Statistics reveal a grim picture: while San Francisco reported 35 homicides in 2024, Memphis, with a smaller population of approximately 600,000, recorded 357 homicides—nearly three times that of Chicago and nine times that of Los Angeles. Once a thriving hub known for blues music and significant civil rights milestones, Memphis has seen a drastic demographic shift since the 1960s, with a substantial exodus of its white population leading to economic decline, school closures, and increased crime.
