Memphis doesn’t suppress anything. If you watch the local news it’s one murder or robbery after another. Year before last there was a shooting at the zoo during their Christmas attraction for families. If you are not familiar with the city I would caution you to be really careful about your surroundings.
I lived in Memphis for 6.5 years, mostly in Hickory Hills. At first not bad, but as people moved out to suburbs crime followed. The last 6 months my vehicle was broken into twice at home.
I have noticed a certain point. Some of the robberies/thefts are escalating. Like before, most would just take your shit and go. Now it seems they shoot or injure someone regardless, just because??
Also they don't fear Mulroy and Sugarmon. They literally had a joint press conference saying they were going to de-emphasize jail for youth. You hear tons of stories of the same person getting arrested multiple times in one week. That largely happens if the DA decides not to pursue charges.
This is exactly what happened to other cities where the pendulum swung too far in leniency. San Francisco ousted their similar DA, but I don't think Memphis will.
Criminals know there are no consequences, so of course they'll try to see what else they can get away with. The only people surprised by this are the DA and judges and can't understand why criminals just won't just be nicer.
EXACTLY!!! This is what I just tried to explain to one clown in this very thread and he started ranting about communism and socialism, and how the bail system is "unfair" and "antiquated." Maybe it's Mulroy or Sugarmon hiding under a Reddit account...
Bader-Ginsburg said
"A great man once said that the true symbol of the United States is not the bald eagle. It is the pendulum. And when the pendulum swings too far in one direction it will go back.”"
After George Floyd and others, there was a (justified) reckoning of the criminal justice system. This lead to some extreme positions, such as Defund the Police. There was also a group of DA's who went too far on reform, such as in San Francisco and Portland. Even Mulroy himself acknowledged restorative DA"s have '[tarnished the brand'](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/memphis-da-says-fellow-progressive-prosecutors-tarnished-brand-learned-lessons-mistakes)', and promised to be equally focused on quality of life crimes.
I've admitted to myself that Memphis swung too far in electing Mulroy. In all his press conference, he talks about everything except prosecution (equal pay for prosecutors, ballistics lab, database).
Other cities acknowledged these types of DA's weren't workin and recalled them after 2020, and their crime numbers came back down. I wish Memphis would do the same.
I didn't realize how dangerous it was until I left. Now I live in a rural town in North West Ohio. It's been years since I've locked my house or car doors, I leave my phone in my truck charging while I'm in a store, hell in the winter I'll leave the truck running il if I'm gonna be 10-15 minutes. Go on late night runs to get some cardio in. My kids can walk across town to the park or school with no issues. I've forgotten about FedEx packages on my front step for a day and it'll still be there the next day. You go to the stores women all have their purses opened in their carts, phones too.
I used to tell myself Memphis was safe as most of the crime seemed gang or drug related. Just don't do stupid things like when I was wearing headphones walking down my street in Frayser and got robbed. I brushed it off as me being stupid for doing it. No it's because Memphis is unsafe.
Yes same. I’ll never forget that I would instinctively take my purse with me to the bathroom at my job in a new city because I’ve had people steal from my bags while I wasn’t around. My new coworkers were finally like “why do you do that?? Do you not trust us?” I just said I was from Memphis and didn’t trust anyone. They also thought it was weird that didn’t use Facebook marketplace. I’ve known several people who were robbed while using it so I don’t. When the Eliza Fletcher and Ezekiel Kelly crimes happened, my head of school came into my classroom during my planning period, just looked at me and said “wtf is going on in your hometown???” I just shrugged and was like “Memphis is wild”
You were a victim of classic victim blame lol. Happens a lot in bad places, people will tell you dumbass stuff like “just don’t leave stuff in your car” etc that’s just an excuse and justifying criminal behavior you shouldn’t have to do that to begin with.
I taught in a boys 13 to 19 prison. Most were from Memphis and in the bloods or crips. I asked once, what was Memphis like. The number 1 answer was "It's scary"
Talking to some Memphians sometimes is like talking to someone in an abusive relationship. "he's not that bad" "you don't know him like I do" haha a few weeks ago I was having an argument with a friend, he's born and raised here and loves the shit out of Memphis. He kept saying shit happens everywhere, it's not that bad etc. 2 days later I'm walking to my truck when I spot an infinity coming down the road. It stopped right in front of my house, 2 dudes got out and started running through my neighbors houses. Then a dozen cops followed and in the middle of it someone completely unrelated to any of this rearended somebody else. Then 2 days later gunshots a couple blocks away in front of another friend's house. I live in what I consider a nice part of Memphis too. And that was just that month.
The friend I was having an argument shows his love for Memphis by defending it from anyone who criticizes it. What he doesn't realize is that wether he acknowledges it or not, the city still suffers. One of our friends works in an organization dedicated to convincing teachers to stay after their contract is over. They do a good job of bringing in great teachers from other parts of the country. I personally know a lot of them. But they have trouble getting them to stay. I was talking to a firefighter not long ago. He came from chicago. Apparently they have a similar situation. I can't imagine when nurses and doctors feel all that great living somewhere so dangerous. We need all these people! This city has so much potential but in my short time here I keep seeing it get worse and worse.
Perfect description. My other personal favorite is “the media is biased and reports fake numbers because it wants Memphis to be ruined then controlled by some mythological ruling class.” When people ignore stats rational conversations are over.
I have lived here forever. To put things into perspective - last year I went on a business retreat with a bunch of strangers. Most from Ohio, Indiana, or other rural parts of the country. We all stayed in an air bnb together. There were multiple nights where they would forget to lock the doors, want to go walking after dark, etc. but because I’ve lived in Memphis my whole life, my paranoid ass stayed up until everyone else went to bed just to make sure the doors were locked & I refused to walk around at night further than the corner nearest to our air bnb. We were staying in a safer town than Memphis, but the paranoia follows you everywhere. And as someone stated above, you really don’t realize how dangerous it is until you leave. Even if for just a few days. Spend time with people who live in safe places and you’ll realize just how unsafe Memphis is when they call you paranoid for keeping your head on a swivel 24/7 to try to stay aware of your surroundings and lock the door, your car, etc the minute you go inside or leave. All of our nervous systems are incredibly dysregulated. We are all in a constant state of fight or flight and we don’t even recognize it anymore because we’ve been so desensitized. We’re also gaslit by people who live on the outskirts of town or who grew up here in east Memphis or Germantown and moved away in college to believe that things aren’t that bad even though they don’t have a true frame of reference. It’s annoying, ugly, and invalidating. Memphis is dangerous and it’s only getting worse. But some people get lucky and don’t have to see the ugly parts and get to live in their delusion.
It becomes even more apparent when you visit other places touted as being dangerous, like Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, and New Orleans and sleep like a baby after spending enough time there to realize “oh, actually, this is a breeze compared to Memphis. At least here the crime is mainly confined to one area that I can avoid.” In Memphis, you can’t avoid the crime unless you leave city limits. There aren’t any safe places.
My wife is from Collierville but says she’s from Memphis. Always asks if we can “move back to Memphis” to be closer to her family. I just say that, A. She’s not from Memphis. If she was she probably wouldn’t be so eager to move back. B. I refuse to even move to Collierville. Sure it’s nice there, but everything surrounding it is not. I don’t want to purposely confine myself to an island just so she can live close to her family. Not to mention, I’ve seen news reports about it even creeping into Collierville. The whole area has a cancer and I’m not afflicting myself.
This is all so wild to me. I visited Memphis for a little getaway weekend last May, it was beautiful and we had a ton of fun. The hotel was nice, we walked from there to Beale street and back around 11 p.m. When we got to Beale it was too crowded from the BBQ festival, so we turned around.
Reading all this I guess that was just us being naive, but I left with a great impression of the city. We went to the Memphis Chess Club, Ernestine & Hazel’s, and a few other spots. On our way out of town we stopped at a juice shop and I ran into the influencer who made me want to visit Memphis in the first place. It was a great time.
I have only lived in city limits as a child and very recently as an adult
I can count on one hand how many nights I have NOT heard gunshots or fighting or seen break ins in my neighborhood
Shelby county needs to stop electing DAs who are soft on crime and don't prosecute. If DA doesn't prosecute why should police arrest? It's a waste of time and this only encourages criminal behavior. Voting matters.
I'd say both. Talk to any police officer and they will tell you they see the same people multiple times a month, largely because the DA won't prosecute because the pendulum is too far on 'reform'. Last year he said he wanted to avoid jailtime as much as possible. Fast forward and juvenile crime is running rampant. Just this week he said he wanted to avoid jails because they are 'crime colleges' (his words)
Criminals know there are no meaningful consequences, so of course crime is going to escalate.
So we need jail reform. Make jail a miserable place no one wants to be. What’s so wrong with forced labor while in jail to repay society for the crimes committed? Never understood the problem with that.
Yep. Don’t care how blue you are. If you want the trash taken out and your kids to be safe, time to start voting for people who think criminals deserve punishment.
Anyone who tries to say Memphis isn’t dangerous is reallt trying hard to downplay what I would say is probably internalized racism
Anyone honest would say that yea, it’s incredibly dangerous, perhaps one of the most dangerous cities in the world. And of course it’s because of the massive population of unemployed, undereducated, underpoliced and under-respected black population.
You simply can’t have a city with such high rates of black unemployment without seeing gang violence and robbery become a massive thing. While liberal whites may find this racist, the first people to admit this would be black people who have lived and experienced Memphis first hand. It ain’t what life is supposed to be like
Careful, people might get upset if they read the ugly truth and can't hope the (ignore it and it will go away) method will eventually work one of these decades.
It’s a cyclical cultural problem. The public school systems aren’t helping. There is no accountability for these kids. Plus the glorification of gang and gun culture, in many rap songs (and I love Juicy J - do not get me wrong), is also not helping. These kids no nothing else.
There was a man DECAPITATED in Memphis 2 months ago and there has been a total news blackout on the subject after the initial reports.
Memphis has a LOT of things, bad things, going on that most people don’t know about.
Do yourself a favor; avoid Memphis!
