Good Tuesday morning from Memphis! This morning, we'll have more on Shelby County's new policy against asking for criminal history except where that information is relevant, like in law enforcement. But first...
If Memphis Police catches the culprits behind a riot Saturday at Summer Avenue's Golf and Games Family Center (aka "Putt-Putt"), the business owner could press charges.
That's according to our Micaela Watts, who has more details about what went down:
- In addition to the property damage mentioned in yesterday's column, a large group of unaccompanied minors caused assaulted at least two employees Saturday. One employee was shoved and another employee was spat upon (which counts as a misdemeanor assault in Shelby County).
- The general manager, Aaron Bos, yesterday said employees were stationed at the entrance and conducting headcounts to make sure the business was abiding by the capacity caps set by the Shelby County Health Department. At 50% capacity, the business is allowed to have 100 people inside at any given time.
- While Putt-Putt wasn't giving refunds Saturday because of the large number of kids and the urgency of the situation, the company is doing so now.
My column yesterday was a little flippant — and a little unfair to Putt-Putt — in light of these facts. Yes, Putt-Putt employees still reacted too slowly, obviously. But they were at least trying to comply with Shelby County Health Department directives when they were overwhelmed by 300-400 unruly kids who were callously dropped off by their parents. Seemingly acknowledging the lack of controls, and no doubt trying to restore its reputation as a family-friendly destination, Putt-Putt plans to add security guards, require minors to be accompanied by adults, and limit hours, per The Daily Memphian.
Finding the worst offenders probably won't be too difficult thanks to the video footage:
And here's another video, this one of the alleged spitting assault, which seems to have been done by the same girl seen throwing things in that first video:
Two girls — one 12 and the other 15 — have already been issued summons, per Micaela. As previously reported, a 13-year-old boy was also issued a juvenile summons at the facility Saturday for disorderly conduct after he was seen throwing plants at a car.
In the wake of the mayhem, some people blame the kids, some the parents and some Putt-Putt, while others blame society generally. "If only people had taken COVID-19 more seriously, these kids would be in schools or in programs," they argue — as if kids' default is wanton destruction and violence unless they're kept cloistered out of sight.
So, who's really to blame?
Why can't we say all of the above? Parents shouldn't have dropped these kids off by the hundreds; Putt-Putt shouldn't have let them; the kids shouldn't have rioted; and, yes, Memphis should have already ramped up youth intervention, as I argued back in May.
The bigger, harder question is how to stop this from happening again.
Putt-Putt is already doing what it should be doing, but Memphis could be doing more as well — to keep youth productively and safely occupied, to reform the ones who go wrong, and to give parents education and resources for how to be better parents.
#MaskUpMemphis: ICU nears capacity
Yesterday, Shelby County received more bitter news (and it all seems bitter nowadays, doesn't it?) about the local spread of COVID-19: intensive care unit beds were 91% full.
Hospital and ICU capacity tend to fluctuate on a daily basis, though. Later Monday, it was reported that 89% of acute care hospital beds were full and 88% of ICU beds. The county still has field hospital beds that can be used if case counts continue rising. Meanwhile, the 14-day rolling average of new cases as of yesterday was 379 cases per day, the highest it's ever been. The 14-day average was down to 367 this morning.
All of that to say: the latest video from the new #MaskUpMemphis campaign comes at a crucial time. Here's the video features Tigers coach Penny Hardaway among others:
Still not convinced that you should wear a mask in public? Maybe James R. Downing, president and CEO of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, will be able to convince you to mask up in this recent op-ed he penned for The CA. An excerpt:
Alarmingly, between 40–60% of transmissions occur from those who have not yet developed symptoms. Without a vaccine, the only way we can slow the spread of the virus is by wearing a mask that fully covers the mouth and nose while in public and by adhering to 6-foot physical distancing recommendations.
County Commission 'bans the box'
The Shelby County Board of Commissioners yesterday voted to "ban the box," meaning the county won't make all job applicants disclose whether they have a criminal record.
