Senator Taylor’s Full XAI Responses (Can’t Back Up Lofty Job Creation Claims)

Earlier this week we posted about the responses we received from Shelby County’s state reps and senators about where they stand on Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer project. Of the 17 we reached out to, we only got responses from 5. You can read those responses here. 8 Dems and 4 Republicans did not respond.

4 Dems told us they oppose the project: Rep. Pearson, Rep. Hardaway, Rep. Salinas, Sen. Kyle

2 Republicans support it that we know of: Rep. Gillespie, and Sen. Brent Taylor

Only Republican responded to us: Senator Taylor.

To his credit, Taylor is also always willing to talk to us up at the capitol also. Let’s just say he is not camera shy.

Senator Taylor has been a proponent of the xAI project since the beginning. His responses to us were lengthy (so much so that we joked it felt like he had asked Grok to write them for him), and we asked him some follow-up questions also, so we decided they warranted a post of their own.

Our full exchange is below.

The main thing we wanted to know is what evidence he has to support the claims that xAI is creating jobs specifically for Memphians. Supporters of the project (Taylor, the chamber, Mayor Young) continue to talk about the job creation, but have provided no specifics about which MEMPHIANS are benefitting. Until we see some evidence of that, it feels fair to keep poking and prodding that claim.

Here’s the full exchange:

US: Senator Taylor, Do you support the xAI project?

SENATOR TAYLOR: “Yes. I have been involved in some key aspects of the project both at the site, and off site since the announcement of xAI. I have toured the facility multiple times most recently last week. They are a great asset for Memphis. They are employing approximately 300 xAI employees and paying Silicon Valley wages. They are hiring from economically distressed areas of Memphis and are changing lives of people who are able to move from SNAP benefits to six-figure wages. Additionally, they are employing 1,100 independent contractors in perpetuity to continue to build out and maintain the super computer. These independent contractors are largely local contractors. As I have spoken to those contractors they have been able to grow their businesses two and three times due to work at the xAI facility. Lastly, this is the largest investment in Tennessee history. It is, so far, two and a half times the Blue Oval City investment. xAI is at roughly $13B and counting. All with no local or state incentives. They are doing this just like I did when I was in business, they are using their own money to invest in Memphis.”

There’s a lot to unpack there, but the main thing we wanted to focus on was the claim that the job creation they keep bragging about is actually helping people in Memphis, and not just people they are bringing in from outside Memphis – or even the country, which we know Elon Musk loves to do through the H1B visa program.

So, we followed up.

US: Saying people are going from food stamps to six figures is a lofty claim. Do you have one person we could talk to that is an example of that?

SENATOR TAYLOR: “I have no authority to provide an employee for you to talk with. I am only sharing with you what I have seen with my own eyes and ears when I toured the facility and spoke to employees myself. The Memphis Chamber can verify my claims. The Chamber might consider asking xAI if they would make an employee available for an interview, but that would be entirely up to them and xAI.”

Needless to say, that reply leaves us unconvinced. We would ask Memphis Chamber Ted Townsend to verify as he suggests, but Townsend has blocked us, so that seems unlikely.

We would however encourage local Memphis folks to pursue this.

US: Is there a way to verify that these jobs you’re talking about are actually going to Memphians? Feels like evidence of the employees and independent contractors you’re referring to would be helpful. Can you send whatever you have been shown that backs that up? 

SENATOR TAYLOR: “Again, these are based on conversations I have had with independent contractors multiple times and employees when I have toured the site. There are some really technical aspects of the construction that require them to bring in outside contractors, but they utilize local contractors as much as possible. Moreover, they will pay a $10,000 bonus to employees who live in Memphis. On my last visit, I spoke to the catering vendor. xAI provides free meals to the employees and independent contractors. It is a minority-owned business and she told me how the xAI contract has changed their lives by allowing them to grow their business exponentially. Since there is no government incentive going to the xAI, they are no more required to make such information available to the public than Brentwood Funeral Services, LLC when I owned it, or what expenses Tennessee Holler may have. xAI, Brentwood Funeral Services, and xAI are, or were in the case of my funeral homes, private businesses.”

So again: no evidence to support these claims of job creation going specifically to Memphians. Forgive us if we don’t just take Elon Musk at his word! (If anyone out there works at xAI or knows someone who does, please contact us. We will gladly preserve your anonymity)

Job creation aside, much of the community pushback has focused on the health concerns. xAI has been running gas turbines without permits, and appears to be dishonest about how many… as they plan to purchase more land, which will require even more energy.

 

As Rep. Pearson and his brother Keshaun say regularly, matter how many jobs they may or may not be creating, none of it is worth it if they are poisoning an area that is already struggling to survive with poor health quality. This Perfect Union piece says it better than we ever could. We highly recommend taking the 15 minutes to watch it.