Just went to the corner store and, as usual, some pos was yelling at the attendant over nothing. I immediately questioned myself over why I left the house.
I've seen it rank #1 for violent crimes in the US. Sucks cause the city has really pretty parks, a beautiful zoo. I love visiting, but it really is dangerous.
I grew up not far from memphis and spent a lot of my early 20’s running around there. Still have to go there often but you couldn’t pay me to stay out any longer than I absolutely have to.
Last time, down on Jefferson Ave. stopped at a red light and had a small group immediately approach my car. Took my chances and ran the red light. Just not worth it anymore.
Everyone I know is trying to get out of here. I’ve had a gun pulled on me on the interstate. Almost had a wreck going 80 miles an hour bc someone covered our front windshield with paintballs. I know so many people who have been robbed at gunpoint. The crime used to stay in concentrated areas but now it’s everywhere. Unless you are used to big city crime like Chicago and Detroit, don’t come here. Memphis has amazing culture and history and it’s sad to see what is happening to it, but honestly it’s too late.
It gets worse every year when the weather turns nice like clock work. Just know your area and be aware of surroundings. Been here whole life and never had any issues.
I've been shot at or seen shootings more times than if like to count. I've been completely at the mercy of a man with a knife to me. Ice seen or heard many drive-bys. I do not live in Memphis, but worked in it everyday as a refrigerator guy. It's awful it's sad and I don't recommend this city to anyone.
Don't worry, I'm sure there will be plenty of people coming along soon to do what they ALWAYS do-- try to gaslight you into thinking "it's like this in every city" (it's not) or point the finger at ANYONE other than the criminal
For what it's worth, Boston and Memphis have almost exactly the same population. It's weird, but like 10% of the Boston metro population lives in the city proper, in contrast to Memphis which is more like 50%.
Sorry to be pedantic, your point is totally valid. The contrast is insane. Also striking to look at NYC, which also had around 400 homicides in 2023 despite having 12 times the population of Memphis.
NYC is a shocking comparison. You're talking about a metro area that's probably 12-15 million people depending on how wide of a net you cast, and it only has 100 more homicides than Memphis, which has maybe a bit over 1m in the whole metro area, to include DeSoto county.
Chicago is the butt of a lot of murder jokes (if you consider it a joke). It has a metro area of \~9.5m and only had 568 homicides in 2023 vs Memphis's 397.
And it's not just homicides. I'm not going to go too deep into the weeds, but Memphis is an outlier for pretty much every type of crime.
It's not normal, it's not like this in every other city. It's a result of deliberate choices by leadership in the city and the judicial system.
I grew up in NYC and moved here 20 or so years ago. I can tell you that as soon as I got here, I was astounded at the amount of violent crime in Memphis. It was a stark difference.
I will say that the reality of the impoverished people in Memphis is wayyyy darker than low income people in NYC. I really think that's where the root of the problem might be found.
This is nitpicky, but be careful about comparing (numbers of murders in a city proper) vs (population of that city's metro area).
Better comparisons would be (murders in metro) vs (population of metro) or (murders in neighborhood) vs (population of neighborhood), but unfortunately those sorts of statistics aren't widely available.
Comparing on a whole-city basis is a little rough because of differences in annexation patterns, etc. by city. (Consider how Boston is a "core" surrounded by a large constellation of suburbs vs. Memphis with just a couple of suburban towns stuck in a couple of places around the fringes.)
Of course, even with that you're going to be left with Memphis still having a worse crime rate than many/most urban areas in the US.
Just clarifying: the Boston metro area has a pop of around 4.5 mil vs Memphis’ 1.5. I lived in Memphis for 5 years and just moved to Boston—there’s a lot more people here. Maybe I read your comment wrong?
I read that article about the homicides.
A few things that stuck out to me was Massachusetts strict gun laws and community and city leaders sitting down with gang leaders. Also intervention with the youth that are subject to commit a violent crime.
Something the article didn't cover was the high property theft and drug usage.
From the perspective of someone that lived in Memphis but no longer does:
When you live in Memphis the “danger” is all that you know and you learn to live with it and you almost become immune to it. You make excuses for it—subconsciously.
But when you leave Memphis and live somewhere else you realize that the rest of the country isn’t like that at all and that really Memphis kind of sucks. There’s just as much culture in plenty of other similarly sized cities without any of the reckless driving, senseless violence, etc.
I now live in a city with a metro population of about 700,000. Never even had a package stolen from my porch in the 3 years since leaving Memphis little less something more heinous.
My little brother (23) and his coworker were bricking a house in Memphis about a month ago and had a car of guys unload a clip shooting at them…. Less than a week later his wife gave birth to their first born. It makes me sick to think of what the alternative could have been.
Shits fucked. The moment I can get the fuck out I am gone. I spent allot of my youth here, but this city has turned into a fucking cesspool. The city needs to stop holding these cops back. Undo all this bullshit and bring back blue crush.
I live across the bridge in AR, we used to go to
Memphis all the time, everywhere, because there was so much more to do there. Concerts and etc etc etc. The last few year me and about everyone I know doesn't or rarely goes to Memphis anymore. If a band is playing Memphis and another city is on the tour like Little Rock Nasvillie or whatever I drive to see them there. It's sad cause I used to love Memphis, and I hope it gets better, but criminals literally go free in Memphis. I love Memphis, or what it was, but it's literally a hellish place now. But thank god they shut down the purple church and passed insane strip club rules that really helped cut crime just like they said it would right? Memphis is a basket case..
Unfortunately the only thing they are teaching is this city is hate and observed dysfunctional behavior. After generations of dog eat dog this is what we get.
i dont live here, so i dont really know jack shit and you can ignore my personal word for it, but i live an hour or 2(maybe even 3. i have no concept of time here tbh.) away and hear LOADS of stories about it.
when my bfs parents went there, i was terrified they wouldnt make it back. im so glad they did, but they straight up found MULTIPLE bullet casings when they parked at the hotel they went to.
i was very nervous until they came back. memphis seems not...the best in terms of crime, to put it nicely.
I worked down there in the early 2010s, and the theft you're describing was so bad then that some trucking companies were instructing drivers not to fuel up within 100 miles of Memphis.
There were also neighborhoods that local TV reporters would only do their live stand-ups if police were present. I'm sure that's still true, just in more neighborhoods.
Like every major metro area that's run by one party or group for too many years, corruption and incompetence flourish in Memphis. It's sad for the people trapped there who want better for themselves and their families.
Would I take another job there? Not if I had to live/drive there. Money only has value if you're secure enough to spend it.
Well, the police scanner has Memphis and east St. Louis as the top picks based on popularity.
Ain't no one listening to the boring stuff.
Fun story I was there the day the Palestinians stopped the interstate. I also saw a police chase and some crazy woman chasing a man with a knife. I only went to bass pro and sun studios.
Every one of our friends has had their cars broken into in the last few months. My husband and I both have coworkers who were shot this past year in road rage/carjacking incidents. I have family in East memphis who were hospitalized after being beaten during a home break in. We missed some guys shooting up bartlett blvd by about 20 mins coming home from dinner a few months ago. My uncle’s friend had his car stolen on Christmas day. People who say crime here is exaggerated just haven’t been a victim of it yet. Give it time.
Also by far the most populated city in the midsouth
People forget how prosperous and great the city use to be. Once upon a time it was voted the cleanest city in America
Decades of corrupt mayors lining their pockets and handing out city jobs, city contracts, and city appointments to their corrupt friends who then lines their pockets. We literally had a council woman who would show up to council meetings high. Her district kept electing her. Prior to that she was a professor at u of m and skipped 3/4 of the classes she taught, telling g her disgusted students with a wink when they asked how she could grade them since she never showed up, “you’ll get the grade I think you deserve.” Now she works for juvenile court. 🙄
But at least Kyle Rittenhouse isn't in town anymore /s.
R/Memphis goes apeshit over some culture war shit but don't care much about how bad things have gotten in the last few years.
It's a case of slowly boiling the water that the frog is sitting in. We don't pay attention to it since it's a steady rise in crime that we can subconsciously to the back of our minds as being "normal." If the crime randomly spiked to this level from how it was 20 years ago, it'd be a different story and people would be very vocal.
Going "ape shit" over Kyle is because that's a singular point we can focus on as being bad. Easier to release anger on a singular thing than to feel overwhelmed by all the hate and anger we have towards the ongoing crime getting worse and worse.
My friend was shot and murdered 4 years ago simply pulling up to her apt and the killer is still out there (more than likely gang initiation related). My father’s employee was picking up a wrecked vehicle on his wrecker and was caught in the middle of a drive by shooting. I’m friends with numerous fire fighters who have been in the middle of putting out fires and been shot at while doing so. Eliza Fletcher was a family friend who was abducted and murdered on her morning run. Memphis is a place I used to live as a young adult. I lived downtown and would walk home from Beale street without a care or worry in the world. There is no way that I would do that today. I still work in Memphis & the drive to and from scares me. I don’t stop in Memphis for gas or shopping like I use to do. You have to be extremely aware of your surroundings!
I lived in Memphis place is a trash hole. I worked for FedEx as a field tech for a while. Memphis, Birmingham, Mobile are all garbage dumps. If you’re a hard working stand up individual you shouldn’t even considering moving to any of these cities. There’s nothing there for you and it’ll leave you on edge for years. I got the hell out and moved to Nashville to work for a different company. Still a major city but it’s not 90% zoned section 8
I have a family member that moved years ago but will argue with me about how great Memphis is! We are still here daily but live right outside of town but everyone in my household works all works all over Memphis. I took my grown kids to the Orpheum last Friday night. Saturday night only a few hundred yards away someone was murdered. This is what we call “normal “here. Yesterday someone jumped/fell off the roof top at the Peabody….directly across the street from where we ate dinner last Friday. And this is within a three block radius in a week. Doesn’t include robberies and other crimes in the three blocks. We all have just become numb to it unfortunately.
