From the Mighty 990 Broadcast Center, you're waking up in Starnes Country with Todd Starnes. The weather's a little weird today. A little It was a little cloudy out there, then all of a sudden it started spitting rain. All that to say, look, take it easy, folks, as you're coming in. Rain is sort of hit and missed today, but good to have you with us.
Welcome to Sterns Country, and I am your host, Todd Stearns. And hope you had a great Labor Day weekend. Wow, it was a long weekend. It was a good weekend. I had to do a lot of news, TV news anchoring for Newsmax, so I was laboring on Labor Day.
But some great football action, and we're going to be checking in with Parker May a little bit later on this morning for the sports update.
So that'll get you caught up on all of the action over the weekend. And we're also going to be taking your calls on the big stories of the day.
Now Today, I was actually going to start off the program talking about 901 Day and how there are so many great things happening in the Mid-South because there are there, and we talk about a lot of them on this program. And I think our radio stations specifically cover the good, the bad, and the ugly. And I know that angers a lot of people at City Hall. It angers a lot of other people in the media who are turning a blind eye to the bad things that are happening. But I want to explain, before we get into what happened last night at 901 day, I want to explain to you.
What What's behind our coverage of all the crime? We want to see people safe. We don't want to see people get shot. We don't want to see people get carjacked. We don't want to see hardworking people, folks that are living paycheck to paycheck.
You got a few extra dollars in your pocket and you go down to, say, a Redbirds game and then you come out after the game and all your windows are busted out. We don't want that for anybody. We don't. We want people to be safe, and we want them to know where they can be safe here in the Mid-South. And for that, we are catching holy you know what from City Hall.
And all sorts of accusations out there. We're racist because we cover the crime. We are, you know, we are, we're like the National Enquirer. We don't make things up here on this radio station. As a matter of fact, this is the only radio station in Memphis in the history of Memphis, Tennessee, to win an Edward R.
Murrow Award. That's one of the highest prizes in radio and television broadcasting. This radio station has been honored for its journalism by not only the radio and television news directors of America, but also the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters.
So our team here works very hard to bring you accurate news and information. And if we make a mistake, we let you know that we made a mistake. But But now you have City Hall and they're coming after all of us because we're simply reporting the facts.
Now, last night There was a horrifying situation in downtown. And I suspect as the day goes on, we're going to find out just how. How bad it really was. And I want to try to set the stage for you because we're getting messages from people that were downtown yesterday, and they tell us it was like. A Third World Country.
Thousands of people in downtown for 901 day. And the mayor said, come on down, it's safe. As a matter of fact, the Daily Memphian led the charge. The Daily Memphian completely turns a blind eye to crime in the Mid South. And then they turn around and they use their newspaper to attack people like us.
for pointing out that we live in a very dangerous city. And I'm just going to say something, and this needs to be said. Thank God. Thank God people were not killed last night. in downtown Memphis.
And to our knowledge, nobody was killed. And we don't know, and you say, Well, Todd, you're a news organization. How do you not know? Because the Memphis Police Department will not release any information about it. All of this happened at 10 o'clock last night and the MPD and I guarantee you this is coming from CJ Davis, the police chief, she has put a lid on any information on what happened last night.
But we have the videos, and you can go and watch those videos on our Mighty990 Facebook page. You can see all that information there on our socials. And it was horrifying.
So last night around 10:15, this is at Beale Street and South Main. That's right in front of the Orpheum, by the way. There was a raging gun battle.
Now, before the gun battle, there was a massive fight. And you can actually see someone walking around in the fight. With a bag and something protruding from the bag. And when you hear the long form, and we can't play the long form because there's so much bad language. When you hear the long form, the guy filming says, wait a second, what's in that bag?
And gosh, about 30, 40 seconds later, all hell breaks loose on Beale Street. Take a listen to what it sounded like. Don't do it. Damn, they put that loose. That and by the way, it goes on.
There are other videos that people are sending us this morning, and it goes on.
So that was happening. There was a huge fight. People are literally. just uh running for their lives in in downtown. All through the day, there were huge, huge fights, huge fights on Beatle Street, brawls.
