STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

We are a city torn. Race divides us deeply. Politics tear our city apart. Stadium plans widen this gap. Conservation and transportation even separate us.
We just elected a mayor that had the balls to stand up on a podium after winning his 19th term and call out the “haters and players” that voted against him. Mainly he meant white people.
We are determined to keep a Ford in office no matter what. Whether it’s law breakers like John or Ophelia or the moron Edmund, we can’t seem to have an election without giving one of these undeserving “leaders” a say so in the downfall of Memphis. And when a good, upstanding, deserving man like Harold Ford Jr. runs we can wait to NOT cast our vote for him.
The state of our city is dire. We are on the brink of social and economic collapse. Even the people charged with the nutrition of our youngsters are void of any goodwill and honesty. We are near war in our streets.
This week a man chased and shot down a carjacker. The criminal put a gun in the 70 year old woman’s face and her son decided to not stand by helplessly. He took the law into his own hands. Good for him…but bad for our city. These could be the last days.
But these days won’t be our last. A saving grace is on the horizon. From New York to Texas to downtown Memphis, a blanket of security is coming our way.
Just when we thought that the end was upon us I have seen a tie that will bind us all; a bridge to the gaps that we have created and maintained. This comforting force…
The University of Memphis Tigers basketball team. I can’t remember ever feeling a buzz in the city like there is right now. That sense of pride is taking back over. And just for a couple of months our attention will be turning from the desolate situation we find ourselves in. That attention will tune into ESPN or CSTV or WLMT or CSS. And that hateful energy will be transformed into something positive. Something great. Something to be proud of.
This prediction doesn’t depend on wins and loses. Its ability to be fulfilled rests of the shoulders of all of us who consider ourselves fans.
So stand up. Get ready. The best thing to happen to Memphis since Dick Hackett is coming next week. COME ON BIG BLUE- LET’S GO!