Memphis Flyer 6/11/20

OUR 1633RD ISSUE • 06.11.20

FREE

POLICE REFORM P3, P4 BREATHING WHILE BLACK P14 THE MARCH CONTINUES P23

COURTESY OF WISEACRE

Craft Factory Wiseacre’s new brewing facility and taproom is a whimsical, hi-tech wonder.

CORDOVA I N T E R N A T I O N A L

FARMER’S MARKET

THE BEST PRICES June 11-17, 2020

in PRODUCE, MEAT and SEAFOOD in the Mid-South!

2

Open everyday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

1150 N. Germantown Parkway, Cordova, TN 38016 901.417.8407 •

CARRIE O’GUIN Advertising Operations Manager/ Distribution Manager JERRY D. SWIFT Advertising Director Emeritus KELLI DEWITT, CHIP GOOGE Senior Account Executives MICHELLE MUSOLF Account Executive JASMINE GARNER Advertising Coordinator DESHAUNE MCGHEE Classified Advertising Manager ROBBIE FRENCH Warehouse and Delivery Manager JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution THE MEMPHIS FLYER is published weekly by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 Phone: (901) 521-9000 Fax: (901) 521-0129 memphisflyer.com CONTEMPORARY MEDIA, INC. ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE Chief Executive Officer ASHLEY HAEGER Controller JEFFREY GOLDBERG Chief Revenue Officer BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editorial Director KRISTIN PAWLOWSKI Digital Services Director MOLLY WILLMOTT Special Events Director TABITHA WADKINS Events Coordinator LYNN SPARAGOWSKI Circulation and Accounting Manager KALENA MATTHEWS Marketing Coordinator

National Newspaper Association

Association of Alternative Newsmedia

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

CARRIE BEASLEY Senior Art Director CHRISTOPHER MYERS Advertising Art Director BRYAN ROLLINS Graphic Designer

CONTENTS

BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Editor SHARA CLARK Managing Editor JACKSON BAKER Senior Editor TOBY SELLS Associate Editor CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor JULIA BAKER, MICHAEL DONAHUE MAYA SMITH, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers JESSE DAVIS Copy Editor, Staff Writer JULIE RAY Calendar Editor JEN CLARKE, LORNA FIELD, RANDY HASPEL, AYLEN MERCADO, RICHARD MURFF, FRANK MURTAUGH, MEGHAN STUTHARD Contributing Columnists AIMEE STIEGEMEYER, SHARON BROWN Grizzlies Reporters ANDREA FENISE Fashion Editor KENNETH NEILL Founding Publisher

OUR 1633RD ISSUE 06.11.20 A few years ago, when the Flyer offices were just off South Main, there was a policeman who was notable for hanging out near the intersection of Vance and Lauderdale, a four-way stop. His modus operandi was to nail people for “failing to come to a complete stop,” and he did pretty good business because the intersection was sort of nondescript and most folks were heading to work Downtown and not paying much attention. I was among this cop’s customers, and dutifully paid my fine, lesson learned.

One day, a couple years later, I saw the officer in his favorite spot, parked in the shade, just to the south of the intersection. I stopped, completely, because I’m no fool. I even waved to the driver across the intersection, motioning for him to turn in front of me. So imagine my surprise when, 15 seconds later, I heard the cop’s siren, pulling me over.

“What’s the problem, officer?”

“You didn’t come to a complete stop back there.”

“I sure as hell did! I even waved a guy to turn in front of me.”

“No sir, all four of your wheels didn’t come to a complete stop.”

I paused for a minute to consider the physics of this statement.

“So, how many of my wheels were stopped?” I asked. “Two? Three?”

The officer looked at me, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses. He was not amused.

“You didn’t come to a complete stop. I need your license and registration.”

“This is bullshit,” I said.

And it was. And there was nothing I could do about it. Was he a “bad” cop? I don’t know. I do know he was good at collecting money for the city, and if I hadn’t been an older white guy in an SUV, I might have come to regret mouthing off to him.

Police officers have an inordinate amount of power in their interactions with the people they serve. They hold all the cards. And too often, a cop can abuse that power — in small ways, as with me, and in large and unconscionable ways, as with George Floyd, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, and too many others to list here.

The country has been literally demonstrating for two weeks that they’ve had enough. People are demanding change — accountability for bad cop behavior. So how would that change look? There is no shortage of ideas, many of them coming under the rubric “Defund the Police.” This is a dumb slogan. It sounds like you’re advocating getting rid of the police, and nobody wants that. If you have to add “It doesn’t mean what it sounds like” after you chant a slogan, it’s a bad slogan.

“Reform the Police” or “Re-Fund the Police” would be better. Not reducing an issue as important as the reorganization of our police departments to a simplistic mantra would be even better.

Those who say it’s time to defund the police are mostly advocating that we reallocate some of the tax money that goes toward paying for police and use it for lowincome housing, mental health services, programs for the homeless, job-training programs, and educational services, including pre-K and childcare. The thinking being that if we improve people’s lives and reduce poverty, the role of the police can shrink, since much of their work comes from dealing with the fallout from various social issues. Reducing those problems means police officers can focus on larger crimes — and that we can get by with fewer cops.

But more accountability is also essential. Civilian review boards need to be given real clout to investigate incidents of possible police malfeasance, including subpoena power. The civilian review board also should get regular reports on any litigation filed against (or settled by) the city regarding police officer conduct, and those reports should be made public. And it should be a standing rule that if an officer shuts off his body cam during any interaction with the public, he or she is fired.

It’s also time to stop the purchase of military-grade equipment by police departments. We taxpayers are already picking up the zillion-dollar tab for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, (and, hilariously, Space Force), and the N E WS & O P I N I O N National Guard, as has become obviTHE FLY-BY - 4 ous this week. Money spent by police NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 5 departments for tank-like vehicles and POLITICS - 7 heavy weaponry can be better used for COVER STORY training officers in how to de-escalate “CRAFT FACTORY” situations. We don’t need them to

BY TOBY SELLS - 8 “dominate the battlespace” in American WE RECOMMEND - 12 MUSIC - 14 cities. We need to eliminate the need CALENDAR - 16 for a battlespace. And we need to go FOOD - 18 after bad cops without fear or favor.

BREWS - 19 This behavior has to come to a comFILM - 20 plete stop.

C L AS S I F I E D S - 21 Bruce VanWyngarden LAST WORD - 23 brucev@memphisflyer.com

3

THE

fly-by

MEMernet

Edited by Toby Sells

W E E K T H AT W A S

By Flyer staff

A roundup of Memphis on the World Wide Web.

Refugees, Racism, & Cannabis

TO NY, TO NY, TO NY

Lawmakers work against resettlement, mayors speak against racism, and weed sales get high.

POSTED TO TWITTER BY @BOSSESMEMPHIS

June 11-17, 2020

{

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Anthony Marcuzzo was excoriated on Memphis social media this weekend after he allegedly rammed protesters with his vehicle in Cooper-Young.

Within moments, Marcuzzo’s picture was all over Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. People raged about the incident and raged more later when they realized Marcuzzo was released with a ticket. However, the Memphis Police Department issued a statement afterward saying that they are conducting a further investigation.

Here are some choice tweets: @PEOPLEOFMEMPHIS — “HEARIN THIS IS THE MF THAT RAN INTO SOMEONE … OLE SONIC PARKING LOT, DIP CAN HEAD ASS BOY @Thestablegenius — Real bass pro energy @Marissakizer — THE ONLY THING HE SAID TO US AFTER ATTEMPTING MURDER IS “I’m trying to get to the lake”

By Friday, there was already a change.org petition called “Charge Tony Marcuzzo with an attempt for murder.” As of Monday morning, the petition had 10,335 signatures.

TH I S MAN

4 POSTED TO TWITTER BY E. PARKWAY MCDONALD’S

REFUGEE R ES ETTLE M E NT A Tennessee House committee advanced two anti-refugee bills last week.

The first bill, HB 1929, sponsored primarily by Rep. Ron Gant (R-Rossville), seeks to prohibit the governor from requiring the state to consent to refugee resettlement, unless authorized by a joint resolution of the general assembly.

The second bill, HB 1578, sponsored by Rep. Bruce Griffey, would require the state and local governments to refuse to consent to receive any refugees for purposes of resettlement.

N O F U RTH E R LO C K D OWN S Clockwise from top left: Medicaid, Strickland, Harris, cannabis, police petition, Tennessee’s approach to a surge travel levels, Tennessee capitol in COVID-19 might not include another “massive shutdown,” and hospitals here now have simultaneously with the Inspectional Services Bureau (ISB), and enough of the drug remdesivir to treat about 600 patients. discipline MPD. This information came to light in a meeting this week of the Tennessee General Assembly. During a Senate hearing, Dr. Lisa MAYO R S O N R AC I S M Piercey, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Lee said Tennessee should not expect further lockdowns.

Harris spoke out against racism last week.

Strickland said he is “committed” to fixing the racist CAN NAB I S SALES tendencies within the Memphis Police Department. Harris Sales of medical cannabis in Arkansas began in May 2019. In the advocated for criminal justice reform. first week, medical cannabis sales in Arkansas hit $353,802. In the first two weeks of sales, Arkansas patients bought about 50 TR AVE L LEVE LS pounds of Banana Kush, Pineapple Trainwreck, and dozens of Tennesseans, especially those outside metro areas, are returning other strains. to travel levels seen before the first case of COVID-19 arrived A little more than a year later, the Arkansas Medical in the state, according to the latest analysis from researchers at Marijuana Commission said the state’s 22 dispensaries have sold Vanderbilt University. about 14,000 pounds of cannabis, with sales that just surpassed $86 million. Daily statewide sales have averaged $517,000 over M E D I CAI D B I L LS the past three weeks.

Two Medicaid expansion bills were sent back to the waiting room of the state legislature last week during a time when PO LI C E P ETITI O N Tennessee hospitals are hurting and uninsured rates soar.

A petition has been started on change.org to increase the Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) brought two simple bills accountability of the Memphis Police Department. before the Senate Health and Welfare committee that would Seeking 1,000 signatures, Jimmy Donlon started the petition allow Governor Bill Lee to expand Medicaid (known as to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and the Memphis City TennCare in Tennessee) with more freedom, if he chose to do so.

Council last week.

One bill would have allowed Lee to do it. Another bill would The petition has three main asks: Police officers begin all have allowed Lee to do it without requiring a vote of the full encounters by telling civilians that the interaction is being legislature. recorded, police officers’ in-car video (ICV) systems remain Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of these on at all times, and that the Civilian Law Enforcement Review stories and more local news.

Board (CLERB) be empowered to subpoena MPD, review cases

For Release Monday, August 13, 2018

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Monday, August 13, 2018

Crossword

Crossword ACROSS

Edited by Will Shortz

Edited by Will Shortz

No.

No. 0709

Classy articles 68 “… or ___!”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 ACROSS of neckwear 69 Engine additive 1 Reamer or 14 15 1 37 Wrist exercise since 1954 wrench at a candy 5 Danglers on 70 Far from DOWN 17 18 1 factory? luggage extravagant 43 Highest point in 20 21 22 11 Cruise amenity 71 Consider to be an orbit 14 Where icicles 23 24 25 26 27 28 44 Region may hang DOWN 45 Swizzle stick 15 World ___ 29 30 31 32 1 Computer crash (October event) 49 Fame investigator, 33 34 35 36 16 Center of a 51 Chest exercise informally poker table at a vintner’s?

37 38 39 4 2 Where Waikiki 17 Arm exercise at 54 Itching desire Beach is a dairy farm?

43 44 55 Small whirlpool 3 Exceed, as 19 Engine one’s bounds 56 What a relaxed lubricant 45 46 47 48 49 50 soldier is at 4 See 31-Down 20 “Ben-___” 51 52 53 54 58 One of four for 5 “Ah, now that’s 21 Fruit in a a grand slam, in clear” holiday gift box 55 56 57 5 brief 6 Coffee choice 22 Hawaiian coffee 61 Face on a fiver before bed 61 62 63 64 65 region 62 What the 7 Cape Cod 23 Any boat 66 67 68 exercise Do you have regimen questions as resort town 25 Shoulder in 17-, 8 It’s thin on top exercise at anavigates 69 70 71 25-, 37and Memphis COVID-19? of Everest cutlery store?

51-Across is 9 Hair goo worth?

29 Clip, as a PUZZLE BY JOHN LAMPKIN coupon 66 Traditional 10 Serpent’s Father’s Day gift warning 32 Jeers 30 Apple eater in 57 The “ 41 Use a Singer Genesis Abbr machine 33 Currier and ___ 67 Wise sayings 11 Parodies 31 With 4-Down, 12 Route map 42 Result of 59 Milita TheTO Memphis Media Collaborative ANSWER PREVIOUS PUZZLE “To Kill a start sunning wants to know what information you need.