And we count at least a half a dozen that we know of. And it was just off the charts insane. People and we've got all the video. And by the way, may I just say something here? The videos are not coming from horrified or terrified white people from the suburbs.
They're not coming from Todd Stearns, the owner of the Mighty 990. No, those videos are coming from black Memphians who are horrified because their mayor, Paul Young, told them: oh, it's safe to go downtown. There's no crime in this city, it's all a perception. The Daily Memphian. canstigating anybody who says we've got a problem in this city.
And they said the problem is we just don't believe enough. We just don't believe we got to you have to go downtown because downtown is the safest place in Memphis, Tennessee. Ladies and gentlemen, They bear responsibility for this because Paul Young. Every every family who was downtown in Memphis yesterday Paul Young put them in danger.
Now, I want to go right now to our Patriot Mobile newsmaker line. Our good friend Jim Lesapio joins us, and Jim. You own businesses there on Beale Street, and I know you were sort of caught up in all of this yesterday. Tell us what happened to your business.
Well, Todd, about 10.30 last night, I had approximately a group of about fifty people who I I can only use the word infaded my restaurant. And for a period of time, five minutes they stood on tables, stood on chairs. and began to fight in the restaurant. And uh I have broken tables, broken chairs, broken windows. No police presence anywhere.
It became the responsibility of my staff to Friday. These people out of the restaurant.
So finally, at about 10:30, we had just had enough of the day and locked the doors, closed the doors. But you can see it escalating throughout the day. Um At about seven or eight o'clock. You'd see the liter bottles of vodka. And Tequila.
all throughout the street. People were bringing their own bottles Then you'd see the people sitting on the sidewalk and openly Smoking marijuana. Nothing was done about it. No no Um Want or desire of the police to try to stop it. It was just open lawlessness.
and it escalated into a couple of stampedes And then you aired the video of the fight on Third and Beale Street You know, that fight happened, you know, was allowed to happen for four or five minutes. It was never broken up by the police. They just absolutely Absolutely lost control. of yesterday. It looked like and I've seen so many videos, Jim, and I was really shocked because there were n usually there are wall to wall cops down there.
How do you not have thousands of people and not have hundreds of cops that are very visible out there? They're good. weren't prepared. And then, you know, on top of it, you know, when they when they don't attack little things. And let this lawlessness, I use the word lawlessness.
continue, it just escalates. You know, when nothing's done about the the guys carrying one liter bottles of vodka and creating their own party. And you've got You've got the openness and the folks allowing them to just smoke marijuana all up and down Bill Street in the open. It's not like they're even trying to hide it. And then the fight starts.
And then the gun is how how do guns make it on Bill Street? How do open bottles of of how do one liter bottles of alcohol make it through security. How? And they do.
So it's uh and then you don't have the the the police back there supporting any of it. They just let it let it happen. Yeah. And you know the rank and f and you know that decision, that's coming from higher up the command chain because the rank and file, they're busting their butts out there and they're only doing what they're told to do or not to do. Absolutely.
Absolutely. I blame it on the the other. level brass. I totally do. You know the guys that are what I I call the beat cops, they care.
They're just overwhelmed, you know? They're not staffed for success. There's not enough of them on the street. And, you know, it becomes just this, you know, I'm using the word again, lawless. A day of lawlessness on Phil Street in downtown Memphis.
Jim, do you want to let folks know the name of the restaurant? Because, I mean, what you guys, what you and your family have done for not just downtown, but the Mid-South. We just owe you a really a round of thanks because you guys have some of the best restaurants across the region. Do you want to tell folks where all of this happened?
Well it Ha it happened in King's Palace and I'm going to share the video with you. Usually I don't like sharing videos, but But I think people need to see. what it was really like on Bill Street last night. And you'll see in the video there's 50 people that just swarm the restaurant. And fights break out.
There's people standing on chairs. and tables videoing the fight going on in my restaurant. And it's just infuriating as a small business owner The lack of support. Again, lawlessness. It was allowed to happen and everything escalated.
to this point of friction last night. Downtown.
