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Roughly 1 in 4 domestic violence homicide victims in Tennessee’s five biggest cities were allegedly shot by a suspect who was barred from having a gun. And some suspects were being monitored by probation officers before the homicide. Read more here 👇

From North Carolina to Mississippi, small businesses work to feed their communities while benefits are paused. capitalbnews.org/snap-crisis-...

Tennessee’s new 25-foot “buffer” law is beginning to reshape how the public interacts with police. One Memphis woman’s arrest calls into question whether documenting officers is still a protected right. Read more here 👇

Independent, local journalism has never been more critical — and we’re only able to do this work because of supporters like you. Donate today to fund the future of independent news in Memphis by heading to the link below 👇 givebutter.com/rootedinmemp...

The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide

"Growing up, I thought I was just like every other kid. I never knew I was undocumented until I reached middle school. One of my uncles had been deported back to Honduras. He was only a few years older than me. I remember my mom telling me then about my immigration status."

Facing budget shortfalls due to the end of COVID funding, cuts to Medicaid and tariffs, states are turning to one place for cuts: child care.

As @GovBillLee Speaker Sexton & @MarshaBlackburn lie about the numbers in MEMPHIS (the occupiers are mostly arresting non-criminals), Black folks are being harassed and targeted and say they don’t feel safe. www.propublica.org/article/memp...

"But the truth is, Memphis is infrastructurally racist. The schools, the roads, the housing — all of it is designed to keep poor Black and brown folks in economic servitude. The state government’s negligence & hostility aren’t accidental; it’s strategic." Read more here 👇

When police returned Reggie Williams’ wallet, an officer told him: Don’t do anything bad and keep your ID on you. To Williams, the warning echoed a slavery-era requirement that free African Americans carry documents to prove they weren’t enslaved. By @wendicthomas.bsky.social, w/ @mlk50.com

Reggie Williams was walking to a corner store when armed authorities aggressively asked him if he was from Ethiopia or Ghana, he said He and other Black Memphis residents have been reporting harassment by Trump’s police task force: "I don't feel safe"

NEW: A pastor was pulled over for looking lost. A 72-year-old was marched out in his bathrobe due to mistaken identity. Memphis’ mayor welcomed the federal law enforcement surge, but some residents say they feel targeted just going about their lives.

A pastor pulled over for looking lost as she left church and, in a case of mistaken identity, a 72-year-old man roused from bed and marched out of his apartment while clad in only his robe and underwear. @propublica.org and @mlk50.com report on innocent Memphians ensnared by a federal task force.

They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came. Read the latest from 👇 @wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social @propublica.org mlk50.com/2025/11/03/t...

They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came. Law enforcement surge established to focus on violent crimes has ensnared innocent residents going about their everyday lives. @wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social for @propublica.org @mlk50.com

NEW: “I Don’t Feel Safe.” Black Memphis Residents Report Harassment by Trump’s Police Task Force, by @wendicthomas.bsky.social @katieburgess.bsky.social w/ @mlk50.com

Of Memphis’ 610,000 residents, at least 45,000 immigrants call this city home. We have compiled a resource guide for when encountering immigration enforcement officials and other law enforcement officers. Check it out below 👇

Tennesseans in the expanding pool of people who must work for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits should supply reasons for being exempted from that rule by Oct. 31 mlk50.co/4oyyacU

Fewer Black women died of breast cancer in Memphis, but the gap between Black and white deaths widened. Hopeful health advocates outline steps toward turning things around.

Library workers’ civil service push adds to Memphis labor tensions amid city’s union disputes

Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself and others in your community when encountering immigration enforcement officials and other law enforcement officers. mlk50.co/4oJKyHb

In the current political climate, the last bulwark against the abusive deployment of corporate-owned generative artificial intelligence might just come from union shareholders.

