The militarization of disaster response is an indication that public infrastructure is not a governmental priority. The deployment of the National Guard to aid in times of emergency demonstrates a lack of concern for people's needs.
Background
On the weekend of January 24, 2026, Nashville, Tennessee was hit by winter storm Fern. It began as snow but as temperatures dropped and ice began to form, and freezing rain began to fall. The accumulating ice snapped tree limbs and brought down power lines. By Tuesday, January 27, 2026, nearly 140,000 households were without power as temperatures dropped to the single digits. The current weather-related death toll in Nashville reached 29 people as of February 4th, due to a range of issues, from hypothermia to carbon monoxide poisoning. Every death caused by exposure to the cold is an indictment of a system that has consistently failed to invest in public infrastructure
Nashville Electric Service (NES) linemen worked tirelessly to address the outages, but due to the disinvestment in our communities for routine procedures, such as tree trimming and hiring more linemen, the grid was left uniquely vulnerable to Winter Storm Fern, and staffing was insufficient to respond to the emergency. While state and local officials point fingers at each other, the truth is they are attempting to shield their true aims and avoid accountability.
NES is a public utility whose leadership is appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Metro City Council. Consequently, its investment strategies and resource allocation are not isolated decisions made by NES Leadership, but choices made within and indicative of this city’s broader public infrastructure priorities. Meanwhile, our state officials seek to take control of our public utilities (as they do in other sectors) and privatize them, in line with the Trump Administration’s efforts to privatize the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Instead of tree trimming, state and local officials are collaborating to activate the National Guard, showing that even in a disaster, militarization persists.
The Black Alliance for Peace Nashville Citywide Alliance condemns the announcement of the National Guard's involvement in Nashville, Tennessee. The mobilization of the National Guard is a cynical attempt to use military force to patch a hole left by decades of deliberate disinvestment in public infrastructure. Metro Nashville Government has consistently prioritized tourism—protecting developers' profits—while treating the lives of working-class Nashvillians as an acceptable sacrifice. The current crisis is more than a natural disaster; it is an aggravated catastrophe rooted in a governing logic that prioritizes profit while discarding the lives of the working class.
While neighboring regions and states effectively prepared and responded to Winter Storm Fern, Nashville remained immobilized. This paralysis is a direct result of decades of public disinvestment. The National Guard presents itself as assisting with tree removal and medical aid; however, we recognize the pattern of imperialist intervention. To send soldiers into neighborhoods where people are freezing is to treat a humanitarian failure as a security threat.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, what began as a temporary deployment to "restore order" evolved into an increased presence, brutality, and strengthening of ICE officers. We know that once military assets are integrated into "community safety" logistics, they are rarely fully withdrawn. In Memphis, Tennessee politicians invested in data centers rather than public works; when working-class Memphians expressed discontent, instead of listening, Governor Bill Lee increased coordination between the National Guard and the Tennessee Highway Patrol under the guise of "preventing looting" and "assisting with traffic." In Memphis, the further militarization of the MPD, created a city where the lights may be out, but the police cameras and specialized task forces remain.
We do not need a military presence; we need working-class power. We do not need surveillance; we need skilled union labor. We need investments in housing, infrastructure, public utilities, and related areas. We need to stop discarding workers and prioritize human rights over profits.
Our Demands
- No National Guard or any military involvement under any circumstances.
- Transparency into the restoration processes that will be carried out in future emergencies and during regular maintenance.
- An independent, community-led investigation—free from mayoral control—to determine why NES was uniquely unprepared compared to every other city utility in the Southeast.
- Community control of public utilities, such as the power grid, water systems, sanitation and waste, etc., and no to any privatization attempts that are encouraged by the state.
- We demand a democratized, community-controlled governance with binding authority, accountable to the working-class Nashvillians. Governance that can be used to defend African/Black, poor, working-class people and our neighborhoods from economic disinvestments.
BAR contributing editor Ann Garrison continues her reporting from Ethiopia.
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