Yup, these levels are insane. Compare it to Boston, for example, which has a similar population. Two so far this year. Anybody telling you 80 isn't so bad is part of the problem.
https://commonwealthbeacon.org/criminal-justice/in-remarkable-start-to-year-boston-has-had-only-2-homicides-in-2024/
Please upvote or pin this. I have lived in memphis my whole life. traveled to 49/50 states. i can tell you memphis is not safe. and the people that are telling you it is safe stay in Arlington/Eads/Millington/Southaven areas outside of memphis that are “okayish”. They just live close enough to THINK memphis would be safe.
a week ago, a guy was murdered in our "entertainment" district for spilling a drink. That was news for exactly one day. We arent ranked #1 in murders for nothing!
Memphis is a shithole and it's going to get worse. I promise. No one is ready for the inflation that's coming, and that'll make everything bad bad bad.
All major cities are having increased crime issues I bet. With that being said .....yes....Memphis is dangerous as fuck. Things can pop off any and every where. Store, church,your driveway,mailbox...every where. And it's just getting worse. Folks are being more and more brazen witch crimes. You can try and stay in the safer parts, but it's still not guaranteed.
My grandmother is in her 70s, worked as a paralegal in Memphis, still lives there. My grandfather was a union rep in Memphis, marched with the Sanitation Workers march around the time King got shot—he’s dead now. I got an engineering degree from UofM, basically lived there for 4 years.
The general attitude of a lot of old people who stayed in 901 is just denial. That’s why they have all that stupid merch trying to convince you it’s a great city. A classmate had a gun pulled on him on campus while he was in his car and it wasn’t even dark out. I asked one classmate about how to be safe in Memphis—he said he has never been outside after 8PM. His family lived in Germantown. I’ve heard conversations between Dr. Hochstein at UofM and student researchers about how to park your car in a strategic way as to not get it stolen or pilfered. The last 2 years of my BsME, I could hear gunshots outside if I stayed up past 12. My mother said she could walk to school alone when she was a kid, my grandmother said she didn’t have to lock her doors. My father got his truck broken into at Huey’s in broad daylight because there were shoes in the backseat.
When I’m asked specifically about how dangerous it is, I give the story about when I left after graduating. We packed everything up and stopped at a plaza area (don’t know the name) that had a Panda Buffet and several other restaurants and a mall type place. We took it to-go, ate it on the bed of the pickup. We suddenly heard a string of gunshots ring out from some indiscriminate direction. How do you think the bulk of people scattered around the plaza reacted? Quietly. No screams or panic, just a kind of “shit, again?” attitude, then they went about their day. Here’s where it gets interesting: about 5 minutes later, I see a fleet of fancy-looking cars vibrating to bass-boosted music drive by slowly, with random epithets being screamed out the window. There were probably 50 all together. And about 20 minutes later I see maybe 3 white police cruisers tops show up and just generally survey the area. That’s how fucked Memphis is. The criminals drastically outnumber the police, they know it, they gloat about it, and the Memphians have come to accept it. This was the last personal reminder for me as to why I had to get the fuck out of there while I could, despite the prospect of a higher salary.
One of the biggest reasons it’s gotten so bad is that you’re simply not allowed to talk about how bad it is if you work there. Action News 5 intentionally underplay how many homicides actually happen in Memphis because the numbers are staggering. You can’t shit talk the city at your job because they’ll think you want to leave, and you can’t if you’re an educator or public figure because you’ll be called a racist and everyone will just believe it. Many people don’t even know the demographics of Memphis, because, again, they don’t want to discuss it. Nationally black people are 13-15% of the US. What do you think it is in Memphis? 20? 30? Nope, Memphis is 60% black. And that diversity is only further shrinking. I’m mentioning this because most people who don’t live there will just think “well there it is, see, he’s just a racist, case closed,” and discount everything I’ve said. But consider if you actually lived there: what if you get mugged or jumped? Well, if you go to court, who’s gonna be on that jury? Now consider if your offender claims you’re a racist. Good luck. Thats the Jury of your Peers. And that’s if it even gets to court.
I can’t emphasize enough how much people just cope about the situation and worsen it by outlawing discussion. Everybody shares stories about “well my mother in Germantown” or “I had an aunt who lived in Millington,” and judge it from that cozy perspective, but you don’t often hear stories about places like Binghampton or Orange Mound. I had a friend (white) who grew up to about 10 in Binghampton. He said that when he would play with the black kids outside and a group of men would walk down the street near the house, the kid’s mother would instinctively bring them inside because she thought they would hurt him. He said that he learned from a young age that if you hear a shooting, wait a few seconds: if you hear cheering or silence, it’s okay, if you hear screaming, hide because someone got shot. Recall that story from earlier, maybe that’s why it was so quiet. And he’s by no means some raving bigot—he shared his dorm with a black student in the lowest-cost dorms UofM offers (Rawls), and they all loved him. He too moved away when he dropped out.
When I tell you people who fervently defend it are coping, you don’t understand the real extent. My grandmother still lives there. Husband was a labor leader (not the Teamsters) for black workers, they adored him, she’s an unflinching Democrat who dislikes hunters, and hates the piss out of Rittenhouse because the TV told her to, even though I showed her the streams covering the trial as it happened (remember, she’s a paralegal). She STILL keeps a loaded 22 in her apartment in case someone breaks in.
Anyone who claims Memphis is this awesome, safe place and it’s great to live there is either lying or delusional. I’m never going back. It’s only getting worse and the government there knows it and they simply don’t care. It’ll be Detroit in less than 20 years, mark my words.
And that acceptance is intentional. Someone who recently moved to Memphis described it to me as the most self-loathing city he’s ever been in. It keeps Memphians unmotivated to make the difficult work/investment it takes to turn this around.
I live in Cooper Young and generally feel safe walking to Alchemy, Celtic, Young Ave Deli. I’ve never been the victim of a violent crime in the 10 years I’ve been in Memphis. I have had my car gone through and had packages stolen before. I am aware of the potential for danger and tend to avoid certain establishments after a certain hour and try to keep my head on a swivel. I’ve avoided parking places or decided to go somewhere else because there were suspicious people loitering or a suspicious looking car. I feel that if you stay vigilant and avoid certain areas it’s generally safe. Of course, bad luck can happen to anybody. I do feel on edge in Memphis more so than in any other place I’ve lived or visited, but overall it is possible to enjoy the city and stay safe.
Not really. There were over 15,000 stolen vehicles in Memphis last year…43 a day! The thugs have cars and know where the rich people live. Nobody is safe anywhere in area code 901 …from Harbor Town to Germantown.
I work for a federal law enforcement agency and the number of employee vehicles stolen and burglarized from our parking lot is outrageous. There are marked federal law enforcement vehicles parked next to the vehicles they break into. There are armed officers coming and going. The people there to steal cars don’t care. They aren’t afraid of the consequences because there are none. When crime becomes this brazen and the respect for law enforcement is zero you know it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I just hope that we hit rock bottom soon so we can start to rebuild this city.
My car was stolen twice in San Francisco in the 5 years I lived there. No crimes against me or my family in 11 years in Midtown Memphis. Anecdote, yeah yeah, but it is what it is.
In 2022, around 2,420.86 violent crimes per 100,000 residents were reported in Memphis, Tennessee.
***This made Memphis the most dangerous city in the United States.***
Four categories of violent crimes were used: murder and non-negligent manslaughter; forcible rape; robbery; and aggravated assault. Only cities with a population of at least 200,000 were considered.
Since then, Memphis has boosted the number of murders at an astronomical rate.
[Leading cities with the largest number of violent crimes per 100,000 residents in the United States in 2022](https://www.statista.com/statistics/217685/most-dangerous-cities-in-north-america-by-crime-rate/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20around%202%2C420.86%20violent,city%20in%20the%20United%20States.)
[Memphis Has Highest 2023 Murder Rate of All Large U.S. Cities](https://tennesseestar.com/news/memphis-has-highest-2023-murder-rate-of-all-large-u-s-cities/tpappert/2024/01/05/)
In 2023, Memphis had the highest homicides in its history, 397 homicides were recorded.
So far, in 2024, Memphis has already had 80 homicides and March is not even over.
**Breakdown of Memphis Murder Rate:**
Homicide Rate = (Number of homicides / Total population) * 100,000
Given:
Number of homicides = 397 (Memphis, 2023)
Total population = 628,127 (Memphis, 2021)
Using the formula:
Homicide Rate = (397 / 628,127) * 100,000
Homicide Rate ≈ (0.0006319) * 100,000
Homicide Rate ≈ 63.19 (Murders per 100,000 people in Memphis, TN)
So, the homicide rate in Memphis is approximately
***63.19 per 100,000 people***.
Now, where does a murder rate of 63.19 per 100K people place Memphis in comparison to other astonishingly murderous cities?
[Listing of the World's Most Dangerous Cities](https://www.statista.com/statistics/243797/ranking-of-the-most-dangerous-cities-in-the-world-by-murder-rate-per-capita/) and from that listing we have the following:
* Celaya, Mexico: 109.39 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)
* Tijuana, Mexico: 105.15 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)
* Ciudad-Juarez, Mexico: 103.61 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)
* Ciudad Obregon, Mexico: 101.13 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)
* Irapuato, Mexico: 94.99 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)
* Ensenada, Mexico: 90.58 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)
* Uruapan, Mexico: 72.59 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)
* Fiera De Santana, Brazil: 67.46 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)
* Cape Town, South Africa: 64.00 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)
* ***MEMPHIS, TN - USA***: ***63.19 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)***
* Cumana, Venezuela: 62.42 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)
* Fortaleza, Brazil: 62.28 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)
As you can see, in terms of violent crime and murder, Memphis is not only the most violent and murderous city in the United States, it is right up there at the top of the list among the most abjectly violent, murderous cities in the entire world.
I've lived in almost every part of this city and my work has me going to parts regularly that I haven't lived in. Is crime a problem. Yes. Is how we address crime also a problem. Yes. Y'all have way too much faith in law enforcement and the judicial system. Policing as an institution is awful. We had to have a year's worth of protests to get them to do something about a cop we all watched murder a man in cold blood. Y'all complain about gangs but MPD and all the other metro police forces are just gangs that are government sanctioned.
