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While I've traveled through Memphis, I've never actually been there, nor do I have any reason or desire to go - wrong race and all that.
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Tennessee city ranked the least safe city in the US: study
(KDVR) — While we’re constantly reading or hearing about violence happening around the country in the news, most of us don’t think it will happen close to home. There’s no way to avoid all danger, but some cities can help residents feel more secure than others.
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But Memphis has that pyramid shaped Bass Pro Shop that I would like to visit.
ReplyDeleteThere are Bass Pro shops throughout the country that basically have the same stuff. Stay the hell out of Memphis. My aunt is a violin instructor who lives in Mississippi, and she not knowing of the danger, organized a violin recital in Memphis about 15 years ago, probably because of very cheap hotel rates. She ended up getting her car broken into because she left a few quarters in the cup holder. She described the city as a s**thole.
DeleteI've been there, and believe me, it's worth seeing. You can take an elevator to the top of the pyramid and have a drink at the bar. There's a porch outside where the floor is clear - you can see right through it, and it takes a little getting used to. The view is outstanding!
DeleteMad Jack
Nowhere, of course, is any mention made of WHY one city is safer than another, other than vague allusions to levels of 'crime'. It is the 800 pound chimp in the room that literally everyone sees but furiously ignores. The real question is, does your city have an MLK Blvd? If so, expect crime and rampant dysfunction.
ReplyDeleteDat’s rayciss n’ sheeeit!!!
Delete41 metrics,Crime is one but it also included the number of LEO and firefighters. Methodology is about 2/3's of the way down,
Deletehttps://wallethub.com/edu/safest-cities-in-america/41926
Even Chris Rock said it. "If you're on MLK Blvd, Run! Run!"
DeleteAround 20 years ago, we stayed at a Motel 6 near Graceland. A fight began in the room next door where the furniture was thrown out into the parking lot before it was over. Never went back to Memphis other than driving through it without stopping.
ReplyDeleteStayed at that very motel six 92-93. The first time was to take my dad to see the "Memphis Belle" which was still being exhibited on Mud island at the time, Dad had flown one of his 25 missions in the 91st BG in the belle. the memphis belle memorial folks opened up the exhibit for us and there was a reporter for the local paper who interviewed my dad and the author of the book "The memphis belle, home at last " Menno Duerkson was present and gave my dad an autographed copy of the book. The memorial folks showed my daughter around the plane as well. The next year we were back for the 91st bomb group reunion. One thing I noticed in 92 was how friendly the black folks were, coming from Detroit, the blacks in Detroit were not as nice at all.
DeleteHesitated there trying to find a Harley t-shirt with "Elvis" or "Graceland" one of the half-dozen times I drove by.
ReplyDeleteIt was better than the only time I got fucked-up by construction and ended up on MLK boulevard in Birmingham. The white guy in the gas station behind the blast-glass said "What're you doing here?!? Go three blocks north, turn left and keep going!"
My son lived there (the job) for a couple of years a while back. He rented a nice Craftsman in the historic district. We went to visit once and in the right area, it was beautiful and had great places to eat. Damn shame. From what I saw, I would have loved to live there. He kept in touch with people there and later said that the safe area was shrinking day by day. Reminds me of when I worked in Kansas City back in the Y2K crisis. The contractor I was replacing drove me around and showed me where I should never go.
ReplyDeleteI noticed in how to feel safe they didn't mention buying a gun and ammo...getting some training and just shooting bastards. Wouldn't want to do the obvious thing....
ReplyDeleteI was told awhile back ago to never go down a street with the name of a President or a state. I avoid Memphis like the plague!
ReplyDeleteI have been to Memphis twice. First time was in 1997. I was young and stupid--I was there for a day with a buddy of mine. I thought we might be able to find a really nice guitar. I did not buy the $5000 Jackson King V, signed by Dave Mustaine. I did however, get us asked to leave the store (I honestly didn't think the Plexi 50W amp would be *that* loud). The worst part of that day was late at night after a huge "dinner" at a Cici's pizza place.
ReplyDeleteThe second (and last) time was in 2015 when I went to an ACS regional meeting there. One of my students, who happened to be black, called his brother and asked about where a "good, cheap BBQ place" was. He neglected to mention to his brother than he had a middle-aged white guy, and two little white college girls with him as well. I will never go back after that evening. Even "Beale Street" felt like a open sewer -- in broad daylight.
The story is a bit longer. We did get out unscathed, but I didn't like pushing our luck that far.
-Just a Chemist
Nothing causes more outrage than a statement that is both obviously true and fervently wished by everyone to be untrue.
ReplyDeleteIt is a city you can be driving on a road that has half million plus houses for a few blocks where the housing value drops in half then you are in the projects. Ten blocks later there is an exclusive golf course community with middle class houses on either side and then another title 9 project housing a bit further down. All on the same road in a 10 mile stretch.
ReplyDeleteThe Memphis violence is like 100s of other American cities. Remove the Baboons and illegal aliens and they'd be thriving epicenters of love and peace.
