Rev. Earle Fisher, of the Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church, poses by an unfinished portrait of Christ on a wall of the facility Oct. 25, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. Fisher, whose colleague Autura Eason-Williams was among the victims of gun violence in Memphis, said he was skeptical that non-profit Youth Villages can succeed in helping to reduce shootings in the city because they have not done this kind of work before. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
A Memphis faith leader is pushing back on claims that the Memphis Safe Task Force is responsible for the city’s recent drop in crime.

The joint operation includes about 20 local, state and federal agencies – including the National Guard, Memphis Police, U.S. Marshals and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The task force has been praised by the Trump administration for more than 2,800 arrests and 2,800 traffic citations in two months. But Earle Fisher, PhD – founder of the group #UPTheVote901 – said crime was already on the decline.

He argued that the initiative relies on what he calls “broken windows” policing – tactics that can lead to racial profiling, stereotypes and violating people’s rights. Fisher added that most stops aren’t tied to violent crime, and arrests don’t guarantee convictions.

“So, you are flooding the courts, packing out an already packed-out jail,” said Fisher. “They have not told you that of those 2,800 arrests, 40% of them have something to do with illegal immigration.”

The Memphis Police Department confirms crime in the city had already dropped to a 25-year low before the task force was formed. Republican Gov. Bill Lee is backing the task force efforts.

But Tennessee U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, is urging Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi to pull ICE agents from the city, saying Memphis doesn’t have an immigration problem.

Tensions about National Guard troops patrolling U.S. cities are already high, as two Guard members were shot last week in Washington DC, one fatally.

As the political spotlight on Memphis intensifies, Fisher said officials need to provide more transparency and data before declaring success in reducing crime.

“What criteria is being used to define success?” said Fisher. “So, if I say, ‘We going to lower crime by 5% – 10% is going to be violent crime, is going be this kind of crime, is going to be property crimes.’ And if you just say ‘all kinds of crime,’ but in what amount of time – in five months, in five weeks, in five days, in five year?”

Fisher said he thinks the task force is less about public safety and more about exerting control – using safety concerns to reinforce white political power in a largely Black community.

He cites data from one day showing 51 arrests, but most weren’t for violent crimes – including seven people detained only for what’s called unlawful presence. Fisher said he sees it as pouring resources into traffic stops and civil detentions while claiming to reduce violent crime.