So we asked Senator Taylor about that as well.

US: Do you share the concerns some in the community have expressed about the environmental issues?

SENATOR TAYLOR: “I certainly understand the concerns of the community relative to the environmental issues. However, the environmental concerns predate xAI’s arrival in Memphis and the efforts to address them thus far seem to be misguided. xAI has worked to overcome every environmental concern raised. First, it was the use of the aquifer. They announced they would not use the aquifer to cool the computers. It was suggested they use water from the nearby Mississippi River. They chose not to do that because it would disrupt the ecosystem of the river. They eventually decided to build a gray water facility to turn waste water into water to cool the computers and for the use of nearby industries. They currently use water that has been trucked in and is being used on a closed loop system to cool the computers and no water is coming from the aquifer. MLGW had plans to build the gray water facility but it would take years, so xAI is building the facility for MLGW. Then it was energy use. Data centers use a lot of power and it is a wildly fluctuating energy demand that can damage the electrical grid. So, they brought in battery packs to absorb the energy fluctuations and protect the grid from damage. Then, it was their agreement to come off the grid in peak demand periods. Most industrial customers agree to lower their usage during these peaks by 20% to 30%. xAI agreed to come off the grid at 100% if requested by the utility. Moreover, they just completed a new electrical substation and are in construction on a second substation now which will be given to MLGW after construction. xAI is also purchasing a decommissioned energy plant in nearby Mississippi to generate a portion of their own energy which they will agree to sell back to MLGW during peak demand times at the same price they purchase energy for.”

Taylor paints a pretty picture about xAI being good neighbors here, but we feel the need to jump in here and point out TVA and MLGW have been accused of doing the bidding of xAI, and many believe Trump’s changes to the TVA board have to do with kneecapping TVA’s ability to raise prices on xAI.

SENATOR TAYLOR: “To hear the critics of the facility you would think they plopped the xAI facility in the middle of a neighborhood. It is in the Frank Pidgeon Industrial Park which consists of 3,700 acres of industrial facilities that opened in 1967. After the industrial park and the nearby President’s Island Industrial Park opened, homebuilders built housing nearby so workers could live close to their jobs. In 2025 we now understand environmental concerns as it relates to nearby residential areas. The way I would address the concerns is not to attempt to close xAI or browbeat them to leave Memphis, but I would engage with them and local government to enter into conversations about potential buyout of nearby homes similar to what was done near the Memphis International Airport years ago when I was on the Memphis City Council. This would seem to be a much more constructive way to address the environmental concerns of the neighbors.”

While Taylor is correct that the facility is in the Industrial Park, it is still surrounded by communities that have reported smelling what they are putting out. Additionally, the new bigger facility they have planned is not far from a school. The bottom line is none of this excuses the way this has been handled, which was to announce this as a done deal without community input. Again, the Perfect Union piece sums this all up very well.

US: Do you believe the Shelby County Health Department should deny their gas turbine permits?

SENATOR TAYLOR: “I don’t know enough about their application to give an opinion except to say that in general industrial areas seem to be an appropriate place for this type of power generation. However, they are allowed to operate the turbines for 364 days without a permit. xAI is using turbines that significantly reduce emissions into the air. I don’t know if the turbines will be a permanent fixture at the xAI facility or if this is merely a temporary measure while other power generating methods are built out.”

US: Any other on the record so comments you’d be willing to share?

SENATOR TAYLOR: “If you want to know how Taylor is pissing you off, foller the holler!”

He says this every time. Again, not every senator or rep is willing to talk to us. Taylor will, so we appreciate it.

Here’s the list of who did and didn’t respond to our questions… we will be updating as new responses come in.

“DO YOU SUPPORT XAI IN MEMPHIS?” We Ask All 16 Shelby County Senators & Reps

Since the announcement that Elon Musk’s Supercomputer XAI would be setting up shop in Memphis, there has been a lot of blowback from the community. Locals feel they have been left out of the process, saying they are being exploited and harmed by the project’s pollution and hoarding of resources.

A recent Perfect Union piece about the environmental impacts on the air they breathe and other local resources shows why. Memphis already has extremely polluted air thanks to other companies moving in and taking advantage. The ease of that process and the chamber’s willingness to remove any and all barriers regardless of local health impacts seems to be at least part of the reason Musk chose Memphis as the place to set up shop.

TVA is not going to help protect the people. They are supportive of the project, and Donald Trump already kneecapped the board’s ability to raise prices on XAI.

The County Health Department has not yet stepped in either, despite calls for them to deny XAI’s gas turbine permits after it was discovered they have been operating 33 out of 35 without permits, and lying about it.

