No national guard occupations, federal threats, or ICE raids are going to destroy the spirit of Memphis - the spirit that makes our city worth calling home. We’re in this together, and we’ll weather this storm.

Memphis residents shouldn’t have to wake up to headlines about shootings, hit and runs, and other issues that make them unsure if they want to be in the communities they call home.

As county mayor, I’m not bowing down to bad policy or broken politics! I’m standing up for our people. Every. Single. Time. #jbsmileyjr #shelbycounty #votejbsmiley #memphis #smileyformayor #dosomething #tennessee #teamsmiley

Memphis has the potential to be a shining example of what community and prosperity looks like in America’s cities. We already have the ingredients to make it happen, we just need the leadership to get it done.

Why are we shelling out millions for national guard deployments in our major cities when millions don’t have enough to put food on their tables?

Americans shouldn’t have to stay up at night wondering if the social safety nets they rely on will still exist when they wake up. They deserve stability and peace of mind.

As the federal shutdown drags on, Memphis is stepping up. This week, Vice Chair-elect Chase Carlisle and I spearheaded a $2.5M plus emergency relief plan to help families with food, utilities & essentials. We can’t control D.C. but we can care for each other here at home. 💙 #memphis #jbsmileyjr

No family should be forced to choose between putting food on the table or paying their bills.

If election results across the country were any indication last night, Americans are ready for new, bold, Democratic leadership and an end to Trump’s antics. The energy is there, now we just have to do the work.

❄️ With the holidays and dropping temperatures, families in Memphis are facing tough choices — paying rent or putting food on the table. I’m taking action, introducing a $250,000 City Council resolution to provide direct relief for everyone impacted by furloughs, missed paychecks, and SNAP cuts.

No one should have to go without a meal just because of a lapse in SNAP funding.

The problems we’re seeing at a national level in the U.S. are reminders that to protect our communities, we need to build them up from the ground up. We have to ensure the people who call our streets home have a community that helps them when they’re down and ensures no one is left behind.

Countless people in our communities use programs like SNAP to keep food on the table. They shouldn’t have to be worried about their next meal just because of a government shutdown.

I’d rather see the money being dumped into citywide National Guard occupations and ICE raids going toward food pantries and other services that help get basic needs to our community members.

Bettering our communities means ensuring the working families living in them feel safe on their streets. I don’t want a single person to feel uncomfortable in their own backyards. We all deserve to enjoy the places we call home.

We’re at a moment where leadership matters more than ever. With your support, we can deliver results in neighborhoods across Shelby County—better infrastructure, stronger schools, safer streets. Give $25, $50, or $101 today to help get our message out. secure.ngpvan.com/tQFdbVOgAk-_...

Working families deserve to be able to make living for their work - not struggle in poverty while they work longer and longer hours year to year.

Our city deserves sound leadership that will work to preserve our communities and work to best manage the finances they’re given the responsibility to oversee. We can’t have a stable city without responsible, effective leadership.

Today is National #MakeADifference Day. I want you to know that your work & voice makes a difference. I’m running to serve Shelby County and I’m committed to making a difference with you. Ready? Donate $25 or more so we can reach every corner of our county. 🔗 secure.ngpvan.com/tQFdbVOgAk-_...

We deserve real solutions We deserve safer streets. We deserve affordable housing. We deserve livable wages. We deserve the best schools possible. As mayor, I’m going to fight hard to ensure that the people of Shelby County gets what they deserve!

It’s clear that our governor is just doing what he can to appease Donald Trump and make a name for himself with the administration in the process. I refuse to play those sorts of games when people’s lives and safety are on the line. I prefer real solutions to the problems we’re facing.

I’m proud to join other lawmakers in suing Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee over the deployment of the National Guard to Memphis because I know that an occupation of our city is NOT going to make our communities safer. I’m not going to support political stunts aimed at making Trump happy.

