Memphis United is a coalition of organizations working on criminal justice reform and police accountability. The murder of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO has catalyzed solidarity demonstrations all over the world.

Locally, Memphis United has been advocating for police accountability for months, with the recent victory of reinstating the Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) in Memphis. We have continued this work in the wake of Michael Brown’s murder with our own solidarity actions and a renewed effort to make Memphis a safer, more peaceful community.  In the coming months, Memphis United will advocate for:

• A more effective CLERB
• Resolution for the rape kit backlogs
• Sensitivity training for MPD officers and the adoption of a community policing model
• Body cameras for MPD officers and dashboard cameras for MPD vehicles
• Ending police and private security harassment and demilitarizing private security and public law enforcement

To see some of the recent media coverage we’ve received, check out the links below: 

Video: Memphis United Calls for Police Accountability

Video & Slideshow: 230 Rally for Peace, Police Accountability

Article: Memphis Organization to Host Meeting on Police Accountability

Video: Rally for Ferguson Lines Major Memphis Street

Article: Cohen & Memphis Activists Turn Attention to Ferguson

Video: Local Groups Prep for Ferguson Protest Today

Video: Memphis Residents Plan Action after Michael Brown Shooting

Video: Advocates Call for More Cameras on MPD Officers and Cars

Video: Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board Reinstated

Video: Memphis Joins 100 Cities in Peaceful Demonstration

Article: Organization Looks to Improve Police Review Board

Video: Does the Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board Exist? 

Video: Activists Want to Improve MPD’s Accountability

Video: Group Calls for Civilian Oversight of Memphis Law Enforcement

Video: Effort Underway to Revive Enforcement Review Board

To get involved with Memphis United, check out our Facebook page, or contact Memphis United Organizing Coordinator Marquita Bradshaw at marquita@midsouthpeace.org or 901-725-4990.

Making National Connections

On August 7^th, MBRU Co-Chair and MATA Board Member, Shelia Williams, was featured along with other transit justice leaders from around the nation on a national audio conference at 2pm CST to discuss strategies for connecting people to work through expanding public transit. Be on the lookout for our follow up report on the conference.

To read more about Shelia’s journey to the MATA Board, check out this Commercial Appeal article.

MATA Bus Riders Transit Plan

In July, MBRU began the process of gathering input for a Bus Riders Transit Plan. MATA will be presenting service changes, cuts and potentially, fare hikes this fall. MBRU will simultaneously provide a riders plan, with recommendations for new routes in underserved neighborhoods, shelters and other transit infrastructure. Through August we’ll be hitting the road, surveying riders’ needs and talking with neighborhood groups to gather the input needed for a rider-focused transit plan. We want to be sure that as plans for service changes develop, MATA is informed by the knowledge and experience of riders.

A Tragic Loss

Following a tragic incident that resulted in the death of bus rider, Semaj, aka James Gray, MATA’s private security at the Hudson Transit Center (formerly the North End Terminal) has been transitioned to a new company.  (R.I.P. Semaj, photo credit Pete Gathje)

MBRU has kept a watchful eye on the new company, Ambassador Worldwide Protection Agency.  We are pleased that there are now female guards on duty. But to prevent the violence that occurred at the hands of the last security company, MBRU is working with the MATA Board to develop new policies of oversight and accountability that will bring issues with security to the Board for review.  See some of the media coverage on our work here.

Workshop Recap:
The Storyteller as Activist

On Tuesday, July 29^th, Elaine Blanchard shared her gifts, skills, and passion with participants of the workshop, The Storyteller as Activist, as she revealed how the effectiveness of storytelling is in the listening and connection we make with others.  Activists have stories to tell, stories rooted in a need for justice. As Elaine says, “As we become a community of storytellers, we improve our relationships and construct a safer place for all of us to call home.”

We are very thankful for this collaboration. Stay tuned for future workshops with Elaine.  You can learn more about her and her work here.

Upcoming Workshop, September 11th
Founding and Funding Your Grassroots Group

Led by former MSPJC Director, Jacob Flowers

I want to register!

In this workshop you will have the opportunity to learn the process, skills and actions you can use to establish and financially sustain your grassroots organization. The session will begin with an in-depth look at the mission, vision and values from which you are organizing, and end with concrete actions that you can take to fund your work sustainably over the long term.

Join us to learn how you can found and fund your organizing group to be successful from the beginning.

Date:            Thursday, September 11^th
Time:            6pm – 8pm (please be on time)

Location:       450 Mulberry St., Links Education Center,
National Civil Rights Museum
Wheelchair accessible

Cost:             $20-$45 Sliding scale.

Registration online or by phone is required to attend. Minimum 10 and maximum 25 participants.  Some scholarships may be available. Request a scholarship application by email or phone.  Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

New Workshop. Coming September 18th
Privilege and Oppression Awareness
In this workshop participants will have the opportunity for recognizing privilege and oppression in themselves, in a safe space, as a first step to combat them.

