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We have been advocating for the option to transfer the housing subsidy for quite some time now.  We had been told that such an action was impossible, but we pressed on because we knew that HUD had the power to revoke funding from Global Ministries Foundation.

Today, in an interview with the Commercial Appeal, our Executive Director praised HUD’s decision.

Brad Watkins, executive director Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, said he was “ecstatic” about the decision. Watkins’ organization has been advocating for tenants at Warren and Tulane, but also had advocated to keep federally subsidized low-income housing.

“We were concerned about being able to keep the same level of affordable housing (in Memphis),” he said. “It’s great news for all of us.”

HUD’s decision to allow the funds to remain in Memphis will secure our current rate of supportive housing and avoids the re-concentration of poverty.

Now, it is incumbent on our entire community to ensure that the residents who will be relocated are provided the help and support they need.

As always, we will be there.

(Note: The following was sent in an email to Management at Memphis Code Enforcement as well as to City Councilman Worth Morgan and members of Mayor Jim Strickland’s administration.  We eagerly await a response.)

Good Afternoon, Mr Dandridge,

My name is Brad Watkins and I am the Executive Director of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. For the past year we have been involved with the residents at the Warren Apartments and now with Serenity Towers.

We have been a long time advocate in the issues of blight, homelessness and the issues of quality affordable and accessible housing in Memphis.

We are encouraged by decisive action we have seen from HUD but also have a great many concerns about the relocation of residents from Warren and Tulane in addition to Foote Homes, We will also be reaching out to the Administration and others about those concerns and our research about best practices from other cities in similar situations.

However, I wanted to reach out to you, moving forward on our thoughts as to how Code can utilize it’s, what we agree are underfunded and stretched thin resources in this time when the city is looking to further reduce spending.

The following link is the City of Memphis RESERVE HOUSING AND CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS amendment to the code of ordinances.

http://www.memphistn.gov/Portals/0/pdf_forms/ordinances/5404_ReserveCodesOfficer.pdf

With the proper outreach, this tool could be used to promote greater accountability and give code extra eyes and ears within these properties.

What we are proposing is a partnership on two initiatives both using SERENITY TOWERS as a pilot program between MSPJC and CODE ENFORCEMENT.

1.This would entail the recruitment and training of tenant leaders in into building viable and HUD recognized Tenants Associations in all HUD subsidized Elderly and Multi-Family units in the City of Memphis. MSPJC would perform the initial outreach and contact with residents and provide our training in the skills of grassroots organizing with Code engaging the membership of these new organizations to recruit and train small teams of tenants as Reserve Code Officers under the current city ordinance.

From our view this would not only increase Code’s on the ground capacity in these troubled units but also build the capacity of the tenants themselves with the means to self advocate on their own behalf.

2. At Serenity and other Senior living HUD subsidized properties, MSPJC is currently in conversations with a local institution of higher learning to pursue a potential partnership where college interns trained by MSPJC and trained as RCO by CODE with required service hours would be able to perform these hours by being paired up with residents at Serenity who have mobility or physical disabilities. the students would check in on the residents regularly, as many have serious and multiple health issues. Students would also aid residents in keeping their rooms clean to avoid housekeeping evictions and aid residents in preparing their rooms to be sprayed for inspections. This also focuses on the fostering and building relationships between the tenants and the students which has an abstract but genuine quality of life benefit for the residents and aids management and residents in improving conditions for all.

We also feel that this option is a reasonable accommodation to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act for the quality of life of these residents.

In addition as these students would be trained in how to file complaints via a CODE Liaison, this would aid in preventing retaliations against residents as it would be witnessed by a recognized third party.

We feel that by using the case of Serenity Towers as a pilot, we can build a model for implementation for all of our Senior Living and Multi Family units in Memphis in a manner that builds both CODE and the communities capacity and is as revenue neutral as possible during these financially lean times.

We’d like to speak to you about both of these matters, when your schedule allows. Please do not hesitate to contact us at anytime about this matter.

