In aftermath of Tyre Nichols, Memphis seeks to rewrite its story

Tyre Nichols’ death seemed only to confirm a portrait of Memphis as defined by crime and poverty. But in all their city’s contradictions, Memphians see something else, too: promise.

Last January in his State of the City address, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland walked to the lectern with a binder of good news. 

The city was still in a swell of violent crime, but it was also investing in youth programs and its police force – including an elite SCORPION unit. The city had lost 46,000 jobs during the pandemic, but...