What happened to Memphis? (Charlotte, Trezevant: fit in, rentals, crime)

[tobester]

I came across this website and was amazed to read about the current conditions in Memphis. I lived in Memphis many years ago (late 50's to mid 60's) attending schools (Brookmeade Elementary and Trezevant High) in Frayser until 8th grade, when our family moved to California. Frayser was filled with safe typical middle class neighborhoods. I rode my bike everywhere and never felt in danger. I have many fond memories. Now, I read Frayser is the most crime-ridden part of the city. Can someone tell me what happened?

[Hasdrubal]

Elvis died.

[mjtinmemphis]

IMO, Memphis never changed. What was in the 50's and 60's is nolonger acceptable.

One of the major problems is Memphis has not produced the business and work ethic that is needed in the global market place. There are way too many part time and semi full time jobs in the area. When looking at our "peer cities" like Charlotte Atlanta and Austin they have taken off and left us behind due to our lack of ability to adjust to the new economy.

The second problem is people have not gotten over the struggles of race. There is HUGE disparity in incomes in this town between blacks and whites. In the 50's and 60's the disparity was there if not more so than now. The difference today is the fact that Memphis is 63% black. Memphis can't thrive as a city with these issues. Everyone has to partake in the educational, economic and social progress of a city. That is what makes a city a city.

Another major problem is that Memphis doesn't welcome the culture of the younger generation. When driving around the city one would notice cars displaying the confederate flag. If you don't speak with a southern accent and have conservative politics and don't go to their kind of church you will never fit in. The natives also have a very strong them vs us mentality. The sticking to your own race mentality pours out into other areas of life. In the 50's and 60's that may have been ok but not in 2008.

I believe that Memphis has the potential to be great. As long as the people don't embrace change the city will never change. People have allowed themselves to be distracted from the true problems of the city. People complain about crime corrupt politicians but the real problem lies within the hearts of Memphians.

[psi2007]

Too many baby mamas and baby daddies who don't work. After a few generations of that... The neighborhoods lost their class.

[psi2007]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

IMO, Memphis never changed. What was in the 50's and 60's is nolonger acceptable.

One of the major problems is Memphis has not produced the business and work ethic that is needed in the global market place. There are way too many part time and semi full time jobs in the area. When looking at our "peer cities" like Charlotte Atlanta and Austin they have taken off and left us behind due to our lack of ability to adjust to the new economy.

The second problem is people have not gotten over the struggles of race. There is HUGE disparity in incomes in this town between blacks and whites. In the 50's and 60's the disparity was there if not more so than now. The difference today is the fact that Memphis is 63% black. Memphis can't thrive as a city with these issues. Everyone has to partake in the educational, economic and social progress of a city. That is what makes a city a city.

Another major problem is that Memphis doesn't welcome the culture of the younger generation. When driving around the city one would notice cars displaying the confederate flag. If you don't speak with a southern accent and have conservative politics and don't go to their kind of church you will never fit in. The natives also have a very strong them vs us mentality. The sticking to your own race mentality pours out into other areas of life. In the 50's and 60's that may have been ok but not in 2008.

I believe that Memphis has the potential to be great. As long as the people don't embrace change the city will never change. People have allowed themselves to be distracted from the true problems of the city. People complain about crime corrupt politicians but the real problem lies within the hearts of Memphians.

I think you have something here. There is a very strong us and them attitude. Its ugly.

[Tunky]

very well said mjt, I agree!

[scottv]

Go to present day Frayser and you'll figure out real quick what happened to Memphis.

[anonymice]

When you have a mayor like Memhis does it's only natural that a city would wind up in the shape Memphis is in. The "honorable" W.W. Herenton regularly invites all the white people to leave Memphis.There's virtually no law enforcement in Memphis except when pressure is put on the mayor and city councile then for a week or so they have lots of police trot out in front of the tv cameras and bust a few minor dope peddlers (none however that are big enough to make a real dent in the amount of drugs coming into the city), the judge gives the dealer/criminal a slap on the wrist, he's back on the street and it's back to business as usual in Memphis.I don't have a link to it right now but there's a blog about crime in Memphis by a former Shelby County Sheriff's deputy (Memphis is in and composes much of Shelby County, TN) called "Crime in Memphis. Go to (I think it's) blogger.com and do a search for "Crime in Memphis" without the quotes of course and take a look at the number of thugs in Memphis with over 100 arrests. Even when the police do get off their duffs and do something the judges are putting the criminals back on the streets of Memphis faster than the police could possibly (that is if they wanted to) arrest them.

[tobester]

So, the explanation is that once Memphis became a more integrated city that crime increased? Obviously the segregrated situation of the 50's and 60's was wrong. But the situation today is wrong too. Something's really broken. How can it be fixed? I'm truly trying to understand what has happened to this city.

[strumpeace]

Frayser went downhill because its two largest employers closed. International Harvester was the reason that folks moved to Frayser in the first place. An entire neighborhood is built around the factory. When it closed, most of the people who worked there moved elsewhere to look for work. Same goes for Firestone. Though it was in 'North Memphis', many of the employees lived in Frayser.

When those factories closed, unemployment became rampant in Frayser. Most of the empty houses were converted to rentals. The folks who moved in had nothing invested in the community. Thus, they had no reason to care what happened around them.

That's it in a nutshell.

Hickory Hill has recently experienced a similar series of events, though that neighborhood's decline is due to annexation, rather than factory closings.