MEMPHIS, Tenn. — There a new push in Cordova to cut ties with the City of Memphis.
Crime is an issue we heard about constantly at our Let’s Talk 24 Community Listening Session in Cordova on Thursday, July 28.
Now hundreds of people in Cordova are pushing to de-annex from the Bluff City.
Crime has been on a decline in Memphis this year. But District 2 Councilwoman Jerri Green said some Memphians have not seen much of a change.
"We're getting reports that crime is down over the last 6 months,” Green said. "But we're comparing that to the worst year on record."
The crime is just one of several factors that Cordova residents, like Margarita Morales, said are causing a decline in their community.
In 2019, the Memphis City Council voted to de-annex South Cordova from the city. Now, a petition with over 550 signatures is asking the City of Memphis to adopt another resolution. This time, they want the city to de-annex the entire Cordova community.
"Whenever you feel like nobody's paying attention to you, or your voices aren't heard, that there's no action taken to resolve those issues, then it seems like people want to separate,” Morales said.
Cordova is part of Councilwoman Green's district.
She said de-annexation is not up for consideration right now. She added that de-annexing may not be as beneficial as the community hopes for anyway.
"Whether you are in the City of Memphis, or you're in Germantown, or Bartlett, or Lakeland — so goes the City of Memphis, so goes the suburbs,” Green said.
For now though, the parts of Cordova that are still under the city's leadership want to hold leaders accountable for the issues in their once-quiet community.
"Identifying issues, but also coming along with some resolutions, not just complaining," Morales said.
Councilwoman Green recognized the frustration from neighbors and is seeking solutions to make Cordova and the entire City of Memphis safer.
"Getting more officers. Retaining and recruiting officers. More funding to get youth into mental health and into therapy. It may seem incremental, but in the end, it's going to get us on the right path,” Green said.
The city council would need to pass a resolution to de-annex a community from the City of Memphis.