Local activist Keedran Franklin arrested
Well-known Memphis activist Keedran Franklin was arrested Friday night on two felony drug charges and misdemeanor driving offenses.
Franklin, 32, was listed in the Shelby County Jail on Saturday.
An affidavit was not yet available. The Shelby County Criminal Justice System website shows six charges against Franklin from Friday evening. It does not list which law enforcement agency arrested him.
The felony charges were possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana, both with intent to manufacture, deliver or sell.
The misdemeanor chargers were driving with a revoked or suspended license, improper display of registration, resisting official detention and operating a car with reflectorized windows.
The arrest came on the eve of a celebration by Franklin’s group, the Memphis Coalition of Concerned Citizens, to recognize the two-year anniversary of the protests that shut down the Hernando DeSoto Bridge.
The protest was held to denounce the police killings of black men and women nationwide. The group held a potluck Saturday to commemorate the event. The two-year anniversary is Tuesday.
The arrest made it difficult for the group to celebrate. Instead they sat at First Congregational Church and thought of ways to help Franklin.
“We are coming together and sitting in solidarity with Keedran,” close friend and activist Hunter Demster said. “But getting him out and making sure he is safe is our top priority right now.”
Demster called Franklin a “catalyst for change.”
“I do not know a kinder soul or a more outgoing, fearless advocate for justice,” he said.
Franklin has previously been arrested by Memphis police, including in April on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr., during a protest against immigration detentions.
Franklin was also part of a “die-in” at Mayor Jim Strickland’s house and has helped organize the campaign to raise the minimum wage in Memphis to $15 an hour.
Marangeli Lopez contributed to this report.
Reach Jennifer Pignolet at jennifer.pignolet@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @JenPignolet.