Protesters launch “Free the 901” movement against federal task force in Memphis

Community organizers in Memphis are pushing back against what they describe as an alarming expansion of federal power in the city.

(NBC)- Community organizers in Memphis are pushing back against what they describe as an alarming expansion of federal power in the city. Their concerns follow the creation of the Memphis Safe Task Force, established by President Donald Trump and Governor Bill Lee, which has brought a heightened federal presence to the area.

On Saturday afternoon, protesters launched the Free the 901 movement with a march down Adams Avenue, preceded by a press conference. Leaders of the group framed the issue as more than just politics.

“Let’s not mince what’s happening in this moment. This is not just politics as usual. This is spiritual warfare,” one protester said.

Another described Memphis as a testing ground. “Memphis is the incubator where the experiments are being tested, and where the playbook for rolling back our rights is being written. This is the blackprint, not the blueprint,” the speaker added.

City leaders, however, say the increased presence of the National Guard is intended to support, not overtake, local priorities.

“We’ve talked to federal partners. We’ve talked to the National Guard. All of them have stated they want to align their work with the work we’ve already been doing,” said Memphis Mayor Paul Young.

Still, protesters expressed skepticism, warning that history has shown such deployments can lead to troubling consequences.

“History shows us that the makings of martial law often begin with tactics like this; the slow normalization of militarization, stepped-up deployments that blur the lines between emergency aid and occupation, and the erosion of ordinary civic protection,” said one protester.

Free the 901 leaders emphasized that their goal is to prevent those fears from becoming reality. Instead, they say they want to support initiatives that address systemic poverty and promote safety without increasing police or military presence.

“It is convenient according to some, to focus on the crimes of individual people rather than focus on the crime of systemic poverty,” said Rev. Tony Coleman of First Congregational Church. “We can together make our city an inconvenient place for empire to take root and to grow.”

The movement says its mission is to reimagine a safer Memphis through community-led solutions rather than expanded policing.