Building Together: City of Memphis Weekly Newsletter

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. 

In this season of reflection, we are encouraged to appreciate the blessings in our lives—our families and friends, our work and our health. I believe we should also be thankful for the benefits and strengths of our community. I believe our collective can-do attitude and our innovative spirit are leading us toward a safer, stronger, more unified Memphis - one we can all be proud of and thankful for. 

I wake up every day honored to serve the city I love and the people who made me what I am. 

I am thankful for each of you. 

I am grateful for your trust - and your feedback. All of the feedback - every single piece of it - is meaningful. I take your words with me - the encouragement and the re-directions. When making decisions that will impact our future, I remember those words, and I remember that I am making decisions that will impact people - families - and our collective future. I am ever aware that you are counting on our team to lead with care and intention.

I get so much joy from witnessing the warmth and love that radiates from our city. Every day, I am truly amazed by our community’s generosity of spirit, steadfast commitment to making our community stronger, and the innovative ideas that propel us forward. Our community’s collective heart defines Memphis and is the real Memphis story.

And I want us to tell more of that story - the story of hope and change. The story of revival. Because I think we have listened to the story of brokenness for too long. We have binged on the story of crime for too long. We had come to believe that the negative story was ours. But I don’t buy it. I see the crime numbers dropping and the unwavering work of our police officers, firefighters, and blight and solid waste workers, to continue to pursue a better Memphis. 

Let’s commit to making this a season of hope. Let’s collectively ask our news stations - and our neighbors - to tell more stories of joy, growth, and promise. Let’s celebrate our sports teams, economic development wins, and neighborhood heroes. Let’s share the interesting and entrepreneurial stories that define us. Let’s take pride in our Memphis story. 

As we sit around our tables this holiday, please remember that there are still those in our community who need a helping hand. Let’s look for more ways we can make a positive impact in their lives.

My hope is that our collective prayers for peace and prosperity are made real throughout our community. On behalf of my family and the entire city government, I wish you all joy. 

I am thankful for our community. See my full message here. And see some of what our community is thankful for here. 

Good News!

Do you have good news to share? We would love to share it! Send us a note at goodnews@memphistn.gov

Weekly Crime Trend

The report below provides our weekly update on Part 1 Crimes. It updates daily and shows a continuous rolling 7-day total compared to the prior 7-day total. The charts on the right show the calendar week trend, comparing 2023 to 2024.

(We maintain two crime dashboards, the Weekly Crime Trend report can be found here, and the Crime Analytics dashboard can be accessed here.)

Our Strike Team worked in the following zip codes this week: 38109, 38116, 38118

Community Engagement:

Memphis Fire Free Smoke Detectors. Protect what matters most! Working smoke detectors save lives during fire emergencies. Don’t wait—request your FREE smoke detector today from the Memphis Fire Department. See full details here. 

Tennessee Grant Award. The City of Memphis and Kimley-Horn earned the ACEC Tennessee Grand Award for Special Projects for Activating Memphis. Part of the Memphis 3.0 plan, this $75M initiative enhances transportation and quality of life at key intersections citywide through bike lanes, pedestrian upgrades, and traffic calming. With over $13M invested, these improvements are driving equity, connectivity, and neighborhood revitalization. See more details here. 

Social and Community Shout-outs:

Memfeast. This Thanksgiving season, Memfeast 2024 brought our city together in the spirit of service and unity. Over 4,000 meals were prepared and distributed throughout Memphis. See more and share here.

Young Professionals Career Closet. Empower Memphis’ young professional community! The Office of Youth Services is collecting gently worn professional attire for ages 20-30 to wear on their path to success from now until December 14. See more and share here.

Free Health Screening. Care Access is offering free screenings to the community December 5-7 at the Event Center 854 located at 854 Goodman St. They will be testing for Lp(a) at no cost and no insurance will be required. See more details and sign up here. 

Multicultural Winter Camp. Memphis Parks is offering Winter Break Camp for youth ages 5-16 at four of our regional community centers! Winter Break Camp registration opens Monday, December 2! See full details and share here. 

Weekly round-up

in partnership and progress,

Paul A. Young