I want to register!

Date:            Thursday, September 18^th
Time:            6pm – 8:30pm (please be on time)

Location:       450 Mulberry St., Links Education Center,
National Civil Rights Museum
Wheelchair accessible

Cost:             $20-$45 Sliding scale.

Register here!

Registration online or by phone is required to attend. Limited to the first 8 people who register.  Some scholarships may be available. Request a scholarship application by email or phone.  Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

New Workshop. Coming September 30th
The Labor Liberation Workshop

In this workshop we’ll explore the complexities of the labor movement in intersection with people’s diverse identities as workers and how they identify their personal histories and lives with the history of labor movement.

Who can attend this workshop? Workers, students, union members, and anyone who wants to learn about the labor movement! It’s for Everyone who would like to learn about their identity as a worker and how they can identify as a part of the labor workshop.

REGISTER HERE!

Date: Tuesday, September 30
Time: 6p.m. – 8p.m. Please, be on time.

Location: 450 Mulberry St Memphis TN 38103  Links Education Center, National Civil Rights Museum. Wheelchair accessible

*Minimum 12, maximum 20 participants who register.

Cost: $20-$45 Sliding scale.

Registration online or by phone is required to attend.
REGISTER NOW
Some scholarships may be available. Please request a scholarship application by email or phone.
Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

For more information on anything happening with G.O.T. Power, MSPJC Training Department, please contact Training Director Gio López at gio@midsouthpeace.org or call the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center at 725-4990.

G.O.T. Power, Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s training program, is committed to building our community’s capacity building skills in grassroots organizing, providing support to people doing community work and offering oppression awareness and liberation education.

Last month, the MSPJC Training Department hosted a Facilitation Skills Workshop and  a Nonviolence Skills Training.

Facilitation Skills was a two-hour workshop for twelve participants who practiced facilitation skills while facing conflict. We transformed the workshop space into a ‘laboratory’ to test, discover and try new behaviors as facilitators.  Facilitation is integral to community organizing, but more than that, good facilitation will help the participants of any group or organization to grow and succeed.

The next Facilitation Skills Workshop will be on November 20, 6:00pm – 8:30pm.  Can’t wait till November? Please email gio@midsouthpeace.org if your group or organization would like to have this workshop sooner.

Nonviolence Skills was a full day training provided by Meta Peace Team. Around 30 participants from Memphis, Chattanooga, and Birmingham were able to navigate through stories of empowerment, the theoretical and spiritual basis of nonviolence, and the roots of violence.  Participants also practiced communication skills: active Listening, “I” messages, the CLARA technique, and strategies to de-escalate violence.

GOT Power is looking to build and grow this relationship with Meta Peace Team and continue bringing Nonviolence Skills Training to the Mid-South.

Upcoming in July…

The Storyteller as Activist

This workshop will allow participants to improve their listening skills and develop their own storytelling skills.

A Workshop with Elaine Blanchard

Elaine Blanchard is a storyteller who believes that telling our stories to each other can save the world from war and other forms of destruction. When we share our stories we build a bridge of understanding from one person to another; stereotypes are dissolved and both teller and listener are connected by their shared human experiences. As we become a community of storytellers we improve our relationships and construct a safer place for all of us to call home.

Date: Tuesday, July 29
Time: 6:30p.m. – 8:30p.m. Please, be on time.
Location: 450 Mulberry St Memphis TN 38103 – Links Education Center, National Civil Rights Museum. Wheelchair accessible.
*Minimum 12, maximum 25 people who register.
Cost: $20-$45 Sliding scale.
REGISTER NOW

Registration online or by phone is required to attend.

Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

Learn more about Elaine Blanchard here or contact her at Elaine@elaineblanchard.com.

For more information on anything happening with the MSPJC Training Department, please contact Training Director Gio López at gio@midsouthpeace.org or 901-725-4990.

G.O.T. Power, a Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s training program, is committed to building our community’s capacity through building skills in grassroots organizing, providing support to people doing community work and offering oppression awareness and liberation education.

We are pleased to announce our support and fiscal sponsorship of the new Cooperative Memphis! Like many community-based initiatives, the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center will incubate CoOperative Memphis as it grows into a meaningful force for good in Memphis.

Their Mission: CoOperative Memphis (CM) seeks to promote alternative forms of economic organization, such as cooperatives and collectives.

CM serves as a resource networking hub and support system for those seeking to establish sustainable structures of cooperation that encourage democratic control of local resources like education, food, shelter, labor, and transportation.

Their Vision: A Memphis where communities control their economy and where resources are pooled for the benefit of all. A sustainable Memphis in which communities exercise economic independence through cooperative ownership and resource networking.

Get involved:  Because we’re democratically run, you’ll have a voice about projects we take on as well as opportunities to propose projects of your own.

