Violent Venezuelan gang infiltrates every major city in Tennessee



The vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has infiltrated every major city in Tennessee, according to state officials.

TDA has been tied to criminal activity across the United States, including apartment takeovers in Aurora, Colorado, and violent crimes in New York City and Dallas, Texas. Thus far, the gang has primarily, but not exclusively, focused on expanding its presence in sanctuary jurisdictions, where local law enforcement agencies are forbidden to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

'They will not hesitate to attack their opponents in public and in broad daylight.'

During a budget meeting this week, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director David Rausch warned Governor Bill Lee (R) that TDA has recently become a growing threat in the state.

According to Rausch, the gang started to appear in Tennessee two years ago, but its influence has substantially expanded over the past few months. He noted that TDA is active in Memphis and Nashville.

"We first saw them a couple years ago where we uncovered a group here in a human trafficking operation," Rausch explained. "We recognized a number of the members here trafficking females that they had abducted from Venezuela and brought them here."

The bureau successfully captured several individuals involved in the illicit operation, but "many of them fled" out of Tennessee, Rausch said.

"Now what we are seeing is they are back. They are back in all of our major cities," he declared.

When TDA arrives in a new area, it starts by running trafficking operations, then expands into other criminal activities, including organized retail theft and drug trafficking, Rausch told Lee.

He expressed concerns about TDA's brazenness and its targeting of cartel members.

"They will, and they have taken on the cartel head-on, and they're very violent in their efforts," Rausch continued. "They will not hesitate to attack their opponents in public and in broad daylight."

"Recently, there was a video that they shot where they shot an individual, a cartel member, 31 times. Broad daylight, on video, and posted it to social media," he stated.

Rausch did not share how many TDA gang members he believes are in the state but noted that "they're in numbers here."

According to Straight Arrow News, the Knoxville Police Department is unaware of any TDA activity in the area.

The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly identified more than 600 individuals in the U.S. with ties to TDA, Blaze News previously reported. The federal government has confirmed the gang's activity in at least 15 states, and it may have expanded to another eight.

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Memphis pastor shot in face unlikely to see proper justice thanks to leftist DA's office



Rev. Clemmie Livingston Jr. is the 71-year-old pastor of New Zionfield Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. On Feb. 25, Livingston attempted to stop thugs from stealing a car just feet away from the doors of his church. One of the thugs shot him in the face while driving away, leaving the pastor for dead.

After multiple surgeries, Livingston told WREG-TV, "Laying there, I kept saying to myself that I'll be dead in a little while. Well, what would a person say when they bleeding in the manner that I was bleeding?"

"While I was down on my knees, let me tell you what [God] said. He said to me, 'Stop trying to die and start back living,'" said the pastor. "In my spirit and in my heart, I know that Jesus brought me through this."

Gwendoline Livingston, the pastor's wife, indicated Friday that Livingston is still wearing a face brace and may have to either undergo a bone graft or have a metal plate inserted in his jaw.

"I am still not able to eat like normal people, and, of course, my bone is still shattered down there," he told WHBQ-TV.

The Shelby County District Attorney's Office has given the pastor one more thing to be sore about.

R'Shunio Greer, 18, was arrested in May in connection to unrelated car theft and aggravated assault cases. WHBQ reported that investigators found photos of Greer in the victim's 2019 Corvette. He allegedly admitted to being at the scene of the robbery when the pastor was shot and driving one of two Camaros spotted at the scene by witnesses. The same Camaro was later wrecked during a police chase.

Greer was slapped with various charges including aggravated robbery and theft of property.

However, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office — helmed by Steve Mulroy, a Democrat with a reputation for being soft on criminals who has reportedly received donations from Soros-linked organizations — dropped all but the theft charge against Greer in Livingston's case.

'I don't let things disappoint me such as this.'

Mulroy's office tried to blame the dismissal of the charges on witnesses failing to show up in court, but the pastor insisted that was simply not true, reported WHBQ.

"I was stunned when they said there were not any witnesses there, knowing that we were there," said the pastor. "That was the thing that shocked me."