The pressure on the health department to take a stand was too much for Dr. Michelle Taylor, the head of the department, who just recently announced she’s going to abandon her post and flee to Baltimore rather than stay and make the tough decision. (Her announcement came one week after County Mayor Lee Harris called her the best Health Department Director in the country… life comes at you fast!)

The Greater Memphis chamber, led by Ted Townsend, has been more than willing to work with them to grease the skids, and was a big part of the recruitment process.

Both Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Memphis Mayor Paul Young are supportive of the project.

Most county commissioners and city council members have been unwilling to speak up.

But one group we haven’t heard much from is the 16 senators and reps who represent parts of Shelby County/Memphis in the state legislature.

Rep. Justin Pearson has been a vocal opponent, along with his brother Keshaun, who runs Memphis CAP. Their position against XAI is clear, and they have been adamant that the Shelby County Health Department should reject XAI’s gas turbine permits.

But what about the rest?

We asked all 16. So far, only 5 have responded. Their responses are below.

4 Democrats told us they are against the project: Rep. Pearson, Rep. Salinas, Rep. Hardaway, and Senator Kyle.

1 Republican, Senator Brent Taylor, tells us he is for it, and provided a number of reasons why – including claims about the jobs the project is allegedly creating for Memphians. We asked him for evidence to support it, which we have yet to receive, largely because he says he doesn’t have access to specifics himself. (We will share Taylor’s entire response in another separate post)

Rep. John Gillespie (R) posted his support for the project on his twitter feed.

It has been crickets from the other 11 – 8 Dems, 3 Republicans – despite giving them multiple opportunities to weigh in before we posted this. We will update this post if and when more responses come in.

AGAINST XAI:

Rep. Gabby Salinas (D)

FULL RESPONSE: “As a scientist that has studied toxicology and an elected official, I cannot support a project that hurts the health and well being of Memphians. As our country continues to fail to meet deadlines to halt climate change, it is robbing future generations from the basic necessities of life. This project is moving at the speed of light in the wrong direction.

Air and water are our most precious resources here in Memphis. We have worked hard to improve our air quality, and we are all proud of our drinking water. This project puts our most valued resources at risk for the sake of a billionaire winning an ego-driven race. The health of our people is worth more than that.

We know it is black and brown communities who will face the highest burden. The lack of transparency of the project is extremely concerning. Show us the meetings. Show us the permits. And especially, show us the science. Our kids and our families will not be able breathe or drink good profit margins and economic growth.”

REP. G.A. HARDAWAY (D)

FULL RESPONSE: “The awesome power of AI is the motivation behind Elon’s speed. He’s gotta be first out the gate, because whoever comes in second is losing. He had access to all the data in the United States Government. Nobody else has what he has. So when he builds this out, he becomes the most powerful man in the world.

When he develops this superpower, resistance will be futile. He can sabotage any message or policies that regulate him. We won’t get a second chance to regulate him. We need to push back on this before it’s too late. It’s now or never. Elon already told you he only cares about productivity, and couldn’t care less about human beings.”

REP. JUSTIN J. PEARSON (D)

For his FULL RESPONSE about why “we deserve clean air”, watch this press conference with the NAACP.

SENATOR SARA KYLE (D)

FULL RESPONSE: “There is credible evidence that xAI is already violating our clean air laws. Yes, the gas permits should be denied. Memphis doesn’t need Elon Musk’s xAI bringing pollution without accountability.

Our city already bears the burden of some of the worst air quality in the state—and we’re not interested in becoming a testing ground for billionaire science experiments. If XAI wants to operate here, they should meet the same environmental standards as everyone else. No shortcuts. No backroom deals. Memphis families deserve clean air, not corporate smog.”

SUPPORTS XAI:

SENATOR BRENT TAYLOR (R)

Senator Taylor responded quickly and at great length. We will share his FULL RESPONSES in a separate post.

NO RESPONSE:

Again, all other Shelby county reps did not answer, despite multiple messages from us.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Rep. Gillespie (R) is Clearly in Support

INTERVIEW: FORMER PUTNAM GOP CHAIR ON WHY CURRENT PARTY LEADERS ARE “RACIST”

FULL INTERVIEW.

PODCAST.

VICIOUSLY BIGOTED BUTT OFFICIALLY IN FOR MAURY MAYOR

As the Maury County Holler reported this week, rumor at Mulefest on Saturday was Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles would NOT be running for both re-election and the open TN-5 congressional seat, but would instead be relinquishing his hold on the mayor’s office to focus on the crowded circus of a TN-5 primary.

Word was the Maury GOP would then throw their weight behind former TN House GOP Rep Sheila Butt for mayor.

Well, the Maury Holler appears to have been correct. Butt has just posted a picture of herself dropping off her petition to run for Maury mayor.