Mockingbird” 60 Groc 45 Gymwear A B L A R E T W I N K L E 13 “Finally!” writer comp Like Never Before!

B E A T O N S H A L E O I L 18 Blueprint detailTour 46 Choice morsel 35 Campfire treat U N F O L D T A L K T O M E 22 Package for a With Mansion tours reduced to 25% capacity, 62 Beav 36 Marlboro 47 Seriously model plane J A M E S W A T T S K I N you willoffering, have the unique opportunity to walk embroiled 63 Pred M A Y A S A Y S B U S T A 24 Shed door in Elvis’informally footsteps like never before! reply 48 King: Sp. feature A M E N S C I S S O Unsure R about food, altar 38 Wyatt of Dodge 50 Good lookers?

River that L I T T L E K N O W Njobs, F Ahousing, C T 26 health, City passes through 64 Pop I T T A L Y N I N Psafety, H O schools, 52 Wetlands plant 39 Decline Lake Geneva or something else?

K E E P S I T T O G E T H E R 40 Totalitarian 53 Business 65 “And H E G O A T S H E A T 27 1970s TV’s control successes prove “Welcome A P S E S B I O WE P EARE R P SHERE Back, ___” S A W N D A N K M E M TO E S HELP. Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,00 28 Like Little I D I O L E C T A S A S E T 800-238-2000 • Grace l an($39.95 d.com puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords a year).

Bo-Peep’s A R M L O C K S J O S I A H sheep 5 Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com M E S S B O Y A S K S T O 29 Brief swim 34

Reamer or wrench 5 Danglers on luggage 11 Cruise amenity 14 Where icicles may hang 15 World ___ (October event) 16 Center of a poker table 17 Arm exercise at a dairy farm?

19 Engine lubricant 20 “Ben-___” 21 Fruit in a holiday gift box 22 Hawaiian coffee region 23 Any boat 25 Shoulder exercise at a cutlery store?

29 Clip, as a coupon 32 Jeers 33 Currier and ___ 1

37

43 44 45 49 51 54 55 56 58

61 62

66 67

Classy articles of neckwear Wrist exercise at a candy factory?

Highest point in an orbit Region Swizzle stick Fame Chest exercise at a vintner’s?

Itching desire Small whirlpool What a relaxed soldier is at One of four for a grand slam, in brief Face on a fiver What the exercise regimen in 17-, 25-, 37- and 51-Across is worth?

Traditional Father’s Day gift Wise sayings

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE A B L A B E A T U N F O J A M M A Y A A M E N L I T T I T T K E E P H A P S E S A W N I D I O A R M L M E S S

R O L E S L A S E S

L O B

E N D S W A S C E K L Y I T G O B D A E C C K O Y

S T A Y I N

T A I N T S

T H A T S S O N O T O K

W I N K L A L E O I L K T O M T S K I B U S T S O R W N F A C I N P H G E T H E S H E A P E R P M E M E S A S A S E J O S I A A S K S T

E L E N A T O R T S

T H O

68 69 70 71

34

“… or ___!”

Engine additive since 1954 Far from extravagant Consider to be

1

2

3

4

5

14 17

18

20

21

23

29

6

7

8

9

10

11

15

30

12

13

16 19

22

24

25

31

26

27

28

32

Computer crash investigator, 33 34 35 36 informally 37 38 39 40 41 42 2 Where Waikiki Beach is 43 44 3 Exceed, as one’s bounds 45 46 47 48 49 50 4 See 31-Down 51 52 53 54 5 “Ah, now that’s clear” 55 56 57 58 59 60 6 Coffee choice before bed 61 62 63 64 65 7 Cape Cod 66 67 68 resort town 8 It’s thin on top 69 70 71 of Everest 9 Hair goo PUZZLE BY JOHN LAMPKIN 10 Serpent’s warning 30 Apple eater in 57 The “S” of CBS: 41 Use a Singer Genesis Abbr. machine 11 Parodies 31 With 4-Down, 12 Route map 42 Result of 59 Military post “To Kill a start sunning Mockingbird” 60 Grocery list 13 “Finally!”

45 Gymwear writer component 18 Blueprint detail 46 Choice morsel 35 Campfire treat 22 Package for a 62 Beaver’s project 36 Marlboro 47 Seriously model plane offering, embroiled 63 Predictable 24 Shed door informally reply at the 48 King: Sp. feature altar 38 Wyatt of Dodge 50 Good lookers?

26 River that City passes through 64 Pop 52 Wetlands plant 39 Decline Lake Geneva 40 Totalitarian 53 Business 65 “And that 27 1970s TV’s control successes proves it” “Welcome Back, ___” Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past 28 Like Little puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Bo-Peep’s sheep Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

29 Brief swim 1

NEWS & OPINION

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

TXT “MEMPHIS” to 73224

© EPE. Graceland and its marks are trademarks of EPE. All Rights Reserved.

{

Q&A B y To b y S e l l s

Cop Cab

NEW THIS YEAR • READERS CAN REGISTER AND TRACK READING ONLINE • VIRTUAL PROGRAMS

June 11-17, 2020

PAY IT FORWARD & GET PAID

6

We are seeking blood and

Qualified donors are

cell donors to support

compensated for their time —

important medical research

from $50 to several hundred

focused on fighting life-

dollars depending on the

threatening diseases.

time required.

901-252-3434

researchchampions.com

@TOMMYTYPO/TWITTER

@TommyTypo’s story of protest, arrest, and humor in the middle of it all.

Memphis Twitter user @tommytypo won the internet last week with a series of tweets about being detained during a day of protest.

“We Memphis folks take nothing seriously,” he wrote. “I saw the camera when I was detained in the police car and told the lady they arrested me with that it’s like we’re in the ‘Cash Cab’ cop edition.”

Later, police questioned him and asked him if he was in a gang.

“My gay ass?” he wrote. “In a gang?”

The tale was brief but riveting. I wanted to know more. So, I asked him.

— Toby Sells Memphis Flyer: How did this happen? @tommytypo: When I was informed that there were going to be protests for George Floyd and the many other black bodies that were unarmed and murdered, I had to show up.

MF: What happened when the cop detained you?

TT: The night I got arrested, I arrived with my roommate and our friends. Everyone had written numbers in Sharpie on their arms, just in case they got arrested. Me, an intellectual, thought that was silly.

After a while, we met up with a crowd of at least 200 people. We marched from the Lorraine toward the Pyramid. We were met with a line of cops with shields and full gear.

There was some pushing between the protesters and cops in gear. I instinctively pushed back, then realized I was on the other side alone. As soon as I realized it was just me, I saw three cops shoot tear gas into the crowd clear over my head like fireworks. I instantly put my hands up. A cop asked me to

“My gay ass?” he wrote. “In a gang?” go back. I asked him what law I was breaking. He said obstruction of an interstate.

I asked, “Are you scared?” And he said no. I clarified by saying, “I meant are you scared for me?” He couldn’t find words to respond, and that’s when a cop yelled to just arrest me.

At least five cops swarmed me, putting cuffs on me. I yelled “help,” and one of the white cops told me to shut the fuck up.

They placed me in the cop car with a girl I’ve never met. We cracked jokes on how the camera made us feel like we were on Cash Cab. When we got to the station, they let her out of cuffs, for whatever reason.

We asked for water, and they handed us one cup. Instead of drinking it, she put it up to my mouth so I could drink while still handcuffed.

MF: You said the cops asked if you were in a gang.

TT: It was around this time when they casually asked me if I was in a gang. It threw me off because I think I’m an obviously queer man. So I just gave them a puzzled look and shook my head.

MF: How did they finally let you go?

TT: When being processed, I was told that I would likely be out in 12 hours. [But then] they made me put on the jail uniform and put me in a closet-sized cell with another stranger.

I stayed there for another six hours until they let me out with the other protesters.

There is much more to this story. Visit memphisflyer.com to read it all.

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Monday, June 15 through Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Your Participation is Important!

You can submit comments to the project team online, by email, or by standard mail.

Time

Online open house. Drop in anytime.

To participate, visit memphisinnovationcorridor.com starting June 15th.

tellus@memphis innovationcorridor.com Memphis Innovation Corridor Project Attention: Nicole Lacey MATA Chief Communications Officer 1370 Levee Road Memphis, TN 38108

RPHEUM

The Memphis Innovation Corridor is a part of the Transit Vision Plan and an important step to enhance public transit.

memphisinnovationcorridor.com

O

This was a proposal from Democratic Commissioner Tami Sawyer — a scaleddown version of a previous suggestion on her part — to cut five percent of the Shelby County Sheriff Department’s budget and reallocate the money in equal amounts to the county Department of Community Services and the county contingency fund for youth education and services. The money in question translated to just under $9 million.

Steve Leech, CAO of the sheriff’s department, was quick to call that plan damaging to the department, and in the ensuing brisk debate on the proposal among commissioners, the commission’s GOP chairman, Mark Billingsley, objected to what he regarded as “punishment” of the sheriff’s department.

His use of the term would seem to have inflamed Sawyer, and, in the course of further disagreement between the two about the excesses of local law enforcement, she took Billingsley to task for “telling me I don’t know what I’m talking about” and recounted a moment during the previous

Date

RPHEUM

Disputants Billingsley and Sawyer

week’s demonstrations when, wearing her commissioner’s jacket, she was allegedly harassed by a deputy who told her to “get the f*** out of my face.”

Billingsley attempted to object to Sawyer’s use of the “f-word,” causing a further escalation of her anger, and she berated him, using such terms as “How dare you!”

She would later post items relating to the incident on her Facebook page, referring to Billingsley as “a white man” and herself as “the ONLY Black woman commissioner in a county that’s 65 percent black” and remonstrating, “understand, the next time you want to spout some black facts you read off your phone, Mark Billingsley, I will remind you that I live it, every day.”

Later, Monday, as he prepared to recess the meeting for a week, Billingsley told the commission, “Hopefully, I’m much more than a white man. This was hurtful to me, my kids, and my wife. To be attacked on Facebook by my own colleague is inappropriate. If change is to be, you need more Mark Billingsleys.”

Potentially obscured by the personal confrontation was the fact that Sawyer’s proposal for reallocation of sheriff’s department money was backed by four colleagues besides herself — fellow Democrats Michael Whaley, Reginald Milton, Mickell Lowery, and Van Turner. The final vote was five ayes, five nos, and three abstentions — auguring a possible return to the idea at a later meeting.

A similarly stalemated vote, this one on a resolution to accept a county health insurance package, left the commission undecided on rival proposals from Cigna, backed by Methodist Hospital, and Blue Cross-Blue Shield, affiliated with Baptist Hospital.

In the course of its lengthy Monday session — to be followed up by yet another potential marathon meeting on the budget next Monday — commissioners agreed on a series of reductions lowering the county’s threatened deficit from $11.6 million to $5,745,000.

Up to this point the commissioners have treated as sacrosanct the concept of maintaining an unused fund balance equivalent to 20 percent of the budget outlays themselves (as against a lesser percentage maintained by the city of Memphis vis-à-vis its fund balance), but they agreed to a suggestion from Turner to be open-minded about revising that formula, if necessary to balance the budget.

O

The debate over reconfiguring law enforcement agencies in the wake of George Floyd’s death under a policeman’s knee in Minneapolis is generating sparks of genuine controversy in local government and among local officials.

There are no cries — yet — to “defund the police,” in the words of a slogan gathering steam nationally, but there is ample talk of reallocating public dollars from policing to activities bolstering the kind of struggling communities from which the George Floyds of the world derive.

On Monday, one idea of that sort entered — and momentarily raised the temperature — of the umpteenth recent meeting, a virtual Zoom affair, of the Shelby County Commission in order to reach agreement on a county budget for fiscal 2020-21.

@MATAmconnect MemphisInnovationCorridor

A PLACE TO BE YOURSELF!

GYNECOLOGY

& INTRODUCING

OUR NEW CONCIERGE WELLNESS PROGRAM

TRANSGENDER CARE HORMONE OPTIMIZATION AESTHETICS

FOCUSED ON CREATING AN INDIVIDUALIZED PLAN TO HELP YOU GET FIT, HEALTHY, ENERGETIC & GORGEOUS

DR. SUSAN LACY MD, FACOG

1407 UNION AVE., SUITE 1401 MEMPHIS, TN 38104 (901) 701-1777 • MOREGYN.COM

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Sawyer-Billingsley standoff precedes tie vote on the issue.

Join us for a virtual public meeting about the Memphis Innovation Corridor project and Memphis’ first Bus Rapid Transit system!

NEWS & OPINION

Commissioners Clash on Law Enforcement Money

memphisinnovationcorridor.com

7

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF WISEACRE

Craft Factory

Wiseacre’s new brewing facility and taproom is a whimsical, hi-tech wonder.

