MEMPHIS, Tenn. — ABC24 has been going out in the community with our Let’s Talk 24 town halls. A few weeks ago, we met with residents in Binghampton who expressed concerns for their neighborhoods.
Times have changed.
“I come from a neighborhood where we could walk any and everywhere. We could ride our bikes. No one felt unsafe,” said Dee Ivy, a Binghampton resident.
In today’s times, Ivy has some concerns. We first met her at our Let’s Talk 24 town hall and stopped by her neighborhood on Madrid Avenue.
“I’ve noticed a lot of vehicles speeding up and down Madrid Avenue. Cars are going really fast. There are two churches down at the end of the block here. We’ve got elderly people on this block,” said Ivy. “There’s kids on the block outside playing. I’m talking Indy 500 going down the street. Vroom! Vroom!”
She said people sometimes use the block as dumping grounds.
“There’s tires down at the end of the block, where people just dump tires,” said Ivy. “I’ve also noticed some junk cars or cars that look like they shouldn’t be parked on a residential street; cars that have no tags at all. They’re on flat... You’ve got other cars on the block that started out in what looked like a wrecked vehicle. It’s slowly gotten smaller and smaller as if it was being broken down for parts.”
The sewage is also a problem.
“The drains down at the end of the street are clogged which doesn’t help when we get a lot of rain.”
In April, we caught a similar issue just blocks away on camera.
Ivy turned to the City of Memphis for help. In April, she requested speed bumps on the street. The City’s Traffic Engineering Department did respond to Ivy’s request. In a voicemail, a representative said, “I was just calling to let you know we put in a request for you.”
That was the last she heard until now.
We reached out to Ivy’s City Council representative, Worth Morgan. His assistant said they have “reached out to the appropriate departments to assist with the issues.”
“I would really like our council members to be more present in the field and not just in the office waiting on someone to call you. Get out and drive around. You’ll see a lot of the things I’m saying,” said Ivy.
It is a need for change to fit the times.
Ivy said she also wants to add pole cameras to help with speeding. She wants to see more police patrols and a vacant lot across the street from homes turned into a community area such as a dog park.
Morgan's office said if residents need assistance with issue in their area, call 311 or 901-636-6500.