So, well, I want you to send me the video, and we're going to get that up on KWAM as well. And I am curious: what are other business owners there on Beale? What I saw yesterday, Jim, I immediately felt so.
So bad for you guys. You're out there trying to give people jobs, employ people, and you can't do business with that kind of garbage going on. No, no, the number of owners last night that just gave up on the night and just shut up. the doors and lock the doors. and said, we've had it.
We can't continue to operate. like this. it's it's sad because You know, a lot of us Oh, I wish. Hire and like to employ single mothers. And and to just shut the door on what should have been a really good night and and not allow these employees to make money.
sad it that it's come to this but you know it's it it it was one of the things we had to do last night just to prevent the damage from happening. Yeah. Venues. What's sad, Jim, and I'll give you the last word here, is that our governor, who's a Republican, and again, we call out everybody on this show, the governor of Tennessee refuses to send the National Guard to Memphis. And I have to imagine, had we just had the presence of the National Guard on Beale Street, none of this would have happened.
I'll tell you this, Todd. I've got another good restaurant buddy of mine who has a couple of restaurants in Washington, D.C. And one of the things he told me, he said, The minute the National Guard It's the side. His sales increased by 50%. He started seeing his customers not ubering to his business, they're actually walking To his restaurants.
They felt safe. And it was. almost a complete 180 degree In the perception of Washington, D.C. And that's our problem right now. They like to say crime is down.
I don't buy it, but we have a huge Perception problem right now in Memphis. We do, and it's going to take us. A while to get past that. All right, Jim, look, let us know what we can do to help you guys out. I am sorry this happened to you, and we're going to try to get answers from City Hall and try to get answers from the Republicans on the City Council.
My concern is, we already know the Memphis Grizzlies are, they haven't signed the lease yet. And one of the reasons why is because of what happened last night. And that ought to concern every single basketball fan, every single business owner in downtown Memphis. Yes, sir. Sure shit.
Jim, all right. Hang in there, my friend. And we sure do appreciate you. Jim Lesampio, everybody, and he owns a number of incredible restaurants here in the Mid South. They employ a lot of people, and they're good folks.
You heard it for yourself. He said there was just flat-out lawlessness on Beatle Street. 50 people invaded his restaurant, stood on tables, chairs, busted out windows. That is unacceptable. That is unacceptable.
We're going to be taking your calls 901-260-5926. That's 901-260-5926. Let's check in with Commander Chuck standing by with a look at your traffic this morning. Oh my gosh. I was so Jim Lesapio.
Who owns businesses there down on Beale Street? Sent us some video. We are working on getting that video up for you. Six minutes. And folks, you heard Jim describe what happened, and that doesn't even do that video justice.
Uh th this was a mob. When you've got 50 people that are rampaging into your this is a riot situation.
So my question. My question is, where were all the police? And it's interesting because a lot of the folks on our Facebook live stream over uh on Facebook. Are suggesting that this was intentional, that they didn't want to have wall-to-wall police. They didn't want it to look like some sort of an armed encampment down there.
So they laid off the cops. As a matter of fact, Um, there is one of the videos that we've posted. You can actually see some um undercover, I guess, that these guys were dressed in what jeans and and polos, and they were they were making some arrest. But as far as uniformed officers, yeah, I hardly saw anybody down there. Anybody.
And that's a big problem. And somebody's somebody has some explaining to do here. My question though is, who on our city council, who on the Memphis City Council is actually going to raise issues about what happened down there?
So that brings me to Jeff Calkins, and I've never met Jeff before. I think he's a good writer. I don't agree with most of what he writes, but he writes it well. And he's one of the columnists for the Daily Mifflin. A lot of people read him, and I think that's great.
A lot of people read us, and they listen to us, and we think that's great too.
So, anyway, he interviewed William Dunavan. And Dunavan, of course, is probably one of the wealthiest guys here in Memphis. And he's out there saying that people have to start believing in Memphis again. And one of the big issues as I was reading through This story is about the narratives. He says we need to take our narrative back.
