MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
@mlk50.com
Based in Memphis, Tenn., MLK50 is a nonprofit newsroom reporting at the intersection of poverty, power & public policy.
Our beats: government, enterprise, environmental justice, youth life, public safety, Radical King https://mlk50.co/m/mlk50memphis
Our beats: government, enterprise, environmental justice, youth life, public safety, Radical King https://mlk50.co/m/mlk50memphis
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They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came.
Officers with the Memphis Safe Task Force, created by President Donald Trump to target violent crime, conduct a traffic stop on Summer Avenue near N.
mlk50.com
They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came. Read the latest from 👇
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social
@propublica.org
mlk50.com/2025/11/03/t...
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social
@propublica.org
mlk50.com/2025/11/03/t...
MLK50 exists to shine a light on injustices, advocate for transparency, and amplify voices that far too often go unheard, but we can only do so with your support.
Give now at 👉 mlk50.co/3K1gHuX
Give now at 👉 mlk50.co/3K1gHuX
November 14, 2025 at 12:30 AM
MLK50 exists to shine a light on injustices, advocate for transparency, and amplify voices that far too often go unheard, but we can only do so with your support.
Give now at 👉 mlk50.co/3K1gHuX
Give now at 👉 mlk50.co/3K1gHuX
Roughly 1 in 4 domestic violence homicide victims in Tennessee’s five biggest cities were allegedly shot by a suspect who was barred from having a gun. And some suspects were being monitored by probation officers before the homicide.
Read more here 👇
Read more here 👇
How a gap in Tennessee’s probation system leaves domestic violence victims in danger
Karen Peebles holds a photograph of her daughter, Temptress “Chippie” Peebles, and her granddaughter, Khloe. Temptress Peebles was killed, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend while he was on probation. W…
mlk50.co
November 12, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Roughly 1 in 4 domestic violence homicide victims in Tennessee’s five biggest cities were allegedly shot by a suspect who was barred from having a gun. And some suspects were being monitored by probation officers before the homicide.
Read more here 👇
Read more here 👇
Reposted by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
From North Carolina to Mississippi, small businesses work to feed their communities while benefits are paused. capitalbnews.org/snap-crisis-...
Black-Owned Farms Fill Gaps Left by SNAP Funding Delays
From North Carolina to Mississippi, small businesses work to feed their communities while benefits are paused.
capitalbnews.org
November 10, 2025 at 3:28 PM
From North Carolina to Mississippi, small businesses work to feed their communities while benefits are paused. capitalbnews.org/snap-crisis-...
Tennessee’s new 25-foot “buffer” law is beginning to reshape how the public interacts with police. One Memphis woman’s arrest calls into question whether documenting officers is still a protected right.
Read more here 👇
Read more here 👇
A volunteer observing a traffic stop in Memphis ended up in jail. Should she have been arrested?
Tennessee Highway Patrol and federal agents in an unmarked car pull away on Carrington Street after law enforcement arrested Jessica Chodor as she observed one of their traffic stops a few minutes …
mlk50.co
November 11, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Tennessee’s new 25-foot “buffer” law is beginning to reshape how the public interacts with police. One Memphis woman’s arrest calls into question whether documenting officers is still a protected right.
Read more here 👇
Read more here 👇
Independent, local journalism has never been more critical — and we’re only able to do this work because of supporters like you.
Donate today to fund the future of independent news in Memphis by heading to the link below 👇
givebutter.com/rootedinmemp...
Donate today to fund the future of independent news in Memphis by heading to the link below 👇
givebutter.com/rootedinmemp...
November 10, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Independent, local journalism has never been more critical — and we’re only able to do this work because of supporters like you.
Donate today to fund the future of independent news in Memphis by heading to the link below 👇
givebutter.com/rootedinmemp...
Donate today to fund the future of independent news in Memphis by heading to the link below 👇
givebutter.com/rootedinmemp...
Reposted by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide
Supreme Court Rejects Call To Overturn Its Decision Legalizing Same-sex Marriage Nationwide
The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
www.huffpost.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:01 PM
The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide
"Growing up, I thought I was just like every other kid. I never knew I was undocumented until I reached middle school. One of my uncles had been deported back to Honduras. He was only a few years older than me. I remember my mom telling me then about my immigration status."