This is noteworthy because even in a party that has come to stand for anti-LGBT hate, anti-Muslim hate, and, yes, racism, Sheila stands out from the crowd.

Butt’s anti-LGBT hate is blatant and right out in the open. Would you like some examples, with receipts? That’s what we’re here for. Let’s begin…

She has said homosexuality is a “slippery slope” to pedophilia and a “godless” “horrific” “immoral” culture:

She told Maury County residents to steer clear of downtown Columbia because of a PRIDE block party:

She even put her name on whatever the hell this is:

BUTTT it isn’t just about her hatred for our LGBTQ brothers & sisters.

She is also deeply anti-Muslim, and once even called for Christian and WHITE organizations to form in opposition to CAIR.

She’s also as anti-reproductive freedom as they come, advocating for the ban of all abortions without exceptions for rape, and even going as far as to say most instances of rape are “not verifiable” – a comment for which she was admonished by one of her Democratic House colleagues:

And if all that wasn’t enough, Butt once openly disparaged the idea of interracial marriage in her book, saying women who date outside of their race are often less desirable to those of their own races afterwards:

And these are just a few of her greatest hits. There is undoubtedly plenty more.

In today’s GOP, does harboring racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, anti-woman views count as baggage? Or is that, in fact, her qualifying resume?

Judging by the word that the party is already in the tank for her, we probably have her answer.

How can LGBT people, Muslims, People of Color, women – or anyone really – feel safe in the community knowing Butt is their mayor? Is being this hateful what Maury County is looking for in a mayor? We hope it isn’t. We fear it is.

Ogles was hateful. Butt may somehow be worse. We have to be better than this.

And we truly hope other members of the media, particularly in Maury County, will remind people what Butt is really all about.

MARSHA BLACKBURNED ON SNL

MARSHA BLACKBURNED ON SNL

In case you missed it, our own Senator Marsha Blackburn was BLACKBURNED on SNL by the hilarious Cecily Strong after her gross mistreatment of Ketanji Brown Jackson during the Supreme Court nominee hearings last week. 

“Are you jerkin’ my perm… If you don’t know what a woman is, how are you gonna take their rights away?” 🤣🤣🔥🔥

Give Cecily Strong & SNL all the awards for this Senator Marsha Blackburn impersonation… she really captured her essence. Our hope is that they please make this recurring.

Not only did Marsha get roasted for her line of questioning asking KBJ to define “woman” and asking Jackson if she had a “hidden agenda” to incorporate CRT into our legal system… she also completely blew it by mixing up the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Ok which one of y’all did this? 🤣

It was cathartic to see Marsha’s antics get the national humiliation they deserve. Marsha continues to be an embarrassment to our state as she does all she can to pander to her (easily fooled) base.

As always, we thank you for follering. Please consider chipping in monthly if you’re not yet doing so, even if it’s just a few bucks – the monthly support truly keeps us going. 

The Holler

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TODAY’S HOLLER:

WATCH: “LET’S JUST MAKE ALL THE MEALS FREE.” An John Ray Clemmons bill to make meals free in Tennessee’s public schools so kids don’t have to try to learn on empty stomachs moves on – despite opposition from John D Ragan (as always🙄)

SPARKS OPEN RACISM😳Republican Rep. Mike Sparks (SMYRNA) baselessly says “RURAL” kids behave better than “INNER CITY” kids – causing Parkinson to react (understandably) — As a Follerer reminds us,  Rep. Sparks should remember his own son b4 baselessly trashing the behavior of “INNER CITY” kids vs. “RURAL” kids. 👇🏽🧐  he fired a gun at beer truck, got his 2nd DUI.

Reminder: Sparks won’t admit the civil war was fought over slavery🧐 
🚨ATTENTION WILLIAMSON COUNTY: Do NOT give disgraced speaker Casada a six-figure county clerk job. Be better than this.
(Also: We fixed his list of “accomplishments” for you👇🏽)

FLASHBACK — CASADA: “IF I WAS RAPED, I WOULD MOVE.” #CancelCasada Confronted by the Holler’s Justin Kanew about supporting a child sex abuser, Disgraced former speaker Glen Casada showed why his caucus made him the shortest serving TN speaker… 😳 Now he wants a $100K+ Williamson County clerk gig?

One other thing to remember as we revisit this conversation — he says Byrd’s victims “CAME INTO MY OFFICE AND SPOKE” — They did not. We’re in touch with them. It’s an outright, stone cold lie.

cc: WILLIAMSON COUNTY #CancelCasada 👇🏽

WILLIAMSON COUNTY — Dems are having an event to introduce local candidates on April 11th at the Admin Complex 👇🏽

TN ED REPORT: “If Governor Lee actually wants to improve student achievement, he’d make a significant investment in teacher salaries… but the real driving force is pro-charter pro-privatization lobbyists….” TLDR: This funding overhaul won’t help our kids. It will only help lobbyists and the companies they represent.


