The New Tri-State Defender – May 28 – June 3, 2020

Get TSD news, online anytime at TSDMemphis.com

May 28 - June 3, 2020

VOL. 69, No. 22

www.tsdmemphis.com

$1.00

Recovery forecast: African Americans face long road

by Erica R. Williams Special to The New Tri-State Defender

“Chief Joy Maker” Lori Robertson enjoying the company of her husband, Eric Robertson, and sons, Liam, 3, and Emory, 5. (Photo: Tammy Zurak) As a media sponsor for JOYMAKER 2020, The New Tri-State Defender subscription to TSDMemphis. com for those who register for the event during the pre-registration period.

JOYMAKER 2020 to inject virtual gathering with joy amid COVID-19 Even partially-closed, Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken restaurant has been thriving in Whitehaven

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

segment on the popular fried chicken eatery via Zoom, the digital media platform. See Lifestyle & Culture, Page 7. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

G.A. Hardaway

Katrina Robinson

SEE RECOVERY ON PAGE 2

Impact of Memorial Day weekend on COVID-19 numbers is a work in progress

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Shelby County Health Depart-

“Home and workplace are still the main sites of transmissions.”

— Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter

Shelby

Coun-

COVID-19

Alisa Haushalter

SEE JOY ON PAGE 2

SEE COVID-19 ON PAGE 2

The New Tri-State Defender

May 28 - June 3, 2020

Page 2

NEWS JOY CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Serving up learning‌ With donations from the Memphis Grizzlies and the KPMG Family of Literacy, Shelby County Schools – observing safety protocols – went to work giving away 1,000 pounds of books to students on Monday. (Photo: Karanja A. Ajanaku)

“Elections are one of the fairest ways people of color can have a say about what goes on in our communities. And we have a lot of concerns as a black caucus of having people vote in person.

The governor (Bill Lee) is asking people to risk their lives and go to the polls and that’s not right.� — State Rep. London Lamar

RECOVERY CONTINUED FROM FRONT small-businesses.

She referenced the ďŹ ndings of a recent survey conducted by the Greater Memphis Chamber, that surveyed 600 businesses across the city. The results included responses given between March 19-23and then again between April 22-27.

Sixty-ďŹ ve percent indicated that business was down more than 11 percent compared to this time last year. “For those who aren’t aected – good for them,â€? Robinson said. “But for those, especially black-owned businesses that are, it’s going to be diďŹƒcult to bounce back,â€?

According to the chamber’s survey, 81 percent of local businesses have already applied for federal assistance, with only half receiving approval or even feedback, so far.

That’s why Robinson said support within the African-American community will be critical on the road to

COVID-19 CONTINUED FROM FRONT ter in South Memphis, for example.

Haushalter said the increase in nursing homes is caused by the communal setting. Also, more targeted testing is being done in nursing homes.

Targeted testing still is being done on detainees at 201 Poplar Avenue, the county jail. Health oďŹƒcials are dealing with an outbreak among both sta and inmates.

London Lamar

recovery. “We have to shop local and make sure you’re supporting local businesses,� she said. “I know many people are going through tough times, but if you have to buy, buy local and support those who look like us and will actually put the money back into our community.�

Caucus members said elections will be pivotal. And for that reason, they want to be sure that people are poised to vote despite the concerns of contracting COVID-19.

State Rep. London Lamar (D-91), a

The Back to Business Board is accepting proposals for large gatherings, such as graduations and weddings. A formal process has been devised so that protocols for safe assemblies can be drawn up for a healthy event, said Randolph.

Haushalter said those who traveled over the Memorial Day weekend, especially to areas that are considered hotspots, should not return to work or other public activities. Isolation should be done for the next 14 days, whether COVID-19 symptoms are

strong advocate for universal absentee voting, took the time to push for the measure that will allow anyone in Tennessee who wants to vote via absentee ballot to request the opportunity to do so. “Elections are one of the fairest ways people of color can have a say about what goes on in our communities,� Lamar said. “And we have a lot of concerns as a black caucus of having people vote in person. The governor (Bill Lee) is asking people to risk their lives and go to the polls and that’s not right.� present or not.

Health oďŹƒcials said the success over the next two weeks will depend on everyone remembering that the virus still is present. Safety protocols put in place continue to be essential — wearing face coverings at all times in public; frequent hand-washing for 20 seconds, and social distancing at least six feet.

Shelby County health oďŹƒcials are already looking to meet the challenge of a possible early fall outbreak of the virus.

Lamar urged voters to call on Tennessee Lee to support universal absentee voting by executive order. “This is not a partisan issue, it’s about people.�

Tennessee oďŹƒcials say they “cannot feasibly implementâ€? a quick shift to let all voters cast their ballots by mail in the 2020 elections, an outcome sought in three lawsuits due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In Davidson County Chancery Court last Friday, Attorney General Herbert Slatery listed o several arguments against the change, saying there are numerous barriers to rapidly implementing statewide absentee voting; other states’ experiences suggest that absentee voting is “fraught with opportunities for errorâ€?; and even an unsuccessful try at setting up universal by-mail voting will cost the state millions of dollars.

The next election, on Aug. 6, will be for federal and state primaries, and the county General Election.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning of a new wave of COVID-19, along with the anticipated u season. The two outbreaks will be simultaneous, according to the WHO. Haushalter said community partners are expecting to increase testing capacity and hospital capacity by that time. The former Commercial Appeal building at 495 Union Ave., which has been converted into a COVID-19 intensive care unit, will be up and running as a backup facility.

Robertson, who refers to herself as “chief joy maker,� hopes the event will spark a community spread of its own. “The power of personal joy can ripple throughout — positively impacting families, friends, and communities,� Robertson said. “These resilient trailblazers will encourage all of us as they speak.�

Wundher opened its doors with a launch event in Midtown’s Cooper-Young, community in January, as hundreds of women watched a panel of women and mothers tout the lessons they learned in rearing children, advancing their careers, and nurturing good relationships in their lives.

Robertson said the idea for a women’s empowerment entity materialized when she was pregnant with her ďŹ rst child six years ago. There were no women with children in her family at the time.

She befriended mothers who could help her with child-rearing. “I needed the power of community to help me in this motherhood journey,� Robertson said. “The group of 10 women would meet for lunch to share stories of successful as well as unsuccessful experiences. We were called ‘Wunder’ at that time.�

By the end of 2018, the group had grown to more than 40 women, and Robertson was encouraged to do more with the collective she had brought together.

When the 2020 launch was staged, ‘Wunder’ had become ‘Wundher.’ The ‘h’ was added to depict its advocacy of women in their various roles as mothers, workforce personnel, wives, and heads of households.

Before the organization could initiate its full, ďŹ rst quarter of activities, the coronavirus struck, shutting down many facets of life around the globe.

