A young Memphis boy named Braylon has captured hearts online after thanking President Donald Trump for sending the National Guard to his city — a move he says finally allowed him to play outside without fear.
In a TikTok video posted by his mother, Braylon explained that before the Guard arrived, he was too scared to go outdoors, worried that gun violence might erupt at any moment. Now, he says, things feel different.
“My name is Braylon and I live here in Memphis,” he said. “I’ve been noticing not just a slight change — more of a major change — in how peaceful Memphis is ever since the National Guard came. There were a lot of things I couldn’t do before because I had to worry about guns and stuff. I couldn’t play because I was scared someone might pull out a gun. But now I can. And I just wanted to thank the President of the United States for bringing the National Guard here.”
Troops were deployed to Memphis on October 10 as part of a broader federal crackdown on violent crime. Since then, the Memphis Safe Task Force has made 978 arrests and seized nearly 200 illegal firearms.
According to FBI data cited by Stateline, Memphis held the highest violent crime rate among major U.S. cities in 2024 — a staggering 2,501 incidents per 100,000 residents. Despite those numbers, Democratic Mayor Paul Young told CNN he was “certainly not happy” about the National Guard deployment.
The initiative began in Washington, D.C., back in August, where the National Guard’s presence led to over 4,000 arrests and more than 400 guns seized, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi. While some media outlets reported a 34% drop in crime, FBI data suggested the decline was closer to 10% once aggravated assaults were factored in.
Polls show that most voters in the capital supported the crackdown, calling it both “justified and necessary.”
Chicago has also seen deployments in response to its own violent crime surge, though Democratic leaders in Illinois — including Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson — have criticized the move and urged the White House to hold back.
For Braylon, though, the change has been personal and immediate. His simple message — “I can play again” — is now resonating with millions of Americans watching Memphis begin to breathe a little easier.