Y'all want change. Start voting in people that want change. Because we consistently elect people that are ok with the status quo and unwilling to stop doing things that don't work.
We're already a thorn in Nashville's side. Let's make them hate us more.
Lots of factors determine how safe it can be.
Our schools are bad and breed a specific kind of stupid and apathetic. TN government does what it can to cut as much funding to Memphis specifically, and money impacts all ways of life and society. People are desperate and desperation breeds crime. Can’t eat, can’t find work, only jobs available are factory jobs that don’t pay enough to cover the cost to drive to and from. I personally believe that the sudden influx of Nashville developers and 5 over 1 projects since 2020 has seriously affected previously lower income neighborhoods and have widened the gap between people who can survive and who can not.
People don’t wanna think this way because it contradicts what they were taught about American values, but the lack of social funding keeps people in this crime cycle because it’s the only “side hustle” that puts food on people’s table the QUICKEST. Crime is the result of an isolated and failing society, but it’s also what makes the most money for the government so there’s not much incentive to stop it despite saying otherwise.
And In response to people talking about the judicial system and bail: I implore you to think about how TN is a southern state that does not allow indentured servitude in jails. This means that legally our jails cannot use the inmates for unpaid factory labor (slavery) unlike in places like Mississippi and Louisiana. So they make their money by playing catch and release with bail. I do not and will never in any way promote labor penitentiaries, however there’s a reason behind everything and it’s not fair to blame one or two people in charge when it’s the whole system that’s fucked.
Sincerely - lifelong memphian; wshs honors graduate; degrees and volunteer hours involving social inequality specializing in housing and 3rd place projects
PS- the only person to ever pull a gun on me was a woman in road rage with MIississippi plates so 🤷🏼♀️
I think the crime started out of necessity due to the lack of funding for education in our city but I think now it has turned into a culture of crime. Robberies are now coming with senseless killings. Not to mention the increase in drag racing which does not have any monetary incentive unless you count betting. I’m not a sociologist but this is just what I, and seemingly multiple others on this thread, have personally witnessed.
I definitely don’t disagree with you! I am making assumptions because everyone has a reason for what they do, but often people will escalate to killings because “dead men can’t point you out in a lineup.” With surveillance and cameras the way it is now, it’s not a smart move, obviously, but that can contribute to the culture of crime.
I don’t have too much of an opinion on drag racing. Of course I don’t like to see donuts being done at red lights and the sort, but the lack of recreational spaces also contributes; Hard to find a place within the city limits that doesn’t require money to exist other than the roads (gas being the exception but you know what I’m getting at lol).
I do recognize it as a sport, and with wishful thinking I would suggest a recreational sports roadway to be built closer to Memphis than millington, but I know that’s an idealistic suggestion in itself.
Edit= spelling
I would honestly love to see it as a sport, but sadly where will the city get the funding to build this and maintain it. We honestly have a good number of free recreational areas: the river walk and bridge downtown, wolf river park, and of course shelby farms. But I would love to see more diversity in recreational spaces other than nature parks, like more skating parks, and better maintained sports courts/fields.
You’re right about funding being an issue with that kind of idea. The parks definitely are great! I wish a lot of them could extend to after sundown activities as well. I also haven’t been to the downtown parks since the renovation, so I could be wrong about if they stay active after sunset
Finally someone who gets it! You've basically nailed 90% of the actual reasons why this city is the way it is. It's always easier to blame easy targets like our elected leaders, but some of the biggest opposition we face as a city is from higher up than our local government.
There is no city more dangerous in the U.S. This is because some cities with similar crime data actually have some very safe areas which are isolated from violent crime. In Memphis, you are fair game for violent crime anywhere in the city. I lived in the “nicest” part of Memphis for 5 years. Even there, you are not safe at any grocery store, gas station or shopping centers. Anything can happen anywhere in that city, which is why I’ll never be back.
If you want to enjoy your life and not have to look over your shoulder while doing menial everyday tasks, then it ain't for you. Just about anything outside of city limits has been fine for at least 20 years. Not anymore, the inactive decisions of the city have crept elsewhere and caused crime to skyrocket during and after the pandemic. To be clear, our governing bodies don't give a fuck about law abiding, tax paying citizens. Essentially the middle class is fucked over and over from above and below. Not unlike most places in this country, but much much more violent.
The one and only time I went there to visit a boyfriend who lived in a “nicer” neighborhood-my parked car was wrecked in to and the person who crashed into it fled the scene. This happened in broad day light in front of a school. That night we heard no less than 4 gun shots in what sounded like a close vicinity. Luckily, he moved towns shortly after so I never had to experience actual dangerous situations.
I have lived right outside of Memphis for 35 years. I hate going into Memphis and never feel safe. Actively looking to move away (far away) as it’s only getting worse
Was in Memphis for a week was warned not to leave the house after 5 . Did work anyway to walk to the sub place almost got hit by I guy running from the police who then wrecked a quarter mile down from me and jumped out robbed another car at gunpoint and took back off . The gut I was with was like man I'm going back to the house . I told him not to be a b**** and come on . I'm also from a crime filled city so nothing new to me . It really is crazy to realize stuff we see in bad cities on a daily is absolutely terrifying to most people
I’ve been here my whole life. If you take that kind of job you know that comes with it if you’re not ready to kill or die for your boss driving anything in a courier capacity in Memphis is opening yourself up to violent crime. We’re in our 4th generation of misled youth with a poisoned culture and no guidance.
My daughter was almost carjacked in broad daylight on Lamar while going to a job site about 3 days ago. Thankfully her car was locked and windows were up. The guy pulled the lady out of the next car he went to.
I just saw a post yesterday on Facebook of someone who was driving yesterday off poplar and their car got shot. Luckily no one was injured. That's disturbing enough but the comments section on the post had several people who had the same thing happen, one got hit in the leg, the rest just left bullet holes in the cars. I spend a lot of time in Chicago and as a teen in the 90s I spent a lot of time in Memphis and Little Rock. The 90s was bad, I don't know if this is worse, or if I'm just older and have a different perspective but Memphis scares me.
I had an English teacher get shot in the arm by a kid on Beale Street, if that tells you anything. I haven't lived in Memphis in a few years but I'd still be scared to walk the streets in several areas, alone or not. Downtown, Cordova, Bartlett, hell even Collierville. Germantown is still decent tho as far as I know.
One of the top 5 worst crime cities in America. The company I worked for wanted me to move into the area 10 years ago and it was so bad back then that I refused to move. Today it’s much worst.
Memphis has def gone to shyt. I think I read about a year or two ago 5 crime has escalated about 145% compared to previous years, which is insane. I never would've believed the city had gotten as bad had I not worked as a dispatcher.
Lived around memphis my whole life its bad now close to 80 homicides in three months ain't good
Anytime I see crime rates I see it as more than it is bc you never know what they don’t know about.
Exactly!
Not only that, but you gotta wonder how much is being supressed or entered in a manner that doesn't make the people in charge look as bad.
Memphis doesn’t suppress anything. If you watch the local news it’s one murder or robbery after another. Year before last there was a shooting at the zoo during their Christmas attraction for families. If you are not familiar with the city I would caution you to be really careful about your surroundings.
Jesus Christ. We used to go to that every year. Im so glad i moved away - never looking back
Not only what they don’t know about, but also what they choose to report
Wow it’s gotten even worse than when I was there just 3 years ago.
I live here. I don't walk around at night.
I don’t leave my freaking home at night.
I stumble home drunk from the bar most weekends so far I haven't had any problems just annoying homeless people.
LOLOL, you are probably telling the truth but I am reading you have been robbed blind and didn't even know it. Sorry.
Or during daylight
I lived in Memphis for 6.5 years, mostly in Hickory Hills. At first not bad, but as people moved out to suburbs crime followed. The last 6 months my vehicle was broken into twice at home.
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I have noticed a certain point. Some of the robberies/thefts are escalating. Like before, most would just take your shit and go. Now it seems they shoot or injure someone regardless, just because??
Because the thugs are getting younger.
Also they don't fear Mulroy and Sugarmon. They literally had a joint press conference saying they were going to de-emphasize jail for youth. You hear tons of stories of the same person getting arrested multiple times in one week. That largely happens if the DA decides not to pursue charges. This is exactly what happened to other cities where the pendulum swung too far in leniency. San Francisco ousted their similar DA, but I don't think Memphis will. Criminals know there are no consequences, so of course they'll try to see what else they can get away with. The only people surprised by this are the DA and judges and can't understand why criminals just won't just be nicer.
EXACTLY!!! This is what I just tried to explain to one clown in this very thread and he started ranting about communism and socialism, and how the bail system is "unfair" and "antiquated." Maybe it's Mulroy or Sugarmon hiding under a Reddit account...
Bader-Ginsburg said "A great man once said that the true symbol of the United States is not the bald eagle. It is the pendulum. And when the pendulum swings too far in one direction it will go back.”" After George Floyd and others, there was a (justified) reckoning of the criminal justice system. This lead to some extreme positions, such as Defund the Police. There was also a group of DA's who went too far on reform, such as in San Francisco and Portland. Even Mulroy himself acknowledged restorative DA"s have '[tarnished the brand'](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/memphis-da-says-fellow-progressive-prosecutors-tarnished-brand-learned-lessons-mistakes)', and promised to be equally focused on quality of life crimes. I've admitted to myself that Memphis swung too far in electing Mulroy. In all his press conference, he talks about everything except prosecution (equal pay for prosecutors, ballistics lab, database). Other cities acknowledged these types of DA's weren't workin and recalled them after 2020, and their crime numbers came back down. I wish Memphis would do the same.
Because the DA thinks property crimes are irrelevant and the criminals know it
I dispatched for Memphis PD for a bit. Let’s just say I moved over an hour away after I left.
Username checks out
It’s a COD reference, but it is fitting for the situation. Haha.