"I don't let things disappoint me such as this," said Livingston. "I feel like the judicial system, they do what they want to do anyway."

After the pastor refuted the claim about witnesses showing up in the press, Mulroy's office effectively confirmed it had misled the public, indicating the aggravated robbery charge had been dropped despite witnesses having been present for the hearing.

Livingston indicated he will continue to pray about the situation, holding out hope that the accomplices referenced in Greer's statement will be brought in. The pastor expressed an interest in the rehabilitation of his attackers while in custody.

Livingston's case is far from the only one in Shelby County in which Mulroy's office has sought to let off criminals lightly. Mulroy recently indicated he would lean toward rehabilitation as opposed to incarceration for felons caught with illegal firearms, citing the need to address racial disparities.

Tennessee state Sen. Brent Taylor (R) told WMC-TV in a statement, "In a city plagued by gun violence, the thought that our DA will not aggressively prosecute felons in possession of a firearm is not only nonsensical, but it is dangerous. Our county is being targeted by restorative justice scheming groups because they know our DA is weak, compliant, and acquiescent. Not only is it harming our community, but it's harming law enforcement across the state."

Taylor notified Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R) last month of his intent to remove Mulroy.

"Public welfare demanding it, causes for such removal will be set forth in the Senate Joint Resolution, but shall include 'dereliction of duty' for failing to properly prosecute convicted felons in possession of a firearm," Taylor said in his letter.

McNally responded with words of encouragement, indicating he "wholeheartedly" supports the removal effort, reported the Tennessee Lookout.

"DA Mulroy's record of refusal to prosecute laws he does not personally care for is long-standing and clear. I believe it is time for him to go," said McNally.

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'He picked the wrong place to try and break into': 70-year-old, gun-toting homeowner sends lead-powered message to intruder



Steve Huntley, 70, was asleep early Thursday morning when the noises commenced.

Huntley — who lives in the Memphis neighborhood of Nutbush — told WREG-TV the sound was a "bump, bump, bump."

"That’s what got my dogs stirred up,” he added to the station.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Sure enough, Huntley said an intruder was trying to get into his home through a back door — and the elderly homeowner told WREG he stood face-to-face with the intruder.

“I shoved him,” Huntley recounted to the station. “He hit the ground down there. I slammed the door and went in to get my pistol.”

Image source: YouTube screenshot

With that, Huntley added to WREG that upon returning to the face-off spot, he fired a single shot — and the intruder took off running.

“That’s the reason a lot of people are moving out of this neighborhood because of what’s going on,” Huntley added to the station.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

WREG said that a search through Memphis data revealed that police have been called 170 times within the past year about breaking and entering, property crimes, and thefts — all within a half-mile radius of Huntley’s home.

Huntley has a more personal reason to be on guard, the station said, after his son was shot to death in 2016.

Therefore, Huntley told WREG, he's ready to throw down to the death if necessary when others threaten the safety of his loved ones.

“He picked the wrong place to try and break into,” he said of the hapless intruder. “Because my motto is, ‘If you come in here, you are going to meet your maker.'”

Police found the accused intruder a few blocks from Huntley's residence, WREG added, noting that charges against him are still pending.

MPD: Homeowner shoots at would-be burglar youtu.be

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Fanatical leftists descend on Memphis conservative event, mob Kyle Rittenhouse



Kyle Rittenhouse has survived yet another mobbing by rabid leftists, this time in America's most dangerous city: Democrat-run Memphis.

The 21-year-old Second Amendment advocate spoke Wednesday at an event hosted by the University of Memphis student chapter of Turning Point USA. An event listing indicated that Rittenhouse was planing to "share his side of the story that caught the media's eye in 2020."

Rittenhouse has long been vilified over his fateful 2020 encounter with leftist guerillas in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 25, 2020.

Rittenhouse, then 17 years old, shot three radicals in self-defense during a BLM riot, sending two of his attackers — a domestic abuser with multiple convictions and a convicted, violent child molester — to the morgue and disarming a third who had advanced on him with a loaded weapon.

While Rittenhouse was initially charged with homicide, attempted homicide, and reckless endangerment, he was ultimately acquitted in November 2021. The jury understood that Kyle was not guilty, but the media successfully cast him in the minds of many as a villain.

