Memphis tensions spill into viral Reaves-Young showdown
Memphis Mayor Paul Young, left, and local attorney Henry Reaves, right, have exchanged sharp words on social media. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file and Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
A sharply worded Facebook post from local attorney Henry Reaves and a social media response from Memphis Mayor Paul Young Wednesday, Sept. 16, began about the presence of the SpaceXAI data center in Southwest Memphis.
But the exchange and the online reaction from others quickly reignited an ongoing debate about Young’s approach to environmental concerns about the data center and to working with the Memphis Safe Task Force as it nears its one-year anniversary on the ground.
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Paul Young Henry Reaves SpaceXAI 2026 elections Memphis Safe Task Force Earle J. Fisher JB Smiley Jr. Mickell Lowery Memphis City Council Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
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Bill Dries
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
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