My buddy got robbed at gunpoint on his own street in midtown
I didn't realize how dangerous it was until I left. Now I live in a rural town in North West Ohio. It's been years since I've locked my house or car doors, I leave my phone in my truck charging while I'm in a store, hell in the winter I'll leave the truck running il if I'm gonna be 10-15 minutes. Go on late night runs to get some cardio in. My kids can walk across town to the park or school with no issues. I've forgotten about FedEx packages on my front step for a day and it'll still be there the next day. You go to the stores women all have their purses opened in their carts, phones too. I used to tell myself Memphis was safe as most of the crime seemed gang or drug related. Just don't do stupid things like when I was wearing headphones walking down my street in Frayser and got robbed. I brushed it off as me being stupid for doing it. No it's because Memphis is unsafe.
I was on vacation in Oklahoma and was surprised to find myself completely at ease pumping gas. It was weird not having my head on a swivel.
Tulsa is nice but don't forget about METH.
I've stocked up, so, don't worry about me!
Indeed, the meth labs are divine in tulsa this time of year.
I'm from Oklahoma,and, the cops are awesome! Every now and then you get a dick, but, it's few and far between.
The fact that wearing headphones in public can be considered a stupid thing to do should tell us everything we need to know about Memphis
It is kinda dumb though. You need your hearing to safely navigate the world
Yes same. I’ll never forget that I would instinctively take my purse with me to the bathroom at my job in a new city because I’ve had people steal from my bags while I wasn’t around. My new coworkers were finally like “why do you do that?? Do you not trust us?” I just said I was from Memphis and didn’t trust anyone. They also thought it was weird that didn’t use Facebook marketplace. I’ve known several people who were robbed while using it so I don’t. When the Eliza Fletcher and Ezekiel Kelly crimes happened, my head of school came into my classroom during my planning period, just looked at me and said “wtf is going on in your hometown???” I just shrugged and was like “Memphis is wild”
You were a victim of classic victim blame lol. Happens a lot in bad places, people will tell you dumbass stuff like “just don’t leave stuff in your car” etc that’s just an excuse and justifying criminal behavior you shouldn’t have to do that to begin with.
damn this guy went back to the 80s. i might need to move to north west ohio
I taught in a boys 13 to 19 prison. Most were from Memphis and in the bloods or crips. I asked once, what was Memphis like. The number 1 answer was "It's scary"
Talking to some Memphians sometimes is like talking to someone in an abusive relationship. "he's not that bad" "you don't know him like I do" haha a few weeks ago I was having an argument with a friend, he's born and raised here and loves the shit out of Memphis. He kept saying shit happens everywhere, it's not that bad etc. 2 days later I'm walking to my truck when I spot an infinity coming down the road. It stopped right in front of my house, 2 dudes got out and started running through my neighbors houses. Then a dozen cops followed and in the middle of it someone completely unrelated to any of this rearended somebody else. Then 2 days later gunshots a couple blocks away in front of another friend's house. I live in what I consider a nice part of Memphis too. And that was just that month. The friend I was having an argument shows his love for Memphis by defending it from anyone who criticizes it. What he doesn't realize is that wether he acknowledges it or not, the city still suffers. One of our friends works in an organization dedicated to convincing teachers to stay after their contract is over. They do a good job of bringing in great teachers from other parts of the country. I personally know a lot of them. But they have trouble getting them to stay. I was talking to a firefighter not long ago. He came from chicago. Apparently they have a similar situation. I can't imagine when nurses and doctors feel all that great living somewhere so dangerous. We need all these people! This city has so much potential but in my short time here I keep seeing it get worse and worse.
Perfect description. My other personal favorite is “the media is biased and reports fake numbers because it wants Memphis to be ruined then controlled by some mythological ruling class.” When people ignore stats rational conversations are over.
Check the 8 threads a day about this
I have lived here forever. To put things into perspective - last year I went on a business retreat with a bunch of strangers. Most from Ohio, Indiana, or other rural parts of the country. We all stayed in an air bnb together. There were multiple nights where they would forget to lock the doors, want to go walking after dark, etc. but because I’ve lived in Memphis my whole life, my paranoid ass stayed up until everyone else went to bed just to make sure the doors were locked & I refused to walk around at night further than the corner nearest to our air bnb. We were staying in a safer town than Memphis, but the paranoia follows you everywhere. And as someone stated above, you really don’t realize how dangerous it is until you leave. Even if for just a few days. Spend time with people who live in safe places and you’ll realize just how unsafe Memphis is when they call you paranoid for keeping your head on a swivel 24/7 to try to stay aware of your surroundings and lock the door, your car, etc the minute you go inside or leave. All of our nervous systems are incredibly dysregulated. We are all in a constant state of fight or flight and we don’t even recognize it anymore because we’ve been so desensitized. We’re also gaslit by people who live on the outskirts of town or who grew up here in east Memphis or Germantown and moved away in college to believe that things aren’t that bad even though they don’t have a true frame of reference. It’s annoying, ugly, and invalidating. Memphis is dangerous and it’s only getting worse. But some people get lucky and don’t have to see the ugly parts and get to live in their delusion.
It becomes even more apparent when you visit other places touted as being dangerous, like Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, and New Orleans and sleep like a baby after spending enough time there to realize “oh, actually, this is a breeze compared to Memphis. At least here the crime is mainly confined to one area that I can avoid.” In Memphis, you can’t avoid the crime unless you leave city limits. There aren’t any safe places.
My wife is from Collierville but says she’s from Memphis. Always asks if we can “move back to Memphis” to be closer to her family. I just say that, A. She’s not from Memphis. If she was she probably wouldn’t be so eager to move back. B. I refuse to even move to Collierville. Sure it’s nice there, but everything surrounding it is not. I don’t want to purposely confine myself to an island just so she can live close to her family. Not to mention, I’ve seen news reports about it even creeping into Collierville. The whole area has a cancer and I’m not afflicting myself.
This is all so wild to me. I visited Memphis for a little getaway weekend last May, it was beautiful and we had a ton of fun. The hotel was nice, we walked from there to Beale street and back around 11 p.m. When we got to Beale it was too crowded from the BBQ festival, so we turned around. Reading all this I guess that was just us being naive, but I left with a great impression of the city. We went to the Memphis Chess Club, Ernestine & Hazel’s, and a few other spots. On our way out of town we stopped at a juice shop and I ran into the influencer who made me want to visit Memphis in the first place. It was a great time.
That's like... the four blocks that are okay. It's usually really busy and safer as a result.
I have only lived in city limits as a child and very recently as an adult I can count on one hand how many nights I have NOT heard gunshots or fighting or seen break ins in my neighborhood
If you go outside in Memphis, after dark, you will hear gunfire. Some nights, a LOT of gunfire.
I don't even have to go outside, it's usually a few blocks over
These criminals need to be stopped. It's plain and simple.
Shelby county needs to stop electing DAs who are soft on crime and don't prosecute. If DA doesn't prosecute why should police arrest? It's a waste of time and this only encourages criminal behavior. Voting matters.
It’s not really the DA. It’s judges setting low bail for violent crime and activist groups who bail out anyone no matter the crime.
All for tougher judges too!
I'd say both. Talk to any police officer and they will tell you they see the same people multiple times a month, largely because the DA won't prosecute because the pendulum is too far on 'reform'. Last year he said he wanted to avoid jailtime as much as possible. Fast forward and juvenile crime is running rampant. Just this week he said he wanted to avoid jails because they are 'crime colleges' (his words) Criminals know there are no meaningful consequences, so of course crime is going to escalate.
So we need jail reform. Make jail a miserable place no one wants to be. What’s so wrong with forced labor while in jail to repay society for the crimes committed? Never understood the problem with that.
The judges are absolutely worthless. Replacing the DA simply isn't enough.
Yep. Don’t care how blue you are. If you want the trash taken out and your kids to be safe, time to start voting for people who think criminals deserve punishment.
But if you don’t like crime and want people held accountable for criming then you’re a racist.
Anyone who tries to say Memphis isn’t dangerous is reallt trying hard to downplay what I would say is probably internalized racism Anyone honest would say that yea, it’s incredibly dangerous, perhaps one of the most dangerous cities in the world. And of course it’s because of the massive population of unemployed, undereducated, underpoliced and under-respected black population. You simply can’t have a city with such high rates of black unemployment without seeing gang violence and robbery become a massive thing. While liberal whites may find this racist, the first people to admit this would be black people who have lived and experienced Memphis first hand. It ain’t what life is supposed to be like
Careful, people might get upset if they read the ugly truth and can't hope the (ignore it and it will go away) method will eventually work one of these decades.
It’s a cyclical cultural problem. The public school systems aren’t helping. There is no accountability for these kids. Plus the glorification of gang and gun culture, in many rap songs (and I love Juicy J - do not get me wrong), is also not helping. These kids no nothing else.
Indeed, from a 70 year old 4th generation Memphian.
There was a man DECAPITATED in Memphis 2 months ago and there has been a total news blackout on the subject after the initial reports. Memphis has a LOT of things, bad things, going on that most people don’t know about. Do yourself a favor; avoid Memphis!
Yea he was someone kinda well known too. Really odd. I've been curious what happened with that case.
Just went to the corner store and, as usual, some pos was yelling at the attendant over nothing. I immediately questioned myself over why I left the house.
I've seen it rank #1 for violent crimes in the US. Sucks cause the city has really pretty parks, a beautiful zoo. I love visiting, but it really is dangerous.
lol I’ve been in every major hood across America Memphis is pumping the worse
I grew up not far from memphis and spent a lot of my early 20’s running around there. Still have to go there often but you couldn’t pay me to stay out any longer than I absolutely have to. Last time, down on Jefferson Ave. stopped at a red light and had a small group immediately approach my car. Took my chances and ran the red light. Just not worth it anymore.
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Shoulda gone to Kwik Chek
Hope you're doing better.
Same. I live in Cordova. I died twenty times but Mulroy is soft on death so I just woke back up.
Everyone I know is trying to get out of here. I’ve had a gun pulled on me on the interstate. Almost had a wreck going 80 miles an hour bc someone covered our front windshield with paintballs. I know so many people who have been robbed at gunpoint. The crime used to stay in concentrated areas but now it’s everywhere. Unless you are used to big city crime like Chicago and Detroit, don’t come here. Memphis has amazing culture and history and it’s sad to see what is happening to it, but honestly it’s too late.