The TPUSA event and others like it thus afford Rittenhouse an opportunity to set the record straight.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside, screaming at guests and hindering the flow of traffic in and out of the UC Theatre.

BLM protesters at the University of Memphis surged towards the entrance to the Kyle Rittenhouse event chanting \u201cKyle is a killer!\u201d \n\n@TPUSA | @Julio_Rosas11
— (@)

Signs hoisted above the angry mob said, "No killers on my campus," "Say their names," "You're in denial Kyle," "Murderers don't belong here," and "No one should be open to: Racism, Christo-Fascism, Murderous Little S***s," reported the Commercial Appeal.

It is apparent that some of the student protesters latched onto the suggestion, disseminated by Democrats and the liberal media around the time of Rittenhouse's trial, that Rittenhouse is racist.

Richard Massey, a sophomore at the university, evidenced this misunderstanding, telling WMC-TV, "We're also a city that is predominately Black and we’re also a city that is grappling with gun violence. ... We are actively giving a platform to a white nationalist."

A spokesman for the university indicated ahead of the event that the institution was legally required to permit the survivor to speak, noting in a statement obtained by the Commercial Appeal, "The upcoming event at the University of Memphis featuring Kyle Rittenhouse is not sponsored by the University. A registered student organization, University of Memphis TPUSA, is hosting the event. Under the First Amendment and Tennessee's Campus Free Speech Act, the University of Memphis cannot legally prohibit such events from being hosted by a registered student organization."

Despite this understanding, it appears there was nevertheless resistance to an alternative opinion on campus.

TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet claimed that ahead of the student event at the University of Memphis, school administrators leaked "ticketing information to protester groups so they can reserve large numbers of newly issued tickets and sabotage the events. We know this because some of our students are in the protester group chats."

Footage circulating online indicates protesters had a presence inside the theater. The extent of their disruptions is unclear.

UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS: Protesters walk out of the @tpusastudents event \n\n@TPUSA
— (@)

The TPUSA student chapter president was also allegedly doxxed prior to the event. The conservative outfit indicated that "his full name, phone number, and even his exact address were posted online with the comment, 'Let him know how you feel about this decision to provoke black students by inviting a racist murderer on campus.'"

Lauren Shelley, the director of conferences and event services at the university, allegedly laughed off the student's concern, suggesting the student "probably shouldn't stay there tonight."

TPUSA indicated it has reached out to the university for comment but has yet to receive a response.

When the event drew to a close, the mob swarmed attendees attempting to leave the venue and tried to bar Rittenhouse's exit. Police ultimately had to escort TPUSA through the throng of radicals.

The angry BLM crowd then tried to prevent @TPUSA from leaving the parking garage at the University of Memphis. Campus and state police had to push the crowd back to allow the cars to leave. Some protesters spat on the vehicles.\n\n@FrontlinesTPUSA
— (@)

Rittenhouse managed to safely arrive at his destination, where he laughed off his critics' alternate histories.

"Great event. Interesting people to say the least," said Rittenhouse.

— (@)

The event prompted Rittenhouse to conclude that "Memphis is an interesting city."

One of the Second Amendment advocate's staunchest critics in the lead-up to the event, former Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer — a Democrat now running to become the county's general sessions court clerk — wrote on X that she was "proud of the Univeristy [sic] of Memphis students who organized resistance tonight, as well as the Black Student Association, the U of M NAACP, alums, and faculty who spoke out."

Despite Rittenhouse's acquittal by a jury of his peers, Sawyer also continues to smear him, claiming, "Rittenhouse murdered people."

Supporters countered some of the vitriol Rittenhouse encountered on the ground and online.

For instance, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) wrote Thursday, "At age 17, Kyle Rittenhouse had a greater sense of civic duty than most people exhibit in a lifetime. While trying to help during riots, he was attacked by convicts and exercised his right to self defense, killing a child molester & a domestic abuser convicted of strangulation."

Massie underscored, "He was found innocent in a court of law."