He said, the rest of the world says Memphis is a terrible, dangerous place. It's not. They don't live here, but you and I are not preaching hard enough to everybody else.
Well, with all due respect to Mr. Donovan, I completely disagree with that. Was he downtown over was he there last night? Did he get to see? Up close and personal, what Swagger and Soul looks like?
I don't think so. And I appreciate all these folks, like the mayor. And all the wealthy people that live in the exclusive neighborhoods. Maybe some of them have private security. Maybe some of them live not only in gated communities, but their homes are gated within the gated communities.
And I get that. And yeah, I guess if you live in that kind of a neighborhood, you're going to feel pretty safe. But most of us don't live like that. Most of us have to go shopping down at Kroger. Most of us have to go to the gas station.
By the way, last night in Midtown at Union, you ready for this one, folks? Video on the Citizen app. Over twenty kids in cars hanging out the windows, all of them brandishing firearms. All of them. This is in Midtown.
It's not enough to talk about. And that's what we're doing here on this radio station: we're alerting you to what's going on. There, but for the grace of God, ladies and gentlemen, we could have had a mass shooting. Children, and by the way, there are a lot of children downtown yesterday. Children.
could have been shot. And it would have all been on Mayor Young. They have this narrative that they're advancing. And they want you if it's the power of positive thinking. As if that's going to stop the bullets.
And I got to tell you, what I saw on Beal Street yesterday, when you go and watch those videos. Ladies and gentlemen, I I don't know if we can actually solve this problem. I mean, this is insane.
So, I'll have some more things to say about Mr. Dunavant when we come back. From the break, but he's not a big fan of all you people complaining about the crime. 901-260-5926, our number. This is Stearns Country.
I'm Todd Stearns. We'll be right back, everybody. And welcome back, everybody. It is Starnes Country here on the Mighty 990. I'm Todd Starns.
Great to have you with us. By the way, I want to pass this along. Coming up this week, a huge, huge thing. This is happening Thursday, September 4th, from 5 to 8 o'clock, the Les Passé Stock Exchange. This is a lot of fun.
By the way, these are some of the kindest ladies in the Mid-South, and they are also our next-door neighbors here at the Mighty 990. And just as kind as neighbors can possibly be, they're good neighbors, is what I'm trying to say.
So, anyway, they're getting ready for their big upscale consignment shopping event. And this is such an important thing. You're going to be able to get early birds. Tickets, you're going to be able to get tickets at the door as well. $30 for the early bird special and $35 if you're going to get them at the door.
Here is the website, lpmemphis.org. That's lpmemphis.org. Then go to the events tab and you will find the stock exchange. You say, Todd, where is this? 5258 Summer Avenue.
That's again 5258 Summer Avenue. And it's near the at-home store.
So if you've been over there, you know exactly where that is. And by the way, the at-home store don't go there during Christmas. It's wall-to-wall people. It's chaos. But anyway, it's all going to a great cause.
And I want you to go out and visit with our friends and support our friends over at Les Passé. And we're going to get them on the show to talk about all the great work they're doing coming up.
So last night, I was on the Newsmax, and some of our primetime anchors were out. And I was honored to fill in. And we talked about what's happening in places like Memphis and also Chicago. If you think it's bad here, it's really bad in Chicago. 54 people.
Were shot over the weekend. I think eight people killed.
So, anyway, we had a conversation about that, and here's that conversation: cut to please. Over the weekend, 54 people were shot in Chicago, at least eight people killed. That alone would qualify the Windy City to be classified as a war zone. And that's why President Trump is preparing to conduct major immigration enforcement operations in the Windy City. And as those 50 people were being shot this weekend, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order against the deployment of federal agents in his city.
I'm signing an executive order today that will launch the Protecting Chicago Initiative. This order affirms that the Chicago Police Department will not collaborate With military personnel on police patrols or civil immigration enforcement. We will protect our Constitution. We will protect our city. and we will protect our people.
We do not want to see Tanks in our streets. We do not want to see families ripped apart. We do not want grandmothers thrown into the back of unmarked bands. He is reckless and out of control. He is the biggest threat.
to our democracy than we've experienced in the history of our country.