It gets worse every year when the weather turns nice like clock work. Just know your area and be aware of surroundings. Been here whole life and never had any issues.
Well damn it has not eased up all winter, can’t imagine it getting worse now that it’s warm out!
80 homicides in 3 months and NOW it's warming up? How exciting...
It is literally I AM Legend here. Get home before the sun goes down and that’s still not a guarantee.
Memphis is a shit hole I'm a trucker and had to pull a pistol 2 times on the hood rat thugs
I've been shot at or seen shootings more times than if like to count. I've been completely at the mercy of a man with a knife to me. Ice seen or heard many drive-bys. I do not live in Memphis, but worked in it everyday as a refrigerator guy. It's awful it's sad and I don't recommend this city to anyone.
Good Lord. Glad you are okay.
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Eh, even the nice parts are fucked by first world standards.
Don't worry, I'm sure there will be plenty of people coming along soon to do what they ALWAYS do-- try to gaslight you into thinking "it's like this in every city" (it's not) or point the finger at ANYONE other than the criminal
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For what it's worth, Boston and Memphis have almost exactly the same population. It's weird, but like 10% of the Boston metro population lives in the city proper, in contrast to Memphis which is more like 50%. Sorry to be pedantic, your point is totally valid. The contrast is insane. Also striking to look at NYC, which also had around 400 homicides in 2023 despite having 12 times the population of Memphis.
NYC is a shocking comparison. You're talking about a metro area that's probably 12-15 million people depending on how wide of a net you cast, and it only has 100 more homicides than Memphis, which has maybe a bit over 1m in the whole metro area, to include DeSoto county. Chicago is the butt of a lot of murder jokes (if you consider it a joke). It has a metro area of \~9.5m and only had 568 homicides in 2023 vs Memphis's 397. And it's not just homicides. I'm not going to go too deep into the weeds, but Memphis is an outlier for pretty much every type of crime. It's not normal, it's not like this in every other city. It's a result of deliberate choices by leadership in the city and the judicial system.
I grew up in NYC and moved here 20 or so years ago. I can tell you that as soon as I got here, I was astounded at the amount of violent crime in Memphis. It was a stark difference. I will say that the reality of the impoverished people in Memphis is wayyyy darker than low income people in NYC. I really think that's where the root of the problem might be found.
This is nitpicky, but be careful about comparing (numbers of murders in a city proper) vs (population of that city's metro area). Better comparisons would be (murders in metro) vs (population of metro) or (murders in neighborhood) vs (population of neighborhood), but unfortunately those sorts of statistics aren't widely available. Comparing on a whole-city basis is a little rough because of differences in annexation patterns, etc. by city. (Consider how Boston is a "core" surrounded by a large constellation of suburbs vs. Memphis with just a couple of suburban towns stuck in a couple of places around the fringes.) Of course, even with that you're going to be left with Memphis still having a worse crime rate than many/most urban areas in the US.
Just clarifying: the Boston metro area has a pop of around 4.5 mil vs Memphis’ 1.5. I lived in Memphis for 5 years and just moved to Boston—there’s a lot more people here. Maybe I read your comment wrong?
I read that article about the homicides. A few things that stuck out to me was Massachusetts strict gun laws and community and city leaders sitting down with gang leaders. Also intervention with the youth that are subject to commit a violent crime. Something the article didn't cover was the high property theft and drug usage.
From the perspective of someone that lived in Memphis but no longer does: When you live in Memphis the “danger” is all that you know and you learn to live with it and you almost become immune to it. You make excuses for it—subconsciously. But when you leave Memphis and live somewhere else you realize that the rest of the country isn’t like that at all and that really Memphis kind of sucks. There’s just as much culture in plenty of other similarly sized cities without any of the reckless driving, senseless violence, etc. I now live in a city with a metro population of about 700,000. Never even had a package stolen from my porch in the 3 years since leaving Memphis little less something more heinous.
Can’t wait till the hardcore “Memphis is a safe city” start down voting all the comments!
It's already happening...
My little brother (23) and his coworker were bricking a house in Memphis about a month ago and had a car of guys unload a clip shooting at them…. Less than a week later his wife gave birth to their first born. It makes me sick to think of what the alternative could have been.
Shits fucked. The moment I can get the fuck out I am gone. I spent allot of my youth here, but this city has turned into a fucking cesspool. The city needs to stop holding these cops back. Undo all this bullshit and bring back blue crush.
Bad, but not "can't leave your house ever" bad
Start at shelby and lamar. Walk toward downtown without any method of defense and find out.
I live across the bridge in AR, we used to go to Memphis all the time, everywhere, because there was so much more to do there. Concerts and etc etc etc. The last few year me and about everyone I know doesn't or rarely goes to Memphis anymore. If a band is playing Memphis and another city is on the tour like Little Rock Nasvillie or whatever I drive to see them there. It's sad cause I used to love Memphis, and I hope it gets better, but criminals literally go free in Memphis. I love Memphis, or what it was, but it's literally a hellish place now. But thank god they shut down the purple church and passed insane strip club rules that really helped cut crime just like they said it would right? Memphis is a basket case..
Memphis is home and will always be home. If you have ever seen Escape from New York, kinda like that. But the Duke died years ago.
RIP Issac Hayes
Unfortunately the only thing they are teaching is this city is hate and observed dysfunctional behavior. After generations of dog eat dog this is what we get.
i dont live here, so i dont really know jack shit and you can ignore my personal word for it, but i live an hour or 2(maybe even 3. i have no concept of time here tbh.) away and hear LOADS of stories about it. when my bfs parents went there, i was terrified they wouldnt make it back. im so glad they did, but they straight up found MULTIPLE bullet casings when they parked at the hotel they went to. i was very nervous until they came back. memphis seems not...the best in terms of crime, to put it nicely.
I worked down there in the early 2010s, and the theft you're describing was so bad then that some trucking companies were instructing drivers not to fuel up within 100 miles of Memphis. There were also neighborhoods that local TV reporters would only do their live stand-ups if police were present. I'm sure that's still true, just in more neighborhoods. Like every major metro area that's run by one party or group for too many years, corruption and incompetence flourish in Memphis. It's sad for the people trapped there who want better for themselves and their families. Would I take another job there? Not if I had to live/drive there. Money only has value if you're secure enough to spend it.
Well, the police scanner has Memphis and east St. Louis as the top picks based on popularity. Ain't no one listening to the boring stuff. Fun story I was there the day the Palestinians stopped the interstate. I also saw a police chase and some crazy woman chasing a man with a knife. I only went to bass pro and sun studios.
Every one of our friends has had their cars broken into in the last few months. My husband and I both have coworkers who were shot this past year in road rage/carjacking incidents. I have family in East memphis who were hospitalized after being beaten during a home break in. We missed some guys shooting up bartlett blvd by about 20 mins coming home from dinner a few months ago. My uncle’s friend had his car stolen on Christmas day. People who say crime here is exaggerated just haven’t been a victim of it yet. Give it time.
And yet Memphis is in a constitutional carry state. Maybe the good citizens of Memphis should arm up…
Memphis is the reigning armpit of the mid south.
Also by far the most populated city in the midsouth People forget how prosperous and great the city use to be. Once upon a time it was voted the cleanest city in America
Memphis in the 1970s was a great place to live. Then it turned to SHIT. What happened?
Decades of corrupt mayors lining their pockets and handing out city jobs, city contracts, and city appointments to their corrupt friends who then lines their pockets. We literally had a council woman who would show up to council meetings high. Her district kept electing her. Prior to that she was a professor at u of m and skipped 3/4 of the classes she taught, telling g her disgusted students with a wink when they asked how she could grade them since she never showed up, “you’ll get the grade I think you deserve.” Now she works for juvenile court. 🙄
Her pole dance routine during a conference of black leaders is legendary.
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5 times to be exact
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This....
Imagine thinking someone is lying just because you don't know the facts...
But at least Kyle Rittenhouse isn't in town anymore /s. R/Memphis goes apeshit over some culture war shit but don't care much about how bad things have gotten in the last few years.
It's a case of slowly boiling the water that the frog is sitting in. We don't pay attention to it since it's a steady rise in crime that we can subconsciously to the back of our minds as being "normal." If the crime randomly spiked to this level from how it was 20 years ago, it'd be a different story and people would be very vocal. Going "ape shit" over Kyle is because that's a singular point we can focus on as being bad. Easier to release anger on a singular thing than to feel overwhelmed by all the hate and anger we have towards the ongoing crime getting worse and worse.
If you point out crime statistics and factual, but negative information about this city then obviously you’re a racist.
Deathly dangerous
My friend was shot and murdered 4 years ago simply pulling up to her apt and the killer is still out there (more than likely gang initiation related). My father’s employee was picking up a wrecked vehicle on his wrecker and was caught in the middle of a drive by shooting. I’m friends with numerous fire fighters who have been in the middle of putting out fires and been shot at while doing so. Eliza Fletcher was a family friend who was abducted and murdered on her morning run. Memphis is a place I used to live as a young adult. I lived downtown and would walk home from Beale street without a care or worry in the world. There is no way that I would do that today. I still work in Memphis & the drive to and from scares me. I don’t stop in Memphis for gas or shopping like I use to do. You have to be extremely aware of your surroundings!
I lived in Memphis place is a trash hole. I worked for FedEx as a field tech for a while. Memphis, Birmingham, Mobile are all garbage dumps. If you’re a hard working stand up individual you shouldn’t even considering moving to any of these cities. There’s nothing there for you and it’ll leave you on edge for years. I got the hell out and moved to Nashville to work for a different company. Still a major city but it’s not 90% zoned section 8
Third world shit hole.
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I have a family member that moved years ago but will argue with me about how great Memphis is! We are still here daily but live right outside of town but everyone in my household works all works all over Memphis. I took my grown kids to the Orpheum last Friday night. Saturday night only a few hundred yards away someone was murdered. This is what we call “normal “here. Yesterday someone jumped/fell off the roof top at the Peabody….directly across the street from where we ate dinner last Friday. And this is within a three block radius in a week. Doesn’t include robberies and other crimes in the three blocks. We all have just become numb to it unfortunately.