Mike Davis of the Article III Project tweeted, "Kyle Rittenhouse is a hero for protecting his community from violent leftwing lunatics. We have a God-given right to self-defense. Violent leftwing activists should live in healthy fear they will meet their maker if they threaten the lives of law-abiding Americans."

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All Hell Breaks Loose At Campus Event Featuring Rittenhouse

Police were seen intervening to stop BLM protesters from injuring attendees

Democratic state senator doesn't get her way, so she threatens riots: 'Gloves out'



Democratic politicians frequently concern-monger about supposed threats to democracy. However, when democratic processes produce results they don't like, they're often the first to make threats or champion violence.

Tennessee state Sen. Charlane Oliver (D) recently expressed outrage over the passage of a bill that would prevent local officials from introducing policies or ordinances that limit the ability of police to properly fulfill their duties. Since voters elected not to empower a sufficient number of lawmakers with Oliver's leftist worldview to kill the bill, the cofounder of the identitarian activist group Equity Alliance suggested an alternative means of getting her way.

"Yeah, we gonna fight," said Oliver. "Dr. King said that the riots are the language of the unheard. You ain't see nothing yet. If you keep silencing us like this, what you think our district's gonna do?"

"We have had it up here," added Oliver. "Gloves out."

Background

Facing pressure from activists over the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by five black police officers last year, Memphis City Council passed an ordinance in April 2023 preventing police from conducting pretextual traffic stops.

Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas, the sponsor of the traffic-stop ordinance, suggested the idea was to limit interactions between the police and the public, and to have officers focus on serious crimes, not "poverty crimes," reported the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Republicans and community members recognized that the ordinance might ultimately make things a whole lot worse in the country's most dangerous city.

State Sen. Brent Taylor filed a bill in January that would effectively override the Memphis ordinance by barring "a local governmental entity or official from adopting or enacting a resolution, ordinance, or policy that prohibits or limits the ability of a law enforcement agency to conduct traffic stops based on observation of or reasonable suspicion that the operator or a passenger in a vehicle has violated a local ordinance of state or federal law."

"Crime is on the rise across the country," said Taylor. "Violent crime has reached a crisis level in Memphis. Police officers and sheriffs need to have more tools available to combat rising crime, not fewer. This proposed law will prohibit cities and counties from restricting routine traffic stops and other crime-fighting tactics."

The Republican state senator further noted in a Jan. 31 statement, "Routine traffic stops have resulted in major arrests and the apprehension of violent criminals for years. Whether it's the random drug trafficker pulled over for running a stop sign or the most well-known case — Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh — routine traffic stops are a proven means of catching violent offenders, drug traffickers, and other dangerous criminals."

Taylor elsewhere indicated that it was clear to him that community members were growing "tired of crime and bad policies that don't allow police to do their jobs."

Democratic lawmakers denounced the legislation.

Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D) suggested that the legislature was "spitting" on the efforts by local leftists to seize upon Nichols' death as an opportunity to limit policing powers.

State Sen. London Lamar (D) said Thursday, "I pleaded with the sponsor to not run this bill because it's a slap on the face, not only our city councils, but all the local governing bodies in this state because we're telling them, 'You are not smart enough to decide policies that help govern your own city.'"

Memphis has a 0-rating on Neighborhood Scout's crime index where 100 is safest. The likelihoods of falling victim to a violent crime and a property crime in the Democrat-run city are 1 in 41 and 1 in 14, respectively.

Despite Democratic opposition, the state House approved HB 1931 in a 68 to 24 vote on March 7. The state Senate passed Sen. Brent Taylor's corresponding SB 2572 Thursday in a 26 to 6 vote along partisan lines.

Upon the bill's passage in the Senate, Taylor tweeted, "It's time to take handcuffs off police and put them on criminals where they belong."

The bill is headed to Republican Gov. Bill Lee's desk for ratification.

Democratic rage

Democrats and other leftists characterized the bill as both racist and government overreach.

State Sen. Lamar likened Republicans' attempts to execute the will of voters to slavery at a press conference.

"What we see here is drunk on power. 'I don't like that you take this position on this bill so I'm [going to] silence you.' That's a form of slavery," shouted Lamar. "I feel like a slave sometimes in this building. I'm over it. And all the members standing here are over it."

