Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Otis Sanford

Sanford: GOP gerrymandering of 9th District is Jim Crow racism revisited

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Mon, 4 May 2026 11:17:14 -0500

My mother, along with a handful of other Black Panola County residents, registered to vote during one of the most precarious times for Black people in the South. It came just six days after the bodies of three Civil Rights workers were discovered in an earthen dam near Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Sanford: Time for Big Shelby to come to the table — and vote

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:16:54 -0500

“(This) all adds up to being arguably the most significant county primary in recent memory. And it is almost exclusively a fight among Democrats who make up a majority of the more than 432,000 active registered voters.”

Sanford: State lawmaker's return to Nashville likely depends on write-ins

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 04:00:02 -0500

“Failing to take care of something so basic as filing a valid petition with 25 legitimate signatures shows an inattention to detail that warrants criticism.”

Sanford: Ford's guilty plea, arrogant demeanor further tarnish family legacy

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Fri, 6 Feb 2026 04:00:04 -0600

“The troubling thing about this case is that Ford learned nothing from all the past instances and allegations of local public corruption — some of it involving members of his own family.”

Sanford: Is Memphis cooperating with immigration crackdown? The answer is debatable.

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 04:00:02 -0600

One issue arising from Alex Pretti’s senseless death is debatable. It is the extent of Memphis’ cooperation with federal law enforcement during the ongoing surge in the Bluff City.

Opinion: Increasing voter turnout is laudable. Feagins' mayoral candidacy is not.

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Sat, 3 Jan 2026 19:38:22 -0600

“It’s one thing to wage a public fight against a divided MSCS board. It’s quite another to wage a costly political campaign against other, far more entrenched opponents.”

Sanford: Where is the GOP outrage over pardons for political corruption?

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Sat, 8 Nov 2025 09:47:19 -0600

“So who is really soft on crime? Hint hint, it’s not the people you think.”

Sanford: Cohen-Pearson race will be a winner for political engagement

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 04:00:09 -0500

“This is a political moment that could determine, once and for all, if it’s time to pass the local baton from Baby Boomers to Millennials.”

Sanford: Justice for Tyré Nichols is being impeded. And we all deserve better.

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 04:00:09 -0500

At some point, U.S. District Judge Mark Norris will need to address his accusations against MPD publicly and either produce proof or issue a meaningful apology to the police department.

Sanford/Hunt: Memphis' National Guard presence demands collaboration over partisanship

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 04:00:10 -0500

“When President Donald Trump announced Monday, Sept. 15, federal troops will now be deployed to the streets of Memphis, the cheerleading by Tennessee’s top three elected officials ... seemed much more concerned with revealing no trace of daylight between themselves and Trump.”

Sanford: Republican assault on DEI exacts harsh toll at U of M

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 04:00:02 -0500

“In a way, I sympathize with the dilemma facing the U of M and other state colleges and universities. But, what’s next?”

Brilliance, courage defined journalist, and amigo, Karanja Ajanaku

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Sat, 12 Jul 2025 21:27:17 -0500

One day in late May 1977, a young Black man took a seat at a desk for his first day as a reporter at The Commercial Appeal.

Sanford: Addressing Memphis' challenges requires more than talk

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 06:07:11 -0500

First it was Kash Patel — then Stephen A. Smith and Roland Martin.

Sanford: City’s violent crime problem needs solutions — not sound bites

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Thu, 29 May 2025 04:00:10 -0500

“Our crime problem remains the No. 1 issue on the minds of area residents. And last week FBI Director Kash Patel added to the angst by summarily declaring Memphis ‘the homicide capital of America per capita.’”

Sanford: Taylor, White put MSCS takeover bill in spin cycle

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Thu, 1 May 2025 04:00:13 -0500

After the Memphis-Shelby County Schools takeover bills failed to make it to the finish line, state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads, and state Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, changed their messaging.

Sanford: Proposal puts state's human rights enforcement in jeopardy

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 04:00:05 -0500

State lawmakers are looking to eliminate the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, which looks into about 180 complaints about discrimination every month.

Sanford: A Delta newspaper and an assault on freedom of the press

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 04:00:01 -0600

The Clarksdale Press Register garnered national attention recently after a judge ordered the paper to take down an editorial critical of Clarksdale’s elected officials.

Sanford: Firing Feagins was unwise, but she shares the blame

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 05:41:58 -0600

“Now what we have is chaos on steroids. The board is seen as a laughingstock, except no one is laughing.”

Sanford: Five stories that defined 2024 and two to watch for in 2025

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 04:00:03 -0600

From the DOJ’s report on the MPD to Elon Musk and the xAI supercomputer, here are Otis Sanford’s top five local stories for 2024.

Sanford: Abusive behavior of Crisis Intervention Team belies intent

o.sanford@memphis.edu (Otis Sanford) — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 04:00:04 -0600

The Crisis Intervention Team has strayed far from its initial goals of treating those with mental-health issues more humanely.