Well, during a Labor Day rally today, he told the crowd he would defy the president and defend democracy in Chicago. Are you prepared to defend this land, this land that was built by slaves, a land that was built by indigenous people, a land that is built by workers? Are you prepared to defend this land? If this president decides to continue to break this constitution, it's going to be the labor movement that stitches it back together. I don't know.
Sounds a little. Oh, what's the vibe I'm looking for? Insurrection-y, maybe? Just a smidge. But as bad as the streets may be in Chicago or Washington, D.C., they are even more dangerous in places like Memphis, Tennessee, and Detroit.
According to FBI numbers from last year, those two cities rank as having the highest crime rate per 100,000 people in the country. And by crime, the FBI means murder, rape, robbery. aggravated assault. Chicago ranks 29th on the FBI's list.
So why is the Trump administration putting all of its resources and efforts into bringing law and order to Chicago and D.C. and not places like Memphis or Detroit? That is the question raised by the New York Times today. They published a story titled Crime Festers in Republican States While Their Troops Patrol Washington. The Times specifically called out Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, wondering why the Republican governor dispatched National Guard troops to Washington instead of Memphis.
The Times pointed out the murder rate in Memphis is about twice as high as D.C.'s.
So why is Governor Lee turning a blind eye to the hurting citizens of his own state? His office did not respond to questions, and it's no surprise, Governor Lee, something of a thin-skinned rhino squish, not exactly cut from the gubernatorial cloth of, say, Iron DeSantis or even Greg Abbott.
Now Jeffrey Butts of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice told the Times that Federal resources are not actually being targeted where they would make the most difference. And he said that the Trump administration's actions are not doing anything to improve public safety. Instead, he said it's designed to humiliate political opponents. Yeah, I'm not buying this one at all, folks. And we got to push back on this assertion.
Look, TV stations in D.C. are actually commending the president's crime crackdown.
So are local residents. They say it's safe for the kids to finally play outdoors. Not to mention the fact the district's murder rate has cratered. I feel safer. I do.
Doesn't bother me at all, I just feel more more militar police presence there are. I just feel like I'm more inclined to be downtown more often. We need oil in our city. If you don't have no oil, you ain't got no city. I think it's a good thing because.
You know what I'm saying? It's better for the community and safer for the kids. Stop the violence. I enjoy having extra security. I think it's a good thing.
I mean, you want to feel safe when you're out and about, especially females. And while Chicago Mayor Johnson is all but threatening to wage an armed rebellion against federal agents, residents of the windy city, they're begging President Trump for help. The National Guard has to come here. Even if it's for a scare attack, they have to come here. There's no control.
There's no law and order. Today you hardly see a police car in a neighborhood. It just seems like crime is really out of control right now. The whole neighborhood is just sick of people coming into the neighborhood and acting like they can just come ravage your stores, take what they want to take, and then you they try to make you feel like you're wrong for defending your property. We still have a problem.
We have a problem with illegal guns. We have a high murder rate. We need help with that. I think that the governor as well as the mayor should be on board with it just so we can get a bit more of security in Chicago the way that we need.
Now, several weeks ago, the president personally told me on my national radio show that he would be taking a look at Memphis. the city of my birth, my hometown. One of the most unique cities in the nation. turned into a war zone thanks to activist judges, a soft on crime district attorney, and Democrat lawmakers who say there's really not so much a crime problem as there is a perception problem. The fact is that Memphians, we don't hate Memphis.
We hate what our city has become. And I suspect the good people in Detroit and D.C. and Chicago feel the same way about their towns. You see, the one common denominator here is that Democrats control the most violent cities in our nation, every last one of them. The Democrats have ruled our major cities for generations.
They are responsible for the crime. They are responsible for the bloodshed. They are responsible for the moral decay and the cultural rot.
Now President Trump, he wants to make our city safe again. The American people know that. And I gotta say, I look forward to the day when President Trump is leading a convoy of troops down past Graceland and over to Beale Street, looking to put a blue suede boot up the backside of the bad guys. All right, just a smidge of my conversation last night on Newsmax television. I want to go to our Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line.