A THREAD on Gov. Lee’s privatization/VOUCHERIZATION of our public education system this week… call your reps…

TN PUBLIC ED: “Perhaps this year’s greatest threat to legislator incumbency is Gov. Lee’s new K-12 funding bill TISA… developed by ALEC, the school privatizing think tank. Do they work for out of state millionaires & billionaires or TN kids?” 🧐 💰

CLEMMONS: “TISA (Gov. Bill Lee’s funding overhaul and privatization) and adding $1 BILLION are TWO SEPARATE ISSUES… we should be putting at least that in anyway.” CLEMMONS on Lee using $1 Billion to hold our kids hostage to push his privatization/charter schools agenda.

👂LISTEN: “(The FBI) wanted to get MLK to Memphis where daddy & them could handle it.” On the anniversary of MLK’s murder, an MLK TAPES clip — The son of the head of the Dixie Mafia says the FBI & Memphis police engaged his family to assassinate MLK.

MLK was assassinated 54 years ago today. At the Lorraine Motel. If you’re not listening to THE MLK TAPES you should be. It makes a compelling case that the FBI & Memphis police engaged the “Dixie Mafia” to do it. (The King family does not believe it was James Earl Ray)

Important MLK 50 piece: “The TN Housing Development Authority steers affordable housing into segregated, poor neighborhoods… Of 20 largest states, only TN & FLA don’t reward building in middle-class areas… board has just 1 Black member…”

🙃 a sure sign of a healthy party is when you won’t tell people why they should vote for you until AFTER the election

ICYMI: “Tennessee (Republicans) trying to find a loophole to ban same-sex marriage even if it legalizes child brides” 🎯 nails the framing of this TN GOP outrageousness (bonus points 🏆 for including our videos)

NO CODE OF ETHICS: Of course Republicans are “skeptical” of a SCOTUS code of ethics — it’s a slippery slope… Next people might expect THEM to start behaving ethically. 😳

MASON UPDATE: Majority Black city MASON, TN is now suing comptroller Jason Mumpower for trying to take over their finances (and erase them from the map) right as a Ford plant moves in 4 miles away, calling it discriminatory and unconstitutional.

WATCH: Does the NCAA not regulate sports? THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE STATE REACHING IN.” 🏳️‍⚧️ Senator Akbari opposes Hensley’s anti-trans athlete bill, as they prove yet again that The GOP = The Government Overreach Party.

🏳️‍⚧️ WATCH“WHO ARE YOUR MAJOR FUNDERS?” – On the anti-trans athlete bill REP. ANDREW FARMER shields far-right ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM from REP.MIKE STEWART’s Q about anti-public school groups funding them (Kochs, etc..) and their history of arguing to criminalize homosexuality😳 (per The Southern Poverty Law Center)

PSA…

“INFLATION” IS PRICE GOUGING: Any articles about “inflation” that fail to mention skyrocketing corporate profits are running cover for corporate greed…. They aren’t raising prices because they have to. They’re doing it because they can.

😳WATCH: “The richest county in TN generates💰off its own employees?” WILLIAMSON COUNTY charges tuition to kids of (underpaid) teachers who live outside the county. Ugly. EMAIL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS: commissioners@williamsoncounty-tn.gov

THIS WEEK: House Dems pass a bill legalizing marijuana — all 7 Tennessee Republicans voted NO. GOP = Government Overreach Party

REP. COHEN“The war on drugs failed… marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol.” – Cohen rose to support the #MOREAct which would legalize marijuana at the federal level. It passed the House despite All 7 REPUBLICAN reps opposing it.

HIGH TIMES: “TN Legalization Bill Goes Up In Smoke… bill from TN Dems Rep. Bob Freeman & Senator Campbell always had an uphill climb in Tennessee’s Republican-dominated legislature… Gov. Lee has said he is against legalizing pot.” While other states are moving forward, we’re moving backwards.

Reminder: Republicans hate weed… until they can go make a lot of money off of it.

Not only are state Republicans in Tennessee not letting us move forward on marijuana, this session they killed a bill from Republican Bruce Griffey just to put a question on the ballot to ASK Tennesseans if they support medical marijuana. (SPOILER: BECAUSE OVER 80% DO)

WATCH: “WHO COULD BE AGAINST THAT?!” Republicans kill REPUBLICAN State Senator Niceley’s bill regulating Delta-8/Hemp products as Briggs’ ban passes threatening thousands of jobs MOVING US BACKWARDS. Republicans (Rose, White, Gardenhire, Lundberg, Bell, Stevens, Briggs) advanced a ban on Delta 8 and similar hemp-derived products (SB1904) – threatening a $100 million industry and thousands of TN jobs.(powerful booze & pharma lobby, eh?)

