Nashville's violent crime rate is still too high

According to the FBI’s crime data, among the nation’s 30 largest cities, Nashville has the fifth-highest violent crime rate, which is 213 percent higher than the national average. Two particularly brutal crimes over the weekend serve as stark reminders that Nashville is not getting any safer.

Thursday night, a man in Centennial Park beat a guy within an inch of his life after he refused to play music for him. Anecdotally, I drove down West End past the front entrance to Centennial Park for the first time in a while on Saturday, and the number of homeless arrayed between the corner by the McDonald’s and the Kwik Sak where they’ve always congregated really jumped out at me.

The area has always attracted homeless people, but the blight extended across the street to the bus stop. That small block between the gas station and the Holiday Inn felt like passing through an encampment in Los Angeles. It’s a small area, but I’ve never seen it that bad before. 

Then on Friday, about mid-morning, MNPD discovered a headless, decomposing body behind a McDonald’s off Dickerson Pike. “It’s pretty gory. That’s crazy. I don’t even know what to say,” a nearby business owner told WSMV. “We live in a big city. I don’t want to say killings are normal, but a headless body, that’s the next level.”

Metro leadership will kvetch at the sentiment that “crime is bad” and downplay it, pointing to the much-publicized ten percent decrease through June, which occurred only because we’ve locked more people up, as I pointed out earlier this month. Demands not to believe your own eyes aside, Mayor O’Connell’s priorities speak for themselves.

He burned every ounce of his political capital raising taxes to expand our lightly used bus system; raised property taxes shortly after to fund MNPS’ ballooning budget despite declining enrollment and abysmal performance; and has been so neutered by an activist council that the widely popular LPR proposal sits gathering dust on this desk and companies like the Boring Co. have to work directly with the state to get anything done.

Years of programming and massive amounts of propaganda have effectively convinced Americans that random and unpredictable assaults, car thefts, and murders are just a natural side effect of urban environments.

They are not. Our senses have become so deadened, our expectations so low, that we accept that base criminal activity is endemic to our city and roll our eyes at each new story.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The acceptable amount of violent crime we should accept as a city is zero. DAVIS HUNT

🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.

🏎️ NASCAR Coming Town? Renovations involving NASCAR for the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway seem to be back in motion, but the endeavor would entail significant safety upgrades, a bunch of new parameters, and millions to resurface the track. Though Mayor O’Connell clarified that no finalized deal has been struck between Metro and NASCAR during Friday’s media roundtable, reports detailing a new agreement have been circulating. 

Similar agreements have been announced before, only to fade into the background, but it's worth noting that the new agreement includes sound ordinances, curfews, and limited track usage. A NASCAR deal involving the Nashville Fairgrounds in 2025 could allow Music City to host ARCA races, Whelen Series races, or even NASCAR’s All-Star race.

🧊 ICE Picks Up Abrego Garcia Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia surrendered himself to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Maryland this morning, only 3 days after being released from criminal custody in Tennessee. According to recent reports, the Trump administration may attempt to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda. Abrego Garcia also filed a new habeas petition in federal court this morning to try and block a second deportation.

Abrego Garcia made national headlines after being deported to El Salvador’s CECOT prison in March, only to be sent back to America to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee. He is currently awaiting his criminal trial, which is scheduled in the Volunteer State on January 27, 2027. Though a Maryland federal judge prohibited ICE from immediately detaining Abrego Garcia upon release, a three-day notice for deportation proceedings to a third country is lawful.

🍽️ Dispatch from the Statesmen's Dinner U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) was the keynote speaker at the Tennessee Republican Party’s 2025 Statesmen’s Dinner on Saturday. The state GOP themed the event “Tennessee’s Golden Age,” echoing President Donald Trump’s vision for America.

Aside from being a platform to show Tennessee’s solidarity with the current administration and strength as a conservative stronghold, the event was a battleground between the two Tennessee Republican gubernatorial candidates: Senator Marsha Blackburn and Representative John Rose. Both flexed their campaign muscles and used the event to their advantage. 

Blackburn and Rose got their own opportunities to speak during the event. Given that Rose was also presenting an award for the Statesman of the Year in his district, he got a little more airtime and took it to the bank.

During Rose’s presentation of the District 6 award to Mae Beavers, he highlighted her service in the state legislature as well as the vital role she played in helping prevent Governor Don Sundquist’s proposed state income tax. It’s worth noting that Blackburn is once again capitalizing on her role in preventing the income tax in recent campaign ads. During her last run for U.S. Senate, Beavers appeared in one of Blackburn’s ads highlighting their shared achievement.  

As the evening drew to a close, two things stood out the most. In an emotional tribute, Frank Niceley’s family received the Statesman of the Year Award on behalf of the former state senator in District 2. It was a fitting gesture appreciated by all in attendance and presented by Congressman Tim Burchett. 

The other standout moment of the evening was when Representative Clay Doggett got completely blindsided when awarded the Legislator of the Year Award. Doggett almost ghosted Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, who presented the award, by leaving the event early. Luckily, someone in the know yoked him back into the event before he left.

Last few field notes: a record-breaking 1,700 Republican Tennesseans were in attendance at the dinner. Some online commenters have said that the number is fortuitous. It’s also worth noting that exactly 250 years ago, on August 23rd, the day of this year’s Statesmen’s Dinner, King George III issued the Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition in response to the arrival of Richard Penn in England, carrying Congress's petition for independence. This action officially declared the colonies to be in a state of rebellion. 

DEVELOPMENT

• Scott Borchetta, Lower Broadway veterans buy downtown office tower (NBJ)
• Developer offers East Bank site for sale (Post)
• Boutique slated for Ashwood 12South (Post)
• Party Fowl preps Five Points debut (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and for more recs, click 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

🎧 Molly Tuttle Listening Session, Discussion & Album Signing @ Vinyl Tap, 6p, Info

🎙️ An Evening with Kristina Train @ Analog at Hutton Hotel, 7p, $20, Info

🪕 Kyle Tuttle's Bluegrass Mondays @ 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.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Megan Podsiedlik (Nashville), Jerod Hollyfield (Crowd Corner), Camelia Brennan (Local Noise), and Davis Hunt (everything else).