"I am tired of the Republican Party expecting us as minorities to do what they want to do but treat us disrespectfully," continued Lamar. "Nah, we're not doing that no more. ... We're at the time of the session where gloves [are] off."

— (@)

State Sen. Charlane Oliver went further than Lamar in her embrace of pugilistic rhetoric.

"It is a slap in the face and you might as well stomp on the grave of Tyre Nichols for bringing this bill," said Oliver. "Yes, we are emotionally charged. Why? Because it's personal for us. Tyler made this personal the minute he introduced this legislation to target one family and one life that was lost. So yeah, we gonna fight."

After invoking Martin Luther King Jr. in an apparent effort to legitimize rioting, Oliver added, "We gonna fight like hell. You don't expect us to respond when you gaslight us every single day with these bills?"

"Don't tell me this stuff ain't racist," continued Oliver. "Don't tell me it's not. It is rooted in racism. This was a Jim Crow bill that Taylor brought and all of his confederates voted for it today."

Taylor responded to Oliver's suggestion of reactionary riots, writing, "Despite [voters] overwhelming support for my bill that prohibits local governments from banning legal routine traffic stops, leftist opposition has been insane and totally out of touch with reality and our community's demands."

— (@)

Leftist activist groups such as the anti-prison outfit Decarcerate Memphis are hoping to pressure Gov. Lee to veto SB 2752, threatening "no justice, no peace."

Nichols parents have also asked to meet with Lee before he signs the bill in hopes that they might dissuade him.

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Memphis mayor asks gangs for ceasefire amid 'epidemic of car break-ins' that gang members say they commit out of boredom

Memphis mayor asks gangs for ceasefire amid 'epidemic of car break-ins' that gang members say they commit out of boredom



The mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, met with local gang leaders and asked them to agree to a seven-day ceasefire, as crime has seemingly spiraled out of control in the city.

The mayor said that he had talks, not "negotiations," with Memphis gang leaders, with community representatives adding that the number of gangs in the city has also become a problem in itself.

"We've progressively seen new gangs formalize," said community leader K. Durell Cowan, founder of Heal 901, a Memphis nonprofit. "This is not the traditional area where you have four of five gangs ... we have hybrid gangs."

Memphis had a record 398 homicides in 2023, which is more than double what the city had five years prior. CNN reported that there had already been more than 600 major violent crimes in the first two months of 2024, with at least 40 homicides.

Memphis has also reached a 17-year high in crime, the Justice Department announced.

"Our city has had a big issue around crime over the last couple of years. ... We need to take it to the streets, we need to talk to the people that are actually engaged in the activity," Mayor Paul Young said about his talks with the gang leaders.

"What came out of the conversation is that they want to be a part of it. Since I had that dialogue ... there have been others that have reached out to me."

Youth crime was a particular focus for the mayor as he spoke to community leaders, with those between the ages of 16 and 24 highlighted as a group with more than 45,000 individuals either not working or not in school. Nearly 50% of those in the same age group live in poverty, according to statistics from a nonprofit called the Collective Blueprint.

The same nonprofit said that by the time those young adults turn 28, only 1% would be on the path toward earning a living wage.

However, the rate of arrests for violent crimes decreases by 45% for youth who have jobs or internships, according to Action News 5.

CNN's Victor Blackwell said that through speaking to various gang members in his career, he's learned they do not wish to become criminals.

"They're not aspiring to criminal activity, what they want is to belong," he told the mayor.

While the mayor described a lot of the gang leaders' requests as "heartfelt," he insisted it was just a conversation and not a negotiation.

The gang members told the mayor a recent "epidemic of car break-ins" was simply due to their younger gang members being bored and having nothing to do.

Including the break-ins, more than 3,500 property crimes were reported in January 2024 alone, according to police statistics.

"The things that our community needs aren't new, it's just something we have to lean into," the mayor said regarding the need for mentorship.

Young admitted, however, that there were some criminals who need to be taken "through the criminal justice system," but there are many others who he believes can be saved.

