The Memphis City Council on Tuesday failed to pass a resolution urging Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to reject the upcoming National Guard deployment to Memphis, which is being coordinated with the Trump administration.
Sponsored by Council Member Jerri Green, who is running for the Democratic nomination in the 2026 gubernatorial primary, the resolution urges the governor to reject the deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis and authorizes the council attorney to take any necessary legal action to oppose such deployment.
“We deserve not a military presence. We need trust. We need investment. And we need leadership that actually listens. I’m going to vote yes because I believe the citizens of Memphis deserve opportunity, not occupation,” Green said during Tuesday’s meeting.
The resolution, which was debated during Tuesday’s meeting for over an hour, failed as four councilmembers voted for the measure, four voted against it, and two abstained.
Council Member Yolanda Cooper-Sutton, who was one of the four votes against the resolution, said that while she agrees the National Guard should not be deployed to Memphis, she is deeply frustrated with what she sees as performative politics, a lack of real solutions, and inconsistency from her colleagues.
“I’m voting no on this bull crap because what you’re not going to do is grandstand and make a fool out of the people and keep making a fool out of the people,” Cooper-Sutton said.
She accused others on the council of grandstanding—waiting until now to make a public stand, despite having prior opportunities to speak out or act when crime and public safety concerns were raised earlier—and questioned the resolution’s effectiveness as it lacks a real plan or provides solutions to protect residents.
“What we’re not going to do, and what I’m not going to sit here and do, is let anyone, whether you’re my colleague or not, gaslight the people and play with our emotions. We had enough time…and now, we want to say something. Now, we want to grandstand. And now, we want to play on the people’s emotions,” Cooper-Sutton said.
“This resolution ain’t even worth the piece of paper it’s on,” she added.
Ahead of Tuesday’s council meeting, the Trump White House released a statement about the resolution against the National Guard’s incoming occupation of Memphis.
“Numerous Tennessee officials have applauded President Trump’s generous offer to help the Great State of Tennessee clean up Memphis – which had the highest violent crime rate, highest property crime rate, and third-highest murder rate in 2024,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Action News 5.
“Just like President Trump successfully transformed crime-ridden Washington, DC into a safe city in a matter of days, he will also quickly save Memphis from soft-on crime policies and make it safe again,” the spokesperson added.
Watch Tuesday’s council meeting:
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “National Guard Members” by The National Guard.