COVER STORY BY TOBY SELLS

E

chugs little puffs of white smoke, like someone has just picked a pope.

For nearly an hour-long tour, Kellan and Davin became Willy Wonka and I was a better-behaved Charlie Bucket (I did not steal Fizzy Lifting Drink). The two brothers know every knob, hose, beam, tank, pump, pipe, and pipe fitting in the building, which seemed to get bigger as we went from room to room.

They can show you around better than I can. So, how about I let them? Come on and ride shotgun with me on my tour through Wiseacre’s new space …

Brothers and Wiseacre co-founders Davin Bartosch (left) and Kellan Bartosch (right)

June 11-17, 2020

verything is bigger, more sophisticated. Even the whimsy.

Wiseacre Brewing Co.’s massive new state-of-the-art facility in Downtown Memphis is a wondrous, hilarious, deliberate, five-year dream-come-true for company co-founders Davin Bartosch and Kellan Bartosch.

The honey for Tiny Bomb will be brought in in barrels, not buckets.

Brewers can cloister themselves away in a low-light, positive-pressure, sensorydeprivation tank to taste beer more precisely. The taproom will feature busts of heroes such as Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge. There will be dioramas, a big cuckoo clock, and furniture from the Oak Court Mall food court.

It’s a perfect blend of Wiseacre’s eclectic, fun-loving brand — and the company’s dogged dedication to quality and consistency in its products. The Bartosch brothers take their work seriously, and they take their play seriously. All of that becomes perfectly evident when you visit the new taproom, especially if you take a brewhouse tour.

Everything in the taproom and the 8 expansive outdoor patio — from the tubular concrete bar that will be “written

about in trade pubs” to every carefully selected tree in the biergarten — was designed to make visitors feel at home.

Everything in the brewery — from the laboratory to the canning line — was designed to make the best beer possible, in the specific way Wiseacre wants to do it.

Kellan and Davin are deep in a

discussion with landscape architects when I arrive for a visit. The brewery grounds are abuzz with workers washing windows and polishing up a thousand finishing touches. The brewhouse hums quietly, churning an ocean of beer somewhere inside. Outside the brewhouse, a long silver pipe merrily

The entire north wall of the taproom is a green mural, a work of art that could easily be at home on a Wiseacre can. The wall has human-sized bubble windows, through which you can spy the laboratory-white walls and towering brewhouse tanks, gleaming silver in the light.

The massive, curving concrete bar seems a good fit for the taproom, which appears big enough for a Grizzlies practice. Windows go all the way to the floor. Glass garage doors will roll up when the weather’s good. The room is bathed in sunlight. If you didn’t know what you were looking at, the space

Memphis Flyer: When did y’all first think of putting up a new building?

Kellan Bartosch: I think it was 2014.

We thought we were going to be [at the Broad Avenue location] for 10 years. We bought the tanks in 2013. We expanded two more times in there. So we reached capacity in January 2016.

But even before that we had plans for how we were going to make more beer — here’s where we’re going to go; here’s how we’re going to grow. We were looking for a place for years. We thought it was unfortunate, honestly, that it became a public thing with the [MidSouth] Coliseum. We kind of became a public story. We didn’t want that.

Davin Bartosch: Retrofitting buildings — which was what we did on Broad — it’s really not good for brewing. The best breweries are all designed and built [for brewing] because [the building] should function as a brewery. There’s just so much plumbing and electrical and things that people don’t put in normal buildings.

KB: We had a process engineer who actually looked at the Coliseum. He was like, “Well, can you just tear it down and build the brewery there?” He thought we were in love with land, and that was his advice. There were a couple of instances where we were really close to a lease, which we didn’t want. We knew we wanted to build a brewery.

I drove by this [piece of land] one day, just almost by chance. Our distributor is right over there, and there was a “for-sale-by-owner” sign in the ground. I called, and a couple of weeks later, we had [a letter of intent to buy the property].

The guy was in a position where he had to sell it. He’d owned it for 30 years.

This has been empty my entire life. If you drove by this anytime in the past, it was just bleak. There was nothing here.

But we’re two blocks from Central BBQ and two blocks from the National Civil Rights Museum. We’re three blocks from South Main. We’re close to the Central Station hotel, near the Arrive Hotel, and FedEx is redoing the Gibson.

So, what was the guiding idea here?

KB: We really want it to be … I don’t know if this is a fair analogy, but like the second album. A lot of times bands have been criticized when they do something different. People really liked the first thing, but now we want to do something different.

Well, you know, we’ve changed.

People change. We still want it to feel like it’s us, but we didn’t want to be the same thing as on Broad. So there’s not going to be the posters that we have on Broad, for example.

Artist Rachel Briggs has designed some art installations. There’s going

to be this … we’re calling it the “cat fight cloud.” It’ll be above the taps.

Outside there’s going to be some threedimensional art installed. On this entire wall, there’s going to be a cuckoo clock, and it’s going to be really fun.

There are going to be busts outside of a lot of our heroes. Some of them are more deserving of hero titles than others. We’re doing William Blake, John Muir, Mike Judge, Alton Brown, Ida B. Wells, Robert Reed Church. Inside, there are going to be little dioramas of our beers, shoe-box scenes of Tiny Bomb and so on.

What’s happening over here with this big window?

KB: You go to these places like [Stone Brewing] or to New Belgium. It was our dream. We wanted to become a great production brewery and have this place that could really put us and Memphis on the map. That’s the thought behind the vision — that this could be a draw and bring people to Memphis.

It looks like y’all have tons of taps.

DB: We have 30 taps. We won’t perceive that they’ll be full all the time. We’ll probably double on some stuff that people drink a lot of, like Tiny Bomb.

But there may be times we can have all of them on.

Over here, we’ll have some high-top tables and some low-top tables. Davin

Bubble windows amp up a taproom mural and give clear views into the shiny, new brewhouse.

The taproom bar under construction

KB: It’s the serving window, but we don’t even know what we’re doing in here.

We were having conversations with people, but there’s nothing to report on that. We wanted to be able to serve beer outside through that window. When the weather’s nice, a lot of people show up, and you want to be able to serve them [outside]. But then on, say, most Mondays through Wednesdays, there’s like five people here.

Every brewery has food already.

They’re just from food trucks. We wanted to be able to figure out a way to do that on our own. So there’s no finished thought there — yet.

DB: Either way, it’d be cool to have a food identity instead of rotating and having the never-endingness [of food trucks]. It’s kind of going back to basics.

Boscos has been doing it for years. So we’re borrowing from Boscos.

has been on a personal mission for about a year now to acquire tables and chairs from the Oak Court Mall food court — and he’s done it.

Wait, where did you get them?

DB: Oak Court Mall. I thought they were cool — like wire, but super heavy. It came about because the designers picked out some chairs, and I said, “Those look like the Oak Court Mall chairs.” Then I just thought, all right, I’m going to see if I can get the Oak Court Mall chairs.

These windows over here look so clean.

They look like they’re not even there.

DB: Oh, yeah. They’re not there actually.

Oh my god. I’m glad you told me because I was looking at it and thought it was amazing. I’m an idiot. … When you were designing this place, did you look at other

regional breweries like, say, Sweetwater?

Or did you just say, this is what we want?

DB: Well, there’s so much customization that you have to do when you’re going from where we are on Broad to here because you want to keep your processes the same. I mean, they’re gonna taste somewhat different no matter what because there are just too many variables. But you want to try to stay as true to the style and the ways you are making beer. For instance, Tiny Bomb has a bunch of honey in it. That’s not a typical ingredient in beer. So this vessel is built entirely so that we can put honey into Tiny Bomb. You have to do stuff like this in order to do it at our size. Now, we just fill buckets. And, I mean, you just can’t fill 15 buckets every time you want to brew a beer.

KB: We get the honey from Jimmy Deaton. He has a symbiotic relationship with the soybean farmers in North Mississippi.

DB: He provides pollination for soybeans and has thousands of hives throughout the city. We basically buy all of his honey at this point. You used to [be able to] get his honey in grocery stores. He’d fill little bears and sell them.

But now he’s like, “You’ve made my life incredible. I bring you a drum and then I go back to my job. I’m not [hustling].”

Davin, you’ve always talked about keeping your beers consistent. How is this new place going to help that?

DB: The devil’s in the details. At our other brewery, we have five different people who might be stirring the mash.

Everybody stirs differently. Some people stir this way. Some people are stronger than other people. People stir for a longer amount of time.

Anyway you look at it, that stirring is changing how you’re breaking down starches in the sugars, both in the method and the actual extraction.

Any time you can take a variable and control it, you can have a much better finished product. A lot of what [the new location] does is allow us to control the variables. I can hit temperatures within a half of a degree here. At Broad, it’s a crapshoot. We’re usually within two or three degrees if we’re lucky.

But if you have a cold snap and your groundwater temperature changes and, then, the temperature of your grain changes … That’s just too many variables. Here, I’m able to very specifically control what’s happening.

KB: He’s not a control freak at all. He’s just always thinking of the end result.

All the tiny details add up to that. We’ve done an amazing job of that on Broad for seven years. This just allows us to do that better. When Davin says it’s going to be different, no one will notice besides Davin. But even if you don’t consciously realize that, yeah, this tastes better, it’s going to be more drinkable. continued on page 10

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

could be the showroom floor for the most elegant monster truck dealership in the world.

9

PUBLIC NOTICE SHELBY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AMENDMENT TO THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN ALLOCATION OF CBDG-CV FUNDS AS A RESULT OF THE CARES ACT MODIFICATION OF APRIL 2020 PUBLIC NOTICE As indicated in the public notice ran at the end of April 2020, Shelby County has received a special allocation of Community Development Block Grant funds to be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. This allocation was authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), Public Law 116-136, which was signed by President Trump on March 27, 2020, to respond to the growing effects of this historic public health crisis.

The CARES Act made available $5 billion in Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds. Shelby County’s allocation is $704,206 in CDBG-CV funds to address the needs in low- to moderate- income areas of Shelby County outside of the City of Memphis.

On April 1, 2020, HUD released a memorandum on Availability of Waivers of Community Planning and Development (CPD) Grant Program and Consolidated Plan Requirements to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 and Mitigate Economic Impacts Caused by COVID-19. Two waivers were made available in relation to consolidated plan requirements. Shelby County Government proposed amending the Citizen Participation Plan in order to use the two waivers to consolidated plan requirements through the end of program year 2020 which is June 30, 2021.

As a result of the special allocation of CDBG-CV and waivers to consolidated plan requirements, SCDH proposed amending the PY 2019 Annual Action Plan to reflect the $704,206 in CDBG-CV funds to be used for Public Service Activities.

Also proposed was an amendment to the Citizen Participation Plan to make use of the two waivers to consolidated plan requirements through June 30, 2021.

SCDH is modifying its previous public notice from April 2020 regarding the substantial amendment to the PY 2019 Annual Action Plan. SCDH now proposes that the PY 2019 Annual Action Plan be amended to reflect $704,206 in CDBGCV funds as an available resource. Up to 20% of the CDBG-CV allocation, $140,841.20, may be used for administrative expenses. Any unspent administrative funds may be reprogramed for use on a Public Service Activity. At minimum, 80% of the CDBG-CV allocation, $563,364.80, will be used for Public Service Activities in order to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. The Citizen Participation Plan has been amended as originally proposed in April 2020.

The substantial amendment to the PY 2019 Annual Action Plan will be available for public review from June 15, 2020 through June 19, 2020 on the Department of Housing webpage on the Shelby County Government website at the following link: http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/3103/Reports-and-Plans. This information will also be distributed via email through the City of Memphis main library listserv.

June 11-17, 2020

In order to solicit public comments on the Substantial Amendment to the Consolidated Plan, SCDH will hold a virtual public hearing; Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at 5:30pm. To join the virtual hearing go to the following website: https:// global.gotomeeting.com/join/585776549. You can also dial in using your phone; United States: +1 (786) 535-3211, access Code: 585-776-549. If you plan to attend the public hearing and have special needs, please contact the Department of Housing at Sydney.wright@shelbycountytn.gov by Monday, June 15, 2020 and we will work to accommodate you.

Written comments should be addressed to Ms. Sydney Wright (Sydney.wright@ shelbycountytn.gov), Shelby County Department of Housing, 1075 Mullins Station Road, Memphis, TN 38134. SCDH will respond to written comments within five working days of their receipt. For questions concerning the Amendment to the Consolidated Plan, please contact the Sydney Wright or for TTY at 901- 222-2301.

Para mas información en Español, por favor llame al 901-222-3993.

The Shelby County Department of Housing does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or provision of services. Equal opportunity/equal access provider.