Get in touch:
www.facebook.com/cooperativememphis
CoopMemphis@gmail.com
Instagram- Cooperativememphis
Twitter- Coopmemphis

Come to the CoOperative Memphis potluck!
July 19th at 5:00pm
2061 Peabody Ave Memphis, TN 38104
Bring yourself, your friends, and a dish to share!

The Will Hudson Transit Center, also known as the North End Terminal or “NET”, is MATA’s most used transit hub. 23 of MATA’s 31 routes begin at the NET, which was built in 1998. The terminal serves as more than just a place to transfer or wait for your bus. You can buy your monthly pass, converse with fellow riders, and access critical information about service changes. The NET has working pay phones, plenty of seating and bathroom facilities. It also provides climate-controlled shelter from severe Memphis weather – the sweltering hot summers or freezing rainy winters – a protection that most bus shelters simply don’t provide.

Riders who remember when the NET was built will tell you it was beautiful – a brand new facility for people who ride the bus. But after two decades of wear and tear the NET has become a symbol for the inequality of transportation planning and development. Further, the NET physically sits in the shadow of a more significant symbol for inequitable development just a block away, the Pyramid. Incredible funding has been poured into to building, maintaining, and then redeveloping the Pyramid, a massive vacant property built by the City set to house a new Bass-Pro mega store. Projects like this have siphoned off hundreds of millions of public dollars for improvements and new buildings for the benefit of private companies, while the NET is allowed to crumble.

We have begun to increase pressure on MATA to improve conditions at the terminal, a move sparked by the recent assault on a rider by one of the Pro-Tech security guards who are contracted by MATA. At the next MATA Board meeting, board members will vote to expand their contract with CDA/MaxSent, the security company who serves all other MATA facilities, to replace Pro-Tech at the NET. MBRU members have also brought attention to the terminal by sharing pictures of the conditions through social media and giving tours to members of the board.

In the pictures below, you can see some of the problems with cleanliness and security – namely, a bucket of soap riders are expected to dip their hands into, and a secret holding cell used by private security companies to detain riders.

MBRU members want improvements that go beyond a touch of paint or even a functional soap dispenser, (although that would be nice!). Members have suggested such improvements as multiple working electrical sockets near benches that allow riders to charge cell phones, free wireless Internet, and public art. The NET should be a place where people feel comfortable and welcome. A desirable environment with plants and color, not an institutional concrete shell that feels like a corral for cattle. The second floor of the terminal used to be home to the Tennessee Career Center, a much-needed resource for bus riders, which moved out this year due to leaks in the ceiling. Perhaps structural improvements would bring this kind of supportive service back to the building.

MBRU will be creating a new vision for the NET by collecting input from riders as they pass through the terminal. You can also bring your ideas to our monthly meeting this Saturday from Noon to 2:00pm at the Memphis Center For Independent Living, 1633 Madison Ave where we start building a broader proposal for improvements to shelters, routes and service.

To contact MBRU, call or text 901-205-9737 or email MemphisBRU@gmail.com.

This month we welcome Ace F. Madjlesi as the new Associate Director of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. Ace joins us from the Center for Research on Women at the University of Memphis, where her work focused on issues such as HIV/AIDS, child care, transportation, infant mortality, and teen pregnancy in Shelby County. Ace has previously served the MSPJC as the Coordinator of the H.O.P.E. Women’s Caucus and a Board Member. We are confident that Ace’s boundless energy, keen organizational skills, and well-stocked candy drawer will help take the MSPJC to great new places. Welcome aboard, Ace!

The Memphis United Coalition is hosting a series of Town Hall Forums regarding the recently reinstated Civilian Law Enforcement Board (C.L.E.R.B.) in Memphis.

Check out this video of highlights from the District 8 Forum and make plans to attend an upcoming forum near you!
Highlight Reel: http://ow.ly/yFEs8

Upcoming Forums (each forum is 6:00pm – 7:30pm):

• Thursday, July 10: District 5 – Lester Community Center (317 Tillman St, 38112)
• Monday, July 14: District 2 – Marion Hale Community Center (4791 Willow, 38117)
• Thursday, July 17: District 7 – Raleigh Community Center (3678 Powers, 38128)
• Tuesday, July 22: District 6 – J.K. Lewis Senior Center (1188 N. Parkway, 38105)
• Thursday, July 24: District 3 – Whitehaven Community Center (4318 Graceland, 38116)
• Monday, July 28: District 4 – Orange Mound Community Service Center (2590 Park, 38114)
• Monday August 4: District 9 – Frayser/Raleigh Senior Center (3985 Egypt Central Rd., 38128)
• Monday August 11: District 1 – Cunningham Community Center (3773 Old Allen Rd, 38128)

Memphis United will share police accountability data and different tools of effective CLERB. models.  There will be short presentations followed by a Q&A session and an interactive exercise for audience participants to give input on how to improve the Memphis CLERB.

Please help us by registering for the event so we know how many people to plan on accommodating.  To do so, please click on the following link provided: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/  and search for C.L.E.R.B. Town Hall Meeting