Monday, October 28th, BLDG Memphis attended a meeting called by Mayor Young alongside the Better Transit for a Better Memphis Coalition and other transit advocacy groups such as the Memphis Bus Riders Union, Citizens for Better Service, and the Memphis Aging Commission regarding the ongoing public transit crisis. Mayor Young welcomed the group, giving a short introduction to the purpose of the meeting; to reach an understanding of the challenges faced by bus riders and to give the community an update on the city’s next steps.

We saw the headlines in the local news: Memphis is ranked #1 as the most dangerous city for pedestrians. The comment section of those headlines mentioned fast cars, potholes, uncontrolled drivers, the lack of traffic enforcement, and even, shamefully, the victims themselves as the sources of the increase in pedestrian deaths. However, one of the greatest contributors to pedestrian fatalities was never mentioned: design.

Wednesday, January 17, 2024, the United States Department of Justice reached an agreement with Patriot Bank regarding claims of lending discrimination and redlining in majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee. To resolve these allegations, Patriot Bank has been charged to invest $1.9 million in local communities of color.

Complaints against Patriot Bank allege that between 2015 and 2020 the bank "avoided providing mortgage services to majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Memphis and discouraged people seeking credit in those communities from obtaining home loans" (U.S. Department of Justice, 2024). It was found that Patriot's mortgage lending disproportionately occurred in majority white communities in Memphis. Further, it was found that other banks "received nearly 3.5 times as many loan applications [in Black and Brown communities] compared to Patriot" (U.S. Department of Justice, 2024). 

Three years ago, when I first moved to Memphis, I was alarmed by the lack of non-motorized transit options for residents in the city. Without having a car, I found it extremely difficult to take advantage of professional opportunities, access grocery stores, travel to work, or attend recreational events.

When nonprofit BLDG Memphis asked me to give a resident testimonial about my father's fatal bike crash and its effect on my family, I wondered how I would even begin to describe the tragedy that changed our lives in ways both predictable and unforeseen.