Some applicants — for jobs where criminal history is "substantially related" to the work they'll be doing — will still have to check the box indicating whether they have an arrest or conviction, our Katherine Burgess reports. That means applicants to become Shelby County correctional officers or deputies will still need to be up-front about their record.
Also, criminal background will still play a role in all hiring decisions, as Katherine notes:
The county will still be able to conduct background checks for all positions, but only after a contingent offer of employment has been given to an applicant. Then, "Criminal history may not prevent employment if the applicant can show evidence of mitigation or rehabilitation and present fitness to perform the duties of the position sought."
So, what "ban the box" really means is that ex-offenders won't have their applications automatically trashed, which is a good and commonsense proposal. Criminal history is still taken into account — it's just not taken into account at the start of the process. That being the case, it's no wonder the commission supported "Ban the Box" unanimously.
But the decision could be a real benefit to ex-offenders and to the county as a whole.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, an advocate of "Ban the Box," explained the significance in a post on the city's website, pointing out that nearly half of ex-offenders will be re-arrested within three years of their release and that the county spends $100 million a year housing inmates at its jail. Finding ex-offenders jobs is key, he argued:
Ex-offenders who find employment are significantly more likely to avoid additional crime, return back to prison, and stay in that vicious cycle. We will never have public safety unless we work at re-entry and commit to reintegrating ex-offenders back into society.
But more than the dollars and cents, banning the box is about believing that no one is a lost cause, that no one is beyond redemption, that people deserve second changes, Harris goes on to argue. Banning the box may be a small step toward making Shelby County a more just and equitable county for all people — but it is a significant step.
Speaking of the County Commission: Democrat Eddie Jones will be the commission's next chairman, continuing a "gentlemen's agreement" between commissioners to swap the chairman position between the two parties, our Katherine Burgess reports. The real political drama was over who would be the vice-chairwoman: Despite losing the votes of all of her fellow party members, Republican Brandon Morrison won the position with the support of most of the body's Democrats.
Grizzlies' Morant buys car for mother
After buying a car for his father, the Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant bought another vehicle, this time for his mother, our Evan Barnes reports. Here's the video:
What else is happening in the 901
- For subscribers: FedEx is now using robots to sort packages at its Memphis hub, our Max Garland reports. (Not a subscriber? Please consider becoming one.)
- RIP, W.D. Merritt: The former Memphis Police homicide detective known for his appearances on long-running A&E network series "First 48," has reportedly died of COVID-19, our Sarah Macaraeg reports.
- Once again, the Shelby County Democratic Party is suing the makers of bogus local ballots that are designed to give people the impression they're official party ballots, our Daniel Connolly reports. (Interestingly, Corey Strong — the former head of the party, who lead a lawsuit against these ballot-makers during his tenure — is on these bogus ballots this year. Strong is running for the 9th Congressional District seat held by entrenched incumbent Democrat Steve Cohen.)
- Local teachers staged a "die-in" protest yesterday outside of the Shelby County administrative building, our Laura Testino reports. Shelby County Schools has announced it will begin the school year with virtual-only learning, but other local municipal school districts are still planning to reopen school buildings as planned.
- Next month, Graceland plans to add a series of "immersive experiences": Ten interactive stations that will allow people to digitally insert themselves into movies and photos featuring Elvis, our John Beifuss reports.
- Our Jason Munz looks at the chances the Memphis Tigers basketball program could recruit 6-foot-11, 260-pound center Sam Ayomide.
- Gov. Bill Lee isn't planning to follow White House coronavirus experts' advice and close bars across the state, at least not for now, per The Tennessean.
The Fadeout: Brother Shelby
Brother Shelby — a Memphis-based band named for Shelby County and made up of a trio of friends — released their first, self-titled, extended-play album in March. That's John Wise on bass and vocals, Simon Shah on guitar, and James Madden on drums.
From the EP, here's the band's "Burning" to fade us out...
Like The Fadeout? Check out The 901's Spotify playlist. Want to submit a recommendation of your own? Reach me by email, address below.
Columnist Ryan Poe writes The 901, a running commentary on all things Memphis. Reach him at poe@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @ryanpoe.
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