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Mom brings son, 7, to bus stop to fight boy — then she beats up boy's 13-year-old brother who was protecting him, cops say



A 25-year-old mother brought her 7-year-old son to a school bus stop in Memphis to fight a boy his age — and then the mother beat up the boy's 13-year-old brother, who was protecting his sibling, police said.

What are the details?

Memphis police said a 13-year-old boy and his 7-year-old brother were waiting at a bus stop to go to middle school on December 1, 2023, when 25-year-old Rniya Criss pulled up with her 7-year-old son, WHBQ-TV reported.

Criss wanted her son to fight the 13-year-old boy's younger brother, police told the station.

But the 13-year-old boy intervened and said “his brother wasn’t going to fight anyone,” the Charlotte Observer reported, citing police.

Police said Criss then hit the 13-year-old boy in the face, WHBQ said. The victim said she also kicked him in the neck, WREG-TV reported. The victim soon fell to the ground, and he was left with a bruise on his eye and an injured neck, WHBQ added.

Police told WMC-TV the victim's father flagged down an officer regarding his son being assaulted at a Douglass Middle School bus stop.

According to the Observer, the family wanted to prosecute, adding that police said the siblings identified the woman from a lineup. A warrant was issued Dec. 8, the paper said, adding that records show she was arrested Wednesday.

Criss was booked Wednesday in the Shelby County Jail on charges of assault-bodily harm and child abuse and neglect, jail records state. WHBQ said the charges are misdemeanors.

WREG said Criss was scheduled to go before a judge Thursday. Jail records indicate she posted a $5,000 bond Thursday.

How are people reacting?

Several hundred comments were posted to Yahoo News, which published WREG's story about the incident — and people were understandably disgusted:

  • "You can't make this stuff up," one commenter stated. "Kudos to the older brother for protecting his sibling. I hope he's not badly injured."
  • "This woman's son has no shot in life with trash like this for a parent. 7 years old? I have an 8- and 13-year-old. This is incredibly sad," another commenter said. "The 13-year-old was very brave and quite the hero to protect his little brother and the only one with any sense in this story."
  • "There should be an exam for participation in society," another commenter quipped.

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3 males carjack woman in Dollar Tree parking lot on Christmas Eve, return to store hours later in armed robbery attempt: Cops



Memphis police said three males carjacked a woman in a Dollar Tree parking lot on Christmas Eve — and then returned to the scene of the crime just hours later and tried robbing two people inside the same Dollar Tree store.

Police said the trio are still wanted, WREG-TV reported.

What are the details?

Memphis police said officers responded at 12:45 p.m. to a carjacking at a Dollar Tree in the 1200 block of Getwell Road.

Officers were told the victim parked her car when three unknown armed males approached her and demanded the keys to her black Audi A3. Police said the suspects took the victim’s vehicle and fled westbound on Rhodes — and the driver of a gold Mercedes, which also was taken in a carjacking, followed the Audi.

But it was Christmas Eve, after all — and the trio apparently was after a heftier gift tally.

Police said the same suspects came back to the same Dollar Tree at 5:36 p.m. on the same day and tried to rob at gunpoint two victims inside the store. Police posted surveillance video from inside the Dollar Tree showing the armed robbery attempt.

Police said the males fled the store in an unknown direction, and no arrests have been made.

Police added that those with information about this incident should call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH to leave anonymous information or submit a tip at http://www.crimestopmem.org. Police added that tipsters may be eligible for cash rewards if arrests are made.

Carjacking kids try to rob customers, police say youtu.be

How are folks reacting?

Nearly 800 commenters and counting have weighed in on WREG's story on the crime spree published Thursday by Yahoo News. Here's what a few of them had to say:

  • "These ‘kids’ live in a different society where the rules and values of our society do not apply," one commenter said. "And by ‘our society’ I mean working, building, trying-to-do-our-best type. Physically we share the same time and space, but we cannot be further apart. This will not end well for our country."
  • "I'm senior and carry," another commenter said. "I never thought about carrying 25 years ago."
  • "They are someone's children, and they are out of control," another commenter observed. "I'm sure they know what they are doing; they don't know what the results and jail time will be. This is a new generation of young people, and the way they think, they don't value themselves or anyone, they don't believe in a future or been taught to plan and make goals in life and try to be a better person than the generation before them."