JOYMAKER came out of Robertson’s own household. Sheltering-in-place grew to be a tremendous challenge for the family.

Tempers were short, nerves were frayed and home was not a happy place. “My husband and I sat down and said, ‘We’re not going to last like this,’ Robertson said. “So, we started our days with positive afďŹ rmations and even included the children in those aďŹƒrmations.â€?

Robertson shared with other women struggling with similar issues in their households. JOYMAKER grew out of that idea when Robertson began contacting individuals via LinkedIn, asking them to be a part of the project.

BlueJeans is the ďŹ rst cloud service to connect desktops, mobile devices and room systems in one video meeting.

For reservations and ticket information, go to: www.wundher. com.

13:30@/B3 G=C@ We’re Known By the Money you Keep!

2020

ONLINE SHOPPING & DELIVERY Place Your Order Online

Select DELIVERY* or PICK-UP Time

Pay Securely Online

* Delivery available only at the Madision location from 11am - 7pm. * Pick-up available at the Madison, Whitehaven and South Third Street locations.

5@/2C/B3

with a congratulatory message in The New Tri-State Defender yearbook edition Mixed Fryer Parts

5 Lb. Bag Frozen. 8-Piece Whole Cut-Up

78

¢

Lb.

Plus 10% Added at Checkout

SouthFresh

Catfish Fillets 4 Lb. Box. Frozen

14

$

25

Plus 10% Added at Checkout

Gwaltney

Sliced Bacon

Hardwood Smoked 12 Oz.

1

$ 77

Plus 10% Added at Checkout

PRICES GOOD MAY 27, 2020 - JUNE 9, 2020 MIDTOWN: 1620 Madison Ave. WHITEHAVEN: 4049 Elvis Presley Blvd.

SOUTH MEMPHIS: 1977 S. Third St. OAKHAVEN: 3237 Winchester Rd. See the Memphis Cash Saver grocery ad at memphiscashsaver.com

ĂĽĂ&#x153;ÂŻĂ&#x2026;Â?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153; Â&#x201C;Â&#x2020;Ă&#x2122;Â&#x2122; Ă&#x153;ÂŻÄ&#x2039;Â? Â&#x2020;Â&#x2122; ;3AA/53 E7B6 >6=B=( !# ;3AA/53 =<:G( #

1]\bOQb ca b]ROg b] `SaS`dS g]c` a^OQS Pg 8c\S !`R 1OZZ ' # ! & & ]` S[OWZ ca Ob /RdS`bWaW\U.BA2;S[^VWa Q][

The New Tri-State Defender

May 28 - June 3, 2020

Page 3

PERSPECTIVE LOC’D IN WITH LOC

During the pandemic, LOC alumni must ‘up the ante’ in giving An inside view as Memphis’ only HBCU (historically black college and university) navigates through the coronavirus pandemic while maintaining its mission.

by Dr. James. J. Bishop Special to The New Tri-State Defender

During this unprecedented time, colleges and universities all across our nation are in transition, and are planning and preparing for what’s ahead. LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC) is doing the same. Even now, the faculty and administration are preparing for impending changes in summer school sessions and the fall semester.

As a Class of 1958 LeMoyne-Owen College graduate, former interim president and current trustee emeritus, I assure you that our college will make it through this.

Some of us remember the crises that rocked our nation and the College like the Great Depression in the 1930s, the World Wars, 9/11 and the economic downturn in 2008. Through those calamities, we’ve sustained and continued to educate and inspire our students. There is no secret to how we’ve done this – only by sticking together as a family, using our core values and history as guides to serve our students, faculty and community.

Our College is made up of leaders, doers and change agents, and at the

core of them, most of them are our alumni. More than just graduates of LeMoyne-Owen, alumni are connectors and champions of the College, and this often comes by way of financial giving.

How does alumni giving help?

In addition to federal and state funding and grants, alumni giving plays an integral part in helping to meet the very specific needs of our students. For example, just last semester, our alumni nationally helped to purchase uniforms for students participating in our newly formed Magician Marching Band. Our 29th annual MLK Prayer Breakfast earlier this year, hosted by the LOC Alumni Association – Memphis Chapter, also helped to raise funds for overall College needs.

Last fall, we kicked our off inaugural National Annual Fund Campaign to raise $1.2M by June 30, 2020.

More than raising money, our goal was to increase alumni engagement and involvement on all levels. Although the pandemic has presented challenges – the annual President’s Gala, a major fundraising event, was postponed – but the decision was made to continue the campaign.

As alumni, we must give now because the stakes are higher as the crisis is hitting the African American community harder. Our students need electronic devices and Internet access to complete coursework, and in some cases, additional funding to ensure

Dr. James J. Bishop, chairman of the National Annual Fund Campaign, considers the generosity of the LeMoyne-Owen College alumni pivotal to the college embracing its future. (Courtesy photo) they are able to return to school.

It’s my belief that we love our institutions, and it is our duty to give back to them as they’ve given so much to us. I’m happy to report that, despite the pandemic, our LOC alumni are engaged, even more so, by giving generously and consistently. To date, we have raised more than $650,000, a significant increase from last year’s giving, and alumni continue to contribute.

Thanks to the superb leadership of interim president, Dr. Carol Johnson

Dean, the College is securing federal funding and dollars from education partners, such as the UNCF and others. However, there is so much more to do to ensure we advance our teaching and learning options for students.

This is where alumni can help meet the need.

Unlike other colleges and universities, HBCUs are in and of the community. They demonstrate resilience in times of difficulty to students and encourage them to do the same.

What LOC is doing now is preparing

today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders, as was done by our recently deceased board of trustees’ members, Dr. Beverly Williams-Cleaves and Herman Strickland.

LeMoyne-Owen College is a family. If you know an LOC graduate, have been advised or assisted by one, then you are a part of our family, too.

I encourage you, as well as alumni and friends, to give to our beloved institution at www.loc.edu. Every dollar given counts for our young people’s futures.

If I could do one thing, I’d make sure we stay healthy.

If you could do one thing for your community, what would it be? More walk-in clinics? More funding for health services closer to home?

Completing the 2020 Census is a safe and easy way to inform billions in funding for hundreds of services and programs in your community.

Respond online, by phone, or by mail.

Complete the census at:

2020CENSUS.GOV Paid for by U.S. Census Bureau.

C24097_11a_2019_Census_Community_Seniors_V2_HalfPage_SizeC_11x10_5.indd 02.25.20 Epson HP

4C Newspaper - Size C NON-Bleed Size: 11” x 10.5”

A24097x01D_131-00033230_240u.tif

PERSPECTIVE The New Tri-State Defender, May 28 - June 3, 2020, Page 4

“We are always looking for something to sell to pay bills. We can’t wait for people to get back to work. We’re all broke right about now.”