Lee Harris Shelby County Mayor

10

Attest: Scott Walkup, Administrator Department of Housing

continued from page 9 We walk past the massive tanks and platform where Tiny Bomb is made. We push through gray double-doors into the humming, hissing heart of the brewhouse.

DB: This is the boiler room. It’s actually not a boiler. It’s a steam generator. There are only five gallons of water in this whole thing. It’s immediately blasting off steam. So, it’s way more energy efficient than our previous brewery. There, we make hot water into steam 55 gallons at a time. Here, it’s steam on demand, basically. Way less electricity. Way less gas. Way less water.

We walk to another room, this one filled with large grain hoppers, a mill, and industrial-sized bags (called super sacks, heh) hanging in racks along the wall.

DB: That’s wheat malt. It’s a big part of Ananda. All the silos are on the other side of this wall. You can see the two pipes that come into the room from the outside. So the malt is coming in this way.

KB: The silos are for base malts. The super sacks are for more widely used specialty malts and we have smaller bags for specialty malts.

DB: This is maybe the biggest difference from our other brewery. We have a two-roller mill. It’s, basically, what everybody has. But the new, fourroller mill allows us to crush grain in a very consistent way and it allows us to not over-crush and still get very good extraction.

When you’re milling malted barley, you need the husk to filter your grain bed. So, the problem with most mills is, in order to get the crush you need to extract the endosperm, you have to destroy your husk. This is a four-roller mill. It has one step where it’s, basically, shearing the husk off of the endosperm.

There’s another where the endosperm is getting crushed. Because the husk is already off, it just slides through the other parts and we end up with a whole husk from the malt but completely crushed and destroyed endosperm.

We’ve already seen [the changes] it is making in the beers we’re making here so far. It’s making an enormous difference.

KB: Just … uh, we’ve said super sack and endosperm in pretty short order.

So …

You got to have them. You can’t have an endosperm without a super sack.

We take a flight of silver stairs to a platform, to the top of the enormous silver tanks. Davin invites me to look through a glass porthole to the inside, where a hot mash churns with satisfying efficiency. The mash is an early step in the brewing process where the grains (think malt and barley) make sugar and are readied for fermenting (the part that gets

you drunk).

We move along to another, quieter room. Remember your high school science lab? The chunky countertops, the mysterious devices and sinks in mysterious places? It’s all here.

DB: This our laboratory. We’re not built all the way yet.

We’ve had one for awhile but it’s been very spread out. This will be a dedicated space. We’ll have way more testing supplies than we have on Broad. We’ll be able to keep track of our beer and our specifications a lot more.

We walk to another set of massive tanks used to grow and store yeast. It’s a vital part of brewing. Yeast eats the sugar made by the grains and makes our old pal, alcohol. Davin calls them “smaller tanks” and laughs at the description. Each tank holds 20 barrels, or about 40 kegs.

They’re the size of the first fermenting tanks Wiseacre had at its Broad Avenue site. Now their yeast-handling system is that size.

What will happen over at the Broad Avenue location?

KB: In the past three years, we’ve made 500, 600, or 700 barrels of specialty beers. Our plan is to make around 2,000 barrels of specialty beer. So, we get to make more of the fun stuff. They won’t really grow as a percentage of our business. But we’re going to make a lot more specialty beers on Broad.

DB: A lot of us get into [brewing] for the fun of it, the art aspect. It’s a creative outlet as well as an occupation. So, I think [making more specialty beers] is really important to the future of Wiseacre and the future of our brewers.

What’s a beer you’ve been dying to make?

DB: We’ve been pretty limited in our sour/wild area. You have to be extremely careful, and you just can’t do them all the time. So it’ll be fun to get a little bit deeper into that section. We also haven’t been able to make any long-tanktime lagers. That’s a passion of mine, obviously, with Tiny Bomb being my favorite beer.

Where do y’all get your beer names?

KB: They come from all over. I have a running list. If I hear a word I like, I jot it down. More often than not, they come from someone saying a word and I’m like … yeah, that. There are times we overthink it and it takes forever.

But it’s something that we care about a lot. We try to stay away from drug innuendos or sexual innuendos. So, there are things we don’t want to do.

We want to be a little obscure. There’s a desire for someone to want to look up [a beer name] and see what it means. A lot of it comes from our dad. If we had a question growing up, he was always like, “Let’s go get the encyclopedia and look it up.”

the leaves turn really cool colors. These are chestnut trees over here, which Davin wanted. They’re very common in German biergartens because they get wide and provide a lot of shade. … The city requires us to have street trees. So, these are all Ginkgos along the way there. The way it was planned, there will be a lot of different colors in different times of the year.

We walk over to Wiseacre’s new canning line. It’s from Krones. Davin says it’s the same company that makes canning lines for Coke and Budweiser and is “the best canning equipment in the world.”

Just past the canning line, we walk into the cooler. Pallets of packaged cans — Tiny Bomb, Ananda, Beach Within Reach, and more — are stacked over our heads. It’s the end of the beer rainbow.

It’s Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Room, only it’s drinkable. And another revelation: 16-ounce cans packaged in a case (a 24-pack).

Whoa. When did y’all start doing that?

KB: Last week. It’s pretty exciting. We’ve got Regular, Tiny Bomb, and Memphis Sands in 16-ounce cans.

Why go 16-ounce?

KB: It’s new opportunities. It hasn’t been a big part of the Memphis beer world yet. But in other places, music venues prefer them. Bigger sports arenas prefer them. There are a lot of convenience stores, especially in East Tennessee, that are changing that way. I was in Colorado and went into a convenience store. The whole [beer section] was just 16-ounce cans. There are just a lot of consumers who prefer that.

Outside the cooler and through an unassuming door holds another

All Wiseacre six-packs are now packaged in cardboard boxes, instead of plastic ring holders.

Wiseacre innovation. It’s a narrow room. Low light falls on a bar that’s sectioned by wooden walls, like a bank of payphone stalls from some bygone airport. At each stall is a tiny door that opens from another room.

DB: This is a sensory room, where we can have people scheduled to try beers at different times. [The doors] go through to the laboratory. Someone in there will put out samples, when you’re scheduled, and you can taste and write notes.

There’s only positive airflow into this room, so there won’t be any smells from the outside KB: You said, “smells.”

DB: Smells. Heh. Everybody here will

be scheduled to taste beer. Everybody always makes fun of it, and they’re like, “Hey, I want to be a beer taster.” Well, it’s super-important that we know what our own beer tastes like.

Back outside, the small army of workers is still buzzing around, cleaning, putting on finishing touches. We stop at a low wall overlooking a massive courtyard.

If it wasn’t obvious before, Kellan and Davin really have planned every aspect of the new Wiseacre facility. It becomes even more plain when Kellan talks about the trees.

KB: These are Japanese Coral Bark Maples. The bark is kind of red and

Summer savings!

We turn around and Kellan gestures to what is now a blank wall.

KB: On that whole wall, there will be a three-dimensional art [installation].

There’s also art that goes up behind the screens, and at night when it gets lit up, it’s going to look amazing. There’s an acorn that goes up there but no wording.

But down on this concrete curve it’ll say “Wiseacre Brewing Company.”

DB: Because we don’t want people to keep guessing what this might be.

KB: On the northwest corner, there’s going to be a big eyeball, like an allseeing eye, that says “Wiseacre.”

After more than an hour, I let Kellan and Davin get back to work, back to readying everything for the eventual full open of their spectacular new brewery.

And when will that happen? Nothing is certain in these days of “phased reopenings” and “surges” and “flattened curves,” but this summer is the hopedfor target.

1.00

used vehicle rates as low as

%

one-year term APR APR APR APR

two years three years four years five years

southeastfinancial.org | 901-751-9351 Call today or use our online application to enjoy contact-free closing when you refinance your car, truck, or SUV. Plus, no payments for up to 90 days!

Disclaimer: Subject to credit approval. Some restrictions may apply. Rates effective 6/8/20 and subject to change without notice. Rates may vary based on applicant creditworthiness and loan term. At 3.25% APR, 60 monthly payments of $18.08 for each $1,000 borrowed. Interest will continue to accrue during deferred payment period. Excludes refinance of existing Southeast Financial loans.

Federally insured by NCUA

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

2.00% 2.75% 3.00% 3.25%

11

steppin’ out (& stayin’ in)

Support our advertisers— they make it possible.

By Julia Baker Outdoors Inc. Canoe and Kayak Race has been a Memphis tradition for 45 years, attracting around a thousand recreational boating enthusiasts wishing to be the first to make it to the 5,000-meter mark on the Mississippi River each year.

Outdoors Inc.’s annual Canoe and According to Joe Royer, co-ownKayak Race goes virtual. er and president of Outdoors Inc., participants have come from near and far to be a part of the race, including well-known figures like double Olympic gold medalist and sprint kayaker Greg Barton, actress and former model Cybill Shepherd, and Pan Am gold medalist and sprint canoer Mike Herbert. “[In past years], you got to line up beside Olympic and world champions in your recreational boat,” says Royer.

This year, although participants can’t gather in one spot due to COVID-19, they can still race alongside renowned athletes and public figures virtually. According to Royer, racers will be participating from as close as Hyde Lake and Wolf River Harbor in Memphis to as far as bodies of water in Chattanooga, Seattle, and more.

Royer says he’s proud of the broad participant base that the annual race has built, but more than that, he’s thrilled to continue the tradition of celebrating our riverfront with fellow Memphians.

“We just want to keep the tradition of the Outdoors Inc. Canoe and Kayak Race,” says Royer. “We’re on the largest river in the North American continent. When it rains in Yellowstone National Park, it flows through Memphis. And we’re just very proud of our canoe and kayak event and of our river.”

OUTDOORS INC. VIRTUAL CANOE AND KAYAK RACE, PARTICIPATE FROM YOUR FAVORITE BODY OF WATER, JUNE 12TH-14TH, FREE TO REGISTER, $20 FOR T-SHIRT, VISIT OUTDOORSINC.COM FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES June 11th - 17th

June 11-17, 2020

Cerrito Trivia facebook.com/cerritotrivia, Thursday, June 11th, 7-9 p.m., free Test your general knowledge during this virtual trivia night on Facebook Live. Gather a team via Skype, FaceTime, Zoom, or in person, making sure to recruit members who are well-versed in science, history, geography, sports, food, TV, movies, and music. Winners will receive prizes from Memphis Made Brewing Co.

memphis flyer memphisflyer.com 12

Rolling on the River

Drive-in Movie Night: The Goonies Shelby Farms Park, Friday, June 12th, 7-10:30 p.m., $25/car Raring for a movie night outing with friends and/or family? Or perhaps just an evening of throwback cinema? Shelby Farms Park hosts its first Drive-In Movie Night since Phase II reopenings began, showing Steven Spielberg’s cult classic.

Free Ballroom Dance Classes Downtown Memphis Commission, 114 N. Main, Friday, June 12th, 8-9 p.m., free Cat’s Ballroom has partnered with the DMC to bring couples something fun, romantic, and safe to do for date night. Bring masks and follow social distancing guidelines.

Final Sale at MCA Memphis College of Art, 1930 Poplar, June 12th-14th; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Monday; noon-6 p.m. on Sunday; free As MCA closes its doors for good, the art school hosts a final sale, clearing office furniture, lounge furniture, shelves, cabinets, and more from the campus. Shoppers may be able to snag some of the school’s remaining library inventory, art prints, and office supplies. Masks and social distancing required.

Levitt Shell Virtual Concert Series Railgarten, 2166 Central, June 12th and 13th, 7:30 p.m., free During the pandemic, music venues have been closed, and music lovers have had to seek other means of getting their fix on musical entertainment through live streams on Twitch, YouTube, and social media platforms. Live music is still off the table for now, but with Phase II reopenings, restaurants have taken it upon themselves to simulate the live music experience for their guests.

This weekend, Railgarten will be streaming previously recorded Levitt Shell concerts, featuring City Champs and Marcia Ball, on their big screens.

JOE ROYER

Love getting the Flyer for free?

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

THIS WEEK AT

is for takeout and free delivery within a 4-mile radius!

“PT” is launching with a small menu of authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas and salads.

Tuesdays-Fridays: noon-7:30 pm | Saturdays: 11:30 am-8 pm See menu and order online: pizzeriatrasimeno.com

Sign up for the

CROSSTOWN ARTS N E W S L E T T E R

CROSSTOWNCONCOURSE.COM/EVENTS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

... for artist Q&As, virtual events, video premieres, and more! This week, we’re featuring a Q&A with former Crosstown Arts resident artist Zaire Love.

Zaire is a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and speaker whose work is a quest to honor and amplify the stories of the Black South through creative storytelling, documentary, and music.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

at crosstownarts.org

13

M U S I C F E AT U R E B y A l e x G r e e n e

Breathing While Black MonoNeon drops new single in solidarity with protests. widely known as a member of Ghost-Note or for YouTube jams interpolating bass notes over dialogue by an “angry grandpa” or Cardi B, he has touched on politics before — as early as 2016’s “Ain’t Nothing United About America.”

