Undercovered by national outlets? Sure. But me and my colleagues at @mlk50.com have been busting ass covering the federal task force in Memphis since it arrived in late September. October dispatch: mlk50.com/2025/10/22/a... November dispatch: mlk50.com/2025/11/25/s... More coverage: mlk50.com 👀

This great piece by @halleparker.bsky.social in New Orleans echoes so much of what immigrant families are facing here in Memphis-- people are too scared to leave the house for food, attend medical appointments, or even to call 911 when their lives are on the line. veritenews.org/2025/12/16/i...

Some personal news from the creative writing side of my world!

"Briggs and her husband, Smokey, live on 900 acres they bought in the late 2000s after the previous owner died when an old pumpjack fell on him as he attempted to escape a group of aggressive hogs." A compelling look at the TX conservatives pushing the state to fix leaky abandoned oil wells:

I really can't emphasize enough that if you care about local politics, all you gotta do is show up. Just a regular schmegular person showing up. Literally just show up consistently in person and within a remarkably short amount of time, you will have a shocking amount of influence.

offering a reward to anyone who can tell me what "Minneapolis Sound" is

MLK50 reporters are bearing witness to traffic stops by federal agents that lead to immigration detainments, drug charges, or merely verbal warnings-- all at the officers' discretion. See what this increased surveillance means for Memphis' most vulnerable communities: mlk50.com/2025/11/25/s...

Fun fact! Since last Thursday afternoon, I made 177 phone calls to make this article a reality. Introducing THE most up-to-date food pantry guide for the Memphis metro area, complete with an interactive map: mlk50.com/2025/10/31/u...

"I start drawing the spiral on the back of my hand in crusty ballpoint pen, refreshing it whenever it fades, so when the aliens come back they'll know right away who to trust." "Spirals" by @narwhallington.bsky.social, new flash fiction out today at OKD:

In personal writing news, I have a flash fiction story up today in @okaydonkeymag.com! It's not scary as much as... spooky? okaydonkeymag.com/2025/10/31/s...

Just spoke with an employee at one of the largest food distribution programs in Memphis and he told me he had a sleepless night last night worrying about how they are going to meet the need for food when SNAP benefits halt on Saturday.

"Borders' killing brought police scrutiny to the encampment." "Borders was shot while defending a woman who lived there." "I had a tent, clothes, a bookbag, personal hygiene, and stuff like that [..] They bulldozed everything." #Tennessee #USA #Policing #Drugs #Incarceration #Housing

Residents of an encampment near Memphis' Fletcher Creek saw their friend shot in front of them. Then, a few weeks later, police moved in to demolish their homes. I was on site with @andreamorales.bsky.social and spoke to a former resident. Here's what we learned. mlk50.com/2025/10/24/t...

A handful of my colleagues and I took to the streets this past weekend to witness how the "Memphis Safe Task Force" is impacting everyday people. What I learned following the feds around in my 2001 station wagon: mlk50.com/2025/10/22/a...

My colleague @kathsburgess.bsky.social recently obtained a document detailing the arrests made by the "Memphis Safe Task Force" on Monday, Oct. 13. The 'violent criminals' the governor described included a 17-year-old who was *checks notes* standing in front of a store 🤔 mlk50.com/2025/10/15/b...

As Memphis' law enforcement crackdown ramps up, I talked to some of our most vulnerable neighbors: unhoused people. The city says it's eager to get them off the streets-- but hasn't offered any plan or directed any funding to do so. My latest for @mlk50.com: mlk50.com/2025/10/15/m...

Something to keep in mind as you hear narratives about Memphis being a "crime-ridden," "dangerous" city requiring a National Guard crackdown is that BY FAR its most commonly recorded crime is shoplifting. This is according to the city & police dept's own data. app.powerbigov.us/view?r=eyJrI...

Jaw-dropping investigation out today from my colleague Rebecca Cadenhead: Children as young as 13 are being held in solitary confinement for weeks or months in Shelby County's juvenile detention center. And the adults involved, from the court to the state, know about it. mlk50.com/2025/10/01/n...

Very weird vibes in Memphis this week as the National Guard's arrival looms. No one quite certain what to expect. One friend described it as "like the day or two before a hurricane when everyone is taping up their windows." Another compared it to the early days of COVID, pre-lockdown. Eerie, quiet.

National Guard + other federal agents will "begin operations" in Memphis next week, per mayor Paul Young. New page says NG "will be deputized by the U.S. Marshals" but "will not make arrests or issue warrants." These seem to contradict each other; we're looking into it. memphistn.gov/safeandclean/

Morning walk

A new Memphis ordinance would allow the city broad discretion in identifying and tearing down "blighted" buildings. But critics worry low-income homeowners could be targeted while out-of-town slumlords get off the hook. I took a look with my colleague Katherine Burgess: mlk50.com/2025/09/22/a...

Overheard at the pharmacy: "I'm really sorry about that mix-up." "It's okay. I'm really sorry about my attitude before." "It's okay." Taking this as a reminder to give people grace & hopefully receive it in kind.

I humbly ask that as the National Guard arrives in the coming weeks, don't let national news outlets tell you what's happening on the ground in Memphis. Please get your news from the people who actually live here and are part of the community. Whether that's my outlet (@mlk50.com) or others.