— Janice

Pandemic does not spare ‘underground’ businesses dences, and other minor work at their places of business.

“But now, people aren’t calling for repairs. Since they are not working right now, the car doesn’t have to be fixed right away. I have six children and a mother and grandmother who depends on me. Nobody is working but me.”

All of his friends have a “hustle” or undocumented business to pay the bills, he said.

“Everybody I know got a record, and it’s hard to find a job that pays enough. I got a partner that sells purses out of his trunk.

“Another partner of mine sells women’s lingerie. He used to do a lot a business in the beauty shops when they were open.

Perfume, mace, CDs and DVDs – you can make a business out of selling anything.

That’s how we been doing it for years, right or wrong.”

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

The novel coronavirus’ freeze-frame effects have forced individuals to take immediate stock of how they were making a living and to adjust accordingly. That includes those who attach their livelihoods to the underground economy.

Many small business owners have suffered financial devastation beyond their imaginings. And while Memphis and Shelby County are inching beyond safer-athome restrictions, the road to recovery still is fuzzy and uncertain.

For non-taxpaying business owners living by their wits, conditions have been crippling as well. While federal stimulus funds offer the promise of some relief for some registered businesses, that’s not so for entrepreneurs who have lived unincorporated and untaxed for years.

And, so goes the work force, so goes the fate of cash-only entrepreneurs.

“I make a lot of money as long as people are working,” said a mechanic, who calls himself, Mario, not wanting to be identified for this story.

“Almost 20 years ago, I found a way to eliminate all the overhead of actually running a mechanic shop. I didn’t have any money. My mobile mechanic service has been extremely lucrative over the years.

But people don’t call me to repair their cars while they are at work because they aren’t working now,” he said.

“I went from making thousands a week to almost nothing. There is no stimulus for me because I stay just under the radar. The government won’t help me because they don’t know about me.”

There is no telling how many businesses are operating within the underground economy, said Mark Yates, president/CEO of the Black Business Association of Memphis. “We call it the ‘side hustle.’

“There’s the lady with the one beauty shop chair in the back of the house, and you go through the back door to get there.

Or whether, it’s the entrepreneur selling items out of the trunk, we have always had an underground economy. Our neighbor had a detail shop before it was even called ‘detail.’”

COVID-19 could care less whether a business is legitimate. Its effects, including death in the most severe scenarios, warrant safety precautions.

When interacting with clients, including those who are friends he has known for years, Mario said he wears a mask “because I want to keep myself safe, and I want to keep my children safe.

“Also, it’s good to go ahead and do what is recommended so we can keep coronavirus infections down. The sooner we get this under control, then the sooner people can get back to work. That means I can get back to making money.”

The needs to be safe and pay the bills hit home for an in-home hairdresser identified as “Janice” for this story.

“I install weaves, do all kinds of braids and sell different types of hair in my apart-

Janice’s ‘side hustle’

“Underground” mobile-mechanic “Mario’s” safety protocol includes no mask when working alone and a mask when interacting with clients “because I want to keep myself safe, and I want to keep my children safe.”

(Courtesy photo) Mario’s ‘side hustle’

“What I need now is for people in the underground economy to let me help them get legitimized,” said Mark Yates, president/CEO of the Black Business Association of Memphis. (Photo: Screen capture) ment,” said Janice. “Although it’s just a really small business, my regular clients pay a lot of money for my services.

“The stimulus checks for my customers is not being spent on their hair because rent and car notes have to be paid. I’m the last one on the list. My savings are almost gone. After this month, I really don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Since the coronavirus outbreak, Janice said she has had only one client in at a time.

“Whether they are shopping for hair bundles, getting their hair braided, coming in for eyebrow-shaping or some other beauty service, I will only have one person in my home at one time,” she said. “I keep sanitizer, wipes and even extra masks, if they don’t have one. During all transactions, I wear a mask and I require the client to wear one also.”

Mario and his brother grew up with a crack-addicted mother in North Memphis.

He dropped out of Bolton High School at 18.

“When I was in the eighth grade at Snowden, I was on the honor roll, in the Chess Club and participated in CLUE,” he said. “In the ninth grade, I went to East High School. When I got thrown out the city schools for selling drugs, we moved out to Raleigh.

“I was bussed to Bolton High School up in Arlington. The city had free lunch, but county schools had reduced lunch. I didn’t have $.35 a day for lunch, so I had to hustle. I sold cigarettes, gambled in the bathroom – did whatever I had to do.”

At 19, he fathered his first child. At the time, selling drugs was all he “knew how to do.”

“When I caught a serious case in ’05, I got off with probation,” Mario said. “But one condition of my probation was that I had to go back to school for my GED. I went to Vo-Tech for auto mechanics, but we didn’t do too much but work on the motor of a lawn mower. I didn’t stay in there long.

“I still don’t have a GED. As long as I was showing up to probation every month and paying my money, nobody said anything about it. I learned how to fix cars from a guy named ‘Boo’ who lived across the street.”

Now the father of six, Mario, who lives in Orange Mound, said most of his business is with people who were working.

Major repair jobs were done at their resi-

After graduating from college with intentions of being a teacher, Janice had trouble finding a job. She liked doing hair and decided to supplement her employment at a day care by doing hair in her home.

“My business just grew from there,” she said.

“I make real good money doing hair.

For black women, hair is big business. But there are so many good businesses to go into.”

She has girlfriend whose mother makes cakes in her home.

“Most of the time, they sell as many as 100 cakes a week at $30-40 a cake. Another one of my friends makes jewelry and sells it at home. The Internet makes it easy to advertise what you do.

“We are always looking for something to sell to pay bills. We can’t wait for people to get back to work. We’re all broke right about now.”

Going forward The BBA’s Yates notes that there are 39,000 registered African-American businesses.

“When you consider that we can’t just walk into a corporation and get a middle management job making $87,000, for 30 years, and retire with a 401K and a pension, yeah, we have to open our own businesses,” he said.

“We still make 75 percent, if not, 65 percent, of what whites make. We have to make up that money somehow. …

“What I need now is for people in the underground economy to let me help them get legitimized,” said Yates. “We can place a $20 ad on Facebook and hit their demographic, expanding the business. People can pay with Cash App, Bitcoin, Pay Pal, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Square, and all sorts of means.

“These are still cashless modes of commerce, still unregulated by the government.

There are people making seven figures on Instagram. Black people need to be a part of that online economy.”

Information • Inspiration • Elevation Published by Best Media Properties, Inc. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Mailed subscriptions to The New Tri-State Defender are available upon request. One Year, $35.00; Two Years, $60.00. Request can be emailed to subscriptions@tsdmemphis.com or mailed to Subscriptions, The New TriState Defender, 203 Beale Street, Suite 200, Memphis, TN, 38103. Delivery may take one week.