Now this newest single, released on June 1st, weaves an atypically minimalist soundscape to drive home an even more immediate political message.

With the worldwide protests against police brutality and racism still going strong, I emailed MonoNeon for more details on how he crafted this musical demonstration, and he replied with some thoughtful answers.

Memphis Flyer: Was “Breathing While Black” a direct response to recent events, or had it been in the works earlier?

MonoNeon: I wrote “Breathing While Black” immediately after seeing the video of George Floyd’s murder. Then I started seeing things again about Eric Garner and Sandra Bland.

Everything messed me up! Like, damn, why are these things still going on? To see George on the ground like that, uncomfortable, repeatedly

LESSONS FOR ALL AGES

NEW+ USED

MonoNeon

GUITARS

GEAR REPAIR LESSONS

Big selection! Everyday low pricing!

Free layaway! We take trade ins! special financing available

5832 STAGE RD. • 901-371-0928 • REVOLVEGUITARS.COM LOCATED IN HISTORIC BARTLETT STATION AT THE RAILROAD TRACKS facebook.com/pages/REvolve-Guitar-Music-Shop

CATHERINE ELIZABETH PATTON

A

mellow organ lends a laid-back vibe, while the bass plays a simple octave pattern. It’s the perfect track for a Sunday afternoon, made all the more unhurried by slippery jazz chords and an original melodic hook that could almost be a Stevie Wonder sample. Let’s chill, y’all!

But then the lyrics kick in, and you realize this song is not about tuning out the world’s problems.

Evoking transcendence and contemplation more than the peace of forgetfulness, this track zooms out to 30,000 feet as protests rage in the streets below. Taking in the words, you realize, as you muse on the racist systems that surround us, that you are sitting on a cloud with MonoNeon.

“Breathing while black/We been unheard far too long/Marching, protesting/How many times do we have to do this?” It’s a bit disorienting to hear such thoughts from a composer whose previous titles include “Women, Water & Weed,” “MYPA (Masturbate Your Problems Away),” and “Fart When You Pee.” But while the five-string bass wunderkind, who played with Prince in his final years, is more

WE COULD USE YOUR HELP. The Memphis Flyer is here for you in the best times, and in the most uncertain times.

Friends, these are uncertain times — but we’re certain about a few things. We’re always independent. We’re always free. And we strive to keep you informed about and connected to our city. We’re asking for you to kick a little support toward the Flyer ’s work. Even a little helps a lot.

June 11-17, 2020

s u p p o r t . m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

14

M U S I C F E AT U R E telling the officers, “I can’t breathe,” and not one officer cares to help. …

The whole situation sucked! While the song came from being saddened by George’s murder, the song is for every black man and woman who has dealt with police brutality. It just sucks that this world can’t get rid of this racism crap!

“While the song came from being saddened by George’s murder, the song is for every black man and woman who has dealt with police brutality.”

How has the quarantine affected your life and playing?

I’ve been chillin’ at home in Memphis, writing whatever and recording whatever. A lot of my gigs and tours were canceled, and that was hard to deal with. But it’s all good! I’ve been kicking with my mom, grandma, and cousins.

What are you looking forward to in the future? Any new releases or tentative tour plans with Ghost-Note or others?

FREE

I for real don’t like looking forward to things. But yeah, Ghost-Note recorded a whole new album before COVID-19, so hopefully that will be released sometime next year. I might release another album next year, I don’t know.

I’m just doing shit! I definitely want to do more of my own music on the road.

I assume you did these new recordings on your own, programming or playing everything?

Yep, I’m singing and playing everything on my two recent singles, “Am I Trippin’?” and “Breathing While Black.” I programmed the drums on a Yamaha RX11, keyboard sounds from a Yamaha DX7. I primarily write songs from the guitar. Two singers I think about when I’m singing are Mavis Staples and O.V. Wright. I honestly want that sound in my voice.

I especially listen to Mavis every day.

She bad as hell! My dad played bass with Mavis and her dad, Pops Staples.

Hopefully one day I will get a chance to meet Mavis.

MonoNeon’s new singles, “Breathing While Black” and “Am I Trippin’?

(Overthinkoverlove),” are available on all streaming services, YouTube, and Bandcamp.

RENT ASK US HOW

· Apartment Style Living

· No Long Term Lease

· Fully Furnished

· We’re Pet Friendly

· FREE Utilities & Cable TV

· Siegel Rewards Program

W E E K LY & M O N T H LY R AT E S

901.245.2672

7380 Stage Rd. Bartlett, TN 38133 | www.siegelselect.com

***NOW OPEN***

BEST IN

MEMPHIS

AWARD for what, 30 years now?

RPT 3547 Walker 327-1471

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BURGER

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Proud loser of the

15

CALENDAR of EVENTS:

June 11 - 17

T H EAT E R

Hattiloo Theatre

God’s Trombone, enjoy the original production of inspirational sermons by African American preachers reimagined as poetry, reverberating with the musicality and splendid eloquence of spirituals.

Free. Ongoing.

Sarafina!, past production about human rights in the 21st century, written by Mbongeni Ngema. Ongoing.

Iola’s Southern Fields, enjoy an online past performance drawn from the writings of Ida B. Wells. Free. Ongoing.

VIEWABLE AT HATTILOO.ORG.

Kudzu Playhouse

The Revolutionists, a raucous romp through the French Revolution with a virtual performance by Lauren Gunderson. $5. Sat., June 13, 7 p.m.

Kudzu Playhouse Virtual, join Kudzu social media for donation based classes, games, scholarship opportunities, and more. Download the app for more fun theater activities and information. Ongoing.

KUDZUPLAYERS.COM.

The Orpheum

Orpheum Virtual Engagement, join Orpheum staff, artists and students for activities, interviews, and more on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Visit website for more information. Ongoing.

ORPHEUM-MEMPHIS.COM.

Playhouse on the Square

Playhouse on the Square at Home, a series of digital content through POTS website and social media platforms.

View past performances, engage in quizzes, enjoy digital playwriting, and more. Free.

Ongoing.

PLAYHOUSEONTHESQUARE.ORG.

Tennessee Shakespeare Company

TNSHAKESPEARE.ORG.

Theatre Memphis

Online on Stage, a Theatre Memphis Facebook group that serves as a clearinghouse for performers wanting to share their talents. Featuring storytime, readings, or performance art. Ongoing.

THEATREMEMPHIS.ORG.

A R TI S T R EC E P TI O N S

David Lusk Gallery

Artist reception for “Zinnias,” exhibition of drawings, paintings, and sculpture by Carlyle Wolfe Lee. Sat., June 13, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

97 TILLMAN (767-3800).

your day and stay connected through art. Free. Ongoing.

LROSSGALLERY.COM.

Memphis Flyer Coloring Book Order your book today benefiting local authors and journalism. $35. Ongoing.

MEMPHISMAGAZINESTORE.COM.

Metal Museum Online

Peruse the art and craft of fine metalwork digitally. Featuring past gallery talks from previous exhibitions, interviews with artists, and demonstrations. Free. Ongoing.

METALMUSEUM.ORG.

Pinot’s Palette Virtual Paint

Register online for Zoom invite and an emailed supply list.

Don’t forget the wine. Visit website for dates and times, $15. Ongoing.

PINOTSPALLETE.COM.

OTH E R A R T HA P P E N I N G S

2020 Virtual Door Dash The annual kickoff for Adapt-A-Door fundraiser in November. Peruse pictures of available doors or other items to make into furniture, art, or other adaptive reuse. Artist can register on website or call.

Through July 31.

MEMPHISHERITAGE.ORG

Call to Artists for “Unresponsive”

Seeking work in solidarity with the Black community of Memphis. Submit new works of visual art, music, spoken word, and writing to be included in a large-scale, open-call exhibition and performance event when Crosstown Arts reopens to the public. Through July 31.

CROSSTOWN ARTS, 1350 CONCOURSE, STE. 280 (507-8030), CROSSTOWNARTS.ORG.

“Doodling Around”

Download art by gallery artists to print out and color. Post on social media and tag the artists and gallery. Brighten

Soul Practice Chops Series

Practice online with music director Paul McKinney. Sessions include tutorial videos and sheet music that any student can use to practice.

Free. Ongoing.

Wednesday Opera Time

Join Opera Memphis every Wednesday on Facebook for an assortment of live events including “Opera for Animals,” Bingo Opera, and more.

Free. Wednesdays, 7 p.m.

OPERA MEMPHIS, 6745 WOLF RIVER (257-3100).

C O M E DY “What You Doin, Nothin?”

Comedy and parody series created by the artists of Unapologetic, a Memphis based record label and creative company. Visit YouTube for first two episodes and details for more. Ongoing.

VIRTUAL/ONLINE.

DA N C E

STAXMUSICACADEMY.ORG.

Neko Mew’s Belly Dance Classes

Woman’s Exchange Virtual Art Gallery

Annual fundraiser featuring original work in mixed media, glass, sculpture, jewelry, woodturning, and more. View on website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or make an appointment. June 15-Aug. 21.

WOMAN’S EXCHANGE ART GALLERY, 88 RACINE (327-5681), WEOFMEMPHIS.ORG.

OPERA

Local artist and belly dancer Jen Russell offers weekly video tutorials via Facebook Live.

Donations accepted, payable through Venmo. Available via Facebook group Neko Mew’s Belly Dance Classes. Viewers can also receive individualized instruction by donating $5 for the first video lesson and $10 for each subsequent video.

Wednesdays.

University of Memphis Theatre & Dance: Free Livestream Classes

“Opera Speed-Runs” Series by Jake Stamatis

Tales of Hoffman on YouTube

by Handorf Company artist.

Free. Ongoing.

OPERA MEMPHIS, 6745 WOLF RIVER (257-3100).

Visit the Facebook page for live streaming with student instructors. Free. Ongoing.

UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS, UNIVERSITY CENTER THEATER, 499 UNIVERSITY, MEMPHIS.EDU.

LECT U R E /S P EA K E R

Zoo Dude

Hosted by Chief Zoological Officer Matt Thompson, Memphis Zoo updates. Free.

Wednesdays, Sundays, 8 a.m., and Saturdays, noon.

MEMPHIS ZOO, 2000 PRENTISS PLACE IN OVERTON PARK (3336500), MEMPHISZOO.ORG.

Afternoon History Stroll

Stroll in groups of nine through the cemetery grounds to learn about the story of Memphis and those who lived in Memphis and built the city, fought our country’s wars, and more. $5. Mondays, Wednesdays, 1 p.m. Through June 30.

ELMWOOD CEMETERY, 824 S. DUDLEY (774-3212).

“My Elmwood”

Visit Elmwood’s social media for talks and tours by Elmwood staff, board members, and enthusiasts. Subjects range from nature found at Elmwood to historical events and people. Through Aug. 31.

ELMWOOD CEMETERY, 824 S. DUDLEY (774-3212).

E X POS/SA LES

Help your favorite small local business advertise in Memphis Flyer at deeply discounted rates so they can let customers know they’re still open, even if in a different way, and still keeping people employed.

Visit website for details.

Through June 30.

MEMPHISFLYER.COM.

Online Spring Plant Sale

Order your plants from the nursery online and pick up

Download App Today!!!

HEALTHY PETS HAPPY PEOPLE At Walnut Grove Animal Clinic, we make sure 16

Sarafina! at the Hattiloo Theatre, viewable online at hattiloo.org

Memphis Flyer Adopt-ASmall Business

TO U R S

June 11-17, 2020

Decameron Project, a live streaming effort from the Tabor Stage in which artists bring live readings, inspirational poetry, famous speeches

by Shakespeare, fun stories, and more. Inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio, who escaped the plague in the 14th century and wrote 100 stories while in seclusion. Free. Ongoing.

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com or P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101.

DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY.

your loved ones are always our priority.

Full-Service, State-of-the-Art Veterinary Hospital. Pet Grooming and Boarding Facilities.

Advertising With Us? Go GLOBAL!!! @Xm7digitalsales.com 2959 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, TN 38111 901-323-1177 • mymemphisvet.com New Expanded Hours: Mon.-Thu. 7:30a-9p Fri. 7:30a-5:30p / Sat. 8a-4p / Closed Sun.

Call us @ (877) 879.9XM7

CALENDAR: JUNE 11 - 17 help you find balance and reduce stress. Join live or enjoy past meditations online.

Fridays, noon.

DIXON.ORG.

Pink Palace Online

Visit website for fun, at-home Museum offerings, including The Sun, Our Living Star planetarium show, America’s Musical Journey movie, Curator’s Choice highlighting Museum pieces, activities, and more. Free. Ongoing.

