It is not so much because of the party of the mayor, but it is the percentage of blacks in the population.
I was born in Memphis and spent all but the last 12 years
in or near Memphis.
It was the nations cleanest and quietest city, with the number one fire department.
The city was 60w/40b.
The city reversed to 60b/40w and became a cesspool with black government.
The once famous Memphis light, Gas, and Water division, a model for the nation, has been split up and sold off to companies that are not even in Tennessee.
Murder has soared.
Memphis is “Gone With the Wind”.
Anecdotal but a former high school class mate of mine was robbed and murdered on a city street, in broad day light in Memphis, the year was 1964. The case has never been solved.
I don’t spend much time in or around Memphis but when I drive through I don’t stop and I get the creeps.
I grew up in Eastern Arkansas and it was a fun time to “go to Memphis”. Now many people in that part of the state will drive farther to go to Little Rock when they need a “big city” service.