President Calvin Anderson Associate Publisher/ Executive Editor Karanja A. Ajanaku

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The New Tri-State Defender, 203 Beale Street, Suite 200, Memphis, TN, 38103.

GENERAL INFORMATION: Any and all inquiries may be submitted in writing by calling (901) 523-1818 or by email.

TELEPHONE: Editorial, administration, display advertising, classified advertising: (901) 523-1818. Fax: (901) 578-5037.

The New Tri-State Defender (USPS 780-220) is published weekly by Best Media Properties, Inc., 203 Beale Street, Suite 200, Memphis, TN 38103. Second-class postage paid in Memphis, TN.

The New Tri-State Defender

May 28 - June 3, 2020

Page 5

RELIGION LEGACY

In his final days, Ahmaud Arberry’s life was at a crossroads

by Aaron Morrison Associated Press

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – He was at a crossroads, his life stretching out before him, his troubles largely behind him. He had enrolled at South Georgia Technical College, preparing to become an electrician, just like his uncles. But first, he decided, he would take a break. College could wait until the fall.

To help keep his head clear, he ran, just about every day. Off he’d go, out of the doors of his mother’s house, down the long street toward Fancy Bluff Road. Then would come the right turn onto the two-lane road lined by oak trees draped with Spanish moss.

About a mile and a half into his usual route, Ahmaud Arbery would cross the four lanes of Jekyll Island Causeway into the subdivision of Satilla Shores.

Three months ago, at the age of 25, he ran through Satilla Shores for the final time.

On Feb. 23, Arbery was shot to death by a father and son who told police they grabbed guns and pursued him in a pickup truck because they believed he was responsible for break-ins in their neighborhood – a black man, killed by two white men.

A makeshift memorial of flowers now rests on the lawn of a house near where he died, along with a plaque reading, “It’s hard to forget someone who gave us so much to remember.”

Before Arbery’s name joined a litany of hashtags bearing young black men’s names, he was a skinny kid whose dreams of an NFL career didn’t pan out. Those who knew him speak of a seemingly bottomless reservoir of kindness he used to encourage others, of an easy smile and infectious laughter that could lighten just about any situation.

They also acknowledge the legal troubles that cropped up after high school – five years of probation for carrying a gun onto the high school campus in 2013, a year after graduation, and shoplifting from a Walmart store in 2017, a charge that extended that probation up until the time of his death.

In his final months on Earth, Arbery appeared to be someone who felt on the verge of personal and professional breakthroughs, especially because his probation could have ended this year, many of those close to him told The Associated Press.

His mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, accepted that he was a young adult living at home, like so many of his contemporaries, taking a breather to chart how he’d one day support himself.

She had one rule: “If you have the energy to run the roads, you need to be on the job.”

So he worked at his father’s car wash and landscaping business, and previously had held a job at McDonald’s.

Born May 8, 1994, Ahmaud Marquez Arbery was the youngest of three children, answering to the affectionate nicknames “Maud” and “Quez.”

As a teenager, he stuck to the family home so markedly that his family worried he never wanted to go out with friends. “And I was like, he’ll get to the stage eventually,” Cooper-Jones said. ’He was a mama’s boy at first.”

As his mother predicted, that reserve was left behind when Arbery entered Brunswick High School’s Class of 2012.

He took cues from his brother, Marcus Jr., and tried out for the Brunswick Pirates football team. His slender build certainly didn’t make him a shoo-in for linebacker on the junior varsity squad, said Jason Vaughn, his former coach and a U.S. history teacher at the school.

“As soon as practice started and Ahmaud started to really go, oh man, his speed was amazing,” Vaughn recalled with a laugh. “He was undersized, but his heart was huge.”

Off the field, Ahmaud had a talent for raising the spirits of the people around him – and a penchant for imitating his coach, Vaughn said.

“Some students it’s hard to get mad

at,” he said, “because you love them so much.”

At the end of his final football season, no college recruiters tried to woo No. 21.

Former teammate Demetrius Frazier grew up just down the street from the Arberys, and his friendship with Ahmaud dated back to their days in a local pee-wee football program.

Frazier treasures their quieter moments in high school – just two friends playing video games, shooting hoops, wolfing down peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hot dogs and chips.

Those were the times his friend seemed happiest, Frazier said, before his legal troubles bogged him down.

Frazier went on to play wide receiver for Middle Tennessee State University’s football team and now holds down an office job and is raising a son in nearby Darien, Ga. Arbery’s own football aspirations had been dashed, but he still wanted so much for himself, Frazier said.

“Ahmaud was just ready to put himself in a position to be where he wanted to be in life,” he said. “That’s what they took from him.”

Less than two weeks before Arbery was killed, 34-year-old Travis McMichael had called 911 to report a possible trespasser inside a house under construction in the subdivision, describing him as “a black male, red shirt and white shorts” and saying he feared the person was armed.

The Arbery family’s attorneys have confirmed that Ahmaud was cap-

In this May 17, 2020 photo, a recently painted mural of Ahmaud Arbery is on display in Brunswick, Ga., where the 25 year old man was shot and killed in February. It was painted by Miami artist Marvin Weeks. (AP Photo/Sarah Blake Morgan) tured on security cameras entering that home on the day he was killed.

The property owner said nothing appeared to have been stolen, however, and surveillance footage also shows other people coming in and out of the construction site on other days, some apparently to access a water source on the property.

Travis McMichael and his 64-yearold father Gregory McMichael – a former police officer and retired investigator for the Glynn County district attorney – were charged with murder and aggravated assault on May 7, a day before Arbery would have turned 26.

Their arrests were sought by state law enforcement authorities after cellphone video of the shooting taken by another man at the scene was released to a local radio station. Gregory McMichael told police that Arbery attacked his son and then was shot in a struggle over Travis’ shotgun.

State authorities later arrested the man who filmed Arbery’s killing, William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., on charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. His attorney has said Bryan bears no criminal responsibility for

Wanda Cooper-Jones visited the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Brunswick, Ga. on May 17, 2020. In February, her son Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed by two men who told police they thought he was a burglar. (AP Photo/Sarah Blake Morgan)

Arbery’s death.

For Arbery’s family, the pain of his loss is magnified by his final moments being captured on video.

“I didn’t want to watch it. I didn’t want my children to watch anything like that, to see their brother get killed,” said Ahmaud’s father, Marcus Arbery Sr., who noted that at least one of Ahmaud’s siblings viewed the footage. “My daughter, she called me and broke down crying. They just turned my family upside down.”

Cooper-Jones has said she believes her son was simply out for a jog when he encountered the men who had profiled him as a burglar. Their rush to judgment speaks to a larger problem of bias against young black men and boys, she said.