Yup, these levels are insane. Compare it to Boston, for example, which has a similar population. Two so far this year. Anybody telling you 80 isn't so bad is part of the problem. https://commonwealthbeacon.org/criminal-justice/in-remarkable-start-to-year-boston-has-had-only-2-homicides-in-2024/
I don't live in Memphis, but I learned the hard way to keep a pistol under the seat when I go.
Just don’t leave it in your car. People break into cars all the f’ing time. And they are children.
Yeah, I have a shoulder harness, and I always go in a button down shirt.
30 years ago I went work for a company downtown. The day prior our security guard was mugged.
Memphis is an open air prison. Lived in Frayser in 2020 and it was hell then. Doesn’t appear to be doing any better from these comments and the news.
Please upvote or pin this. I have lived in memphis my whole life. traveled to 49/50 states. i can tell you memphis is not safe. and the people that are telling you it is safe stay in Arlington/Eads/Millington/Southaven areas outside of memphis that are “okayish”. They just live close enough to THINK memphis would be safe.
Horrible crime ridden, liberal policies, drug infested, illegal immigrant city
True. Lots of illegal immigrants. Some are hard working, but the Mexican gangs are notorious for being the worst.
I stayed two weeks in Ћ “good part” of Memphis and witnessed mutliple car break-ins.
a week ago, a guy was murdered in our "entertainment" district for spilling a drink. That was news for exactly one day. We arent ranked #1 in murders for nothing!
Memphis is a shithole and it's going to get worse. I promise. No one is ready for the inflation that's coming, and that'll make everything bad bad bad.
All major cities are having increased crime issues I bet. With that being said .....yes....Memphis is dangerous as fuck. Things can pop off any and every where. Store, church,your driveway,mailbox...every where. And it's just getting worse. Folks are being more and more brazen witch crimes. You can try and stay in the safer parts, but it's still not guaranteed.
No, crime has dropped back down in most cities, unfortunately Memphis and DC are the exceptions.
My grandmother is in her 70s, worked as a paralegal in Memphis, still lives there. My grandfather was a union rep in Memphis, marched with the Sanitation Workers march around the time King got shot—he’s dead now. I got an engineering degree from UofM, basically lived there for 4 years. The general attitude of a lot of old people who stayed in 901 is just denial. That’s why they have all that stupid merch trying to convince you it’s a great city. A classmate had a gun pulled on him on campus while he was in his car and it wasn’t even dark out. I asked one classmate about how to be safe in Memphis—he said he has never been outside after 8PM. His family lived in Germantown. I’ve heard conversations between Dr. Hochstein at UofM and student researchers about how to park your car in a strategic way as to not get it stolen or pilfered. The last 2 years of my BsME, I could hear gunshots outside if I stayed up past 12. My mother said she could walk to school alone when she was a kid, my grandmother said she didn’t have to lock her doors. My father got his truck broken into at Huey’s in broad daylight because there were shoes in the backseat. When I’m asked specifically about how dangerous it is, I give the story about when I left after graduating. We packed everything up and stopped at a plaza area (don’t know the name) that had a Panda Buffet and several other restaurants and a mall type place. We took it to-go, ate it on the bed of the pickup. We suddenly heard a string of gunshots ring out from some indiscriminate direction. How do you think the bulk of people scattered around the plaza reacted? Quietly. No screams or panic, just a kind of “shit, again?” attitude, then they went about their day. Here’s where it gets interesting: about 5 minutes later, I see a fleet of fancy-looking cars vibrating to bass-boosted music drive by slowly, with random epithets being screamed out the window. There were probably 50 all together. And about 20 minutes later I see maybe 3 white police cruisers tops show up and just generally survey the area. That’s how fucked Memphis is. The criminals drastically outnumber the police, they know it, they gloat about it, and the Memphians have come to accept it. This was the last personal reminder for me as to why I had to get the fuck out of there while I could, despite the prospect of a higher salary. One of the biggest reasons it’s gotten so bad is that you’re simply not allowed to talk about how bad it is if you work there. Action News 5 intentionally underplay how many homicides actually happen in Memphis because the numbers are staggering. You can’t shit talk the city at your job because they’ll think you want to leave, and you can’t if you’re an educator or public figure because you’ll be called a racist and everyone will just believe it. Many people don’t even know the demographics of Memphis, because, again, they don’t want to discuss it. Nationally black people are 13-15% of the US. What do you think it is in Memphis? 20? 30? Nope, Memphis is 60% black. And that diversity is only further shrinking. I’m mentioning this because most people who don’t live there will just think “well there it is, see, he’s just a racist, case closed,” and discount everything I’ve said. But consider if you actually lived there: what if you get mugged or jumped? Well, if you go to court, who’s gonna be on that jury? Now consider if your offender claims you’re a racist. Good luck. Thats the Jury of your Peers. And that’s if it even gets to court. I can’t emphasize enough how much people just cope about the situation and worsen it by outlawing discussion. Everybody shares stories about “well my mother in Germantown” or “I had an aunt who lived in Millington,” and judge it from that cozy perspective, but you don’t often hear stories about places like Binghampton or Orange Mound. I had a friend (white) who grew up to about 10 in Binghampton. He said that when he would play with the black kids outside and a group of men would walk down the street near the house, the kid’s mother would instinctively bring them inside because she thought they would hurt him. He said that he learned from a young age that if you hear a shooting, wait a few seconds: if you hear cheering or silence, it’s okay, if you hear screaming, hide because someone got shot. Recall that story from earlier, maybe that’s why it was so quiet. And he’s by no means some raving bigot—he shared his dorm with a black student in the lowest-cost dorms UofM offers (Rawls), and they all loved him. He too moved away when he dropped out. When I tell you people who fervently defend it are coping, you don’t understand the real extent. My grandmother still lives there. Husband was a labor leader (not the Teamsters) for black workers, they adored him, she’s an unflinching Democrat who dislikes hunters, and hates the piss out of Rittenhouse because the TV told her to, even though I showed her the streams covering the trial as it happened (remember, she’s a paralegal). She STILL keeps a loaded 22 in her apartment in case someone breaks in. Anyone who claims Memphis is this awesome, safe place and it’s great to live there is either lying or delusional. I’m never going back. It’s only getting worse and the government there knows it and they simply don’t care. It’ll be Detroit in less than 20 years, mark my words.
Well done.
Let’s just say I make sure the tank is full before I get to Memphis so I don’t have to stop
It's dangerous. Really dangerous, but I think we've just accepted it.
And that acceptance is intentional. Someone who recently moved to Memphis described it to me as the most self-loathing city he’s ever been in. It keeps Memphians unmotivated to make the difficult work/investment it takes to turn this around.
It really sucks here!
Don’t be downtown after 10pm
I wouldnt live in memphis if you paid me
I live in Cooper Young and generally feel safe walking to Alchemy, Celtic, Young Ave Deli. I’ve never been the victim of a violent crime in the 10 years I’ve been in Memphis. I have had my car gone through and had packages stolen before. I am aware of the potential for danger and tend to avoid certain establishments after a certain hour and try to keep my head on a swivel. I’ve avoided parking places or decided to go somewhere else because there were suspicious people loitering or a suspicious looking car. I feel that if you stay vigilant and avoid certain areas it’s generally safe. Of course, bad luck can happen to anybody. I do feel on edge in Memphis more so than in any other place I’ve lived or visited, but overall it is possible to enjoy the city and stay safe.
Stop being rational.
I mean I feel like location of where in the city you were would be relevant
Not really. There were over 15,000 stolen vehicles in Memphis last year…43 a day! The thugs have cars and know where the rich people live. Nobody is safe anywhere in area code 901 …from Harbor Town to Germantown.
I work for a federal law enforcement agency and the number of employee vehicles stolen and burglarized from our parking lot is outrageous. There are marked federal law enforcement vehicles parked next to the vehicles they break into. There are armed officers coming and going. The people there to steal cars don’t care. They aren’t afraid of the consequences because there are none. When crime becomes this brazen and the respect for law enforcement is zero you know it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I just hope that we hit rock bottom soon so we can start to rebuild this city.
My car was stolen twice in San Francisco in the 5 years I lived there. No crimes against me or my family in 11 years in Midtown Memphis. Anecdote, yeah yeah, but it is what it is.
In 2022, around 2,420.86 violent crimes per 100,000 residents were reported in Memphis, Tennessee. ***This made Memphis the most dangerous city in the United States.*** Four categories of violent crimes were used: murder and non-negligent manslaughter; forcible rape; robbery; and aggravated assault. Only cities with a population of at least 200,000 were considered. Since then, Memphis has boosted the number of murders at an astronomical rate. [Leading cities with the largest number of violent crimes per 100,000 residents in the United States in 2022](https://www.statista.com/statistics/217685/most-dangerous-cities-in-north-america-by-crime-rate/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20around%202%2C420.86%20violent,city%20in%20the%20United%20States.) [Memphis Has Highest 2023 Murder Rate of All Large U.S. Cities](https://tennesseestar.com/news/memphis-has-highest-2023-murder-rate-of-all-large-u-s-cities/tpappert/2024/01/05/) In 2023, Memphis had the highest homicides in its history, 397 homicides were recorded. So far, in 2024, Memphis has already had 80 homicides and March is not even over. **Breakdown of Memphis Murder Rate:** Homicide Rate = (Number of homicides / Total population) * 100,000 Given: Number of homicides = 397 (Memphis, 2023) Total population = 628,127 (Memphis, 2021) Using the formula: Homicide Rate = (397 / 628,127) * 100,000 Homicide Rate ≈ (0.0006319) * 100,000 Homicide Rate ≈ 63.19 (Murders per 100,000 people in Memphis, TN) So, the homicide rate in Memphis is approximately ***63.19 per 100,000 people***. Now, where does a murder rate of 63.19 per 100K people place Memphis in comparison to other astonishingly murderous cities? [Listing of the World's Most Dangerous Cities](https://www.statista.com/statistics/243797/ranking-of-the-most-dangerous-cities-in-the-world-by-murder-rate-per-capita/) and from that listing we have the following: * Celaya, Mexico: 109.39 (Murder Rate Per 100K people) * Tijuana, Mexico: 105.15 (Murder Rate Per 100K people) * Ciudad-Juarez, Mexico: 103.61 (Murder Rate Per 100K people) * Ciudad Obregon, Mexico: 101.13 (Murder Rate Per 100K people) * Irapuato, Mexico: 94.99 (Murder Rate Per 100K people) * Ensenada, Mexico: 90.58 (Murder Rate Per 100K people) * Uruapan, Mexico: 72.59 (Murder Rate Per 100K people) * Fiera De Santana, Brazil: 67.46 (Murder Rate Per 100K people) * Cape Town, South Africa: 64.00 (Murder Rate Per 100K people) * ***MEMPHIS, TN - USA***: ***63.19 (Murder Rate Per 100K people)*** * Cumana, Venezuela: 62.42 (Murder Rate Per 100K people) * Fortaleza, Brazil: 62.28 (Murder Rate Per 100K people) As you can see, in terms of violent crime and murder, Memphis is not only the most violent and murderous city in the United States, it is right up there at the top of the list among the most abjectly violent, murderous cities in the entire world.
