Sanford: Addressing Memphis’ challenges requires more than talk
From left to right: Kash Patel, Stephen A. Smith and Roland Martin have all recently spoken about Memphis. (From left to right: Jose Luis Magana/AP file; DeeCee Carter/MediaPunch/IPX; Chris Pizzello/AP file)
Otis Sanford
Otis Sanford is professor emeritus of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Memphis and political commentator for WATN-TV ABC24 News. Contact him at o.sanford@memphis.edu.
First it was Kash Patel — then Stephen A. Smith and Roland Martin.
Each of them in their own way — some of it ham-handed — challenged Memphis and its elected officials to do better, be better, lead better, protect better, uplift better, serve better.
Patel, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told a national television audience on Fox News last month Memphis is America’s homicide capital. He provided no numbers, no context, no nothing other than a blanket declaration to an unrelated question about human trafficking involving undocumented immigrants.
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