“I think that when he went into the property, he probably was looking to see how they were going to run the wire … or how he would do the job if it was one of his assignments,” she said, referring to his plan to become an electrician.

Lee Merritt, one of the Arbery family’s civil rights attorneys, said the circumstances of Ahmaud’s life touch on something deeper about American society.

“Our ravenous criminal justice system tends to take young black men in their teenage years, introduces them to the system and never lets them out again,” he said. But when Ahmaud died, “he was at a point of transition.”

This month, Cooper-Jones celebrated her first Mother’s Day without her youngest child. Thinking about a greeting card he’d given her for the occasion two years ago made her smile.

“We don’t see eye to eye, but I love you,” she recalled Ahmaud writing.

“That tells me, I had just got on his butt about something that he did.”

Ultimately, she said, nothing her son did in his short life justifies the way he died.

“I will get answers – that was my promise,” she said. “That’s the last thing that I told him, on the day of his funeral, that Mama will get to the bottom of it.”

(Sarah Blake Morgan, in Brunswick, Ga., Russ Bynum in Savannah, Ga., and Kate Brumback in Atlanta contributed. Morrison is a member of The Associated Press’ Race and Ethnicity team.)

COMMUNITY The New Tri-State Defender, May 28 - June 3, 2020, Page 6

TVA’s Lyash details why the power company is the ‘right choice’ for Memphis

by Jerome Wright jwright@tsdmemphis.com

T

ennessee Valley Authority President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey “Jeff” Lyash Thursday (May 21) said he feels Memphis and the federally-owned power company can accomplish much if they remain partners.

“We think TVA is the best choice for Memphis. What we’d love to do is get through this, have Memphians confident they’ve made the right choice and we can face the future and start making things happen,” said Lyash in a telephone interview from TVA’s Memphis headquarters.

And, making the right choice is crucial for a number of reasons, among them cheaper electric bills for consumers and economic development initiatives that uplift communities, and attract businesses and their jobs.

That is important for a city where 26.8 percent of its citizens live below the poverty line; 31 percent for Memphis’ African-Americans, according to the latest Census estimates. A little more than 64 percent of the city’s estimated 652,000 citizens are African Americans.

The authority’s board of directors appointed Lyash, a veteran utility executive, to head the agency in February 2019. TVA, created in 1933, is the nation’s largest public utility. Memphis has been a partner since Nov. 6, 1934.

The “get through this” comment from Lyash was a reference to the roiling discussions taking place about whether Memphis’ city-owned utility, Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division (MLGW), should stop buying electricity from TVA. Supporters of the split say it would save Memphis anywhere from $453 million to $547 million annually. Memphis and Shelby County collectively pays TVA about $1 billion a year for electricity.

The MLGW board, with input from the utility’s president, J. T. Young, will make the final decision. MLGW has commissioned a Power Supply Advisory Team to make recommendations to Young and the board, based on a detailed Integrated Resource Plan from Siemens that will spell out different arrangements, what they cost and the variables.

Beyond the savings, advocates for a change question TVA’s long-term viability because of its debt, about $21.4 billion.

“TVA does not have a crushing debt burden. As a matter of fact, among our peers, we have the lowest debt for the assets, with the strongest balance sheet,” Lyash said.

“That’s how we were able to step up during this COVID-19. We’re providing $2 billion worth of credit support for local power companies across the valley that are struggling financially. This is a strong organization …

All that, frankly, is just misinformation.”

Some change advocates have implored Mayor Jim Strickland and the Memphis City Council to take action.

However, it’s MLGW’s call.

For Lyash, though, it is not about who makes the decision.

“What’s really important is who bears the burden of whatever decision is made – that’s the people of Memphis.”

Others are urging the utility to move cautiously, citing, among other things, that MLGW possibly would have to invest some $8 billion to build any power plants or transmission lines needed for power from elsewhere.

Lyash said if Memphis, TVA’s largest customer, decides to move on, MLGW will not be able to use TVA’s infrastructure, including the new Allen Combined Cycle Natural Gas Plant, to provide electricity to its customers.

“The TVA built the Allen Plant and we built the transmission service to serve 10 million people across the valley – 154 local power companies. If Memphis leaves the system, you leave that behind because that was built not just to serve Memphis, but to serve the whole Tennessee valley.

“So, TVA doesn’t have any interest in selling that plant.

We don’t have any interest in allowing other companies to use our transmission. The reason is because we fully utilize them for the benefit of our customers and we have to continue to do that,” he said.

Lyash acknowledged the long-held perception in some Memphis circles that TVA takes billions out of Memphis, but does not fairly reciprocate in investing in the city.

“I can’t change the past. It’s even difficult to change the perception of the past. All I can focus on is what we can do together going forward. Because that’s really what’s important….

“The perception that TVA’s presence in Memphis is not what it should be, I agree with that … I think that’s some-

thing that has my commitment to change in future.”

He said there were a number of reasons for the perception, but that over the last two decades “the notion of partnership broke down and MLGW and the city didn’t always want to see TVA or hear TVA. “TVA maybe used that as an excuse not to do that, but I think the underlying root cause is we never developed a partnership here the way we need to.”

Some African-Americans do not think TVA has done enough to help uplift impoverish African-American communities and Lyash said he is aware of that.

“I’ve been trying to learn and listen here. I certainly think TVA has been a good partner for Memphis and we’ve certainly done an excellent job of attracting economic development and helping this city to grow and prosper.

“But I’ll also say that TVA hasn’t adjusted its programs and approach well enough for the specific needs of Memphis.”

That fact, he said, was “brought home clearly” in his first few months on the job when he met with representatives of the faith community here, including the Rev. Keith Norman, senior pastor of First Baptist ChurchBroad Avenue, “where they told me, ‘You guys have great energy efficiency programs, but, you know, a high percentage of our population are renters. And the interests of the landlord on becoming more energy efficient aren’t aligned with the interests of the tenant. Can you do more there?’”

They continued, he said, by telling him TVA does a great job with economic development, but that development doesn’t always trickle down.

He said Norman asked, “Can’t you target economic development for underserved areas? Can’t you target economic development at small minority-owned businesses?”

Norman was right about both those things, Lyash said, “But we can’t do this ourselves. … We have to partner with MLGW and the city of Memphis, and we can’t do it in a month or a year.

“We’ve got to be committed to it for decades. I think this is one of the challenges for Memphis and it’s a challenge of TVA. It fits right into our mission.”

Pointing to TVA’s role in helping bring an Amazon fulfillment center to the Raleigh-Frayser area that will employ about a 1,000 people, Lyash said, “I think there are other things like that we can do to take the programs we do well and make them work better for the special needs that Memphis has.”

