The 901: What's next for Memphis parks now that Confederate statues are gone?

Good Friday morning from Memphis! It's good to be writing on Fridays again. Today, we're looking at Shelby County health officials' recommendations for gatherings this Thanksgiving and at how to give your take on reforming Memphis police. But first...

In Downtown Memphis, in a park where a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis once sat, the "entire universe is grateful for your presence in this moment."

Er, at least, that's what you'll hear, thanks to a new auditory art installation at Fourth Bluff Park.

The Peace Project, which was created by Memphis artists Talibah Safiya and Ralph Calhoun, in collaboration with Deep Water Media CEO Bertram Williams and the Memphis River Parks Partnership, is the latest attempt to reimagine Fourth Bluff Park after the 2017 removal of its Confederate monuments, our Corinne Kennedy reports. Being told to "sit with the energy of interdependence" might be more off-putting and perplexing than anything for most of us, but the recording is meant to be soothing. 

As the city approaches the three-year, Dec. 20 anniversary of when the statues were taken down, the question of what to do with Fourth Bluff Park and Health Sciences Park has lingered, even as it's been shoved into the backseat of the city's consciousness by COVID-19. So far, the answer is has been to make the parks "places of peace and understanding" — which mostly translates into "havens for yogis and dog-walkers."

Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner, who heads Memphis Greenspace, the nonprofit that bought the parks from the city to remove the statues, said the parks are in a holding pattern for now as the nonprofit negotiates the relocation of the graves of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife Mary from Health Sciences Park.

Once that happens, conversations will begin again over what to do with the parks, he said this morning. Two of the more interesting ideas being tossed around now are to erect a new statue of a civil rights icon or a memorial to lynching victims.

But for now? "At this point, we simply want it to be a park," Turner said.

And maybe at this moment, when the world is so topsy-turvy, being just a park is OK. A place where people can go to enjoy creation and take a break isn't such a bad use for parks that were, going back decades, sources of frustration and unrest for so many people in Memphis. Comparing them to what they were, thank God these are just parks.

The "universe" isn't grateful — but, three years later, Memphians should be.

SCHD warns against big gatherings

As case count rise and people ready for the holidays, Shelby County health officials are once again frantically sounding the alarms about a potential local surge in COVID-19.

And this chart shows why:

In its daily COVID-19 briefing yesterday, the Shelby County Health Department presented concrete evidence that people aren't taking the virus seriously enough, per our Katherine Burgess. The virus isn't being spread by strangers so much as it is being spread by people who are disregarding the recommendations of medical professionals:

The interviews showed that 63% of those with symptoms continued to engage in activities with others during the infectious period for the virus, Sweat said.

“These are all symptomatic individuals, people who should be staying home, should be isolating and protecting people from coming into the virus they have in their body, and yet they’re out in the world engaged in activities,” Sweat said.

Of those people who had COVID-19 symptoms, 46% had socialized with others, 12% had gone to a sporting or other recreational event, 10% had gone to a place of worship. Other activities during the infectious period included shopping and domestic travel.

The upshot: Shelby County health officials are recommending that people keep their masks on when meeting with anyone who is not from their own household and limit gatherings to no more than two households. So, if you're thinking about having a big family Thanksgiving this year, the advice from the health professionals is, "don't."

Reimaginging Policing seeks feedback

Want to reform the Memphis Police Department? Here's your chance: Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s Advisory Council on Reimagining Policing will solicit citizen feedback during four public meetings starting this November, our Dima Amro reports.

Check out Dima's story for details, but here's the need-to-know on the Zoom meetings (click on the dates to register):

Monday, November 2
10-11:30 a.m.
50 Participants

Thursday, November 5
6-7:30 p.m.
50 Participants

Saturday, November 7
10-11:30 a.m.
75 Participants

Thursday, November 12
10-11:30 a.m.
100 Participants

+ Speaking of Memphis police: Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich, Memphis Police Department Director Michael Rallings, and U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller yesterday announced that a $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to arrests in eight unsolved homicides of children, our Micaela Watts reports.

A roundup of the latest election news

Here's our latest reporting ahead of Election Day, which is Tuesday of next week:

• Are new voters turning out at higher numbers in Shelby County? Could be, based on our Daniel Connolly's latest story on the election. According to the conventional wisdom, a large increase in new voters this year will probably benefit Democrats.
• If you want to vote but have COVID-19 or COVID-like symptoms, don't despair: You'll still be able to cast your vote at the Shelby County Election Commission's office at 980 Nixon Dr., our Sarah Macaraeg reports.
• Check out the USA TODAY Network's statewide election guide for need-to-know election details, including on some of Memphis' most-watched races.
• As a precaution against post-election looting, Walmart is temporarily pulling guns and ammo from its shelves, per USA TODAY.

What else is happening in the 901

• For subscribers: If you're a regular reader of our sports coverage, then you don't need me to tell you our Khari Thompson writes some of the best feature stories. His latest feature is of Christian Brothers senior and footballer DJ Harden, who plans to play for the Memphis Tigers (Not a subscriber? Please consider becoming one.)
• Our Max Garland walks us through the many ways Memphis-based FedEx is deploying new technology this peak holiday season.
• Alabama-based chain Chicken Salad Chick is opening a new location, its fourth in Memphis, in the Wolfchase area, our Jennifer Chandler reports. Separately, Jennifer also writes about how a local bakery and distillery have teamed up to create the "Memphis Bourbon Caramel Cake," which looks as delicious as it sounds.
• Our Mark Giannotto writes about the Tigers' big upcoming game against Cincinnati this Saturday and what it could mean for the American Athletic Conference.
• Our John Beifuss recaps this year's virtual Indie Memphis Film Festival.

The Fadeout: Muck Sticky's latest

Memphian Muck Sticky (aka Justin Osburn) just released a new song and music video, "Here With Me," featuring lots of nighttime shots of an empty Downtown Memphis...

Like The Fadeout? Check out The 901's Spotify playlist. Want to submit a recommendation of your own? Reach me by email, address below.

Columnist Ryan Poe writes The 901, a running commentary on all things Memphis. Reach him at poe@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @ryanpoe.

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