I saw this on our local news a few days ago and thought it might be "food for thought" to anyone and everyone visiting Memphis this summer, or anytime. Graceland is located in a crime infested part of Memphis and many tourists don't realize it. It wasn't like that when Elvis was alive and people forget that sometimes. They imagine Graceland and the surrounding Whitehaven area as being like it was when Elvis called this city home,...sadly those days are LONG gone. As a result some tourists inadvertently leave themselves vulnerable to attacks like this. PLEASE if you visit Memphis, remember you don't have to be paranoid, just alert...stay aware of where you are and who is around.
Here is the article that prompted my rant:

"Car Stolen at Graceland, 3 Children Inside"

MEMPHIS, TN – Police say the parents of an Arkansas family were taking in the sights of Graceland when a crook stole their car with their three children still inside of the SUV. According to investigators the crook dropped the children off just a few blocks down the street before driving away.

Investigators say the family just stopped by the gates of Graceland. The man and woman got out of the car with the keys in the ignition and the children in the backseat. But when they turned around, their three kids and the 2000 GMC Yukon were gone. The children were found just a few blocks away, but the search continues for the car and the thief.

Hundreds of families visit Graceland every day. The Durrett family came all the way from Midland, Texas. "We wanted to see Elvis' home, so we got out of the car and took a look." And just like the Arkansas family, they didn't tour Graceland. They just stopped by to take pictures and sign the wall, while leaving the keys to their SUV in the ignition. Ed Durrett says it's not a problem in his small Texas town.

But some say in Memphis, there are two kings - Elvis and crime. Graceland is in the 38116 zip code - where 41 cars have been stolen in the last 30 days, according to the Memphis Police Department’s records. That latest car theft happened around three in the morning, leaving the family from Arkansas "All Shook Up."

The Durrett's say next time they're in the Bluff City, the keys to their car will only be in the ignition if someone is in the drivers seat.

Police are on the lookout for a tan 2000 GMC Yukon with an Arkansas license plate (504 MSE).

Published Monday, July 07, 2008

Please come to Memphis, enjoy our rich musical legacy, eat our world famous bbq, take a stroll down Beale and breathe in the Blues but dont allow yourself to be victimized by the human parasites that have taken over parts of this BELOVED city.

Amen

thank you for posting

thanks. I read that the other day. memphis is really bad and is getting worse. it's very sad for the people that want to visit and are not aware of the area.

yikes, thank God the children are ok.

They're all safe and together, that's what counts. Sh*tty thieves.

Yes...thank GOD the kids were not hurt. Frightened, Im sure but at least they were let out unharmed,...they were lucky. Kids are shot weekly here. Some innocent bystanders, some involved in drive-bys gone wrong, some stabbed or shot at school. It is REALLY sad what is happening to my city. I see the news every night and literally EVERYDAY there are a couple of homicides, stabbings, home invasions, and sadly, it IS getting worse. I've lived here all my life, 30 years and couldnt imagine being anywhere else but these days Im really having to consider moving to a less violent city. It makes me really sad to think what Elvis would think of what has become of his favorite city on Earth. Im sure he would be disgusted with what these human cockroaches have done ( and continue to do ) to his city.

Pray for Memphis

I can only imagine what that family was going through. You can replace a car but not your children. Thank God nobody was hurt. It's definately food for thought. Thank you for posting this info.

I hate car theives child nappers pick pockets and shop lifters..they are'nt cool enough for any authority.

thats horrible....and yes i grew up in memphis and my old neighborhood is NOTHING like it was...i dont even recognize it as it was then....its a bad part of town now too....
THANK YOU for posting this ....coz yes when i go back there you can feel the crime almost ....alot of car j ackings (you cant say that on here lol) anyway....alot of neighborhoods have bars on the windows and grass ordianances
its a shame , but actually i think Graceland keeps the old feel...i have never gone , but used to drive by you know..yeah i see the difference , i left in 81 then when i moved back in 87 i lived by the University w/ a couple school mates and it was nothing like when i grew up ...and i ave been back for friend wedding and to visit in the past 10yrs and everytime i go it seems different DONT GET ME WRONG , FUN PLACE TO GO JUST BE CAREFUL....and if you go to Beal Street...go in a group. ...ive heard stories of mobbing and alot of purse snatching. ...so. sadly i say BE CAREFUL IN MEMPHIS....
stay around the Peabody and Beal Street (around the action u know) if you dont know the city. and im sure with all the tourists to Graceland its a criminal heaven...Germantown is a nice area also. ...i will alway love Memphis ...but it makes me sad its not the same as when i was young. I MISS THE BBQ def. * ......

This message has been edited. Last edited by: majik*mind,

Yes...it is hard not fall in love with this city pretty quickly, even with the crime overload we are forced to deal with. Germantown is still a pretty nice part of Memphis. Areas like Bartlett, Cordova, Germantown and Collierville are (for now) still "safer" places to bed down. Downtown Memphis , however, isnt NEARLY as bad as it use to be. It is slowly joining the forementioned areas of the city in the lower crime infested catagory. With that said, about 3 years ago, a kid I graduated high school with was leaving the bar he worked at on Beale at 3am and was walking down an alley to get to his car and FOR NO REASON what-so-ever, was shot in the back and killed. No robbery attempt, no carj@cking, just kill for nothing. So, SAFTEY IN NUMBERS is the key to enjoying this city and not becoming part of the evening news. Hopefully with all the property that EPE/CKX is buying up around Graceland for the renovations that they are planning, maybe some of that will change. Im hopeful that its not too late,...but time will tell.
To all those visiting in a few weeks for Elvis Week 2008—PLEASE BE CAREFUL, TOUR IN GROUPS & KEEP AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS and if there is time left stuff your faces with THE best BBQ on Earth