Right now, and say hello to Luke Symbol from the Republican County, Republican Party of Shelby County. Luke, good to have you with us today. Hey, good morning, Todd. And I just want to say I thought your comments on Newsmax were Yeah. Absolutely spot on.
What we saw Yesterday and last night 901 day, which is supposed to be. A day of celebration for families to enjoy the community to hang out at parks across Town, have picnics, you know, at Coincidence. sided with holidays so people had off work, what we saw. is just completely unacceptable. And You're right.
Folks are not hating. Our community. We love our community. And what we are calling for is for change. What we are asking for.
A serious Look. At restoring law and order so that businesses can be open without fear, so that families can go downtown. to enjoy a movie, a show. Dinner without having their windows busted out, without having gunshots across. the street without having fights.
Breakout. Um on every street corner. And Help. And demanding change, and it is not hating on our community. We're trying to save our community.
I wonder, you know, will the Republicans, or do you see an opportunity for the Republicans to step up here and maybe, I don't know, go down to go and visit the owner of the King's Palace down on Beale Street, Jim Lesapio and these other business owners. They feel like they have been abandoned. They don't feel like there's anybody with them. And when we post this video, Luke, it It's going to blow people's minds because this is not crime. This is lawlessness we're talking about in this city.
It is lawlessness. And that's why I think it's a really important question. of the Republican Party of Shelby County posed That question last week about the national. Guard. we had a poll.
on both X and Facebook. with over a thousand people responding on Facebook. 92 to 93% of folks saying, We want the National Guard. in Memphis in some capacity. They're not defining what that capacity is.
They're not saying tanks rolling down Union Avenue.
So what they're saying is we need additional help. here in Memphis. And with, you know, if the National Guard is a national guard. success in Washington, D.C. We want them.
here, and we have got to take care of our community. First, I um You know, I support the National Guard. being sent To Washington, DC, to secure our nation's capital, but I also want our Tennessee National Guard. to be taking care of its communities first. And we have a problem here in Memphis.
The only way we're going to turn it around to get serious. And you know, Todd, I'm tired of hearing over and over again that this is a really complicated problem and we need to try this and we need to try that. No, it's not. This is not rocket science. Uh Rudy Giuliani made New York City the safest city in America by aggressive prosecuting all crimes.
starting with the small ones. And it takes care of the larger ones. And what we need is to hold our sorrows back. DA accountable, which send their Taylor is trying to do, which Senator Marshall. Blackburn has already called for his removal in her gubernatorial run.
We have to hold him accountable. We have to demand that our judges are not accepting cushy plea deals. We have to demand that our juvenile court Judge Sherman. that he is not just giving these juveniles a slap. on the wrist.
but that he is incarcerating them when they are violent and routine criminals. Um this is not rocket science, Todd rocket science is rocket science. And we can get this under control. And I think the National Guard, you know what they could have done last night? It's secure Beal Street so that law-abiding citizens could have enjoyed a day.
day downtown. rather than the lawlessness. that we witnessed All day yesterday. It wasn't just last night. It was you.
K-WAN posted the videos, the brawls. On every street corner in downtown Memphis, Completely unacceptable. And that is just a small sampling of the videos that are out there. All of them filmed by black citizens of Memphis.
So it's BS coming from the Daily Memphian and the mayor that it's K-Wam out there that's responsible. No, no, no, no. K-WAM is not responsible other than the fact that we're not afraid to stand up to City Hall. We're not afraid to speak truth to power. And I don't care what political party they are.
Quite frankly, if Bill Lee doesn't want to do his job, he needs to get the hell out of the governor's mansion. Resign right now, sir, if you are not going to do your job and send the National Guard and protect a city in the state. Taxpayers, by the way, and if we just want to talk about money for a second, over $4 billion in tourism revenue. You think we're going to be able to get tourists to come to Memphis with that kind of garbage going on down on Beale Street, Luke Simbel? I don't think so.