MEMPHISMUSEUMS.ORG.

River Garden Bingo

Download a bingo card or make your own for a fun game while enjoying Mississippi River Park. Free.

Ongoing.

S P O RTS / F IT N ES S

Ballet Memphis Online Pilates and Ballet Classes

Classes offered include Espresso Flow, Stretch & Burn, Fascial Fun, Intermediate/Advanced Ballet, Intermediate Mat Flow, and Get Moving. $10. Ongoing, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

BALLETMEMPHIS.ORG.

Grizz Turbo Trivia

Test your Grizz Nation knowledge on the Official Grizzlies Mobile App. Weekly winners will win a Grizzlies Bluetooth speaker and be entered to win the grand prize of an autographed Grizzlies T-shirt after the final buzzer on June 16. Tues., 2 p.m.

Through June 16.

NBA.COM/GRIZZLIES.

Kroc Center Online Fitness Classes

Classes will be offered free and online. From mediation and yoga to bootcamp and kickboxing, find the right class for you. Free. Ongoing.

KROCMEMPHIS.ORG.

Orpheum Mulligans for Education

Golf tournament was canceled, but donate toward your mulligan and receive a dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls, and an Orpheum Theatre Group clip-on watch with magnetic ball marker. $250. Through June 22.

ORPHEUM-MEMPHIS.COM.

Virtual Training & Group Fitness

YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South offers workouts for anyone to try at home.

Workouts include yoga, barre, bootcamp, exercises for active older adults, and Les Mills training. Free. Ongoing.

YMCAMEMPHIS.ORG.

on IG

Your Inner Yogi: Friday Night Live

Live stream Instagram yogi class. Fridays, 6:30 p.m.

Through Sept. 4.

YOURINNERYOGI.COM.

M E ETI NGS

Churches from the Presbytery of the MidSouth: Sunday Worship Livestream Combined livestream worship. Visit website for more information and livestream link. Sun., 11 a.m.

IDLEWILDCHURCH.ORG.

Virtual-T

Weekly Zoom gathering for anyone 18+ who identifies as a member of the trans or GNC community. Email ahauptman@outmemphis.org for login info. Tuesdays, 6 p.m.

OUTMEMPHIS.ORG.

S P EC I A L EVE N TS

Crafts & Drafts: Spring Shop

Springtime version of Crafts & Drafts holiday market is now online. Featuring a curated selection of 50 of the best local crafters and artisans. Visit website, Instagram, and Facebook to view vendors. Through June 15.

MEMPHISCRAFTSANDDRAFTS.COM.

Engagement Pop-Up

Center will be set up at the bottom of the Huling Stairs.

Come by to see the new designs, chat with park staff, and get a limited edition Worthy Hero tee or Come to the River yard sign. Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Through June 30.

TOM LEE PARK, OFF RIVERSIDE, MEMPHISRIVERPARKS.ORG.

Live at the Garden Online Auction

While the Live at the Garden 20th anniversary season is canceled, special items will be auctioned throughout the season, including a Ron Olson original painting.

Visit website to participate.

Ongoing.

LIVEATTHEGARDEN.COM.

Lunchtime Meditations with Amy Balentine Explore a variety of meditation practices designed to

United Way of the MidSouth: Driving The Dream

For those impacted by COVID-19. Puts callers in contact with essential services, without individuals having to repeat the circumstances for the call. Follow-up ensures those connections were made. Mondays-Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

(888-709-0630), CALL.DRIVINGTHEDREAM.ORG.

Virtual Wild Encounters Learn about animals at the Memphis Zoo. Hosted by members of the Animal Interpreter Team. MondaysFridays, 12:30 p.m.

MEMPHIS ZOO, 2000 PRENTISS PLACE IN OVERTON PARK (3336500), MEMPHISZOO.ORG.

FOOD & DR I N K E V E N TS

Beer & Bagel Run

Join the virtual run benefiting the Wolf River Conservancy.

Sat., June 13, 9 a.m.

WOLF RIVER GREENWAY, THE NEWEST SECTION OF THE MEMPHIS GREENWAY ON HUMPHREYS, (4526500), BEERANDBAGEL.COM.

Muddy’s Fun House: Super Fantastic AtHome Bake-a-long and Variety Show Visit blog for a new episode each week hosted by Kat. Thursdays.

MUDDY’S COFFEE & BAKE SHOP, 585 S. COOPER (683-8844), MUDDYSBAKESHOP.COM.

FI LM

Indie Memphis Movie Club

Weekly virtual screening opportunities plus online Q&As on Tuesday evenings between programs and special guests.

Visit website for more information and schedule.

Ongoing.

INDIEMEMPHIS.ORG.

Oxford Virtual Film Festival

Presentation includes 24hour rental period and filmmaker Q&A. New releases until the end of the year. $10, $40-$175 virtual passes.

Ongoing.

OXFORDFILMFEST.COM.

NEEDLE EXCHANGE ANONYMOUS & CONFIDENTIAL 28 N CLAYBROOK ST, MEMPHIS, TN 38104

EVERY WEDNESDAY • 1-3PM 3628 Summer Ave, MEMPHIS, TN 38122

EVERY WEDNESDAY • 6:30-8:30PM WHAT WE OFFER

• Clean needles • Naloxone (Narcan) education and distribution • Safe disposal of used needles • Onsite treatment referral (optional) • Education

QUESTIONS? CALL US:901-484-1132 @SAFEPOINT.SSP

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN, 750 CHERRY (636-4100).

Engagement Pop-Up at Tom Lee Park, Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

curbside. Visit website for available plants. Ongoing.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER PARK, MEMPHISRIVERPARKS.ORG.

17

FOOD By Michael Donahue

Tea Time Hiatus Owner Suhair Lauck says Little Tea Shop will return.

3 Locations to Serve You

University of Memphis Á 3530 Walker Ave Germantown Á 7521 Queens Ct East Memphis Á 764 Mount Moriah

327-6111 756-4444 763-4111

June 11-17, 2020

Dine InÁPick-upÁDeliveryÁCurbside Call or Go online at www.garibaldispizza.com or use our convenient app on Google Play Store and The App Store

GET ONE 2 PC DARK DINNER

FREE W/ PURCHASE OF ONE 2PC DARK DINNER & 2 MED DRINKS. WITH THIS COUPON. EXPIRES 07/31/20.

18

Dine In & Drive Thru 3571 Lamar Ave. 2520 Mt. Moriah Drive Thru / Carry Out 1217 S. Bellevue 4349 Elvis Presley 811 S. Highland 2484 Jackson Ave. 1370 Poplar Ave. • 890 Thomas NO PHOTOCOPIES ACCEPTED!

A Very Tasteful Food Blog Dishing it out at .com.

$2.50 LB

CRAWFISH

BY THE BAG STRAIGHT FROM LOUISIANA

RESERVE YOUR BAG!

BY THURSDAY BY NOON FOR THE WEEKEND

547-7997

She moved to Memphis in 1967 after marrying her first husband, who lived in Memphis. “I came in the middle of winter.

It was freezing. I had never seen icicles in my life. They were coming through the windows. They looked like daggers. I was scared to go under … scared they were going to fall and kill me.

“I loved Memphis after it was spring.

Spring is gorgeous in Memphis. People welcomed me with open arms. Strangers took care of me from day one. This is my home.”

She worked at La Baguette for five years, but 33 years ago she married James Lauck Sr. and went to work at his restaurant, Little Tea Shop.

Suhair Lauck

They enjoyed traveling. “We used to go all over the world.” Her husband died in 2012. “I have not had a vacation since my husband died.” The quarantine, she says, “is vacation.”

Little Tea Shop will reopen “sooner or later,” Lauck says. “But it’s going to be different. Right this minute I have ideas in my head, but at the same time I don’t know what I’m doing.”

People tell her to post a limited number of meals a day online and say, “Come and pick it up. Take it home and reheat it.”

“Something like that, maybe,” she says.

“Because it’s less work, less groceries.”

That might be an option. “If you limit it to certain food every other day, it will be easier. Maybe.”

Meanwhile, customers are checking up on her, Lauck says. “Every day they call and say, ‘Let us know when you’re going to be open ’cause we’re coming. I want to be the first one.’

I tell them, ‘Without you, I can’t exist.

Without my customers, there is no Little Tea Shop.’”

MICHAEL DONAHUE

L

ittle Tea Shop was my lunch mainstay. I walked down the alley from my office almost every day for owner Suhair Lauck’s Lacey Special — baked chicken with cornbread and rice.

But Little Tea Shop is closed — for now.

“We’ve been closed since the last week of March,” Lauck says. “I started carryout the last week before we closed. It’s not worth it. Just a few people showed up. I cooked a lot of food.”

Reopening a restaurant is not easy.

“You have to start from scratch. It’s like a brand-new restaurant because you have to start new rules and regulations.” And, she says, “I’m not taking chances for me, my employees, my customers.”

Since 1918, Little Tea Shop at 69 Monroe has been a gathering place. The iconic restaurant also is the subject of a documentary made by Molly Wexler.

“I think it’s tradition,” Lauck says. “I think everyone’s used to it.”

And, she says, “Everybody wants to see who’s there. Friends meet friends. Even if they don’t meet for lunch, they always see each other. And it’s a powerful lunch. You want to be seen. You want to be heard.

You want to be noticed. Especially during election time or if you’re campaigning. It’s a fun place to be.”

Now, Lauck says it feels eerie to enter the dining room. “I came downstairs and you could drop a needle and hear it. It was quiet. No cars. No restaurants open. Like I’m isolated. I felt trapped. I haven’t had that feeling in a long time.”

Lauck cooks for herself, but — even though friends want her to — she hasn’t made the Lacey Special or, basically, any of her Little Tea Shop fare since she closed.

“They want me to make chicken salad [or] corn sticks. I don’t want to turn on the oven. Usually I make hundreds a day. You have to downsize it for one or two people.”

Lauck did make chicken salad and corn sticks for a neighbor. “They take care of me,” she says. “The least I can do is make them corn sticks.”

She’s been spending time gathering up possessions for a “big, big sale in the Tea Shop.”

And she’s going through family photographs and memorabilia. “I was born in the Depression, so I don’t throw anything away.”

Lauck, who was born in Bethany, Palestine, learned to cook from her mother, father, and grandmother. But, she says, “I do better cooking my own way, [with] my own techniques.”

BREWS By Richard Murff

Bohemia

When in Nicaragua, why not have a Mexican beer?

Inside the 1620 Madison Avenue location

Select 6 ... make your own 6-pack

ULTIMATE

CRAFT

BEER SELECTION! JUST ARRIVED!!

MEMPHIS MADE BREWING CO.

SOULFUL GINGER GOLDEN SAISON 6pk, 12oz CAN 6.2% ABV

PLUS 10% ADDED AT CHECKOUT

7

$ 73

For the first time ever, Soulful Ginger is available in cans! This Memphis Made favorite is a golden saison brewed with candied ginger and peppercorn. The ginger gives it a unique sweetness and spiciness, yet it’s still light and refreshing. This summer offering goes well with many Asian dishes and spicy foods. Available for a limited time.

CASHSAVER

Be a

A COST PLUS FOOD OUTLET

LOCALLY OWNED WHITEHAVEN 4049 Elvis Presley Blvd.

MIDTOWN 1620 Madison Ave.

OAKHAVEN 3237 Winchester Rd.

SOUTH MEMPHIS 1977 S. Third St.

MEMPHISCASHSAVER.COM @MADISONGROWLER

MADISONGROWLER

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

WEEKLY ADVERTISED SPECIALS ON-LINE AT MEMPHISCASHSAVER.COM OR IN-STORE

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

The hotel was a traditional sort of four-sided building, built around an open patio — with no hot water. The rain was coming down in sheets, as it does almost daily between May and October. The protests had been raging, despite the weather, as President Daniel Ortega had scrapped veteran pensions for — and I’m not making this up — fruit baskets. The old veterans couldn’t wait until October for the rains to go away, and a bunch of bananas wouldn’t do the trick.

I opened my door into the steaming mist and found in an enclave a bunch of women dressed up for a party, all swaying around a CD player, dancing and laughing. They were drinking Bohemia out of an iced Styrofoam cooler.

My first thought was to ask them to turn the damn racket down, but it looked like a bridal shower or something. Honestly, I’d applaud anyone who could muster up the attitude to

throw a party in that mess. The ladies offered me one, but what little Spanish I know was gleaned in hospitals and I couldn’t see how that would strike the right vibe. So I borrowed a pair of earplugs from my father in the room next door and tried to go back to sleep.

Dad speaks excellent Spanish. It was Father’s Day, and he wanted to see whatever it is that I do for a living, so we’d hightailed it down to Nicaragua and smacked into some social unrest.

