvestment, particularly in marginalized communities lacking access to health care and other basic resources.
Many also questioned the timing of the federal proposal to deploy guardsmen, which comes as crime in Memphis has significantly declined. The downward trend began in 2024 as the city emerged from the pandemic and mirrors similar declines in other major U.S. cities.
“I know the troops are not the answer to our problem with crime. We know what the answer is. That’s why we are at a 25-year low,” Green said.
Some elected officials point to racial and political trends among the cities selected for potential deployment. Like Memphis, both Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., are majority-minority cities led by Democratic mayors.
In Los Angeles, troops were deployed in connection with immigration enforcement. In Washington, D.C., federal troops have been used for duties ranging from security to cleaning up the National Mall. Trump has threatened to send troops “door-to-door” in Memphis to “fight crime.”
While some local officials characterize the possible deployment as an “occupying force,” others argue it is needed. Despite the overall drop in crime, some Memphis neighborhoods still experience regular gun violence.
“When the White House says we are going to go ‘block, block, block’ to make arrests, I believe that’s exactly the power they will yield,” said Council Member Britney Thornton. “If you go into my district, if you go to the corner stores, if you go to the liquor stores, I’ve not met with an opinion that is in deep opposition to the National Guard coming.”
Thornton added that many of her constituents, including senior citizens, do not feel safe. Council Member Philip Spinosa said his constituents have expressed similar sentiments.
County Commissioner Charlie Caswell Jr. echoed those concerns, saying vulnerable groups, such as children, are at risk in his Raleigh-area district. However, he stopped short of endorsing a troop deployment.
Instead, he co-sponsored a resolution seeking legal and strategic coordination of federal, state and local resources in the event of a deployment. The measure anticipated participation from more than 20 federal and state agencies, including the FBI, ATF, and various housing and community development departments. Commission Chairwoman Shante Avant also sponsored the resolution.
Caswell said some of Memphis’ crime problems stem from recent state legislation loosening gun restrictions.
“We know a lot of these issues drew out from the state passing these gun laws,” he said.
That resolution failed in a 5-4 vote.
Legal counsels for both the council and commission confirmed during their respective meetings that the president’s proposed deployment is constitutional.
