‘We are far down this road of losing our democracy:’ Harris on potential of troops to Memphis

National Guard armored vehicles were lined up along Riverside Drive in May 2020. Gov. Bill Lee, like 29 other state governors at the time, called on National Guard troops to “maintain order” in the days after George Floyd was killed. (Photo by Andrea Morales / MLK50)

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Memphis Mayor Paul Young was told earlier this week that Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and President Donald Trump “were considering deploying the National Guard and other resources to Memphis,” Young said in a written statement, officially confirming rumors that have spread across Memphis.

The confirmation that Trump has considered deployment to Memphis comes after the president threatened to send military forces to other Democrat-led cities, a move that some legal and military leaders have raised concerns as threatening democracy and possibly disregarding state laws.

This month, a federal judge in California ruled that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles this summer was illegal. In Washington, D.C., the district’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit to stop the deployment of the National Guard troops, calling it “illegal.” 

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris described his concerns about these deployments in a statement on Facebook Thursday, saying, “I’ve been to countries where there isn’t freedom but there is military presence, where you can’t protest, and officials stay in power for as long as they want. That’s not America. Sadly, with the occupation of US cities, we are far down this road of losing our democracy.”

Harris did not directly mention the plans for Memphis in his post.

It’s unclear now whether or when the National Guard will be deployed to Memphis, but a source familiar with Young’s conversations told MLK50: Justice Through Journalism that it is likely to occur in the next two to four weeks.

Young says financial resources, patrol officers needed

In his written statement, Young said he is “committed to working to ensure any efforts strengthen our community and build on our progress.”

And despite the concerns about the erosion of democracy, Young framed his response around crime, which Trump has used to argue for these deployments.