MEMPHIS AND WASHINGTON, DC — The League of Women Voters of Memphis-Shelby County, League of Women Voters of Tennessee, and League of Women Voters of the US issued the following joint statement in response to President Trump and Governor Bill Lee’s plan to deploy the National Guard in Memphis: 

“Memphis is the latest target in President Trump’s string of attacks on America’s cities. Despite evidence that violent crime in Memphis has decreased over the past year, the President and Governor have pushed forward a militarized response that local leaders neither requested nor endorsed. 

“The deployment was arranged in Washington between the President and Governor Lee, without input from Memphis Mayor Paul Young or Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. Many Memphis lawmakers and community leaders have voiced concern that this action risks undoing local progress and could inflict lasting harm. 

“The autonomy of state and local governments must be recognized and respected. When there is no emergency warranting federal presence and no local request, the federal government has no right to deploy troops onto city streets. 

“The League implores Congress to investigate the legality of this deployment and others like it in DC and Los Angeles. It is your duty as our representatives to ensure transparency and prevent misuse of federal authority. 

“We also call on individuals to contact their members of Congress to demand immediate oversight and to oppose actions that criminalize urban communities. Though the President may suggest otherwise, it is not a crime to live in a city, to be Black or brown, or to expect fairness from government. 

“The League of Women Voters strongly condemns the deployment of federal or state troops to any American city without due cause. We stand with Memphis and all communities facing this dangerous and unnecessary escalation.” 

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