If anybody in Nashville or Washington had asked Memphis community leaders doing the work on the ground — the violence interrupters, youth mentors, returning citizen advocates — none of their public safety solutions would start with military deployment.
But as plans to send the National Guard into Memphis gained traction at the state level, a very different vision for public safety was unfolding at Gaisman Community Center.
Organizers and residents gathered for the Cities United “Leading the Way” tour, a three-day stop on a 20-city national initiative to redefine how cities address public safety. It’s not through more law enforcement but through deep community investment, intervention and healing.
“The decision to bring in the National Guard is not what’s keeping communities safe,” said Anthony Smith, executive director of Cities United. “There’s already work happening here — frontline organizations, credible messengers, community leaders — and they’re doing that work in partnership with law enforcement and the people.”
What they’re building
From Sept. 23–25, Memphis and Shelby County hosted the tour stop backed up with a $100,000 commitment, including:
- $7,500 in stipends for a Young Leader Collaborative (ages 18–24),
- $60,000 in local grants and operational support for grassroots organizations, and
- $10,000 in travel funding to help Memphis representatives attend the Cities United national convening.
“In Memphis, public safety starts with people,” said Mayor Paul Young in a statement. “We’re investing in youth, supporting grassroots organizations, and building partnerships that bring healing and opportunity.”
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris echoed the theme: “Public safety is more than enforcement. It’s also about prevention and opportunity.”
While both mayors offered institutional support, community advocates emphasized that what matters most isn’t money or politics. It’s who holds the trust of people closest to the problem.
“If you’re going to send anything to a community,” Smith added in his interview, “send the health department, send AmeriCorps, send investment in jobs, youth programs, mental health. That’s what people are really asking for, not more troops.”
William “Cam” Young, 24, knows how violence touches lives in Memphis, not just in headlines but in neighborhoods, families and everyday decisions. He’s a participant in Memphis Allies, a local violence prevention effort, and he came to the Cities United event to speak his truth.
“This city is dying and struggling. There’s no opportunity here,” Cam Young said. “Gun violence is an issue, but it’s the lack of economic empowerment that drives it.”
He said his peers aren’t worried about the National Guard. They’re worried about getting through the day.
“Most of my folks can’t think past what they’re gonna eat later,” he said. “And everybody wants the glory, but nobody wants to do the work. We’ve got churches, nonprofits, city government — but they’re not working together.”
His solution? Start with the kids, and start with the truth.
“We have to focus on education, on our children. That’s how we end the cycle,” Cam Young said. “And we have to stop talking and actually do something. Talking ain’t gonna do nothing.”
But he also pointed to something deeper — a historical, systemic force he believes drives not just violence but disinvestment, despair and division in Memphis and across the country.
“The real problem is the grip of white supremacy,” he said. “It’s everywhere in this city, this country, and in the minds of our people. We’ve been surviving under it for 400 years, and it still affects how we see ourselves, how we treat each other.”
Cam Young said that oppression isn’t just historical, it’s psychological and economic. He cited low literacy rates, failing schools and parents working 12-hour shifts just to barely get by.
“Only 14 percent of Black kids in this country can read. That’s not just a statistic; that’s an emergency,” he said. “Our people spend $1.8 trillion a year in this economy, but we’re still at the bottom. Until we come together and build for ourselves — our own schools, our own businesses — we’ll stay there.
“We have to love each other. Educate ourselves. Raise strong children. That’s how we beat this thing.”
Portia Moore, founder and CEO of TRAP (Transitional Reentry Adult Program), helps people returning from incarceration rebuild their lives. She’s been part of the joint public safety work since last November and sees real potential in the Cities United partnership.
“We build job readiness, financial literacy, self-esteem; we help people see that there are assets and resources,” she said. “That’s how you stop crime — not just with boots on the ground but with people they can relate to.”
Moore said the biggest challenge is simply making sure the people who need help know where to find it.
“They’re not on LinkedIn. They’re not watching the news. But they’re on Facebook. They’re at the gas station. We have to go to them,” she said.
With the arrival of more state troopers and talk of the National Guard, Moore said her message to her clients is clear: Stay out the way.
“Some things that feel normal in our culture, they’re not anymore,” she said. “And this isn’t just about folks with records. Everyday working people are getting pulled over, too.”
“We appreciate safety,” she added. “But safety without trust, safety without dignity? That’s not real safety.”
Valerie Matthews, director of the city/county Joint Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, spoke about the difficulty of measuring success when your job is prevention.
“It’s easier to measure enforcement — arrests, incidents, response times,” Matthews said. “But how do you measure the fight that didn’t happen? The shooting that was avoided?”
That’s where intervention comes in: moments where credible messengers step into tense situations and help de-escalate before things turn violent. Matthews said the Joint Office works to coordinate that kind of response behind the scenes, connecting grassroots efforts with institutional backing.
She said she welcomes additional state resources but hopes those come in the form of housing, food security, mental health access and youth development programs.
“If you’re going to send help,” she said, “send what helps people live.”
As part of the tour, Cities United led participants through a Roadmap Academy Bootcamp, where local leaders worked through a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and developed a shared understanding of what safety looks like in Memphis.
In the coming weeks, Cities United will produce a detailed report outlining next steps and recommendations based on what was learned. That report will be shared with city and county leadership and, ideally, with the broader community.
For Smith, the work remains the same regardless of headlines.
“Our job is to help communities build safety plans that look beyond jails and detention centers,” he said. “We focus on root causes and on giving people what they actually need.”
But Cam Young said the success of the event won’t be measured by what’s said in the room but what’s done after.
“We can sit in meetings all day and talk, but if we don’t actually implement something, it’s just words,” he said. “How much planning do we need before somebody puts something in motion?”
“If we don’t act, the passion dies. The hope dies. And then what are we left with?”