‘Everything is falling on me financially.’ Why one undocumented Memphian keeps working through fears of deportation
Illustration by Sri Vee for MLK50 MLK50 allowed the interviewee, who is undocumented, to use an alias in order to protect their identity and not increase the chances of them being detained. &n…
mlk50.co
November 8, 2025 at 9:45 PM
"Growing up, I thought I was just like every other kid. I never knew I was undocumented until I reached middle school. One of my uncles had been deported back to Honduras. He was only a few years older than me. I remember my mom telling me then about my immigration status."
Reposted by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
Facing budget shortfalls due to the end of COVID funding, cuts to Medicaid and tariffs, states are turning to one place for cuts: child care.
States are quietly cutting child care funding — and families are out of options
Facing budget shortfalls due to the end of COVID funding, cuts to Medicaid and tariffs, states are turning to one place for cuts: child care.
19thnews.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Facing budget shortfalls due to the end of COVID funding, cuts to Medicaid and tariffs, states are turning to one place for cuts: child care.
Reposted by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
As @GovBillLee Speaker Sexton & @MarshaBlackburn lie about the numbers in MEMPHIS (the occupiers are mostly arresting non-criminals), Black folks are being harassed and targeted and say they don’t feel safe.
www.propublica.org/article/memp...
www.propublica.org/article/memp...
November 6, 2025 at 9:57 PM
As @GovBillLee Speaker Sexton & @MarshaBlackburn lie about the numbers in MEMPHIS (the occupiers are mostly arresting non-criminals), Black folks are being harassed and targeted and say they don’t feel safe.
www.propublica.org/article/memp...
www.propublica.org/article/memp...
"But the truth is, Memphis is infrastructurally racist. The schools, the roads, the housing — all of it is designed to keep poor Black and brown folks in economic servitude. The state government’s negligence & hostility aren’t accidental; it’s strategic."
Read more here 👇
Read more here 👇
“I’m not built to see my babies in zip ties because of somebody’s xenophobia”
Illustration by Sri Vee for MLK50 MLK50 allowed the writer to use an alias in order to protect their identity. I never thought I’d find myself caged in a poorly constructed labyrinth, gaudily d…
mlk50.co
November 6, 2025 at 11:15 PM
"But the truth is, Memphis is infrastructurally racist. The schools, the roads, the housing — all of it is designed to keep poor Black and brown folks in economic servitude. The state government’s negligence & hostility aren’t accidental; it’s strategic."
Read more here 👇
Read more here 👇
Reposted by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
When police returned Reggie Williams’ wallet, an officer told him: Don’t do anything bad and keep your ID on you.
To Williams, the warning echoed a slavery-era requirement that free African Americans carry documents to prove they weren’t enslaved.
By @wendicthomas.bsky.social, w/ @mlk50.com
To Williams, the warning echoed a slavery-era requirement that free African Americans carry documents to prove they weren’t enslaved.
By @wendicthomas.bsky.social, w/ @mlk50.com
“I Don’t Feel Safe”: Black Memphis Residents Report Harassment by Trump’s Police Task Force
A pastor was pulled over for looking lost. A 72-year-old was marched out in his bathrobe due to mistaken identity. Memphis’ mayor welcomed the federal law enforcement surge, but some residents say the...
www.propublica.org
November 5, 2025 at 4:00 AM
When police returned Reggie Williams’ wallet, an officer told him: Don’t do anything bad and keep your ID on you.
To Williams, the warning echoed a slavery-era requirement that free African Americans carry documents to prove they weren’t enslaved.
By @wendicthomas.bsky.social, w/ @mlk50.com
To Williams, the warning echoed a slavery-era requirement that free African Americans carry documents to prove they weren’t enslaved.
By @wendicthomas.bsky.social, w/ @mlk50.com
Reposted by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
Reggie Williams was walking to a corner store when armed authorities aggressively asked him if he was from Ethiopia or Ghana, he said
He and other Black Memphis residents have been reporting harassment by Trump’s police task force: "I don't feel safe"
He and other Black Memphis residents have been reporting harassment by Trump’s police task force: "I don't feel safe"
“I Don’t Feel Safe”: Black Memphis Residents Report Harassment by Trump’s Police Task Force
A pastor was pulled over for looking lost. A 72-year-old was marched out in his bathrobe due to mistaken identity. Memphis’ mayor welcomed the federal law enforcement surge, but some residents say the...
www.propublica.org
November 3, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Reggie Williams was walking to a corner store when armed authorities aggressively asked him if he was from Ethiopia or Ghana, he said
He and other Black Memphis residents have been reporting harassment by Trump’s police task force: "I don't feel safe"
He and other Black Memphis residents have been reporting harassment by Trump’s police task force: "I don't feel safe"
Reposted by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
NEW: A pastor was pulled over for looking lost. A 72-year-old was marched out in his bathrobe due to mistaken identity.