"These National Guardsmen will actually be military police" -TN Gov. Bill Lee on @actionnews5.com He says they are expected to arrive in the next two weeks-- shorter than the 3-4 week timeline Memphis' mayor has been sharing with community members in recent days.

this devin kelly poem was (re)posted over on twitter yesterday by @reiilly.bsky.social and so now I've been thinking about it again for the last 24 hours www.havehashad.com/hadposts/all...

“Citations for minor issues like parking violations and overgrown lawns aren’t handed out uniformly... management seems to enforce community rules more strictly for some residents than for others.” mlk50.com/2025/08/07/t... By @mlk50.com @narwhallington.bsky.social #housing+ #urbanism+ #urbanism

POV: It's Friday. It's a slow morning at work. As you scroll Bluesky, you find a juicy longread about a makeshift union of Memphis trailer park residents fighting for better living conditions. Now you have something to read while you sip on your second cup of coffee: mlk50.com/2025/08/07/t...

New: When Missouri voters head to the ballot box next year, they will decide whether to reimpose an abortion ban. But the question that voters will see makes no mention of banning abortion or the fact that it would strike down last November’s historic vote. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Utility assistance in Memphis is doled out by a patchwork of programs, all with different funding sources. Now, the three major programs that help Memphians avoid shutoffs are turning away new applicants-- right as summer temperatures soar. My latest for @mlk50.com: mlk50.com/2025/07/03/m...

Wow, this is really cool and totally unexpected! Thank you so much to @wigleaf.bsky.social for this, and congrats also to Maureen, Hannah and Thora! 🤩 ❤️

Breaking: The Trevor Project received a stop-work order last night on its contract with the national 988 suicide prevention hotline. The Trump administration is eliminating the option for LGBTQ callers to the hotline to press 3 and connect with someone who specializes in LGBTQ mental health.

What a treat to see both Sarah Ritter and Bill Lukitsch, formerly my colleagues at the KC Star, with bylines on A1 of this edition!

The coming days will bring the federal sentencing decisions for the officers who killed Tyré Nichols in 2023. Just a reminder to my fellow reporters that Tyré's name is spelled with an accent over the E-- thank you to the RCFP & the Daily Memphian for adopting this correction already 🙏 #SayHisName

I've been keeping this under my hat for a while-- so proud to share that I have a flash fiction piece up today in @wigleaf.bsky.social, one of my all-time favorite online literary magazines!!

The Southern Environmental Law Center is petitioning the U.S. EPA over ozone exposure in the Memphis area, exposure they say is only worsening as xAI and other groups utilize methane gas turbines. mlk50.co/3HsHgaS

Patriot Front led a march through the Crossroads neighborhood of downtown Kansas City today. Several photos / videos are going around instagram, including this one: www.instagram.com/reel/DKDQ29R...

A DOJ investigation of Phoenix and its PD was the first to find a pattern of violations against homeless people, including throwing away their possessions. “You guys are trash and this is trash," one officer said, per the DOJ. This week, AG Bondi said the DOJ has abandoned efforts to reform the PD.

Here's how MLK50 made it right thanks to our newest reporter @narwhallington.bsky.social mlk50.com/2025/05/23/h...

MLK50 has confirmed with Tyré Nichols’ mother that his first name is spelled with an accent over the E. It’s a small detail, but it matters

"There’s a uniquely benumbing quality to continuing to live your small, private life while tectonic, malevolent shifts occur, so that you have to keep marching as the ground surges nauseatingly under you." This piece made me feel seen. Thank you @swordsjew.bsky.social 🫠

The news media and public institutions, including @mlk50.com, have been getting a small detail wrong in our stories about Tyré Nichols: the spelling of his first name. Now that we know better, we're correcting our past reporting. Here's how I caught the error: mlk50.com/2025/05/23/h...

Update for everyone reporting on #TyreNichols and the court cases surrounding his death: His mother has confirmed to me and a colleague that his name is spelled Tyré, with an accent over the E. The public has been getting this small detail wrong, and it's time to set it right.

A group of supporters of Tyre Nichols' family are marching through downtown Memphis currently on South Main

NEW: Three Memphis police officers involved in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in early 2023 have been found not guilty on ALL state-level charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping. Updates & analysis coming soon from @mlk50.com

I have a new resource guide up today on @mlk50.com. Here are the Memphis programs that can help you pay your utility bills to MLGW when you've fallen behind: mlk50.com/2025/05/02/m...

Absolutely surreal to see the Greenwich, CT public high school theater arts program, of which I am a graduate, being used to justify cutting community improvements and programming across the country 😓

My first reported feature is out today with @mlk50memphis.bsky.social! Federal funding cuts to the USDA by DOGE and the Trump administration are squeezing Memphis' food aid system. Read why less meat, dairy and fresh produce is available to those in need: mlk50.com/2025/04/21/f...

New: Five months after Missouri voters legalized abortion, Republican lawmakers say they’ve landed on a plan to overturn the historic vote. This is how they hope to do it: www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

The housing assistance landscape in Memphis can be confusing. We’ve rounded up the programs that can offer rent money before residents fall into homelessness. mlk50.co/3FQKJiu