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Scores of looters swarm gas stations and wreak havoc in America's most violent city



Scores of thugs swarmed two Memphis gas stations over the weekend, stealing thousands of dollars of merchandise and destroying property. Looters also hit a 53-foot FedEx semi-trailer, stealing multiple packages.

While last year, former District Attorney Amy Weirich indicated that Memphis would trend in this direction if soft-on-crime Democratic professor Steve Mulroy was elected chief prosecutor, the exasperated mayor of America's most dangerous city indicated this week the courts were to blame for failing to ensure that criminals are locked up.

Criminals on tour

WMC-TV reported that multiple businesses were robbed and vandalized Saturday night.

"Some people referred to it almost as a purge, it was ridiculous," said James Davis, owner of L.R. Clothier. "I saw some videos on social media."

Davis' business was broken into early Sunday morning, according to police.

"What this says to me is that people don't fear any repercussions of their actions," added the store owner.

Roughly $2,000 of items were stolen from the Exxon at 3483 Airways Boulevard. Over $15,000 of merchandise was taken from the Fill-N-Go gas station at 3084 South Third Street just hours later, where a clerk reported having a rifle pointed at him by a suspect. The mob is estimated to have inflicted $9,000 in damage at the second location.

Footage of one of the incidents shows a mob of looters, some masked and others bare-faced, ransacking a gas station and absconding with everything from candy to an electric sign. One hooded figure taking his time deciding which chocolate bars to load into his sagging pants can be seen carrying around a rifle. Another masked figure grabbing a handful of loot appears to be an adolescent girl.

Clerks and paying customers look on in disbelief as the looters pilfer without any fear of consequence.

— (@)

The looters' targets were not all stationary.

In what appears to have been a coordinated effort, drivers blocked a FedEx truck in the middle of Riverport Road and Mallory Avenue around 8:30 p.m., affording masked men an opportunity to break into the trailer and steal multiple packages.

WHBQ-TV reported that Memphis Police arrived in time only to see various vehicles speeding and driving recklessly away from the gutted FedEx truck.

Officers later received a call from security at Breezy Point Apartments indicating that guards had detained three men suspected of breaking into the FedEx truck, all reportedly reeking of marijuana.

Inside the suspect's white Chevrolet, police reportedly found four Kicker Speakers 6x9, a vehicle headlight, one 14-piece set of pots and pans, a cardboard box of air lines, and three DirectTV cable boxes.

The trio were taken into custody.

— (@)

Par for the course

Following the recent lootings, Mayor Jim Strickland said, "I mean it's similar to videos I've seen across the country. Those convenience store owners are small business people. I've met with them. They have to work there, themselves a lot, just to earn a living," reported WREG-TV.

"The court system needs fundamental change to adjust to what's going on out in the community. The police are arresting them. The courts won't keep them," said Strickland.

While the mayor figures the courts are to blame for his city's failure to keep criminals in check, former Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich told "The Todd Starnes Show" last year that her Democratic opponent, now District Attorney Steve Mulroy, would be unwilling and unable "to stand up and fight for the victims of crime and ... enforce the law."

Weirich added that Mulroy's election would leave Memphis looking like San Francisco, although by the numbers that would amount to an improvement.

Memphis scores a 0 on Neighborhood Scout's crime index, where 100 is safest. The likelihood of becoming a victim of a violent crime is 1 in 40. The chance of falling victim to a property crime is 1 in 18.

According to the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission, a non-profit focused on public safety, major violent crime is up 5.4% this year in Shelby County. The major property crime rate has skyrocketed 42.1%.

Murders are up 77% this year and on track to set an all-time city record. The previous record for deadliest year was set in 2021, where Memphis saw 346 homicides and 304 murders.

The city, which had a population of 621,056 last year, reportedly has a poverty rate of 24.2%, an unemployment rate of 9.3%, and a median household income of $43,981, well below the national average. Its demographic makeup is 64% black and 27% white.

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