Did Trump's Nat Guard drop crime in Memphis this month?

As the Wall St Journal report earlier this week (see below), Memphis is one of the few large Dem controlled cities that's cooperated and worked with the Dark Lord to deploy Nat Guard troops.

Some context. Memphis is the murder capital of the US with a homicide rate of between 38-49 homicides per 100,000 residents. That compares to about 7 for LA and 4.6 for the Big Apple. Chicago hovers around 20...also ridiculously high.

Unlike those other big Dem run cities, Trump isn't looking have ICE run wild in Memphis. He's using ICE up North to create a visual of making good on his promise to deport illegals.

So has the National Guard's presenses reduced crime about being deployed for one month? Yes!

As Fox News points out, "A review by local outlet WSMV found that Memphis had the highest violent crime rate in the country in 2024. A city dashboard reflected a recent improvement, showing that since Sept. 1, serious crime in Memphis has dropped 46%."

Should other large cities use the Guard to cut their violent crime rate in half. Absolutely not! The optics aren't right.

MEMPHIS, Tenn.— When President Trump pledged to send the National Guard to Democratic-led cities such as Washington, D.C., Chicago and Portland, Ore., he met condemnation, lawsuits and large protests.

Then there is Memphis, where many have welcomed the roughly 150 National Guard troops that arrived this month, mobilized by Trump as part of a federal and state crackdown on crime in the city.

“I’m looking for all the help I can get, I wish there was more,” said John Green, who manages a candy store on Main Street. “For Lease” signs hang in nearby storefronts, their windows boarded up. Business has been terrible this year, Green added, even during “Elvis Week,” the annual celebration of the city’s favorite son. “People just don’t want to come here anymore.”

Downtown, where bluffs rise above the serpentine Mississippi River, George Campbell was walking his goldendoodle, Zac, when he spotted a group of National Guard soldiers in fatigues, handguns holstered at their hips. The 64-year-old psychologist said their presence had eased fears about crime.

“It’s safe. What happened? Control is what happened,” he said. “It was out of control. This is necessary.”

Trump has called Memphis “deeply troubled” and said he would “restore law and order.” The Memphis Police Department recently reported that overall crime had fallen to a 25-year low, but rates remain among the highest in the country. Forming a “Memphis Safe Task Force,” Trump dispatched more than a dozen federal agencies and departments—the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals and others—and the Tennessee National Guard. The task force began operations in late September with the Guard patrols starting Oct. 10, according to the city. The troops are operating under the control of Republican Gov. Bill Lee.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young, a Democrat, isn’t happy about the troops, a sentiment shared by some others in the predominantly Black city. Many Memphians still remember the arrival of the National Guard, pictured with rifles and bayonets, during the political upheaval of 1968, including the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. here.

But Young, who took office in 2024 and has aggressively fought crime, has largely cooperated with the White House and Lee. The mayor is embracing elements of the effort he thinks could help his beleaguered city, while also working to blunt aspects he finds problematic. The troops, for instance, aren’t carrying rifles or traveling in armored vehicles.

National Guard troops patrol Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968.

Tennessee National Guardsmen filed across Beale Street in March 1968, two days after violence erupted during a march led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charles Kelly/AP

“They made a decision to bring the National Guard,” Young said in an interview at City Hall. “It’s not what I would have wanted, but the decision was made, and so my goal at that point is to figure out how to make the best of this situation for Memphis.”

Young said he consulted with Washington, D.C., officials about how they handled troops in the nation’s capital. He has welcomed help from the U.S. Marshals in executing outstanding warrants and FBI assistance in targeting gangs and gun violence. He called Lee “a good partner, particularly on public safety.”

Protests have been minor. The mayor of surrounding Shelby County, not the Memphis mayor, has led opposition to the National Guard’s presence.

Young said his goal has been to “make sure that we brought down the temperature. We don’t want conflicts in our community.”