Kings, Troops, Pigskins
👑 All hail the king · Memphis throws a flag on the troops · Vandy is good at football · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. No Kings hits Nashville... Memphis officials sue over troop presence... A decent enough weekend for sports in Nashville... And much more!
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👑 No Kings Initial estimates are in for the No Kings protests across Tennessee over the weekend. According to event organizers Indivisible Tennessee, Nashville saw about 10,000 people gathered at the State Capitol on Saturday along with an estimated 43,000 protesters across the state. Conflicting numbers keep rolling in from news sources that have estimated hundreds, thousands, 8,000, and everything in between.
While Indivisible is reporting 8,000+ participants in Knoxville, the police department reported “over 1,500 individuals participated in the rally.” Meanwhile, attendees in other prominent Tennessee cities noted some of the numbers weren’t as large as the first No Kings protest in June, likely due to more rural participation. There were about 35 protests that took place across the state compared to 21 in June.
Another commentator on the Indivisible Tennessee Facebook page mused that “Memphis would have had a higher turnout had the National Guard not been in town with online rumors of threats to tow cars and possible ICE arrests.” In reply, someone who was likely present at the Memphis rally said that they “didn’t see any law enforcement at all in the area of any kind.”
Going forward, we may see the No Kings protests evolve into a general strike. The 50501 Movement, an American progressive grassroots political organization founded to protest the policies and actions of Donald Trump, posted a link to The General Strike website with the caption “the strike is coming.”
“We’ve voted, we’ve protested, and still, they ignore us,” reads The General Strike’s mission statement. “Our government refuses to meet our basic needs while the billionaire class hoards wealth and power. The General Strike is a decentralized network of regular people who know our greatest power is our labor and our right to refuse it.”
🪖 Memphis Officials & Comrades Sue Over Troop Deployment Several state legislators, alongside Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and other Memphis officials, filed a lawsuit against the deployment of the National Guard in Memphis. The complaint claims that the recent actions related to the Memphis Safe Task Force violate the Tennessee constitution and state law. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, and the Adjutant General for the Tennessee National Guard, Major General Warner A. Ross II, are all named in the suit.
Nashville state Senator Jeff Yarbro, who scrutinized the AG for tweaking a January 2024 AG opinion regarding National Guard deployment in TN, is included as one of the plaintiffs. Skrmetti made the adjustment in April 2024 and dismissed Yarbro’s accusation that he changed the opinion to help carry out President Trump’s agenda.
“If the folks at the press conference are insinuating my office withdrew the opinion six months before the election to pave the way for Trump policies a year and a half later, they have bigger problems than this legal question,” Skrmetti told the Tennessee Lookout. “If I could see the future like that, I’d be neck deep in Bitcoin and Pokémon cards.”
🏈 TN Football: Retribution, Tradition, & A Sleeper Season Amid protests, football was king in the heart of Music City over the weekend. Despite an early lead with interim coach Mike McCoy at the helm during yesterday’s Titans home game against the Patriots, Tennessee lost to New England 31-13. The “L” was at the hands of Patriots coach Mike Vrabel in his first game against the Titans franchise since it dismissed him as head coach last year. Adding insult to injury, New England’s tight end Austin Hooper, who wasn’t re-signed by the Titans in 2022, hauled in a 3-yard touchdown during Sunday’s game.
On Friday, Tennessee State University alumni and students enjoyed a pep rally at Hale Stadium. On Saturday, spectators lined Jefferson Street for a homecoming parade before the Tennessee State Tigers defeated Howard University 24-7 in Nissan Stadium. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt defeated Louisiana State University 31-24, bumping the Commodores up to No. 10 in the AP poll.
According to ESPN, Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia “threw for 160 yards and a score and ran for 86 yards and two more touchdowns.” At one point during the game, Pavia—thought of as a long-shot Heisman Trophy candidate—struck the Heisman pose in the end zone. ESPN’s College GameDay announced it is coming to Vanderbilt’s campus to cover the Commodores' game against Missouri next weekend. Tickets for the showdown are already sold out.
DEVELOPMENT
- Santa's Pub reopens in Nashville to celebrate late owner's birthday (NC5)
- State will not pursue possible purchase of residential high-rise (Post)
- In-N-Out pays $3 million for Nashville site (NBJ)
- GBT Realty buys Brentwood shopping center (NBJ)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 L'IMPÉRATRICE @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, 8p, $38.30+, Info
🪕 Jeff Burke & Friends Bluegrass Night @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info
🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info
🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik and Camelia Brennan.