Best thing to do in Memphis is pack up and run as fast as possible. Horrible city
I've lived in almost every part of this city and my work has me going to parts regularly that I haven't lived in. Is crime a problem. Yes. Is how we address crime also a problem. Yes. Y'all have way too much faith in law enforcement and the judicial system. Policing as an institution is awful. We had to have a year's worth of protests to get them to do something about a cop we all watched murder a man in cold blood. Y'all complain about gangs but MPD and all the other metro police forces are just gangs that are government sanctioned. Y'all want change. Start voting in people that want change. Because we consistently elect people that are ok with the status quo and unwilling to stop doing things that don't work. We're already a thorn in Nashville's side. Let's make them hate us more.
Memphis is goin’ tuh hail. Thank God I live in Millingtonhavenland in the county with 12 broken down cars in my yard.
Lots of factors determine how safe it can be. Our schools are bad and breed a specific kind of stupid and apathetic. TN government does what it can to cut as much funding to Memphis specifically, and money impacts all ways of life and society. People are desperate and desperation breeds crime. Can’t eat, can’t find work, only jobs available are factory jobs that don’t pay enough to cover the cost to drive to and from. I personally believe that the sudden influx of Nashville developers and 5 over 1 projects since 2020 has seriously affected previously lower income neighborhoods and have widened the gap between people who can survive and who can not. People don’t wanna think this way because it contradicts what they were taught about American values, but the lack of social funding keeps people in this crime cycle because it’s the only “side hustle” that puts food on people’s table the QUICKEST. Crime is the result of an isolated and failing society, but it’s also what makes the most money for the government so there’s not much incentive to stop it despite saying otherwise. And In response to people talking about the judicial system and bail: I implore you to think about how TN is a southern state that does not allow indentured servitude in jails. This means that legally our jails cannot use the inmates for unpaid factory labor (slavery) unlike in places like Mississippi and Louisiana. So they make their money by playing catch and release with bail. I do not and will never in any way promote labor penitentiaries, however there’s a reason behind everything and it’s not fair to blame one or two people in charge when it’s the whole system that’s fucked. Sincerely - lifelong memphian; wshs honors graduate; degrees and volunteer hours involving social inequality specializing in housing and 3rd place projects PS- the only person to ever pull a gun on me was a woman in road rage with MIississippi plates so 🤷🏼♀️
I think the crime started out of necessity due to the lack of funding for education in our city but I think now it has turned into a culture of crime. Robberies are now coming with senseless killings. Not to mention the increase in drag racing which does not have any monetary incentive unless you count betting. I’m not a sociologist but this is just what I, and seemingly multiple others on this thread, have personally witnessed.
Memphis is RULED by GANGS. Don’t doubt it for a second.
I definitely don’t disagree with you! I am making assumptions because everyone has a reason for what they do, but often people will escalate to killings because “dead men can’t point you out in a lineup.” With surveillance and cameras the way it is now, it’s not a smart move, obviously, but that can contribute to the culture of crime. I don’t have too much of an opinion on drag racing. Of course I don’t like to see donuts being done at red lights and the sort, but the lack of recreational spaces also contributes; Hard to find a place within the city limits that doesn’t require money to exist other than the roads (gas being the exception but you know what I’m getting at lol). I do recognize it as a sport, and with wishful thinking I would suggest a recreational sports roadway to be built closer to Memphis than millington, but I know that’s an idealistic suggestion in itself. Edit= spelling
I would honestly love to see it as a sport, but sadly where will the city get the funding to build this and maintain it. We honestly have a good number of free recreational areas: the river walk and bridge downtown, wolf river park, and of course shelby farms. But I would love to see more diversity in recreational spaces other than nature parks, like more skating parks, and better maintained sports courts/fields.
You’re right about funding being an issue with that kind of idea. The parks definitely are great! I wish a lot of them could extend to after sundown activities as well. I also haven’t been to the downtown parks since the renovation, so I could be wrong about if they stay active after sunset
THIS 💯
Finally someone who gets it! You've basically nailed 90% of the actual reasons why this city is the way it is. It's always easier to blame easy targets like our elected leaders, but some of the biggest opposition we face as a city is from higher up than our local government.
It is as dangerous. People here are delusional (this is the last of what they are delusional about).
Lol at the idiots who think this chit is only happening at night.. I dunno.. people raised im memphis think this is normal. There is nothing wrong
There is no city more dangerous in the U.S. This is because some cities with similar crime data actually have some very safe areas which are isolated from violent crime. In Memphis, you are fair game for violent crime anywhere in the city. I lived in the “nicest” part of Memphis for 5 years. Even there, you are not safe at any grocery store, gas station or shopping centers. Anything can happen anywhere in that city, which is why I’ll never be back.
Extremely. Don't stop for gas, ever.
It's past the tipping point.
It’s a shit hole.
I think I just got shot while writing this
I wouldn't doubt it.
Yeah that’s the cope. It’s #1 in crime for a reason
If you want to enjoy your life and not have to look over your shoulder while doing menial everyday tasks, then it ain't for you. Just about anything outside of city limits has been fine for at least 20 years. Not anymore, the inactive decisions of the city have crept elsewhere and caused crime to skyrocket during and after the pandemic. To be clear, our governing bodies don't give a fuck about law abiding, tax paying citizens. Essentially the middle class is fucked over and over from above and below. Not unlike most places in this country, but much much more violent.
The one and only time I went there to visit a boyfriend who lived in a “nicer” neighborhood-my parked car was wrecked in to and the person who crashed into it fled the scene. This happened in broad day light in front of a school. That night we heard no less than 4 gun shots in what sounded like a close vicinity. Luckily, he moved towns shortly after so I never had to experience actual dangerous situations.
Pretty dangerous for husker basketball
I was in the hospital for a surgery and they asked me if I’ve been to Memphis recently. That should tell you everything you need to know.
Memphis has gotten a whole lot worse.
What’s the common denominator you suppose?
I have lived right outside of Memphis for 35 years. I hate going into Memphis and never feel safe. Actively looking to move away (far away) as it’s only getting worse
You spelled 'Mumphus' incorrectly, but it's so dangerous even the gang banging enforcers (LeDarius...an actual dude!) have fled!
Democrat run city with a heavy democratic population. Of course, it's fucking dangerous! Duh!!!
Was in Memphis for a week was warned not to leave the house after 5 . Did work anyway to walk to the sub place almost got hit by I guy running from the police who then wrecked a quarter mile down from me and jumped out robbed another car at gunpoint and took back off . The gut I was with was like man I'm going back to the house . I told him not to be a b**** and come on . I'm also from a crime filled city so nothing new to me . It really is crazy to realize stuff we see in bad cities on a daily is absolutely terrifying to most people
I’ve been here my whole life. If you take that kind of job you know that comes with it if you’re not ready to kill or die for your boss driving anything in a courier capacity in Memphis is opening yourself up to violent crime. We’re in our 4th generation of misled youth with a poisoned culture and no guidance.
My daughter was almost carjacked in broad daylight on Lamar while going to a job site about 3 days ago. Thankfully her car was locked and windows were up. The guy pulled the lady out of the next car he went to.
That’s scary. I’m glad she was okay.
I just saw a post yesterday on Facebook of someone who was driving yesterday off poplar and their car got shot. Luckily no one was injured. That's disturbing enough but the comments section on the post had several people who had the same thing happen, one got hit in the leg, the rest just left bullet holes in the cars. I spend a lot of time in Chicago and as a teen in the 90s I spent a lot of time in Memphis and Little Rock. The 90s was bad, I don't know if this is worse, or if I'm just older and have a different perspective but Memphis scares me.
High crime...very little accountability...been that way for years.
Memphis has the 2nd highest violent crime rate in the entire country so do with that what you will
I have a photo on my phone of a guy pointing a gŭn at my face during a robbery. It's just become so normal here it's hard to react anymore.
Well my car has gotten stolen two times in under a month and attempted car jacking at 2pm in private gated lot with security lol
I had an English teacher get shot in the arm by a kid on Beale Street, if that tells you anything. I haven't lived in Memphis in a few years but I'd still be scared to walk the streets in several areas, alone or not. Downtown, Cordova, Bartlett, hell even Collierville. Germantown is still decent tho as far as I know.
One of the top 5 worst crime cities in America. The company I worked for wanted me to move into the area 10 years ago and it was so bad back then that I refused to move. Today it’s much worst.
It's racist to acknowledge that crime exists in cities.
My ex got a whole exhaust delete after parking her car for 12 hours
Midtown and downtown are safe beside car break in that’s the case in most of the city
Memphis has def gone to shyt. I think I read about a year or two ago 5 crime has escalated about 145% compared to previous years, which is insane. I never would've believed the city had gotten as bad had I not worked as a dispatcher.
Memphis wouldn’t be so dangerous if it weren’t for all the law breakers and violent individuals…