But Sunlight is the best Disinfectant and KWAM is merely shining a light. What so many people are not wanting to talk about. And KWAM is setting the narrative, calling for change. And what you're seeing now is. KWM led the charge last night with posting the videos of some of these.
Citizen journalists who are taking the videos and posting them on their social media, what they witnessed, and KWM amplified it, and you saw the Yeah. Begin to report on it. And you're seeing them report on it this morning, and it is because. of your efforts. And it is so necessary, and that's why people appreciate it.
I encourage people to follow your Stop Memphis crime page. on Facebook. It's a great source of information. It is setting policy even from Nashville with people being able to learn about what's going on in Memphis. I know of several state legislators from across.
the state who follow that page so they can fully understand what's happening here. We have to demand change. We must get loud. I think you're going to see the Republican Party here locally begin to do that. Please follow us on social media.
And it's time to take a stand. Enough is enough. It is Luke Symbol. We're going to have to leave it there, by the way, Luke, as we leave. This is the headline from the Daily Memphis: On 901 Day, Memphis was full of music, food, and pride.
Yeah, yeah. That's that's right, not not uh not fist fights. is that they don't they don't include that in their headline. No, nothing about fist fights, nothing about gunfire, nothing Wow. All right.
Luke Symbol from the Republican Party of Shelby County. Luke, thank you. All right. We've got to take a quick break here, folks. Again, our number 901-260-5926.
Your response to the insane violence and rioting in downtown Memphis on Beale Street yesterday, 901-260-5926. This is Stern's Country on the Mighty 990. And welcome back, everybody. This is Sterns Country here on the 9990. What an honor to have you with us here in the principal Toyota Memphis studio.
By the way, be sure to get a copy of Todd Lochner's new book. It's really doing well on Amazon. A lot of folks around the nation are getting this little book. It's called Porcupine in a Balloon Factory, written by our good friend Todd Lochner from Principal Toyota, Memphis. Again, Porcupine in a Balloon Factory.
And you can get a copy at Amazon, Barnes Noble, wherever you buy your books. And it's always fun to support our local authors. By the way, it is a great book, especially for if you are into business and leadership and Christianity, you're going to love this book, Porcupine in a Balloon Factory. You know, I want to go back here to the Daily Memphium piece that came out last, that came out over the weekend. And they were talking to Mr.
Dunavant, and this was the Jeff Calkins. Column. And Dunavant says he has little patience for those who are so invested in bad news that they refuse to acknowledge the progress that's already been made. He said, I talked to the West Tennessee Home Builders Association. I said to them, Raise your hand if you build any houses in Memphis.
A couple of hands went up. Then I said, Raise your hands if you're building houses in North Mississippi, Arlington, or Collierville. Every hand went up. Then I said, When you finish those houses, Is part of your sales pitch that it's better to buy a house in those places because of crime in Memphis? If you raise your hand to that question you're telling the truth.
The rest of you are lying.
So, what does that mean? I mean, I'm sorry, Mr. Dunavant, but. Are people really going to invest and build a four or five hundred dollar a $500,000 home in Raleigh or Orange Mound? Or in downtown?
And again, folks, hear me on this. We have got to do when you look at just drive down, drive down Union in front of the AutoZone ballpark. And just as you're driving towards the river, just take a look over to your left, and you will see a vast field. It now looks like something that you would see on a safari. Weeds as high as you could possibly see.
You know what's supposed to be there? A multi-billion dollar development that never materialized. If you travel and you look at our skyline, we're missing three or four skyscrapers that were supposed to be built that were never built. And a lot of that has to do with the economy, but a lot of it Has to do with the fact that That we are a dangerous city. And our government leaders do not want to do anything about that.
And that is, look, that's on City Hall. That's not on K-Wham. Mr. Dunavant says the mothership is Memphis. You don't fly out of the Olive Branch airport.
You don't celebrate the Bartlett Grizzlies.
Well, we're not going to be celebrating any Grizzlies if this nonsense keeps up in downtown. Go to our website, our Facebook page. We have the video posted. Unbelievable. Get out there, folks.
Be safe. We'll be back at 11 o'clock. I'm Todd Stearns. This is Stearns Country.