Throughout the interview, Lyash stressed the importance of maintaining the TVA-Memphis partnership.

“I think there are great things we can do together. As partners we can lower rates. We can deploy solar here in a way you couldn’t do on your own. We can focus on economic revitalization of the inner city here in Memphis, where I know there are struggles.

“We can work together to reduce the energy burden. You got a low price, but you have high energy disbursement because energy efficiency isn’t strong here; because median household income needs to be raised and we can work on making that better.”

MLGW is on a five-year contract with TVA and has to give the authority five years notice to leave the system.

TVA is seeking a 20-deal with MLGW. Why? “We offered to our local power companies last August a 20-year partnership agreement … because we think of the issues we face in the energy sector. We want to be highly competitive to a crack industry.

“We’ve got to drive down greenhouse gas emissions.

We’ve got to make investments in technology, electric vehicles … energy efficiency, renewables.

“In order to be that, it’s best if we partner together and we make those investments knowing that we’re going to keep at this until we are successful over the next two decades,” Lyash said.

So far, 140 of TVA’s partners have signed on to the longterm deal, Lyash said, which for Memphis would come with a $22-million-a-year lower electricity price and,

“The perception that TVA’s presence in Memphis is not what it should be, I agree with that …

I think that’s something that has my commitment to change in future,” said TVA President/CEO Jeff Lyash. (Courtesy photo)

TVA President/CEO Jeff Lyash made Memphis one of his first stops after he stepped into the position. (Photo: Karanja A. Ajanaku)

MLGW’s Power Supply Advisory Team to meet virtually TSD Newsroom Memphis Light, Gas & Water’s Power Supply Advisory Team (PSAT) will meet virtually on Friday (May 29) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

During the meeting, Siemens will present the integrated resource plan (IRP) draft to the team.

The IRP is a comprehensive, long-term plan designed to provide direction on how MLGW can meet the energy needs of its customers in the most cost-effective way over the next 20 years.

Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) also will provide information.

The public will be able to view the meeting live.

The IRP draft will be released online after the meeting at mlgw.com/powersupplyinfo. That site also is where to find information about how to view the meeting.

The PSAT includes 21 government, business and community leaders.

For more information, visit mlgw.com/powersupplyinfo. among other things, a strong effort to create renewable energy, namely solar.

“TVA has been a tremendous partner (with Memphis) on economic development. Since 2012, TVA has brought over 40,000 jobs to Memphis and over $5.5 billion of investment. So economic development is a tremendous advantage,” Lyash said.

Right now, though, advocates for a change are looking at the estimated billions in savings over time if MLGW decides to buy electricity from another provider.

To them, that also is economic development in terms of lower costs translating to lower electric bills for consumers and an enticement for industries looking for locations that have low energy rates.

(Jerome Wright is deputy editor for The New Tri-State Defender. Reach him at jwright@tsdmemphis.com.)

“We can work together to reduce the energy burden. You got a low price, but you have high energy disbursement because energy efficiency isn’t strong here; because median household income needs to be raised and we can work on making that better.”

— Jeff Lyash

May 28 - June 3, 2020

The New Tri-State Defender

Page 7

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE

‘Uncle Lou’s’ namesake is filming new Food Network segment Set to open back full throttle June 1 – maybe

by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell Special to The New Tri-State Defender

When Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken opened on April 4, 2001, proprietor Louis Martin never dreamed it would reach national prominence on the Food Network.

Now the new series “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives is filming a segment on the popular fried chicken eatery via Zoom, the digital meeting platform.

“I don’t guess I’ll ever get used to being a so-called celebrity,” said Martin. “For years, I was struggling just to keep the doors open. Two months before my first appearance on the Food Network in 2008, I almost closed the doors.”

Martin has one more session to film for the segment, and the producers will then give him an airing date for the show.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is preventing the network from filming at the restaurant at 3633 Millbranch Rd., Martin is thrilled about the upcoming episode.

“The virus isn’t stopping anything,” Martin said. “We started filming on Zoom about 14 or 15 days ago. This is new for me, but I’m just so grateful to be included on Chef Fieri’s new show.

Meanwhile in the age of COVID-19, Martin has learned anew never to “count your chickens before they hatch.”

“Now, I’m just saying we plan to re-open our dining area on June 1,” said Martin.

Uncle Lou’s has been serving orders through curbside and

delivery, only, since restaurants were ordered to close down dining rooms to control Covid-19 community spread.

“Anything can happen with this coronavirus. There could be another breakout over the weekend, and we’re right back at square one. I’ll just put it like this: If nothing happens between now and then, we will open the inside for dining on Monday.”

Even partially closed, Uncle Lou’s has been thriving with a steady stream of cars wheeling in customers ordering take-out and picking up orders. For many, the eatery long has been the destination point for good, Southern Fried Chicken. His earlier appearance on the Food Network helped foster that reputation. “(P)eople come here every year from Australia and England,” said Martin. “Some come here every time they get to Memphis.

I will always be grateful.”

Martin launched his restaurant with very little money, his great grandmother’s recipe and a dream. Uncle Lou’s was his fifth attempt at running a successful restaurant.

“Every time I had to close, I learned some valuable lessons from that experience,” he said. “I learned what not to do next time, because there was definitely going to be a ‘next time.’ I’m going to keep going until I can’t go any more. That’s just the kind of fella I am.”

Martin has been asked “about a million times” what the secret is to his chicken.

The recipe came from his great-grandmother, Rosie Gillespie, who passed the recipe to Martin’s mother.

Louis Martin, owner of Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken in Whitehaven, filming a session for his segment on an edition of Chef Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” (Photos: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)

Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken has been serving orders through curbside and delivery, only, since restaurants were ordered to close down dining rooms to control COVID-19 community spread.

“My mother was just a teenager when she got the recipe,” Martin

said. “Whether my great-grandmother made it up herself or it

was passed down to her, I don’t really know. My great-grandmother was from Mississippi.

Her people were from Mississippi. I don’t know much more than that.”

His mother died in 2014. She wrote the family history down for Martin and his brother when they were teenagers. That was 30 years ago and that history has been lost.

The “breading” over the chicken holds the secret to its unique flavor, said Martin. The sauce is his own invention.

A native Memphian, Martin is a 1977 graduate of Hamilton High School, where he took two years of a then-new vocational course called, “Commercial Food.”

That was his only culinary training.

The New Tri-State Defender

May 28 - June 3, 2020

Page 8

CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL NOTICE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS RFQ NUMBER 20- 0027 SECURITY GUARD SERVICES Sealed responses to this Request for Qualifications for providing Security Guard Services will be received by the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (Authority), Procurement Department, Memphis International Airport, 4121 Runway Road, Suite B Memphis, TN 38118 until 2:00 PM local time, June 16, 2020. A listing of all proposers responding will be posted to the Authority’s website one (1) hour after the response deadline. Responses to Requests for Proposals and Requests for Qualifications will not be publicly opened. A complete Request for Qualifications Packet with submittal instructions, additional data, and response format may be found on the Authority’s website (www. flymemphis.com) on or after May 19, 2020.

