Following weeks of community uproar, the North Memphis neighborhood of New Chicago has been removed from the short list of potential sites for a new Shelby County Jail.
Shelby County commissioners voted 8‑3‑1 on Monday, Sept. 8, approving Commissioner Henri Brooks’ amendment to remove the 70‑acre former Firestone tire plant from consideration.
“I brought this resolution because I heard from the constituents. I heard their opposition. I attended their meetings,” Brooks said.
However, questions remain about the legality of excluding the site — specifically, whether it might infringe on the rights of the privately owned entity SMPO Properties Inc., the Memphis-based real estate firm leading development of the jail project. An opinion from the county’s legal department is expected.
Before the vote, Brooks shared feedback from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. While some remediation of contaminants has occurred at the Firestone site, TDEC reviews indicated more work would be required to make the land safe and that placing a prison on contaminated property could be illegal.
“Building a county jail at the old Firestone site is unsafe, inappropriate and legally restricted. The site still carries contamination concerns,” Brooks said. “Historical industrial operations and on-site landfills left behind pollutants — including hydrocarbons, pesticides and metals — that pose health risks.”
In response, a representative for SMPO Properties pushed back, stating that extensive remediation had already been completed before the company presented its plan for a public‑private partnership to the commission on Aug. 6.
“In 2003, Bridgestone offered the property to the Memphis Junior Golf Association, completed all required remediation and received TDEC approval to use this as a driving range and a nine‑hole course for children,” Deidre Malone, president and CEO of The Carter Malone Group, said.
Malone’s firm was hired by the property owner to counter public negative perceptions of the New Chicago proposal.
Proponents argue that relocating the jail to New Chicago would be an economic boon: Moving the county’s entire criminal and civil justice systems could attract law firms and supporting businesses.
The New Chicago site had topped the County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) list of potential locations; the other options presented in August were Downtown Memphis and Shelby Farms.
But Malone’s comments Monday drew strong negative reactions, including loud boos, from many in the audience who opposed New Chicago being considered as a site for the new jail.
Community members have raised multiple objections over the past month and again at the meeting from environmental health concerns to opposition to having a jail anchoring their neighborhood. Many criticized the process, saying early discussions focused almost exclusively on New Chicago — notably excluding serious consideration of other sites — creating the impression of a foregone conclusion.
North Memphis, historically underserved, grapples with poverty, crime, addiction and mental health issues. Critics fear a jail will reinforce negative stereotypes.
“We do not need a new jail in New Chicago. What we need is new opportunities, new investments, new commitments to the future of the people who live there. It is wrong, and it is immoral for someone to propose putting a jail in a historically Black community and to ask this county commission and taxpayers to fund it for their own private gain,” said state Rep. Justin Pearson.
(Editor’s Note: Separate from Malone’s role as CMG leader, she is a part owner of The Tri-State Defender and vice president of its board of directors. Day-to-day news decisions at TSD are made by editor Stephanie R. Jones and TSD Board President Calvin Anderson.)
No one disputes the need for a new facility. Built in 1983, the Walter L. Bailey Criminal Justice Center is overcrowded, rapidly decaying, and was patched with about $11 million in emergency repairs — including new jail doors and security systems — yet remains unsafe. There have been seven inmate deaths this year at the facility.
“We can’t continue to kick this can down the road when it comes to a jail. It’s inhumane,” said Commissioner Mickell Lowery. “What we all know about being incarcerated is (that) one day people are going to get out. If we are treating people inhumanely now when they are incarcerated, what do you think they are going to be when they get out?”
Chairwoman Shante Avant announced the formation of an ad hoc committee to research and make recommendations on how the request-for-proposal (RFP) process should be conducted for selecting a site and developer for the new jail. Commissioner Mickell Lowery will chair the committee with Commission Chair Pro Tempore David Bradford Jr. as vice chair. The group will include citizens and subject-matter experts, who have been notified of their participation.
“The ad hoc committee will not be making a determination of where the jail will be located. It’s just for the RFP process,” Lowery said. “Quite frankly, the 13 of us shouldn’t be making this decision in a vacuum. This is a generational decision.”
The county will issue a request for proposals to fund a master plan for a new jail, which would centralize criminal and civil justice services.
Downtown and Shelby Farms, which already house law enforcement operations, are likely to remain under consideration. The Downtown site could potentially expand eastward from the existing 201 Poplar Ave. facility toward Danny Thomas Boulevard, while the Shelby Farms option involves expanding the current penal farm located there.
At the end of her comments, Malone asked commissioners to keep the New Chicago proposal “in consideration.”
Final vote tally:
Yes (8): Shante Avant, Henri Brooks, Charlie Caswell Jr., Miska Clay Bibbs, Edmund Ford Jr., Mickell Lowery, Erika Sugarmon, Britney Thornton
No (3): Amber Mills, Brandon Morrison, Mick Wright
Abstain (1): David Bradford