The National Guard deployment isn’t the solution—it’s unlawful. TN law allows it only if there’s rebellion, invasion, or a local request + a General Assembly declaration. None exist. Crime was already decreasing before Trump’s call. #Memphis #ShelbyCounty #jbsmiley #notroopsinmemphis #nationalguard

We’re seeing people in cities across the country stand up against Trump administration efforts to tear their communities apart. No doubt, that community is exactly what those like Trump are really scared of.

Sending the National Guard into our city under these circumstances is illegal.

Today, I joined local and state leaders in filing a lawsuit against Gov. Bill Lee for his unlawful deployment of the National Guard in Memphis. This isn’t leadership, it’s illegal! Memphis deserves respect. We’re standing together to defend democracy! #shelbycounty #memphis #jbsmileyir

Join Women for Smiley for Power 'N Pearls on Sunday, November 16, 2025 at The Peabody Memphis, 2PM-4PM. RSVP at www.PowerNPearls.com, host committee in formation.

Safety doesn’t come from force… it comes from unity. When we stand together, we build trust, not tension. #jbsmileyir #smileyformayor #shelbycounty #unity #memphis

Unions work for working families.

Unions from every industry and occupation imaginable have endorsed me for Shelby County mayor because they know I’m going to use the office to keep our workers safe, happy, healthy, and paid what they deserve.

Thank you to everyone who came out to our event, your presence and encouragement mean so much. And to those who couldn’t be there but supported from afar, I truly appreciate you. If you couldn’t join us but still want to support, you can do so here: secure.ngpvan.com/tQFdbVOgAk-_...

Working families in Memphis deserve wages that keep them afloat and help them do more than just survive. Ensuring people get paid what they’re worth isn’t a radical proposition, but refusing to pay them that certainly is.

We deserve affordable housing and livable wages not midnight ICE raids and national guard detachments.

The troop occupations and ICE raids of the Trump administration are a critical reminder of the necessity of electing people into office in our city who will fight for every single one of us no matter the crisis.

Trump wants boots on the ground in Memphis because we’re a working class majority Black city. His motivations could not be more obvious.

No matter who it is, I will continue to fight for Shelby County! Keep Pushin! Stay Safe! We are in this together! #shelbycounty #votejbsmiley #jbsmileyjr #memphis

Can’t feel truly safe in a community that ICE and soldiers are patrolling day and night.

Everyone deserves to have a roof over their heads no matter their income. If we want to make our communities better off, we need affordable, stable, high quality housing, and we need it now!

Affordable housing and livable wages are what we need to build the community every single one of us deserves. That’s the fight I’m taking up - for all of us.

Today, it’s DC and Los Angeles In the coming weeks, it might be Memphis When does it stop? When every American city is under an occupation by our President and his cronies? This cannot be our status quo.

As long as I’m in office, I will continue to fight for the people of Memphis. That’s my promise. No matter what pressure exists from the national government, federal agencies, and other issues, I will continue fighting for all of us.

If our community members can’t afford to live in the places their family members have called home sometimes for generations, we lose our community. It’s time to build affordable, high quality housing and keep people here.

It’s critical that we have political leaders at every level willing to stand up for the people of our communities even if that means standing up against the President. Our people deserve better than complacency

I think the people of Memphis know how to solve their problems better than a presidential administration whose only solution is national guard deployments and ICE raids.

Just going to sit this here.

If MAGA is so concern about violent crime, where is the gun reform legislation?

If Donald Trump wanted to be “tough on crime” he’d support investments in our communities that help people get stable, good paying jobs, affordable housing and education.

You don’t combat crime with federal occupations, you just erode people’s freedoms.

FOR THE RECORD: I do not and will not support Donald Trump or anyone else Sending the National Guard into Memphis. The Guard is not trained for community safety, and their presence would only instill fear. Our city does not need an occupation. We need opportunity.

Our communities are strongest when we come together, not when we’re torn apart by crime, ICE, or other issues that disorganize our spaces. When we come together, we win.