Free The 901 calls for businesses to join ‘BUYcott’ against Memphis Safe Task Force
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Free The 901, a coalition that campaigns for an end to the Memphis Safe Task Force’s occupation in Memphis, is calling for businesses to refuse service to task force agents.
According to Free the 901 organizers, more than 50 local businesses are exercising their right to refuse both search and service to task force agents, including restaurants, bars, coffee shops, panaderías, florists, tattoo artists, nail artists, barbers and hair artists, record stores, comic stores, craft studios, and more.
Michael Jasud, the general manager of the cocktail bar Cameo in Midtown, delivered this call to action during Monday’s press conference:
“Consumers: Join the boycott, support the ‘BUYcott.’ Business owners: Come join us. You can do it now. You can learn more first at our no-commitment interest meeting, Tuesday, September 8. Register at tinyurl.com/register98.”
Members of the campaign are also asking for elected officials to use their respective powers to oust the task force.
“We deeply need more social services,” said Marisa Mender-Franklin, co-owner of Bramble and Bloom, a florist shop in Cooper-Young. “We need deep investment in our communities, and it is infuriating to see our government spend taxpayer money – $320 million, in fact, of taxpayer money – bringing the National Guard here, when that money could be better served in so many different ways.”
In July, the owner of Tamboli’s Pasta & Pizza defended his decision to deny service to National Guard members working as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force.
Miles Tamboli said his refusal was not directed at the individual Guard members themselves, but at the National Guard’s presence in Memphis.
Jasud called Tamboli’s decision “brave and laudable,” saying that despite online backlash for condemning the Memphis Safe Task Force, actions have spoken louder than words at his bar.
“It’s been great for us, honestly,” Jasud said. “And the people who will comment from places far away on our Instagram, that they don’t want to come to our cocktail bar, we don’t want you to come to our cocktail bar… and I want to make sure that this doesn’t come across as an idea that being progressive is simply good for your business. It’s also good for the community, and we want to be part of the community.”
Back in July, Tamboli said the National Guard has made Memphis harder to live in, a sentiment that other business owners shared at Monday’s press conference.
“We joined the BUYcott in February because we don’t believe that overpolicing and militarization is going to be a solution to crime,” said Mender-Franklin. “Just like everyone else here, we want a city that is safe, and prosperous and thriving for all of us, but increased policing isn’t going to get us there.”
Activists also noted that four men have died during task force operations since the occupation began in late September 2025:
Daniel Wallace is the director of Society Memphis skatepark and coffee shop in the Broad Avenue Arts District.
He said his business was founded to provide a hub for the community to gather and to provide professional opportunities for local youth.
“I’ve seen so many brilliant, absolutely capable young people who can’t reach their levels of success and their dreams, and that just hurts all of us; it’s just terrible,” said Wallace.
He says the multi-purpose skatepark and venue has struggled to attract its target audience due to fears over the task force.
“So when the task force started, it devastated our business. The people who would be coming out to where we are, a space for them, they’re not coming out. We can’t do what we’re trying to do,” Wallace said.
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