Rob Brown opened Da Sammich Spot Restaurant and Resource Hub in Orange Mound in March 2025 to be a “cultural hub for regular, everyday people in the community,” he said. The dining room’s walls are covered in wavy patterns of yellow and white. The space is dotted with positive quotes, hand-painted in bright-orange, bold text: “Respect humans. Protect children. Lettuce be friends.”
But on Sunday night, the restaurant became a scene of fear and confusion when dozens of law enforcement and military officers staked out the parking lot, although Da Sammich Spot was closed. The National Guard and several other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have been patrolling the city since September as part of President Donald Trump’s Memphis Safe Task Force.
Community members said they saw people wearing military uniforms standing in front of several businesses along Park Avenue on Sunday night. “A friend texted me and was like, ‘Hey, I was riding past and saw the National Guard setting up in front of your restaurant.’ So I turned on my camera first and saw them,” Brown told MLK50: Justice Through Journalism…