The Early Word: Taco truck raid sparks fear; West TN cops charged over arrest
Happy Wednesday, Memphis! It’s Feb. 12, and you can watch basketball for about six hours straight this evening if you want. The Memphis Tigers women’s team plays North Texas at 6:30 p.m., and the Memphis Grizzlies play the Los Angeles Clippers at 9:30 p.m.
And for even more basketball, enter to win two tickets to see the Memphis Tigers men’s team take on FAU at FedExForum on Sunday, Feb. 23. The deadline to enter is next Wednesday.
There are still more questions than answers about Monday’s raid of a TacoNGanas food truck by “federal agents” (according to a city statement) wearing hoodies and masks. The men entered the truck and took three workers, but as of Tuesday, it’s not clear if those agents were with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or why they were there. TacoNGanas owner Greg Diaz has been under a federal investigation for his recruiting and employment practices, but it’s also not clear if that was a factor. A similar raid was apparently conducted at Curry Bowl on Hacks Cross Road last week. The possibility of raids by unidentified agents is sending fear through the immigrant community, and local attorneys worry such raids will lead to tragic outcomes.
Six officers, from multiple law enforcement agencies near Memphis, have been charged after the violent October arrest of Jackson Hopper in Dyer County. Hopper had been on the run from police after allegedly shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend Ellie Young in a parking lot at Shelby Farms on Saturday, Oct. 19. Officers captured Hopper after he wrecked his car, and they can be seen on video repeatedly punching him.
Plus, lawmakers propose a tax raise for a new jail, Durant hits a record in a Grizz game and egg prices aren’t going down any time soon.
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Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. In her days as a reporter, she covered everything from local government and crime to LGBTQ issues and the arts. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South,” a cookbook of vegan Southern recipes.
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