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November 17 - 23, 2011 NEWS


HORN LAKE CONTINUED FROM FRONT


“friend,” Baker, who was not available to speak with the New Tri-State Defender, has said he was offended by Muhummad’s news release. Muhammad believes the


lems. Calling Muhammad a


serve its 131st Anniversary on Sunday. Retired Bishop E. Lynn


Orange Mound’s Mt. Pisgah C.M.E. turns 131 Mt. Pisgah C.M.E. will ob-


Brown will be the featured speaker. The theme is “Re- specting the Tradition while Transforming into the Future. The Anniversary Program


trouble started when Fire In- spectorMark Brown, who had come to check code compli- ance, learned that ameeting of Muslimswas scheduled to take place in the building. “Every- thingwas running smoothly up until that point,” Muhammad said. Baker has said that Brown,


after visiting the location, told him that a church meeting was planned for the building,which would have required a sprin- kler system. Baker told the board of al-


For Horn Lake businessman Tedarral Muhammad, his latest attempt to get his de- tail shop approved for business proved good enough. (Courtesy photo)


derman that Muhammad balked at the number of per- mits that would be needed for the business’s expansion. Muhammad, however, notes several incidents that add up to cronyism from his view. “Every time I clear one hur-


dle, they invent something else,” said Muhammad, alleg- ing that a now retired city offi- cial told him that his religion was the source of the problem.


‘Not an Andy Griffith moment’


street player,” Muhammad owns Everlasting Spring Water, which operates in sev- eral states. He said the teach- ings of Islam saved him while hewas in prison and continued to gird himafter his release, in- cluding with the detail shop issue. His speech morphs instantly


five years,Muhammad said he wanted to startwith something simple that didn’t need a lot of start up investment and that would “show black people down here that they can own their own business.” A car wash and barbershop


it is also a business that offers services that all types of peo- ple need. I used to have to go all the way to Shelby Drive (in Memphis) when I wanted to get my car detailed. Things like that you want to do close to home.We put a fewguys to- gether with small investment and got started,” saidMuham- mad. “Wewere doing almost $300


daily right off the bat. Thatwas real good in terms of payroll.” After about a month, “we


were visited by a lady fromthe planning commissionwho said the area wasn’t zoned for this type of use. Iwas surprised be- cause of the car wash right across the street. She instructed us that since we had already been issued the license we should get a conditional li- cense and continue to operate.” A month later, Muhammad


estimates, Chief of PoliceDar- rylWhaley stopped and issued a citation to on duty manager Jeremy Summers, citing the


seemed a perfect fit. “It speaks to our culture but


into both worlds, emoting one minute “what they’ve done to me makes you want to bust somebody upside the head,” then assuring, “God will get me through this.” A Horn Lake resident for


A self-described “reformed Muhammad Tedarral


ing to Sum- mers,


Andy Griffith moment. “Man, dude come rushing up


us we had to go before the board of aldermen and closed us down,” said Muhummad. “They just up and shut us down afterwe had followed all their instructions. This has cost me $21,000, a thousand dollars a week.”


‘No one to blame but himself’


with the city and do what he is supposed to do, we can’t work with him. He didn’t try to get the permits until after 45 days and twoweeks had expired” in the standard licensing proce- dure, Jones said. Not so,Muhammad said. “They didn’t tell us that


Jones said Muhammad has no one to blame but himself. “If he’s not going to work


District 6 Alderman John


weeks later hewas told that the business needed a drain in- stalled, and that he subse- quently was denied a permit to get it done. He provided a copy of a receipt reflecting that he paid a plumber a $500 de- posit to do the work. “And that’s when they told


sued a citation for the sign dis- tance violation, but citing department policy, said he could not discuss the matter further because it was sched- uled for a court hearing. Muhammad said a couple of


his own personal truck. And I mean he clowned, with me anyway. Hewas stomping and hollering atme, and I think it’s because I was black. He talked to the white guys that were working real polite, but he talked tome real crazy.Hewas threatening to take me to jail, asking for my license, follow- ing me all over the property and that’s when I started snap- ping back. He was real foul.” Whaley confirms that he is-


in here and went off!” Sum- mers claims. “This was on a Saturday and he was in


was not an


maintain- ing proper d i s t a n c e from the streetwhile sol ici t ing customers with a hand held sign. Accord-


b u s i n e s s for


it not


it, and I have no regrets from being in it. His Muslim faith has nothing to do with the problem. The problemis that it cannot be accepted as it is. He should have been aware of that before he rented the property. Whoever rented the property should have told him.”


people do are offensive to me, but that’s beside the point,” Jones answeredwithout rancor. “My grandparents were in


such a membership is offen- sive to black people? “And a lot of things black


Jones, a former commander. Can he not understand that


suspicious of Jones because among the alderman’s many civic interests is his member- ship in the Samuel A. Hughey Camp #1452 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. “A proud member,” said


going on, there wasn’t enough oversight done. He should have made sure that the busi- ness was zoned for this pur- pose before opening.” Muhammad, however, is


“acted irresponsibly” when it issued the initial license to open. “There was so much stuff


process.” Jones also said the city


when they told us to get the drain, they just came in and shut us down.And the records show that I immediately com- plied by hiring the plumber, but


they stopped that in


givenme the license in the first place. Just give me a list and I’ll get it done.”


business and give some people some jobs,” saidMuhummad. “They should have never


Muhammad live in the same neighborhood. “All I want to do is openmy


Ironically, Jones and


is located at 2490 Park Ave. For more information about the 131st Anniversary, call 901-324-0429.


Pinkston. The co-chairs are Davina Holmes and Darrell Catron. Mount Pisgah CME Church


chairperson is Donald


Tri-State Defender


Case in point At Tuesday’s meeting, an


waiver to place a banner up for ten days as allowed under the signage code. Though not as severe as Cut and Shine’s issue, it illustrates that new- business problems are not unique toMuhummad.


meeting to erupt in hearty laughter several times as he de- scribed the administrative ring around the rosy he has faced in trying keep a banner up to let customers know where the store is located. The lack of signage has cost the company “thousands of dollars” in lost revenue, and he still has to go through further permit and code reviews before a perma- nent sign can be erected. The manager was given a


said the store’s manager, in pursuit of being allowed to erect a permanent sign. The manager caused the


issue involving Lumber Liq- uidators helped givemore con- text toMuhummad’s problem. “You can’t find us on GPS,”


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