Talking To Memphis: Is the National Guard Necessary?

This is Part 1 of a multi-part series of Politics Unfiltered, Hendrell brings together three Memphians — Ruby Powell‑Dennis (Elect Black Women PAC, Shelby County Democratic Party), Luke Cymbal (Vice Chair, Republican Party of Shelby County), and Richard Massey (community organizer and University of Memphis student) — to discuss the arrival of federal agencies and the National Guard as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force surge.

Topics covered include the role of federal law enforcement and the National Guard, Operation Viper and recent arrest statistics, civil‑rights and due‑process concerns (including ICE activity), local vs. federal coordination, gun policy and permitless carry, juvenile justice, education and economic investment as long‑term solutions, and the optics and political implications of the deployment.

This conversation highlights the disagreement over whether the surge is a necessary, short‑term fix or political theater that risks civil‑rights harms; debate over causes of violent crime and whether investment in schools, jobs, and community resources would be more effective; and discussion of how the intervention might affect local politics and public trust going forward.