As you do.

Later, we popped into what had become our regular Chinese restaurant, sensibly called Restaurante Chino. The television, usually on the Spanish-language sci-fi channel, was now on the government Sandinista channel, and the place was empty, save one large table surrounded

by Nicaraguan bureaucrats and Chinese “engineers” discussing a largely unworkable canal project intended to rip through the center of the country and destroy Lake Nicaragua. They were drinking bottles of Tsingtao.

Nothing against Tsingtao, but I liked the ladies’ style better and ordered a Bohemia. It’s a pilsner style, but not really the watered-down hot-weather version. Though it’s made in Mexico, Bohemia is a willfully European style, named after a beautiful region of the Czech Republic — and they still use Czech hops.

Stateside, if you want a LatinAmerican beer, it’s likely to be Mexican, and if you’re in a restaurant (remember those?), it’s likely to be a Corona or Dos Equis. Bohemia, though, edges out Dos Equis and leaves Corona far behind. Locally, High Cotton has a good Mexican lager, which stands up better than either.

When I find myself someplace interesting, I like to drink the local brew.

While there is a good national rum, I’m not sure there actually is a Nicaraguan beer. After a devastating earthquake in the ’70s and a civil war in the ’80s, the entire city is a DIY project with the aesthetic of a parking garage. I asked one lady, the wife of a bank president, for her mailing address, and she gave me a P.O. box in Miami.

Still, the people managed, as they do. After it was all over, they threw a party and opened a beer. Probably a Bohemia.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

J

ust how the brain — or mine, at any rate — jumps from one thought to memory and back again is something of a mystery. Standing there looking at a six pack of Bohemia beer, bandana tied around half my face, and hearing lots of talk about curfews and protests — if I’d had a bicycle chain handy, it would have been just like the demonstrations in Nicaragua.

I’d woken up in a cell-like room in a hotel in Managua to the sound of lively Latin music. The city was desperately on edge. El Presidente had stacked the courts with toadies, won himself an illegal third term, and started going around calling himself Comandante.

Never a good sign. Still, it sounded like a party outside my door.

19

FILM By Chris McCoy

Shirley Elisabeth Moss summons inner demons in this tense biopic.

S

June 11-17, 2020

hirley begins with Rose Nemser (Odessa Young) discovering Shirley Jackson the same way most people do, by reading “The Lottery.” Part dystopia, part folk horror, and part social commentary, “The Lottery” is about an idyllic small town that chooses a citizen at random to stone to death every year. The story’s stark warning about the dangers of blindly following tradition have reverberated since it was first published in 1948, and it is now taught in high school literature classes.

But it wasn’t always revered. Many found it baffling and nauseating. Later in the film, Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss) describes it as “the most hated story in the history of The New Yorker.”

The love/hate dynamic is the core of Josephine Decker’s loose biopic of Shirley Jackson. Based on a book by Susan Scarf Merrell, the story focuses on a time in the early 1950s when the writer was creating her second novel, Hangsaman. She is living with her husband, literary professor Stanley Edgar Hyman (Michael Stuhlbarg), at Bennington College.

Shirley is desperately depressed as she tries to crack the character of Paula Jean Welden, a Bennington student who mysteriously disappeared in the Vermont woods, for her novel.

If Shirley doesn’t serve any other function in your life, I hope it makes you feel better about your relationship — or lack of one. Shirley and Stanley are the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird of psychological abuse. Stanley is a popular professor and notorious philanderer who openly flouts his co-ed conquests. Shirley is an acute observer of humanity who does not hesitate to use her powers to drop the most hurtful comment at the moment of maximum psychological damage. And yet, they’re perfect for each other. Maybe it’s because they’re the only ones who can keep each other in check.

Without Shirley, Stanley would be just another predatory monster. Without Stanley urging her to keep writing, Shirley would have wandered into traffic long ago.

Into this unholy mix comes Rose and her husband Fred (Logan Lerman). Fred is a young adjunct professor assigned to Stanley’s department.

He and Rose move in with the battling HymanJacksons at the beginning of the semester. It’s only supposed to be for a little while, just until they can find their own place in town. In exchange for room and board, Rose helps out around the house. Shirley at first eyes her with suspicion, and lashes her with an acid tongue.

But when Rose proves she can take the abuse, Shirley

IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH PERSONALIZED CARE • • • •

enlists her for a little larcenous book research. Rose becomes unexpectedly pregnant and slowly falls into a psychosexual codependence with Shirley.

Director Josephine Decker got her start as an actress in the mumblecore movement of the early Obama years in Joe Swanberg’s Uncle Kent. The primary imprint those zero-budget digital flicks have had on film and television has been the naturalistic acting style of people like Lena Dunham and Greta Gerwig. Like her contemporary Gerwig, Decker flourished when she moved into the big chair. Shirley carries the imprint of an earlier, much more experimental strain of American DIY filmmaking, exemplified by Memphis director Morgan Jon Fox. Decker and cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen make balletic use of handheld cameras, always finding fresh, perfect angles. The lighting is low, and the colors frequently luminous. They have a particular love for playing shadows off Odessa Young’s gothic cheekbones.

The real fireworks happen when the camera is pointed at Elisabeth Moss. She goes full Bette Davis as she portrays Shirley’s bursting portfolio of mental illnesses. I feel like I’ve typed these words before, as Moss just keeps topping herself, but this may be her best role yet. Shirley is a snarling, feral intellect,

TOGETHER WE CAN SHAPE OUR FUTURE IN MEMPHIS. COMPLETE THE CENSUS ONLINE,

BY PHONE, OR BY MAIL

BY JUNE 30TH.

Wellness & preventative care Surgery & dental cleanings Grooming & boarding Vaccines, parasite prevention & microchipping

Mention this ad and get 15% off your first grooming appointment

20

Michael Stuhlbarg (left) and Elisabeth Moss shine as Stanley Hyman and haunted horror author Shirley Jackson in director Josephine Decker’s new biopic about Jackson’s life.

733 E. Pkwy S. 272-7411 memphisanimalclinic.com

Visit 901counts.com or 2020Census.gov Dorian Spears, Momentum Nonprofit Partners — dspears@momentumnonprofit.org

Legal Notices

at once cunningly manipulative and completely unguarded against the microaggressions of daily life.

After a recent panel at the Oxford Virtual Film Festival, I came to realize that what defines experimental film is the filmmaker’s devotion to finding new and unusual processes to create their art. Decker’s former work such as Thou Wast Mild and Lovely and Madeline’s Madeline, both of which screened at Indie Memphis, look much more experimental than Shirley. But Shirley is deeply concerned with the artistic process.

Shirley’s toxic relationships with her husband and houseguests are integral to her writing. Her seduction of the increasingly confused (and increasingly pregnant) Rose is

more like a systemic psychological dismantling. But when Shirley finishes her novel and discards the muse she no longer needs, Rose emerges stronger and more self-assured.

There are a lot of influences bubbling under the surface of Shirley, such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Bergman’s Persona (a film with which feminist filmmakers seem to have a love/hate relationship), but the director’s vision emerges as something more than the sum of its parts. Decker has crafted the first masterpiece of the young decade.

Shirley is streaming on Hulu.

_____________________

AUTO AUCTION June 27, 2020 - 8:30am Superior Towing3787 Homewood Rd. Memphis, TN 38118 2009 Lincoln VIN# 1LNHM93R59G6188732010 BuickVIN# 1G4GC5EG3AF1438522010 LexusVIN# JTHBK1EG7A24127432011 DodgeVIN# 3D4PG3FG0BT5216472010 NissanVIN# JN1AZ4FH5AM3040812008 InfinitiVIN# JNKAY01FX8M6518342016 Volkswagen VIN# 3VWF17AT9GM607446 _____________________ MISSING SPOUSE I am currently looking for my spouse Keenan C Tidwell or Keenan C Luster. Looking for him to serve him divorce papers have made numerous attempts to locate him. His last known location is in the Whitehaven area. Any information regarding his whereabouts please email: shaquitayoung7@gmail.com

CLEAN AND PINK Is a upscale residential cleaning company that takes pride in their employees & the clients they serve. Providing exceptional service to all. The application process is extensive to include a detailed drug test, physical exam, and background check.

The training hours are 8am-6pm Mon-Thur. 12$-19$hr. Full time hours are Mon - Thu & rotating Fridays. Transportation to job sites during the work day is company provided. Body cameras are a part of the work uniform. Uniform shirts provided.

Only serious candidates need apply. Those only looking for long term employment need apply. Cleaning is a physical job but all tools are company provided. Send Resume to cleannpink@msn.com

Education TRAIN ONLINE TO DO MEDICAL BILLING! Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 866-243-5931. M-F 8am-6pm ET) (AAN CAN)

HELP WANTED Person needed for house cleaning.

Experience a plus. Monday-Thursday & some Fridays. Driver’s License & References required. Collierville area. 901.494.8598

IT/Computer

Employment COPELAND SERVICES, L.L.C. Hiring Armed State Licensed Officers/Unarmed OfficersThree Shifts AvailableSame Day Interview1661 International Place901-258-5872 or 901-818-3187Interview in Professional Attire

QUALITY MANAGEMENT ANALYST - II needed at International Paper in Memphis, TN. Qualified candidate must have a Bach in Comp Sci or related & 4 years of QA exp. (Employer is willing to accept 2 yrs of work exp in Comp Sci field in lieu of a Bach in Comp Sci, plus an addi-

tional 4 yrs of exp.) 4 yrs’ QA exp must include: Quality assurance methods including STEP; Developing a QA lifecycle with supporting metrics; Utilizing IBM Rational Integration Tester / HP Test Suite; Configuring & maintaining UNIX & NT operating systems on servers & desktops; Proven leadership when mentoring junior analysts; Project Management; Application Development; Thorough understanding of the OSI Model Full stack; Testing non-English locales & character sets; Version control; Development methodologies including Agile & Scrum; Development of test script & ability to automate testing processes. Fax resumes to Adrienne Guy at 901-214-0815. Equal Opportunity/ affirmative action employer including vets & disabled. _____________________ IT APPLICATION DEVELOPER III needed at ServiceMaster BSC, LLC in Memphis, TN. Must have Bach degree in Comp. Sci, Engineering or related & 5 yrs of development exp. Must include 2 yrs exp in: Design & analysis of Business application software systems; Design & development REST web services; Hands-on exp w/ SQL & NoSQL databases; Utilize the Salesforce ERP business processes & database structure; Utilize Net MVC, C# Programming Language, HTML/ CSS/Bootstrap, JavaScript, Angular 4, Php & Cloud Based Services; Modular design & development practices; Application performance tuning techniques. Email resumes to Angela Clark at angela.clark@servicemaster.com. EOE _____________________ SR. SYSTEMS ENGINEER needed at AutoZone in Memphis, TN. Must have a Bach degree in Comp Sci or related & 5 yrs of ATG Commerce & Java development exp, including: Design & development for

3707 Macon Rd. 272-9028 lecorealty.com Visit us online, call, or office for free list.

HOUSES & DUPLEXES FOR RENT ALL AREAS

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

FILM By Chris McCoy

901-575-9400 classifieds@memphisflyer.com

memphisflyer.com ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CLASSIFIEDS

LEGAL NOTICE • EMPLOYMENT

21 21

EMPLOYMENT • REAL ESTATE • SERVICES

901-575-9400 classifieds@memphisflyer.com Ecommerce projects; Building & implementing large scale transition to Enterprise info; Exp in Architecture including application development, process development, integration & data exchange; Design & develop in ATG Commerce, BCC, Endeca Search Engine; Design & develop in ATG Catalog, Promotion, Price Lists; Design & develop Check Out functionality using ATG Commerce. Fax resumes to DeAngelo Sears at 901-495-8207.

EOE.

Restaur ant/ Hospitality

RAFFERTY’S We are looking for service minded individuals that don’t mind working hard. We work hard, but make $. Apply in the store. 505 N Gtown Pkwy

Volunteer Opportunities If YOU’RE A GOOD READER and can volunteer to do so please call 901-832-4530 Real Estate for Rent

GEEKS ON SITE provides FREE diagnosis REMOTELY 24/7 SERVICE DURING COVID19. No home visit necessary. $40 OFF with coupon 86407! Restrictions apply. 866-939-0093 _____________________ DISH TV $59.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Call Now: 1-800-373-6508 (AAN CAN) _____________________ NEED HELP WITH FAMILY LAW? Can’t Afford a $5000 Retainer?

Low Cost Legal Services- Pay As You Go-As low as $750-$1500Get Legal Help Now! Call 1-844821-8249 Mon-Fri 7am to 4pm PCT (AAN CAN)www.familycourtdirect.com _____________________ SAVE BIG on HOME INSURANCE! Compare 20 A-rated insurances companies.