1. No grant is going to fully pay for what we do. Our willingness to follow the needs and demands of the community and willingness to speak truth to power, no matter who holds that power, means that many foundation and traditional funders turn away from our important work.
2. You want a world where any person has the heart and skills will speak out and act up to make the future better for our community.
3. You want to support campaigns such as the Memphis Bus Riders Union, Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality andMemphis United.
4. You’ve been attending rallies, forums and marches for years and you know the value of organization such as the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. You want to support groups like us that are building long-term movements for change.
5. You want a radical local grassroots movement that is able to take the fight to the next issue and support the next person and community that is ready to act for justice in the interests of peace.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 713 and the Memphis Bus Riders Union have partnered in a new effort to promote the expansion and improvement of Memphis Area Transit Authority service.

“We have brought together the operators at ATU Local 713 and the MBRU in a campaign to reverse the decline of our bus system, protect good jobs for Memphis and prevent further service cuts and outsourcing.” said Sammie Hunter, Memphis Bus Riders Union Co-Chair. “We want to stop the service cuts planned for the spring, and make sure that operators are safe and comfortable, and not worried about loosing their jobs while getting us around.” he said. 

In a joint letter addressed to the Mayor-elect Jim Strickland, they lay out the shocking details of what MBRU has deemed a “#BusCrisis”.

From the letter:

“Daily breakdowns on some of MATA’s most heavily used routes have resulted in loss of revenue, worsening on time performance leading to poor morale among riders and operators, and increased operating costs. Local 713 members regularly express concerns of dangerous overcrowding on popular routes such as the 42. Averaging reports from the past 6 months, we believe that at least 17 buses breakdown weekly. The weekly average of buses operating with malfunctioning digital displays, broken wheelchair ramps, broken intercoms and dispatch radios, broken mirrors and poorly functioning or non-functioning AC is likely almost 50%.”

The letter also counters the popular narrative that MATA’s trolleys are the most important priority, warning that preventing service cuts and privatization should be the main focus of the new administration. 

Civilian Oversight of Police Efforts Stalled

A recent poll conducted by the Commercial Appeal, asked,“Do you feel the Memphis Police Department does or does not need stronger citizen oversight?”

60 percent of those surveyed said MPD does need stronger oversight, while only 28 percent said no, and 12 percentweren’t sure.

So, if this issue has already been decided in the minds of the public, what’s the hold up on the City Council’s vote on the Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) all about? We believe it is a simple matter of political cowardice and pandering on the part of Council Candidates that don’t want to have to clarify their position with a vote, out of fear of losing endorsements and campaign contributions.

On Tuesday, August 4th, against the backdrop of the fatalshooting of Officer Sean Bolton, Memphis Police Department Director, Toney Armstrong urged the City Council to delay the vote on the distinctly unrelated issue of police accountability and transparency, “out of respect for the family” of the fallen officer who was to be buried the following Thursday. This came after a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation by Super District 9 Councilman, Kemp Conrad, where he attempted to smear members of the Memphis United Coalition and other supporters of strengthening CLERB as “anti-police” and “law-breakers at heart.”

Following Armstrong’s plea and these baseless claims by Conrad, District 7 Councilman, Berlin “The Wall” Boyd, made a motion for a delay which was approved, pushing the vote back, not for the next Council meeting in two weeks, but until after the election runoffs in November! 

Councilpersons who voted for the delay were BerlinBoyd, William Boyd, Joe Brown, Kemp Conrad, Edmund Ford Jr, Reid Hedgepeth and Bill Morrison.

CouncilpersonsHarold Collins, Alan Crone, Janis Fullilove, Wanda Halbert, Jim Strickland, and Myron Lowery voted against the delays.

Bring Down the Wall!

The Memphis City Council still has an opportunity to do the right thing, by bringing back the vote to strengthen CLERB at the October 6th Council Meeting, however, it will take a member from the prevailing side of the delay to make that motion.

Since it was Councilman Boyd who made the motion, and since he has continued to defend his position to delay claiming, that it was not wrongly-motivated, we’d like to give him the opportunity to prove it!
 
Contact Councilman Berlin Boyd and tell him to tear down the wall preventing stronger Civilian Oversight of the Memphis Police Department!

Berlin.Boyd@memphistn.gov
Ph: 901-636-7010
www.facebook.com/berlin.boyd