A pre-proposal conference will be held May 27, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. via phone/video conferencing (Link: Join Zoom Meeting https:// zoom.us/j/94294919495.

Those interested bidders will log into Meeting ID #942 9491 9495 to listen to information regarding this RFQ. All Proposers are responsible for checking the Authority’s website up to the submission deadline for any updates, addenda or additional information. In accordance with the Authority’s purchasing policies, the Authority will give a preference to businesses located in Shelby County, Tennessee when awarding contracts and making purchases, unless prohibited by law. The successful Proposer must sign a contract with the Authority that includes Federal Aviation Administration provisions, if applicable, regarding the Buy American Preference, Foreign Trade Restriction, Davis-Bacon, Affirmative Action, Debarment and Suspension, and Drug-Free Workplace, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all responses to this Request for Qualifications in whole or in part; to waive any informalities, technicalities, or omissions related to this Request for Qualifications; and to reject responses on any other basis authorized by the Authority’s purchasing policies.

The Authority, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 USC §§ 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all bidders or offerors that it will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business

THE NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER CLASSIFIEDS 203 Beale Street, Suite 200 Memphis, TN 38103 PH (901) 523-1818 • FAX (901) 578-5037 HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

DEADLINES: Display ads Friday 5 p.m.

Classifieds ads Monday 5 p.m.

STANDARD RATES: $6.00 per line for 1 column ad.

Rates are non-commissionable and are quoted at the net rate. No refund for early cancellation. For additional information contact Sales Dept. at (901) 746-5201 or email: advertising@tsdmemphis.com.

BEER PERMITS Flat Rate: $35

New Tri-State Defender reserves the right to correctly classify and edit all copy or to reject or cancel any ad at any time. Only standard abbreviations accepted. Copy change during ordered schedule constitutes new ad & new changes. Deadlines for cancellation are identical to placement deadlines. Rates subject to change.

ADJUSTMENTS: PLEASE check your ad the first day it appears. Call (901) 523-1818 if an error occurs. We can only offer in-house credit and NO REFUNDS are issued.

THE NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER assumes no financial responsibility for errors nor for copy omission.

Direct any classified billing inquires to (901) 523-1818.

GENERAL INFORMATION: Some categories require prepayment.

All ads subject to credit approval. The

enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

By order of: Scott A. Brockman, A.A.E. President and CEO Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Whitfield Enterprise LLC Tax Parcel #: 04004500000190 Tax Sale #: 602 Price Offered: $50.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:00 a.m. on June 17, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Whitfield Enterprise LLC Tax Parcel #: 04004500000200 Tax Sale #: 1304 Price Offered: $200.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:30 a.m. on June 17, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Whitfield Enterprise LLC Tax Parcel #: 04004500000170 Tax Sale #: 1503 Price Offered: $300.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:00 a.m. on June 17, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Whitfield Enterprise LLC Tax Parcel #: 04004500000180 Tax Sale #: 1303 Price Offered: $300.00 Terms: Cash

(901)222-2400 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:

Whitfield Enterprise LLC Tax Parcel #: 04004200002040 Tax Sale #: 1601 Price Offered: $400.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 8:00 a.m. on June 17, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 1:00 p.m. on June 22, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Deria Hill Tax Parcel #: 0130520000036C Tax Sale #: 1202 Price Offered: $1000.00 Terms: Cash

Quayisa Henderson Tax Parcel #: 02604200000320 Tax Sale #: 602 Price Offered: $50.00 Terms: Cash

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten Additional Offers to Purchase, of (10) working days of this notice. at least ten percent (10%) highIf additional offers are received er, may be submitted within Ten during this ten (10) day period, (10) working days of this notice. all prospective Purchasers must If additional offers are received attend a Public “Bid Off” at 8:30 during this ten (10) day period, a.m. on June 17, 2020, to be held all prospective Purchasers must in the Shelby County Land Bank attend a Public “Bid Off” at 2:30 Office, to determine the highest p.m. on June 30, 2020, to be held and best offer. The property shall in the Shelby County Land Bank thereafter be sold to the prospecOffice, to determine the highest tive Purchaser making the highest and best offer. The property shall and best offer without warranties thereafter be sold to the prospecof any sort. tive PurchaserAd making the highest Newspaper – 5x8.5 and best offer without warranties Shelby County Land Bank of any sort.

584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 Shelby County Land Bank (901)222-2400 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103

Dezmond Smith Tax Parcel #: 06007400000200 Tax Sale #: 1302 Price Offered: $1000.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 3:00 p.m. on June 29, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank

Thank You Built by Southern Serenity Homes in Kensington Manor, Lakeland, TN. Estimated value $500,000.

Giveaway Date: June 28, 2020

Thank you, Mid-South, for helping to raise $1.5 million for the kids of St. Jude.

Watch the live Giveaway on WMC Action News 5 on June 28 at noon to see who will win.

We’re Known By the Money you Keep!

ONLINE SHOPPING & DELIVERY Place Your Order Online

Select DELIVERY* or PICK-UP Time

Pay Securely Online

* Delivery available only at the Madision location from 11am - 7pm. * Pick-up available at the Madison, Whitehaven and South Third Street locations.

All tickets have sold out dreamhome.org

Russet Potatoes US #1. 4 Lb. Bag

98

¢

Plus 10% Added at Checkout

South Carolina Yellow Peaches Sweet & Juicy

98

¢

Lb.

Plus 10% Added at Checkout

Club Pack

St. Jude patient Morgan

Chicken Nuggets Frozen 5 Lb. Bag

7

$ 25

National Sponsors Local Sponsors

Plus 10% Added at Checkout

PRICES GOOD MAY 27, 2020 - JUNE 9, 2020 MIDTOWN: 1620 Madison Ave. WHITEHAVEN: 4049 Elvis Presley Blvd.

SOUTH MEMPHIS: 1977 S. Third St. OAKHAVEN: 3237 Winchester Rd. See the Memphis Cash Saver grocery ad at memphiscashsaver.com

Giveaway is conducted by and benefits ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. ©2020 ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (DMH-59) Raffle authorized by State of TN Division of Charitable Solicitations, Fantasy Sports and Gaming.

The New Tri-State Defender

May 28 - June 3, 2020

Page 9

NEWS

Tennessee to halt sharing COVID-19 patient data

by Kimberlee Kruesi Associated Press

NASHVILLE – Tennessee will soon stop providing the names and addresses of COVID-19 patients to first responders, after initially arguing that doing so would protect those on the front line.