Get a quote within minutes. Average savings of $444/year! Call 844-712-6153! (M-F 8am-8pm Central) (AAN CAN) _____________________ STRUGGLING WITH YOUR Private Student Loan Payment?New relief programs can reduce your payments. Learn your options. Good credit not necessary.Call the Helpline 888-6705631 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Eastern)

(AAN CAN)

Massage WILLIAM BREWER Massage Therapist (Health & Wellness offer) 377-6864

Workshops

Auto

Auto Services

BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! We edit, print and distribute your work internationally. We do the work - You reap the Rewards! Call for a FREE Authorís Submission Kit: 844-511-1836. (AAN CAN)

CASH FOR CARS! We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled ñ it doesnít matter! Get free towing and same day cash! NEWER MODELS too! Call 1-866-5359689 (AAN CAN)

AUTO INSURANCE STARTING AT $49/ MONTH! Call for your fee rate comparison to see how much you can save! Call: 855-569-1909. (AAN CAN)

Mind, Body, Spirit ALL ABOUT FEET $35-$55 Mobile foot care service, traveling to you for men & women, ages 50+. Over 25 years of experience.

Traveling hours M-F, 9a-6p. Call now 901-270-6060

Nutrition/Health ATTENTION: VIAGRA & CIALIS! USERS! A cheaper alternative to high drugstore prices! 50 Pill Special - $99 + FREE Shipping!

100% guaranteed. CALL NOW: 888-531-1192 (AAN CAN) _____________________ ONE-STOP-SHOP For All Your Catheter Needs. We Accept Medicaid, Medicare, & Insurance. Try Before You Buy. Quick and Easy. Give Us A Call 866-282-2506 (AAN CAN)

Midtown Apt

Hi, I’m

NALA !

WOODTRAIL APARTMENTS

I’m Nala and I love to cuddle, kiss and show you how much I appreciate a little attention. Just a little love and I may fall asleep in your lap. I’m house and crate trained. I like older kids and quiet dogs. Please consider letting me hang out with you. I want to be in a home so badly.

Located within walking distance of U of M. Spacious 1 & 2BR apts, with great upgrades & remodeling to the flooring plans. Each apt has no less than 1000 sq ft w. W/D conn.

2BR/1.5BR $775/mo + $400 dep 1BR/1BA $675/mp + $400 dep

dogs2ndchance.org

1/2 1st month rent w/ approved app CALL 272-8658 Cell 281-4441

UNIVERSITY FLAT Security!!

We value the safety of our tenants and have installed cameras throughout the apartments!!

Free 1st month’s rent w/ approved app! Under New Management!!

This newly renovated property has new flooring, freshly painted walls, updated bthrm & kit, appls, and onsite laundry.

Studios, 1 & 2BR floor plans

Person needed for house cleaning. Experience a plus.

Monday - Thursday & some Fridays.

Driver’s License & References required.

Collierville area.

Call Tasha 901-281-4441 3447 Southern Ave

EVERGREEN HIST. DIST. XLG 2BR, CH/A, totally remodeled, hardwood floors, off-street parking. Quiet neighbors & pet friendly. $750/mo + $25 cc fee.

901.452.3945

HELP WANTED

901-494-8598

Shared Housing FURNISHED ROOMS Bellevue/McLemore, Airways/ Lamar, Jackson/Watkins, Covington Pike. W/D, Cable TV/Phone.

901-485-0897 _____________________

J u Jn ue n1e1 1-1 -2147, , 22002200

MIDTOWN ROOM(S) FOR RENT furnished, fridge, microwave, wifi, utilities, A/C, bus line, $90-$125/ wk + dep. 901-498-3599. _____________________ NICE ROOMS FOR RENT 8 locations throughout Memphis.

Some close U of M. Utilities and Cable included. Fridge in your room. Cooking and free laundry privileges. Some locations w/sec. sys. Starting at $435/mo. + dep.

901.922.9089 _____________________ SOUTH MEMPHIS 1 furnished room for mature ladies in Christian home. Nice area on bus line, near expressway. Non smoker. $400/mo, includes utilities, cooking/laundry privileges.

Must be employed or retired. 901405-5755 or 901-518-2198.

Services

Services

22 22

BOY SCOUT COMPENSATION FUND - Anyone that was inappropriately touched by a Scout leader deserves justice and financial compensation! Victims may be eligible for a significant cash settlement. Time to file is limited. Call Now! 844-896-8216 (AAN CAN) _____________________ COMPUTER ISSUES?

East Buntyn Area

550 Ellsworth, Memphis, TN 38111 $425,000 ~ 4BR/2BA This home is one of a kind. New Roof, New baths, kitchen. Skylights, beautiful wood floors. Master bath has soaker tub, glass shower, two vanities, marble tile & vaulted ceilings. Drive thru garage and 2nd garage with 2 more covered parking spaces with back around to allow exit to street. Attached is a heated and cooled exercise room with equipment. Private landscaped backyard with big deck, flagstone patio, fish pond.

Great for entertaining. Separate storage building.

Listing courtesy of: Jane W. Carroll, Realtor G.R.I. Wadlington, Realtors • (901) 674-1702

Laurie Stark • 28 Years of Experience

• Life Member of the Multi Million Dollar Club • From Downtown to Germantown • Call me for your Real Estate Needs

G R E A T W E E K LY & M O N T H LY R A T E S

A PA R T M E N T

STYLE LIVING

7380 Stage Rd. Bartlett, TN 38133 | www.siegelselect.com

VW • AUDI MINI•PORSCHE

German Car Experts

Specializing in VW & Audi Automobiles

Also Servicing

Mini • Porsche Factory Trained Experience Independent Prices

4907 Old Summer Rd.

(Corner of Summer & Mendenhall)

(901) 761-3443 www.hobsonrealtors.com

(901)761-1622 • Cell (901)486-1464

901.245.2672

www.WolfsburgAuto.com

Call today for an appointment!

T H E L A S T W O R D b y Fr a n k M u r t a u g h

The March Continues

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

I spiked the ball way too early. It was January 20, 2009, and I was sitting on makeshift bleachers inside the Children’s Museum of Memphis for a live viewing of Barack Obama’s inauguration as the 44th president of the United States. My daughter, Sofia, was there with her 4th-grade class from Grahamwood Elementary, seated in a larger section for other Shelby County children. She was four months shy of her 10th birthday, but Sofia knew she was witnessing a moment. I knew we were witnessing a moment.

I chuckled — much of the adult audience chuckled — when Chief Justice John Roberts stumbled in reciting the oath of office Mr. Obama was to repeat. Hey, the Chief Justice was witnessing a moment. At the conclusion of President Obama’s inspiring speech — so many delivered before that moment, and so many delivered since — I stood up and tightly hugged the person next to me, a complete stranger. An African-American woman smiling, like me, to hold back the tears. It was a moment.

And I spiked the ball. My family actually blew out candles that night on a cake with “Obama” and blue stars scripted in frosting. I never said it out loud, but I convinced myself that America had finally arrived at a place where racism could be swept into the dustbin of human failures, our country’s original sin finally exorcised, the symbol being an eloquent, composed, funny, and compassionate 47-year-old man whose father was Kenyan. A black man was president of the United States. Turns out there was, in fact, an American dream. One for all of us.

Yet somehow we’re here, in June 2020, a month history will record as the first in which an American president sprayed chemicals to disburse a crowd of Americans, then built a fence around the White House. The atrocity of Donald Trump’s presidency isn’t painful for who he is: a hopelessly deficient thinker, a liar and narcissist, and a racist who doesn’t recognize the reasons for his racism. No, it’s the fact that a monster like Trump could be elected via the experiment in democracy we call the United States. Whatever we gained on January 20, 2009 — the energy within every hug shared that day — has been leg-swept by forces that, quite literally, threaten the democratic framework of our country.

Inspiration is there, though. And hope, that human trait President Obama identified as audacious. Thousands of Americans have taken to city streets all across the country — during a pandemic — to say we, as a people, have had enough, that cruelty toward any American is cruelty toward all of us.

We’ve had enough. And don’t expect the protests to “die down,” like others we’ve seen after one unarmed black man was killed or another. George Floyd is this century’s Emmett Till. Just as Till’s 1955 lynching added booster fuel to the American civil rights movement, Floyd’s murder will change policing in America. I’m not sure if she coined the phrase herself, but I love an expression my sister (in Seattle) recently shared: “Respect existence, or expect resistance.”

Change is coming. Matter of fact, it’s already happened. Not one, but four white police officers are facing charges in Floyd’s death. “Black Lives Matter” can be read from outer space on a Washington D.C. street that leads to the White House. As for the current commander in chief, military officials past and present are speaking openly and publicly against Trump’s unhinged approach to what he calls law and order.

January 20, 2009 seems so very long ago. I don’t regret my joy that day. I only regret leaping to conclusions our country wasn’t ready to confirm. But we’re getting there. And I’m prepared to continue the march toward a promised land — however we might define it — even if I do so wearing a mask.

Frank Murtaugh is managing editor of Memphis magazine. He writes about sports for the Flyer.

THE LAST WORD

DUBESOR | DREAMSTIME.COM

On American racism and “spiking the ball” too soon.

23

YOUNGAVENUEDELI.COM 2119 Young Ave • 278-0034

Inside Dining Now Open Following Strict Safety Guidelines Full Menu - Beer - Wine - Booze ToGo

6/10: 6/19: 7/18: 7/23: 8/27:

Mike and the Moonpies Brian Culbertson Jupiter Coyote Read Southall American Aquarium

MORE EVENTS AT MINGLEWOODHALL.COM

Delivery 10am - 10pm Takeout & Curbside Pickup Available.

Call 901-278-0034 - Support Local

MEMPHIS MADE BREWING CO.

TapThurs Room Hours: & Fri 4-10 p.m., Sat 1-10 p.m., Sun 1-7 p.m.

768 S. Cooper * 901.207.5343 Taproom is open every day 4-7 p.m. for to-go beers only.

Cheers! We can now deliver some delicious alcoholic drinks right to your door alongside your to-go meal or have them available for curbside pickup! Don’t want to leave the house, that’s okay - twobrokebartenders.com will be happy to deliver it to you.

You may also buy gift card for all locations online.

We are going to make it through this together.

Address: 320 Monroe Ave • Entrance on Floyd Alley • Park in Stop345 Lot on Madison • West of Danny Thomas • 901.730.0290 • Take Sally to the Alley..

GONER RECORDS Visit Us Online At Goner-Records.Com Local Pickup Available (901) 722-0095

CURBSIDE PICKUP TUE thru FRI 11A-2P a 4-9P SAT 1-9P | SUN 11A-9P See Menus online at CELTICCROSSINGMEMPHIS.COM. BYOGROWLER TO TAKE HOME BEER! GUINNESS CANS ALSO AVAILABLE. CALL 901-274-5151 TO ORDER BROUGHT TO YOUR CAR UPON ARRIVAL

World Championship Hot Wing Contest and Festival August 29th at Tiger Lane $5000.00 Grand Prize

www.worldwingfest.com

benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis

ALL ABOUT FEET $35-$55

Mobile foot care service, traveling to you for men & women, ages 50+.

Over 25 years of experience. Traveling hours M-F, 9a-6p.

Call now 901-270-6060

*TEAM CLEAN*

All natural cleaning for your home • office • studio environment Contact Candace @ 901-262-6610 or teamcleanmemphis@gmail.com

Coco & Lola’s MidTown Lingerie

30-40-50% OFF SPRING SALE

ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES 21,000 sq ft. 100 + booths • 5855 Summer Ave. (corner of Summer and Sycamore View ) exit 12 off I-40 | 901.213.9343 Mon-Sat 10a-6p | Sun 1p-6p

WE BUY RECORDS

We are following all safety guidelines for your next visit ! SPRING STOREWIDE SALE !

Be safe Memphis ! We  You SERVING ALL SIZE DIVAS SMALL - 4X

Follow us on

IG/FB/TW @cocoandlolas

Memphis’ Top Lingerie Shop 710 S. Cox|901-425-5912|Mon-Sat 11:30-7

45’S, 78’S, LP’S

Don’t “give them away” at a yard sale We Pay More Than Anyone Large Quantities No Problem Also Buying Old Windup Phonographs Call Paul 901-435-6668

$CASH 4 JUNK CARS$

Non‑Operating Cars, No Title Needed.

901‑691‑2687

We offer a variety of products. Find our brand at: Foozie in Clark Tower, Blue Suede Do’s iBank building, South Main Hemp at 364 S. Front, Two Rivers Bookstore at 2172 Young Ave, and Oothones at 410 N Cleveland St. Find our skin care at Southern Leaf Hemp, Co at 4721 Poplar Ave. simplyhemp.shop 901443-7157