SENATOR AKBARI: “This will give a teacher a LICENSE TO BULLY… it is wrong on so many levels.” 🏳️‍⚧️ Akbari opposed the cruel anti-trans pronouns bill, passed in committee by Republicans.

🔥 WATCH – A BIG WIN FOR AMAZON (AND ALL) WORKERS: “THINGS HAVE CHANGED… this is an example of the power people have… they’re gonna have to negotiate with their workers now.” 💪🏽 #UnionStrong #AmazonUnion A win for ALL workers.

Worth remembering LEAKED NOTES from a Bezos-attended meeting showed they planned to smear Chris Smalls, leader of the unionization movement, as “not smart or articulate” 😲😳 that ain’t a dogwhistle, that’s a bullhorn.  #AmazonUnion #UnionStrong

And as AMAZON UNION gets a huge win in NY, here in Tennessee Republicans are getting ready to enshrine anti-union “Right to Work” (aka Right to Exploit) in our state constitution.

3 CLEAR CHARTS that show unions and the middle class go hand in hand — the win today is a win for ALL workers. #UnionStrong #AmazonUnion

WATCH: “KIDS’ LIVES ARE AT STAKE.” Rep. Farmer and the TN GOP ust killed a Gloria Johnson bill to limit outrageous caseloads at TN Dept of Children’s Services – even as kids are dying. (Meanwhile, $500 million for a stadium? Fascinating what we can and *can’t* afford😳)

WATCH: “TN leads 🇺🇸 in shootings involving unsecured weapons and kids.” Republicans kill Rep Gloria Johnson’s Child Access Prevention bill… but pass Sexton’s bill to let guns in parks and lower the carrying age (OF ALL GUNS) to 18. 😳 (TN has 5 of the 65 deadliest cities)

ICYMI: The House also just passed a bill to cap insulin at $35/month 232-193 (12 Republicans joined the Dems) AGAIN: EVERY Tennessee Republican REP VOTED AGAINST IT. 😳

JUST SAYING…

UPDATE: A Dem enters the TN-5 race for congress to fill Cooper’s seat — State Senator Heidi Campbell —- She’ll face off with whoever emerges from a very crowded GOP primary🎪

SOME GOOD NEWS: THE “SUE THY NEIGHBOR” ABORTION BAN & BOUNTY BILL HAS DIED (for now) Keep hollering, y’all! It works. 🤜🏽 👊🏾

Please consider CHIPPING IN MONTHLY to help us grow… make it $10 and we’ll send you a holler hat! (note your address on PayPal and which color you want when you chip in) 
Now on CASH APP: $TNHoller

AND SUPPORT THE TN EQUALITY PROJECT:

MUMPOWER WON’T TALK ABOUT GETTING SUED BY MASON

TSSAA ON REF USING THE “N WORD” AT SMYRNA HIGH: “WE’RE INVESTIGATING.”

Last night we learned the STEM PREP boys & girls basketball teams left their games against Smyrna High after a referee allegedly used the “N Word” towards one of the female players.

The student was not the only one who heard it. Her grandmother did too, and she promptly recorded herself on Facebook reacting emotionally to the racist referee’s actions:

We called TSSAA, the organization responsible for staffing high school games with officials throughout Tennessee. They’re based in Hermitage.

Gene Menees, Assistant Executive Director, called us back. This is how our conversation went.

HOLLER: Can you shine any light on what happened? Will the ref still be reffing games? Does the TSSAA have a statement?

MENEES: We’re investigating.

HOLLER: Ok. And if the ref did use the N word towards a player, what would the outcome potentially be?

MENEES: We’re looking into it and we’re investigating.

HOLLER: Theoretically, would you still allow them to referee games?

MENEES: I can’t answer that question because it’s an allegation. We’re investigating into the allegation.

HOLLER: I understand, but it seems like people would be interested to know what the TSSAA’s policy is towards a ref using that word in general.

MENEES: Well, let’s reverse it. We will deal with an official obviously if the official used a racial slur. Just as an administration of a school, I would assume, would deal with it if a player used a racial slur directed towards an opponent. Or fans used a racial slur directed towards a player. So if an official used a racial slur, we would certainly deal with that official.

HOLLER: In what way would you deal with them?

MENEES: We would deal with them. We’re investigating.

HOLLER: Right, but would you suspend them? Fire them?

MENEES: We would look into it. We would talk. We would meet and make a decision.

HOLLER: So it’s not a zero tolerance policy?

MENEES: I didn’t say that. I said we would look into it, and if it was verified we would deal with the official and take care of the situation.

HOLLER: What does that mean? Is there a world where a ref can use the N Word towards a player and still ref games for TSSAA?