ReplyDeleteI was driving cross country one time years ago and exhausted, I stopped at a Motel in Memphis and ended up in a room on the ground floor. I slept with my S&W Model 19 in my hand pointed at the door. That was the one and only night I spent there.
ReplyDeleteI have never stayed in Memphis and not heard gun shots at night. Never.
ReplyDeleteLived there as a kid in the 60s for a year or so. The only time I have been back was driving the family on a trip and we thought we would visit Graceland around 2004. Was coming up i-55 from MS, got in to Memphis and did a 180 to stay on the MS side of the state line. Didn't like what I saw...
ReplyDeleteThe MEPS I went to was in Memphis. Even back in the late 80s, the ghetto car lots were all fenced in and they kept all the hub cabs locked up in the office.
ReplyDeleteI was there in 2011 for work and a short vacation. I never had a problem with crime, but I'll say this: I never saw so many cops in one place as I did on Beale Street after six pm. They blocked off the street and shook everyone down as they were coming in. Undesirables were turned away - yeah, civil rights and all that, but not you, not here, and not tonight.
ReplyDeleteThe MLK museum is good, but Mud Island is better. Both are safe.
Have breakfast at the Peabody hotel, and watch the Duck Master march the ducks into the fountain in the restaurant. The ducks stay in the fountain all day, and march up to the roof via the elevator at night. There's quite a story behind that.
If you have a medical emergency, go to Baptist Memorial. As you value your life and well-being, do not go to St. Francis.
Places to stay away from are the Orange Mound neighborhood, which has quite a history. The Graceland mansion at night, and the neighborhood around it at all times. I had a doctor's apt. across the street from Graceland, and I was glad I had my pistol with me.
Memphis has crime, but they also have police. The cops do the best they can, but an older cop admitted to me that it isn't enough. Still, it's a nice place and easy to tour.
Not Memphis, but Atlanta, which is also a shithole.
ReplyDeleteMy buddy and I went to in Atlanta for a few months in the 1970s.
Atlanta was majority black, even back then. After driving around for a couple of hours looking, we saw a white guy and followed him to the white part of town.
Memphis? YGBSM. Have they never been to Soddy-daisy?
ReplyDeleteWent there 18 years ago to look at as a potential living place when I retired from Navy. It looked nice, hotel was nice and I enjoyed Mud Island because it's amazing and also the National Metals Center on the river. Looked at some nice-ish houses in nice-ish neighborhoods and went back to San Diego where I read a few years later that Memphis had reacted to the myth of pointless racism by breaking up all of its former slave housing areas and distributing that population across the entirety of the city which simply meant that the formerly restricted to a few neighborhoods unacceptable crime rates were distributed to the whole city which made it uninhabitable. I'm surprised Fedex is still based there given the number of BRAC'd Air Bases around the country.
ReplyDeleteCheck the demographics before you go anywhere. ANY city with over 30% black population is problematic; same applies to neighborhoods. Memphis is 65% black. For comparison, Knoxville is 16%, but the Lonsdale neighborhood is much higher and a clear no-go. Local concentrations are sometimes obvious (MLK Drive etc) but if you have any doubt census splits by neighborhood are readily available.
ReplyDeleteknow someone high up in the TN Govt that told me 90% of the malfunctions are from Shelby County, from documentation to implementation, finance, structure, on and on.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we could give the county to Mississippi outright ?
MidTenn Mechanic
48 years ago I drove from Knoxville to Memphis for the UT Memphis State football game, and was going to stay with friends. They told me DO NOT get off at certain exits, and be very careful on the interstate because the diverse types would drive a car until it quit and get out and leave it. Not beside the road, but in the lane it quit in. Fast, slow, didn't matter which lane. It dies, it stays.
ReplyDeleteHave driven through/around periphery of Memphis twice. Stopped in what I guess was a suburban area for dinner and to gas up the truck on one trip without incident, and without really getting a bad vibe about the surroundings.
ReplyDeleteSecond time through, I just stopped for gas in what was clearly a rougher part of town right off the highway, and this was after dark. Filled up and moved my ass along pronto, again without any trouble, but not liking the setting - or what my gut was telling me - at all.
was in birmingham sunday, memphis monday, nashville tues/wed.....birmingham- gps navigation is all fucked up, had me up in some shady shit, but the convention center is nice
ReplyDeletememphis- stayed in southaven, ms..about 15 min from graceland, busy area but it was fine, graceland was great! area around graceland debatable
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nashville- stayed in city, very bustling place..grand ol opry is cool(out of town a ways) country hall of fame is awesome...downtown is typical mix of tourists, locals & shady mfrs
Spent 10 months in Millington back in '71; Navy A school. Half of Memphis was off limits, related to MLK riots, Beale st was the divider. It was not a nice of safe place then. Especially if you were military. Just before I left, a traffic stop resulted in a black kid dying, and the city was on dusk to dawn lockdown for a couple of weeks
ReplyDeleteWorked for a company that did adolescent psych in early 2000s. They have some slums like Orange Mound that are right out the HBO show The Wire. Go where you shouldn’t be and even the cops won’t help. Horrible city unless you can afford to live in German town.
ReplyDelete