A protest against xAI and the Memphis Safe Taskforce, organized by Tigers Against Pollution, drew a crowd of about 125 people in downtown Memphis on Saturday.
Tigers Against Pollution is an environmental advocacy group founded and led by current University of Memphis students and alumni.
The protest began at 2 p.m. at I AM A MAN Plaza and was briefly shadowed by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Black Hawk helicopter flying overhead, a sight that split opinions among the crowd. Some protesters viewed it as an act of intimidation, while others said it only strengthened their resolve. It is unclear what exactly the helicopter was doing.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Black Hawk helicopter flies over downtown Memphis on Saturday during a protest against xAI and the Memphis Safe Taskforce. Protesters said the aircraft followed their march for several blocks.
“The helicopter following us all the way down the street is the best explanation of people power that we can ever have for us,” said a speaker who goes by 'Tweak', a University of Memphis student.
Protesters originally planned to march from I AM A MAN Plaza to City Hall but unexpectedly turned around at the corner of Peabody Avenue and Main Street. The reason for the change in route remains unclear.
Throughout the march, demonstrators chanted slogans like “Free the 901” and sang songs such as “Everybody Has a Right to Live” between speeches.
“This protest is a culmination of frustration that we have in relation to both xAI and its ties to the city of Memphis and the funding it gets from the city,” said Mark Robinson, a University of Memphis alumnus who graduated last year. “Also the frustration of the National Guard and agencies coming here, it really is tormenting folks that aren’t criminals and don’t deserve to have troops at their front doors at all times.”
Two counter-protesters briefly appeared, with one holding a sign that read, “Democrats Destroyed Memphis,” but they left shortly after.
Mel Eleftheriou can be contacted at mlfthrou@memphis.edu