MENEES: I didn’t say that. You said it.

HOLLER: I’m asking.

MENEES: I’m gonna be honest with you – we’ve never dealt with this before. We’ve had allegations before, but the allegations have never been confirmed… we’re not an organization that’s going to tolerate racial slurs. So if it’s confirmed we would deal with it.

HOLLER: And what’s the process for confirming? Are you talking to the refs? Players? Fans? Who are you talking to?

MENEES: We’re an association of schools. I’ve been in touch with STEM Academy, Smyrna, and the officials.

HOLLER: And when you make your decision, do you have a sense of a time frame?

MENEES: We’ll look into it, get the reports in, we’ll talk to STEM. There were other situations that occurred in the game as well. So we’ve gotta work through all that. This is is one of the things involved in that game that we’re working through?

HOLLER: What other things were involved?

MENEES: We had 2 players ejected. We had a fan that came on the floor. We’ve got policies in place for that as well. We’ve gotta deal with the entire situation that occurred at Smyrna. The racial slur is one of the things we’ve got to deal with, obviously. But it’s not the only thing.

HOLLER: Have you had any issues with that referee in the past?

MENEES: What referee?

HOLLER: The one that allegedly used the racial slur?

MENEES: Who allegedly said it? I’ve never been given a name? Which name do you have?

HOLLER: How are you investigating if you don’t even know who we’re talking about.

MENEES: I’ve not been given a name. Nobody has given me a name of the official who allegedly made the racial slur.

HOLLER: Do you know who was assigned to that game?

MENEES: There was a crew of officials.

HOLLER: There were 3. How would you go about figuring out which ref it was?

At this point Menees goes on telling us a story about when he was a high school football player in Kingsport and got ejected for using profanity, but says there was no tape with audio to prove it.

HOLLER: So because there may not be video of this happening, it might end up being just what people heard vs. what the ref says happened, what happens in that scenario?

MENEES: That’s what we’re investigating. We’re looking into it. And once we get the reports in we’ll take a look at it and make a decision.

HOLLER: You said you talked to STEM and Smyrna. Is there a crew chief?

MENEES: There’s always an R on the game.

HOLLER: Well I guess figuring out who the ref is would be the first step, right?

MENEES: We’ll talk to the officials, talk to STEM, talk to Smyrna… let’s be fair. It’s an allegation. Right? Let’s be fair.

HOLLER: It’s allegation, but multiple people have told us they heard it.

MENEES: I understand. But momentarily, let’s be fair. Multiple people didn’t hear it.

HOLLER: They did. I’m happy to send you a video. We have a video of a grandmother who heard it. It was her granddaughter that was called it.

MENEES: We’ll hear the racial slur on the video? That’s what you’re saying?

HOLLER: No. You’ll hear a grandmother saying she was right there and heard it.

MENEES: The video will prove someone said it, correct?

HOLLER: No. The video will prove more than one person heard it. And so I guess at that point what you’re saying is unless a racial slur gets caught on camera…

MENEES: No, I didn’t say that. I didn’t say it didn’t happen…  If we get a video… I’ll go back to the football example…

Here he goes back to the story getting thrown out for profanity and there not being video of it to prove it, and a coach denying it.

We then asked him what a time frame would be for making their decision, and he told us schools and people are busy and wouldn’t commit to anything specific.

The thing to remember here is both teams forfeited, so clearly the teams were convinced that this happened. But Menees certainly gave the impression that without video of the incident this could potentially get treated as nothing more than an allegation.

We’d also add that this tweet by Smyrna basketball mentioning the forfeit without explaining the context seemed highly inappropriate, and appears to have been deleted.

Here’s hoping TSSAA does the right thing. Their contact info, should you feel like hollering at them: 615-889-6740 tssaa@tssaa.org

And as always, film everything.

 

 

OP-ED: “To Stop The Violence, Make People In The Community Feel Valued”

TN Congressional Candidate Nathaniel Doss on How to Help Stop the Violence in Tennessee

Recently the community was challenged to tell our elected officials what assistance we would like from them. This is an intricate question that requires us to also pull back the layers to a historically uncomfortable position. None of the violence we are seeing is new. None of the outrage from the community is new. Most recently we saw a heinous crime committed against seven women at a celebration for our community. This act of violence left me shaken to my core not only because of the personal attachment to one of the victims but because, as a man, I was taught my main responsibility was to protect the matriarch of the family.

I felt that I had personally failed those women; like WE failed them.

Changing a culture is never easy, especially one living with generational PTSD. We have suffered from eras of trauma. Due to the constant trauma that we have begun associating with the “Black experience” we have become desensitized to the social negative reinforcements that control society. These constructs are the checks put in place to discourage crime. When an individual feels as if they have nothing to lose, there are really no limits to their depravity.