Memphis’ mayor welcomed the federal law enforcement surge, but some residents say they feel targeted just going about their lives.
Memphis’ mayor welcomed the federal law enforcement surge, but some residents say they feel targeted just going about their lives.
“I Don’t Feel Safe”: Black Memphis Residents Report Harassment by Trump’s Police Task Force
A pastor was pulled over for looking lost. A 72-year-old was marched out in his bathrobe due to mistaken identity. Memphis’ mayor welcomed the federal law enforcement surge, but some residents say they feel targeted just going about their lives.
www.propublica.org
November 3, 2025 at 1:00 PM
NEW: A pastor was pulled over for looking lost. A 72-year-old was marched out in his bathrobe due to mistaken identity.
Memphis’ mayor welcomed the federal law enforcement surge, but some residents say they feel targeted just going about their lives.
Memphis’ mayor welcomed the federal law enforcement surge, but some residents say they feel targeted just going about their lives.
Reposted by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
A pastor pulled over for looking lost as she left church and, in a case of mistaken identity, a 72-year-old man roused from bed and marched out of his apartment while clad in only his robe and underwear. @propublica.org and @mlk50.com report on innocent Memphians ensnared by a federal task force.
“I Don’t Feel Safe”: Black Memphis Residents Report Harassment by Trump’s Police Task Force • Tennessee Lookout
The Memphis Safe Task Force has innocent residents of majority-Black Memphis, including a 72-year-old taken from his home in his underwear.
tennesseelookout.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:27 PM
A pastor pulled over for looking lost as she left church and, in a case of mistaken identity, a 72-year-old man roused from bed and marched out of his apartment while clad in only his robe and underwear. @propublica.org and @mlk50.com report on innocent Memphians ensnared by a federal task force.
They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came. Read the latest from 👇
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social
@propublica.org
mlk50.com/2025/11/03/t...
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social
@propublica.org
mlk50.com/2025/11/03/t...
They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came.
Officers with the Memphis Safe Task Force, created by President Donald Trump to target violent crime, conduct a traffic stop on Summer Avenue near N.
mlk50.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM
They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came. Read the latest from 👇
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social
@propublica.org
mlk50.com/2025/11/03/t...
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social
@propublica.org
mlk50.com/2025/11/03/t...
Reposted by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came.
Law enforcement surge established to focus on violent crimes has ensnared innocent residents going about their everyday lives.
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social for @propublica.org @mlk50.com
Law enforcement surge established to focus on violent crimes has ensnared innocent residents going about their everyday lives.
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social for @propublica.org @mlk50.com
“I Don’t Feel Safe”: Black Memphis Residents Report Harassment by Trump’s Police Task Force
A pastor was pulled over for looking lost. A 72-year-old was marched out in his bathrobe due to mistaken identity. Memphis’ mayor welcomed the federal law enforcement surge, but some residents say the...
www.propublica.org
November 3, 2025 at 2:03 PM
They were sleeping, driving, walking in Memphis. Then Trump’s police task force came.
Law enforcement surge established to focus on violent crimes has ensnared innocent residents going about their everyday lives.
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social for @propublica.org @mlk50.com
Law enforcement surge established to focus on violent crimes has ensnared innocent residents going about their everyday lives.
@wendicthomas.bsky.social @kathsburgess.bsky.social for @propublica.org @mlk50.com
Reposted by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
NEW: “I Don’t Feel Safe.” Black Memphis Residents Report Harassment by Trump’s Police Task Force, by @wendicthomas.bsky.social @katieburgess.bsky.social w/ @mlk50.com
“I Don’t Feel Safe”: Black Memphis Residents Report Harassment by Trump’s Police Task Force
A pastor was pulled over for looking lost. A 72-year-old was marched out in his bathrobe due to mistaken identity. Memphis’ mayor welcomed the federal law enforcement surge, but some residents say the...
www.propublica.org
November 3, 2025 at 1:21 PM
NEW: “I Don’t Feel Safe.” Black Memphis Residents Report Harassment by Trump’s Police Task Force, by @wendicthomas.bsky.social @katieburgess.bsky.social w/ @mlk50.com
Of Memphis’ 610,000 residents, at least 45,000 immigrants call this city home.