Following a fatal shooting at a Memphis homeless encampment, residents’ belongings were confiscated and thrown away. Now, they’ve been forced to start over. mlk50.co/48LemhL

“What has happened here is we have 13 federal agencies (in the task force), and ICE is one of them. However, their charge is to focus on violent crime, and so the busier we can keep them with MPD, the less time they will have to focus on immigration," Mayor Paul Young said. mlk50.co/42REIuP

In Tennessee, if you don’t think you should be included in the new, bigger group of people who must work for what are commonly known as food stamps, tell state officials why by Oct. 31. mlk50.co/4oyyacU

MLK50 reporters spent one night and day observing how the Memphis Safe Task Force is operating in Memphis. Highway patrol is working with state and federal agencies to pull over people, search their vehicles and issue citations.

Tennessee, feds provide few details on cost, arrests three weeks into Memphis task force

SNAP benefits on pace to run out in two weeks if shutdown persists

During Sickle Cell Month, Memphis doctors and advocates cite strides and challenges in care. mlk50.co/4nzrF9I

Unhoused people are feeling the pressure of Memphis’ law enforcement crackdown. But the nonprofits trying to get them sheltered have yet to receive any support or funding from the city. mlk50.co/3W7J7pM

The Shelby County jail is holding hundreds more people than it was built for. Experts say bail reform could be a solution. Here’s how Memphis got here and what could change next: mlk50.co/4olF1WT

Black Farmers to seek rehearing after appeals court rules against them in discrimination aid suit

MLK50: Justice Through Journalism obtained a report on one day’s worth of activities of the ‘Memphis Safe Task Force.’ It contradicts claims made by the governor about how the task force is focused on violent criminals. mlk50.co/4qkfz6b

Downtown authorities are putting increased pressure on unhoused Memphians to get off the streets as federal task force members arrive. But the city hasn’t provided anywhere for them to go. mlk50.co/3W7J7pM

Memphis task force using TN “buffer law,” preventing up-close recording of police activity mlk50.co/4o0kffN

The Collective Good Immigrant Pantry delivers food and essentials to immigrant families who have lost income and fear leaving home.

“I Don’t Want to Be Here Anymore”: They Tried to Self-Deport, Then Got Stranded in Trump’s America

What should you do if you're approached by law enforcement? If you're asked about your immigration status? If you witness police or military activity? Here's our guide:

A timely read as the National Guard begins its patrols of Memphis today.

New STEM center at Whitehaven High blends science, art and inspiration

The Fair Housing Council of Metropolitan Memphis finds Black renters are consistently treated differently than white renters. “Tests that were performed in neighborhoods with housing (in) good physical condition… were more likely to show evidence of differential treatment." mlk50.co/46KvFyf

A contractor would use sites like Facebook, Instagram and X—and possibly online commercial, law enforcement and federal government databases—to generate leads about “individuals who pose a danger to national security, risk public safety or otherwise meet ICE enforcement priorities.”

Planned Parenthood has temporarily closed one of two Memphis clinics as a result of a federal appeals court decision that allowed the Trump administration to block patients from using Medicaid as their insurance at the reproductive health provider.

Justin J. Pearson, known for his environmental activism and his expulsion from the Tennessee Statehouse over gun control advocacy, is now seeking to challenge a longstanding U.S. congressman mlk50.co/473XBvR

During Sickle Cell Month, Memphis doctors and advocates cite strides and challenges in care. mlk50.co/4nzrF9I

A cell a little larger than a king-sized mattress. A concrete shelf as a bed. A thin mat, and an itchy blanket. No pillow. In the corner, a metal toilet and sink. Two narrow windows. This is solitary confinement in Shelby County’s juvenile detention center: mlk50.co/4gThDxJ

Supreme Court term will tackle executive power, executive power and executive power

“Many mechanisms of know-your-rights information are limited to systems that respect rights and obey laws, and we’re in a very different place right now. There are other ways that we need to be readying our communities to be prepared for this moment," says one organizer.

ICE is arresting more undocumented immigrants in the Memphis area. Some worry it’s only the beginning. mlk50.co/3ITjMwE