About 100 residents and activists came together Downtown on Sept. 27 to protest the National Guard deployment planned for Memphis.
The protest, rally and march were part of a joint campaign dubbed “Free The 901” and saw 18 organizations push back on the deployment.
“Let’s not mince what’s happening in this moment. This is not just politics as usual. This is spiritual warfare and we want to make sure that that’s known,” said Tikeila Rucker, the executive director of Memphis For All.
Rucker went on to call Memphis “the incubator where the experiments are being tested,” alluding to it being the first city outside Washington, D.C., to be designated for a deployment of National Guard forces. She also called for residents to reach out to their representatives in Congress and push for more restrictions on Title 32 deployments.
Religious leaders also spoke against the deployment, with Rev. Tony Coleman of First Congregational Church calling the deployment a tactic of fear.
Demonstrators take part in a “No Cooperation with Occupation” march in Memphis, Tenn., on September 27, 2025. The event was organized to launch the “Free the 901” campaign as an objection to the deployment of the National Guard to Memphis.
“Since even before biblical times, empires have used the same three tactics to justify their presence: fear, despair and convenience,” Coleman said. “It is convenient, according to some, to focus on the crimes of individual people rather than focus on the crime of systemic poverty. It is convenient to treat socioeconomic problems as if they can be fixed with jails and with uniformed folk carrying guns.”
Others, like Cardell Orrin, the executive director of Stand for Children, said the focus needs to be on funding prevention and intervention efforts. According to Orrin, the money being spent on a National Guard deployment would be more effective if put toward career development and educational resources.
A gathering of 60-plus Nashville residents the morning of Sept. 27 sent a message that “Memphis is fighting back, and Nashville is joining that fight,” said speaker Craig Bardo, a community organizer who leads a group called Veterans for Peace, at the demonstration.
To show solidarity with Memphis, protesters at the event displayed signs that said “We stand with Memphis, no troops in our cities,” “End military occupation in Memphis,” and “Stop the authoritarian takeover of our cities.”
Nashville pastor Sonnye Dixon of Hobson United Methodist Church said the prospective troop deployment does little to address the societal issues that contribute to violence, which is what Trump and Lee say the mission is meant to combat.
“Oh, how I wish that those troops that were going in were going in carrying food to the hungry,” Dixon said at the gathering near the Tennessee State Capitol. “Sending in the troops has nothing to do with love…Take your resources and go in and invest them in the schools.”
What’s happening with the National Guard in Memphis?
President Donald Trump made a National Guard deployment official during a Sept. 15 Oval Office address. In that address, Trump signed a presidential memorandum deploying a surge of federal law enforcement to the city and ordering Gov. Bill Lee to mobilize the National Guard to Memphis.
The effort was dubbed the “Memphis Safe Task Force” by the president. It will see more agents from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Agency and Immigration and Customs Enforcement within Memphis city limits.
A strict timeline for deploying the task force has not been publicly released, though federal law enforcement agents have long operated in Memphis. The FBI, ATF, DEA and U.S. Marshals Service have worked alongside the Memphis Police Department and other local law enforcement for years.
The move is part of Trump’s wider effort to curb crime in major cities around the country. He first deployed the National Guard in Washington, D.C., and has touted a large decline in crime there.
Since the National Guard will be under the command of Tennessee’s governor, they will have law enforcement capabilities. This would not happen except for specific circumstances if they were being commanded by the president. Even so, it is not clear what role the National Guard will take up in Memphis.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young, along with other officials, has pitched non-law enforcement-related duties. Meanwhile, Lee has said the National Guard will be a “force multiplier” for Memphis police and allow them to work in more places.
The number of National Guard troops and additional federal agents being sent to Memphis is still unclear.
Demonstrators take part in a “No Cooperation with Occupation” march in Memphis, Tenn., on September 27, 2025. The event was organized to launch the “Free the 901” campaign as an objection to the deployment of the National Guard to Memphis.
During a Sept. 26 press conference, Lee said the task force would deploy in phases. The first of those phases is slated to begin in the coming days, though he did not provide any specificity as to the number of agents or troops that would be in Memphis.
In that same press conference, Lee said the National Guard will not be making arrests but have been deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service. Troops will also not be armed unless requested by law enforcement, he added.
Tennessean reporter Liam Adams contributed to this report.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone at (901)208-3922 or email at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis activists rally for more funding, not National Guard troops