MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — As National Guard arrives in MemphisMemories of 1968, when thousands of men fought with bayonets, rifles and tanks, are still fresh for Joe Calhoun. At that time, he marched in the streets with health workers and pastor martin luther king jr.
King had Please come and support us Approximately 1,300 people, mostly black Sanitation workers go on strike This was to protest against the inhumane treatment of two workers after a garbage truck malfunctioned and killed two workers. King led a demonstration in late March that turned violent after clashes between police and demonstrators resulted in an officer fatally shooting a 16-year-old boy. National Guard troops quickly lined up on the streets in response.
“I felt very uncomfortable just going about my daily life, especially at night,” Calhoun said. “They were stopping cars and picking people at random.”
Al Lewis, then 14, still remembers Walter Cronkite saying this on TV a week later: King was shot dead in his own city.. Almost immediately, a cacophony of gunshots rang out, and Lewis said he had never heard them this loud except on New Year’s Day. The National Guard soon returned, with military vehicles and soldiers seen downtown during the day and National Guard troops patrolling neighborhoods at night.
President Donald Trump announced last month If the National Guard Deployed to fight crime in Memphis Alongside authorities from a number of federal agencies. said Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who supports the effort. The military will be represented by the Federal Security Service It “plays an important support role” for local law enforcement. The city says its guards do not have tanks.
Some Tennessee National Guard members already help reduce crime by assisting with community safety patrols, security and traffic control, said Capt. Keely Moriarty, a National Guard spokeswoman. It is unclear how many security personnel are on the ground or are expected to arrive later.
Several people were seen leaving the Shelby County Preparatory Office last week. While state and federal authorities have become increasingly visible in Memphis, the military has not yet been seen in large numbers. On Friday, at least nine armed Guard members patrolled the area near the Pyramid, an iconic Memphis landmark, and the visitor welcome center along the Mississippi River.
For many years, Memphis highly violent crimeassault, carjacking, murder, etc. Although this year’s statistics show improvement in some categories, such as homicide, many agree that violence remains a problem.
This city is majority black center of civil rightsResidents like Calhoun and Lewis remember the Guard responding during multiple periods of unrest. Ten years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, Memphis firefighters and police went on strike and parts of the city were set on fire.
Calhoun, 75, is an activist and recently marched against the current deployment. He hoped never to see the National Guard in his city again.
“I have four grandchildren. A lot of what I do is to help make the world a better place for them so they don’t have to go through the same thing. But it took a lot longer than I expected,” he said.
Memphis is at a ‘pivotal time,’ says governor
Lee previously said he did not expect more than 150 troops to be in Memphis, but later said there was no prospect of that happening.
“I talked about the National Guard being in Memphis at a critical moment. I think this is a critical moment for Memphis,” Lee said in response to a reporter’s question. “They are plagued by violence.”
Memphis was one of several locations in the South where the National Guard was deployed during the civil rights movement, including Little Rock, Arkansas. Oxford, Mississippi. and locations in Alabama.
1968’s “Show of Strength”
Looking back to 1968, Calhoun remembered sleeping in his room. Claiborne Temple He created the now famous “I AM A MAN” sign for sanitation workers. I also remember the police throwing tear gas into the church.
An Associated Press report chronicles the subsequent military presence, including on March 30, 1968: “Heavily armed police and 4,000 National Guard troops sent to maintain order patrolled the historic Beale Street neighborhood. Plywood-covered storefronts and broken glass stood as evidence of Thursday’s violence.”
As demonstrators emerged from Claiborne Temple for another mass march, the Associated Press recorded how “National Guard troops roared past in a show of force that included four armored personnel carriers with .30-caliber machine guns, six jeeps, and several trucks full of personnel.”
King blamed the violence surrounding the march on “a small group of young extremists.”
“If I had known there was a possibility of violence erupting, I would not have come,” King told The Associated Press. “If it were me, I would have called off the march.”
Calhoun said the soldiers, some armed and others in armored vehicles, were “a very impressive sight for young children to see on their way to school or on their way to church. So we don’t want to see that at all.”
Additionally, he said Guard members at checkpoints targeted and harassed participants in the 1968 downtown march.
Troops return after killing King
A week after the riot, Dr. King returned to Memphis and promised to lead a second peaceful march despite a federal court order to the contrary. However, he was killed by a sniper while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April 4.
The assassination sparked riots in Memphis and other cities in the United States.
About 4,000 National Guard troops have been activated in Memphis and a curfew has been reimposed, the Associated Press reported.
Lewis, now 71, said he saw police cars and armed guards walking around the downtown area, but he never saw them fire their weapons or engage in physical contact with anyone. He witnessed some young men throw petrol bombs into a furniture store, setting it ablaze.
“I didn’t know what was going on. It felt like some kind of invasion,” Lewis said. “I felt scared and excited. I hope you understand that those two things happened at the same time. I didn’t know what was going to happen or how long it would last.”
Once used to put out fires, today’s guards may be “glorifying” Memphis
Lewis was working for the U.S. Postal Service in 1978 when local police and firefighters went on strike. Due to work commitments, despite the curfew, I was allowed to drive home from work and pass through a dark Central Guard checkpoint in the early morning hours. He recalled that security personnel were working to extinguish the fire.
“Police and fire departments were on strike and there was a lot of arson and looting,” Lewis said. “Still, I didn’t feel as threatened as I felt when King was killed.”
Mayor Paul Young (Democratic Party) We have listed some roles He thinks the guards can help him now. That includes monitoring police cameras, “beautifying” neighborhoods, helping homeless people, and more.
Referring to developments after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, Young said he understands the community’s concerns about future actions.
“We don’t want to evoke the same image here,” Young said.
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Mattis reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press corporate archivist Sarit Hand in New York City contributed.
