Jerred Price; Memphis Leader, Community Advocate, and Small Business Supporter

How long have you been in leadership, and why have you become an advocate for Memphis? ** I started serving the citizens of Memphis in 2015 when I moved downtown from the suburbs. I wanted to get involved, and my grandma always said, "Be the change you wish to see." So I was asked to join the Victorian Village CDC board, where I served for a year before being elected president for two terms. I believe that you are not effective in changing a city if all you do is sit back on a computer or behind a screen and comment on Facebook to complain. Step up, get out, and be seen serving, don't serve to be seen. **What are the primary duties of a Commissioner for the City of Memphis?** As Commissioner for the City of Memphis' City Beautiful, I am tasked with helping communities with city clean-ups, beautification grants, and other ways to keep Memphis clean! Established in 1930, Memphis City Beautiful is the nation's first and oldest beautification commission. For 90 years, Memphis City Beautiful has been engaging individuals to take greater responsibility for their environment, striving to change behaviors, improving communities, and focusing on litter prevention, waste reduction, and beautification programs. Our Mission is to work together for a clean, green, beautiful Memphis. Each year we give grants to community organizations that want to beautify their community. We offer free tools for clean-ups via the tool bank: The Tool Bank is designed to keep Memphis a clean and litter-free city by loaning tools such as rakes, shovels, brooms, and trash bags to groups holding clean-ups. This year we also partnered with the Division of Solid Waste to sponsor "Dumpster Days' where we encouraged Memphis to STOP DUMPING illegally and come dump for FREE! We set up dumpsters in all seven council districts on their assigned day and allowed citizens to come to dispose of unwanted objects ranging from tires to couches to ordinary trash and yard clutter. **You serve downtown in a huge capacity, but you've joined the Greater Whitehaven Economic Redevelopment Corporation. How will Whitehaven benefit from your experience and leadership?** We celebrated remarkable growth and success during my Presidency of the Downtown Neighborhood Assocation (DNA). We moved membership from 67 members to over 500+; we revamped our meetings - taking attendance from around 20 average attendees to north of 100+ each monthly meeting. We also launched the first-ever DNA app. Worked closely with MPD to get speed bumps put in on downtown streets to help deter drag racing and make it safer for pedestrians, and launched the DNA Spring Free Movie Series (an outdoor movie event families can come to for free!), we helped the uptown community fight against a giant parking garage being built next to their homes (and won!), we launched the campaign to save the Mud Island Amphitheater (which now has almost ten mil dollars dedicated towards its renovation) and much more! I hope to take "go get it done" persona and communication skills to other areas of Memphis that need some help. Whitehaven is a great community that I think needs some assistance getting some stuff done. Working with the Greater Whitehaven Economic Redevelopment Corp puts me at the table with some of Whitehaven's greatest community Leaders, such as Pearl Walker, Jason Sharif, and Michael O. Harris. All of which are good friends, personally. I hope together, we can help take Whitehaven to the next level with fresh ideas with a boots-on-the-ground approach and a "how can we do this" instead of "why this can't be done" attitude. **You have a strong passion for a more clean, beautiful Memphis. How can residents join in and help?** Yes, a more clean, beautiful Memphis is my priority. We were once called one of the "Most Beautiful Cities in the Nation." But unfortunately, we have too many residents that don't take pride in their city anymore - leading to dumping, trash, and unkept properties. We also have to fight these big landlord companies coming in and buying up property and not up keeping them. Citizens can help by volunteering at local clean-ups, hosting a community clean-up, or even reporting dumping to 311 or myself at City Beautiful. I am HAPPY and MORE THAN WILLING to speak with ANYONE who wants to help clean up our city. **As a resident of Memphis, what changes would you like to see to help move Memphis into Excellence? How can you help the movement?** I would like to see communities that have been "left behind" flourish and see the success other areas are seeing. We must highlight ALL of our city's history, not just Beale Street and Graceland. I would love to see Aretha Franklin's home restored into a museum, Orange Mound become a tourist destination as Memphis' first black community built by black residents, and several other opportunities we have to highlight other Memphis neighborhoods. One project I am working on with Britney Thornton is the "Crosswalks For a Cause" initiative. We plan to install artistic crosswalks throughout Memphis, highlighting the neighborhoods they are in. Then, we will create a "tour guide" for visitors to visit each crosswalk and learn about that neighborhood they visit - then, they can take pictures of the crosswalks they see and share them on social media so that each community can have their history and recognition lifted on social media and tourism. I also hope to be able to be in a position one day to really make a change regarding our Code Enforcement and blight. If we had more code enforcement officers and a reformed "blight" program that helps with abandoned homes, illegal dumping, etc., we could really clean up our city the way Memphian deserves it to be. **To have cohesiveness, leaders, and residents must work together. How can we come together as one?** One of the most significant opportunities we have is making sure we elect leaders who will show up and be present and responsive, rather than just sitting with the title. We need officials to join in on city clean-ups, return calls, answer emails, and listen to citizens. Then, work together to plan how to execute and fix the concerns and ideas discussed. Citizens must also be present and provide ideas for their problems. I encourage citizens to be more present and active in their communities. Attend council meetings. Ask questions. Be alert. But most of all, working together takes both citizens and elected officials to be engaged and present. **What infrastructure is needed to improve downtown to help with tourism and entertainment venues? ** As we all know, downtown is booming with projects and development. However, parking is becoming more scarce, and most of all, free parking. I don't want a downtown that costs you $20 to visit before you even walk into a store or bar. That's not equitable; that's not Memphis. I understand parking fees are part of living in a "city," but we can ensure that we have enough parking for people to come and enjoy our downtown area. We must remember we live in a city with a very high poverty rate, so we need to take extra steps to ensure equitable access to all parks and attractions. Additionally, we must ensure that crime and safety are top priorities. That is why I was happy to work with MPD and the Downtown Memphis Commission to help give feedback and ideas to create the "Downtown Task Force," which was implemented in 2020. We worked to bring additional officers from precincts in other areas of the city on weekends - areas that weren't as "active" with calls and concerns. By reassigning them to the downtown area, we were able to help deter crime and hold drag racers accountable. We also were happy to get the commitment from the Shelby Co. Sheriff's department, which also dedicated some deputies for the downtown area on weekends. To date, the 38103 zip code is one of the safest in the city. For more info on projects and things we are working on, visit jerredprice.com