The Cultural Roots of Memphis’ Crime Problem

Breitbart recently reported that Memphis Mayor Paul Young, when asked about his city’s high crime rate, attributed it to poverty, stating:

“Crime in Memphis and many other cities is all directly related to poverty. There are so many circumstances that individuals are dealing with in their lives, and when you get to a point where you have a lack of hope, a lack of belief that tomorrow is going to be better than today, then you take on different activities, where you just go and do different things.”

Young is certainly correct that crime in his city and others is related to poverty, however it is at best a moderating influence, not a mediating one. There are many in similar circumstances who would not entertain, at all, committing a crime.

Two factors strongly correlate with poverty: being raised in a single-parent household and the lack of a high school education. In 2023, only 44.6% of black children lived in a two-parent household, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. This compares to 76.3% of white children and 67.4% of Hispanic children.

In some inner-city school districts, upwards of 30-40% of black children drop out of high school, far above their national average, which as of 2022 was 5.7%. For those who graduate, their reading and math proficiency scores are oftentimes mediocre, at best. In Baltimore, according to the 2022-2023 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP), 23 schools, including 10 high schools, had zero students who were proficient in math. Of the district’s remaining schools, the overall rate was only 7%. In Memphis, according to the 2024-2025 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP), only 24.6% of students met or exceeded reading assessments. Low proficiency and high dropout rates are further compounded by cultural pressures, where students who strive academically are often ridiculed, as documented in Fordham and Ogbu’s 1986 study, “Black Students’ School Success: Coping with the “Burden of ‘Acting White’”.

Such parental and educational gaps, multiplied over decades and generations, create a self-sustaining cycle of poverty and dependency.

At its core, this is primarily a cultural issue, particularly one that is heavily gang-influenced and fueled by media and music glorifying misogyny and violence. For inner city youth – black, Hispanic, or otherwise – oftentimes the most visible role models are already entwined in this culture, increasing the likelihood they will follow the same path. This is then reflected on social media, which is teeming with videos of teenagers and young adults looting stores, assaulting people and vandalizing property, as this is the sort of behavior they’ve been taught, from a very young age, is acceptable.

So when Memphis Mayor Paul Young says that crime is directly related to poverty, he’s more right than not. Poverty, together with long-term family challenges, a lack of a quality education, and a predominant culture where countercultural, antisocial behaviors have been normalized, all compound to bring about the current state of affairs.

Money, though, cannot solve this, at least not without a significant shift in culture. No amount of education funding can overcome antipathy toward making schooling a priority. Businesses will not make significant investments into areas where there is not an available, educated workforce ready to fill needed roles, or where there is a knowing risk of their property being looted or burned.

It's a tragedy to see so many young lives trapped in this intergenerational cycle of self-destruction. While there are bright spots -- charter schools and community programs such as Memphis’ Youth Villages -- until there is a significant cultural shift toward prioritizing education and positive role models, the cycle will continue unabated.