Gov. Bill Lee’s administration decided on the change this week, conceding that the data may have created a false sense of security to those responding to emergency calls. The data sharing will stop at the end of the month.

The announcement follows an Associated Press review that found public officials in at least two-thirds of states are sharing the addresses of people who tested positive

with first responders. A small handful of those states, including Tennessee at the time, also shared the patients’ names.

Supporters argue that the information is vital to helping them take extra precautions to avoid contracting and spreading the coronavirus. Yet civil liberty and community activists have expressed repeated concerns of potential profiling in African American and Hispanic communities that already have an uneasy relationship with law enforcement.

“Individuals who have COVID-19 but who have not sought testing because they do not have symptoms may unintentionally transmit the virus to your personnel because the need to wear appropriate PPE was not apparent,” wrote Todd

Skelton, legal counsel for Lee’s coronavirus task force, in a Tuesday email.

“ThereGov. fore, first Bill Lee responders and law enforcement are encouraged to treat all close interactions with individuals with appropriate precautions.”

Skelton added that personal protection equipment is now “more readily attainable” for first responders. In his email, Skelton noted that more than 1.4 million PPE items had been

shipped to law enforcement and others across the state.

Earlier this year, the Department of Health had originally declined to hand over the COVID-19 patient data, warning that wearing protective equipment only in those cases of confirmed illness is unlikely to guarantee their protection.

That decision was eventually overturned by the governor’s office after law enforcement reached out to his office pleading it was needed to stay safe.

Lee later told reporters that the patient data sharing policy would be temporary and could change when more information and protection equipment became available.

Sharing the information does not violate medical privacy laws, according to guidance

issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But it hasn’t stopped concerns about how the information was being used.

The American Civil Liberties Union, Tennessee Black Caucus and others had all called for a stop to the sharing of data with law enforcement.

At least eight states are continuing to share patient names with law enforcement: Iowa, Louisiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio and South Dakota. Wisconsin did so briefly but stopped earlier this month.

Colorado officials also confirmed on Wednesday that local health departments had stopped sharing names and addresses with law enforcement because the community trans-

mission of COVID-19 had become so widespread.

Colorado has had more than 25,000 positive cases and more than 1,100 deaths linked to the virus.

In Tennessee, law enforcement officials have been instructed to “delete and/or shred” the patient data provided by the state within 30 days, according to Skelton’s email.

“Also, you must immediately notify Health if the (protected health information) in your possession has been, or is suspected of having been, disclosed in an unauthorized manner, regardless of when the disclosure occurred,” he said.

Tax Sale #: 1301 Price Offered: $300.00 Terms: Cash

County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:00 a.m. on June 16, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Claudette I. Boyd, Doris Williams Jones, and Gloria Denise Greene Tax Parcel #: 06102800000040 Tax Sale #: 1101 Price Offered: $240.00 Terms: Cash

(Associated Press writer Jim Anderson in Denver, Colorado, contributed to this report.)

CLASSIFIEDS 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Kimberly Ayers Tax Parcel #: 06100100000100 Tax Sale #: 1502 Price Offered: $400.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:00 a.m. on June 22, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Quayisa Henderson Tax Parcel #: 02604200000260 Tax Sale #: 703 Price Offered: $50.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 1:30 p.m. on June 22, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospec-

tive Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400 NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Dominique Batson Tax Parcel #: 06100100000180 Tax Sale #: 1002 Price Offered: $200.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 2:30 p.m. on May 17, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Erich Pudwell Tax Parcel #: 08902500002600 Tax Sale #: 1101 Price Offered: $100.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 8:00 a.m. on June 11, 2020, to be held

in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

(10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:00 a.m. on June 16, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Aaron Rochon Branch Tax Parcel #: 06900400001540 Tax Sale #: 1401 Price Offered: $3000.00 Terms: Cash

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property:

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 2:00 p.m. on July 1, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Claudette I. Boyd, Doris Williams Jones, and Gloria Denise Greene Tax Parcel #: 02909800000270 Tax Sale #: 1301 Price Offered: $275.00 Terms: Cash

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Claudette I. Boyd, Doris Williams Jones, and Gloria Denise Greene Tax Parcel #: 06102800000160 Tax Sale #: 1101 Price Offered: $200.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 9:30 a.m. on June 16, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Claudette I. Boyd, Doris Williams Jones, and Gloria Denise Greene Tax Parcel #: 06103700000300

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Claudette I. Boyd, Doris Williams Jones, and Gloria Denise Greene Tax Parcel #: 06102800000130 Tax Sale #: 1004 Price Offered: $180.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 8:30 a.m. on June 16, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby

Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 8:00 a.m. on June 16, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SALE OF REAL PROPERTY

BY SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Notice is hereby given, pursuant to T.C.A. §67-5-2507, that Shelby County Government has received an Offer to Purchase for the following property: Claudette I. Boyd, Doris Williams Jones, and Gloria Denise Greene Tax Parcel #: 06102800000080 Tax Sale #: 1002 Price Offered: $50.00 Terms: Cash Additional Offers to Purchase, of at least ten percent (10%) higher, may be submitted within Ten (10) working days of this notice.

If additional offers are received during this ten (10) day period, all prospective Purchasers must attend a Public “Bid Off” at 10:30 a.m. on June 16, 2020, to be held in the Shelby County Land Bank Office, to determine the highest and best offer. The property shall thereafter be sold to the prospective Purchaser making the highest and best offer without warranties of any sort.

Shelby County Land Bank 584 Adams Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 (901)222-2400

The New Tri-State Defender

May 28 - June 3, 2020

Page 10

We’ll get through this COVID-19 health challenge together.

We’re here for you every step of the way.

To help you get the health care you need, we’ve: Waived member costs for COVID-19 treatment until May 31, 2020. That means if you’re diagnosed with COVID-19, you won’t have to pay for your treatment with network providers.

Eliminated member costs associated with COVID-19 testing. That means if you’re tested, you won’t have to pay for the test or doctor visit for it.

Relaxed rules for safer access to prescriptions. That means you can get early refills and 90-day mail order refills on your maintenance medications so you can shelter at home easier.

Expanded telehealth care options.

That means you can have a video or phone visit with your in-network providers who offer it, keeping you safer at home.

We’re also helping feed Tennesseans.

Many in our state sadly are worried where their next meal will be coming from.

Our BlueCross Foundation donated $3.25 million to food banks across our state to help all our neighbors.

1 Cameron Hill Circle | Chattanooga, TN 37402 | bcbst.com BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Inc., an Independent Licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association

We can’t remove the threat or fear this virus has created.

But we can make it easier for you to get the care you need.

We’re right here for Tennessee.

To learn more, please visit BCBSTupdates.com.