When a group of people recognizes that imprisonment is routine and commonplace, it becomes an expected outcome. When, as a people, we have seen horrors firsthand and not just heard about them in stories, those horrors are as easily dealt as they are received.

We must make our people understand that they have value to our community.

We must get our young people to understand that not only is their life important but who they will be in our community in the future is important as well.

We must cultivate and grow empathy again despite the horrors we have seen.

That lack of empathy was what made shooting into a crowd of women and children at a peaceful event, a reasonable action for a traumatized mind. Empathy and love must be taught as early and with as much emphasis as potty training, colors, and shapes.

Conversely, we speak of culture change, and it is admittedly a dire need; however how can we begin to change a culture of a group of people with unmet basic needs? How shall you preach to a man that is hungry? How can you hope to correct a child who does not have a safe place to rest?

Until those basic needs are met, we cannot hope to make any change. We MUST address the needs first.

We have to tap those resources that are available to meet those needs and we must start early. Exposure to a different possible outcome is key. What if instead of watching numerous relatives and friends be incarcerated, it was more common to see numerous friends and family graduate? We must normalize success and growth. We must celebrate and incentivize it, if necessary.

Actions that will begin the change are true community policing, access to nutrition, and home ownership for people employed in our community. We have community policing some may say, and we do to an extent. Let’s intensify our efforts at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and Chattanooga State Community College so we can recruit members of the community. In Chattanooga we had an era that was successful with this, no matter the reason it ceased. It needs to be reinstated with a deliberate and focused effort.

As someone stated at the meeting Dr. Mackey organized, we also need social workers to work directly with our Chattanooga Police department. That means increasing their budget to employ said social workers that would work shoulder to shoulder with our police department protecting our city 24 hours a day. Allowing our police to focus their efforts more on the ilk that plagues our community.

I read today, “Teach a man to fish after you give him a fish. Learning anything on a hungry stomach is less likely to be retained.” I couldn’t agree more, we have children going to school hungry and coming home to hunger. In many areas of Chattanooga where minorities reside there is a lack of suitable access to nutrition. A hungry child will not concentrate in school or behave in the community. Their main concern is rectifying that hunger if only for today. I believe we must partner with businesses, and social development departments at all three municipalities: City, County, and State, in order to ensure that we do not have a health crisis and that grocery stores are accessible in every community.

As I have been walking around this summer introducing myself and listening to the community, I listened as many were fearful of their community losing its identity. Many spoke of not wanting the perceived crime that comes with “affordable housing’’ i.e. apartment complexes. I sympathize with their fears and understand because I live within their community and have seen violence on my own street. We need to partner with developers, the city, the county, and community associations so we can best add homeownership to our underserved communities without changing the dynamics of that community.

We must educate our neighbors; affordable housing no longer looks like their homes. It will not have the same spacing in between homes and may not remotely resemble their homes in appearance. What it will do is bring hard working people that want to break generational cycles; people that want to add value to a community because they have a direct interest in doing so.

We must make home ownership accessible and a reality for those that may not have seen this as a possibility. This may mean creative lending and alternative credit scoring. There may be fear of perceived risk, but the payout is more than worth it. What better way to ensure a thriving community and thus a swift investment return? Ownership in any form creates pride and stewardship.

You take care of what is yours; that goes for houses, communities, and people no matter your socio-economic class.

We must challenge ourselves to partner with unions, business partners, our educational institutions to provide and help prepare workers for more careers and not just dead-end employment. Meaningful employment, safety, ready access to nutrition, flourishing schools, and homeownership will be impactful when adding Pride, thus changing the culture. Our community has worked hard to improve the starting pay with City employment and attract employers such as Volkswagen, Amazon, and many others.

Productivity is directly affected by stable homes and the provision of basic needs. It’s all a cycle of growth. We all have an impact to make, some know right away and others as they grow into their calling. The Black community has managed to struggle through all these years, but it is like a doctor concentrating on the symptoms and not the cause. It is past time to cure the disease that is eating away at our community. 

Nate Doss is running for congress as a Democrat in Tennessee’s 3rd District. LEARN MORE.

?REV. LAWSON CALLS OUT GOV. LEE

?Rev. Lawson: “GOVERNOR LEE, YOU HAVE A HOLE DOWN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR SOUL.”

Rev. Lawson, who led the lunch counter sit-ins, called out Governor Lee at the John Lewis Way celebration for his immoral decision-making — challenging Lee to lead with heart & humanity instead.

 

A Trip to Montgomery

Sandy summarizes her trip to the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum and “lynching memorial” and searches for signs of its mission in our state.

FULL PODCAST available on Apple Podcasts here, and wherever else you like to listen here.