We have compiled a resource guide for when encountering immigration enforcement officials and other law enforcement officers. Check it out below 👇
We have compiled a resource guide for when encountering immigration enforcement officials and other law enforcement officers. Check it out below 👇
Know your rights: A comprehensive resource guide for immigrants and allies in Memphis
Of Memphis’ 610,000 residents, at least 45,000 immigrants call this city home. All immigrants — including undocumented ones — are covered by the core protections included in the U.S. Constitution. …
mlk50.co
October 31, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Of Memphis’ 610,000 residents, at least 45,000 immigrants call this city home.
We have compiled a resource guide for when encountering immigration enforcement officials and other law enforcement officers. Check it out below 👇
We have compiled a resource guide for when encountering immigration enforcement officials and other law enforcement officers. Check it out below 👇
Tennesseans in the expanding pool of people who must work for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits should supply reasons for being exempted from that rule by Oct. 31
mlk50.co/4oyyacU
mlk50.co/4oyyacU
October 29, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Tennesseans in the expanding pool of people who must work for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits should supply reasons for being exempted from that rule by Oct. 31
mlk50.co/4oyyacU
mlk50.co/4oyyacU
Fewer Black women died of breast cancer in Memphis, but the gap between Black and white deaths widened. Hopeful health advocates outline steps toward turning things around.
Fewer Black women in Memphis are dying of breast cancer. But their survival rate is still much lower than white women.
Memphis saw fewer breast cancer deaths for Black women from 2013 to 2023, according to a new Susan G. Komen Foundation analysis. The decline was 2.3% in Memphis and nearby parts of Arkansas a…
mlk50.co
October 28, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Fewer Black women died of breast cancer in Memphis, but the gap between Black and white deaths widened. Hopeful health advocates outline steps toward turning things around.
Library workers’ civil service push adds to Memphis labor tensions amid city’s union disputes
Library workers’ civil service push adds to Memphis labor tensions amid city’s union disputes - TSDMemphis.com
Voters could decide next year whether hundreds of Memphis Public Library employees should be reclassified as civil service workers, a move that comes as the city faces growing tension with several…
mlk50.co
October 28, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Library workers’ civil service push adds to Memphis labor tensions amid city’s union disputes
Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself and others in your community when encountering immigration enforcement officials and other law enforcement officers. mlk50.co/4oJKyHb
Know your rights: A comprehensive resource guide for immigrants and allies in Memphis
Of Memphis’ 610,000 residents, at least 45,000 immigrants call this city home. All immigrants — including undocumented ones — are covered by the core protections included in the U.S. Constitution. …
mlk50.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself and others in your community when encountering immigration enforcement officials and other law enforcement officers. mlk50.co/4oJKyHb
In the current political climate, the last bulwark against the abusive deployment of corporate-owned generative artificial intelligence might just come from union shareholders.
The Data Brokers Fueling ICE’s Deportation Machine—And the Union Shareholders Fighting Back
"As investors, we are thinking about this as a risk to our investments, but also as a social and ethical issue.”
mlk50.co
October 25, 2025 at 2:15 PM
In the current political climate, the last bulwark against the abusive deployment of corporate-owned generative artificial intelligence might just come from union shareholders.
Following a fatal shooting at a Memphis homeless encampment, residents’ belongings were confiscated and thrown away. Now, they’ve been forced to start over. mlk50.co/48LemhL
Their friend was killed, then their home was demolished: Inside a Memphis homeless encampment sweep
One of the last residents to clear their belongings from an encampment in a patch of woods near Fletcher Creek pulls a shopping cart away while Memphis police officers watch heavy equipment clear a…
mlk50.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Following a fatal shooting at a Memphis homeless encampment, residents’ belongings were confiscated and thrown away. Now, they’ve been forced to start over. mlk50.co/48LemhL
“What has happened here is we have 13 federal agencies (in the task force), and ICE is one of them. However, their charge is to focus on violent crime, and so the busier we can keep them with MPD, the less time they will have to focus on immigration," Mayor Paul Young said. mlk50.co/42REIuP
Mayor Young tells Hispanic leaders MPD is working with ICE
Mayor Paul Young (center) speaks alongside Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis while answering questions from the immigrant community about the city’s support of immigration enforcement on Mo…
mlk50.com
October 23, 2025 at 10:04 PM
“What has happened here is we have 13 federal agencies (in the task force), and ICE is one of them. However, their charge is to focus on violent crime, and so the busier we can keep them with MPD, the less time they will have to focus on immigration," Mayor Paul Young said. mlk50.co/42REIuP