September 22, 2025
While he didn’t ask for the agency’s assistance, Young looks at their arrival as an opportunity to give the city the strength that it needs.
After President Donald Trump labeled Memphis, Tennessee, the next destination for the National Guard to tackle “crime concerns,” Mayor Paul Young said he hopes it can assist with beautification and homelessness services like what happened in Washington, D.C., Action News 5 reports.
Young highlighted his desire for the National Guard to help community members continue the work of the Blight Zero teams and the Community Enhancement Division, who assist with community beautification.
He said he was encouraged following his meeting with D.C. Deputy Mayor Lindsey Appiah and Police Chief Pamela Smith Young, inspiring him to map out core areas that need assistance, including law enforcement. While he didn’t ask for he assistance, Young sees an upside.
“For Memphis, I choose to view this as an opportunity,” the mayor wrote in his weekly newsletter. “My commitment is to make sure every resource we receive strengthens our city, not just for today, but for the long term.”
The National Guard deployment tour started after Trump sent the soldiers into D.C.’s streets to tackle alleged concerns of an increase in violence.
While met with some backlash from the Black community, there seems to be some good that came out of it.
CBS News Justice Correspondent Scott MacFarlane shared an update from the troops in D.C., announcing “guardsmen have cleared 1,022 bags of trash, spread 744 cubic yards of mulch, removed 35 truckloads of plant waste, cleared 6.7 miles of roadway, and painted 270 feet of fencing.”
Young is hoping guardsmen will join in efforts—not interrupt them—already started in the Memphis streets through an initiative called the “Own Your Block” cleanup, according to ABC 24.
In communities across the city, including Frayser, neighbors, city leaders, and over 60 churches have pitched in to help, as Young wants the city to get back to winning “the city beautiful award many years in a row” like in the 1940s.
Pursuit of God pastor Sheila Floyd participated in the cleanup.
“I hope to see Memphis being a choice place to live. We get a bad rep, we’re known for crime, and at one point, Memphis was known for being beautiful,” she said. “I would love to have that identity returned.”
Young admits Trump’s plans have pushed him to work with Republican lawmakers to improve the community. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said the National Guard’s presence will give Memphis Police the chance to focus on keeping the community safe.
Local leaders and hometown heroes were present to welcome the National Guard, including former television Judge Joe Brown.
Of course, Trump couldn’t help but make things about him, saying at the American Cornerstone Institute Founder’s dinner that Memphis residents were “cheering the soldiers” and thanking him for sending troops.
“We are getting calls over the internet, we are getting statements: ‘Sir, thank you so much. I live in Memphis, it is so beautiful,” he claimed.
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