A Memphis pizza restaurant is facing backlash after refusing service to four members of the Tennessee National Guard last weekend. The owner, Miles Tamboli of Tamboli's Pasta & Pizza, told Fox News Digital he stands by the decision and would make the same choice again. Tamboli opposes the federally led Memphis Safe Task Force, arguing that the use of National Guard troops in local law enforcement has made the city less safe rather than more secure.
'I love this country and I love this city, and that is exactly why I made this call,' Tamboli said. 'I want Memphis to be safe. Every business owner does. And the honest truth is that Memphis was already getting safer before this Task Force ever arrived. Crime was at a 25-year low through the first eight months of 2025, according to the Memphis Police Department's own data, later confirmed by an independent Tennessee Bureau of Investigation audit. That progress was earned by the people of this city. It was not delivered by soldiers.'
The Memphis Safe Task Force is a federally led initiative established in September 2025 by President Donald Trump to combat violent crime in the city. The task force combines local police with agents from various federal agencies, the Tennessee National Guard, and state troopers to enforce public safety laws. National Guard members began patrolling Memphis in October as part of the task force.
Tamboli further argued that the task force has made the city harder to live in, citing records showing that the majority of its arrests began with routine traffic stops rather than violent crime. He claimed that families in the city are now afraid to drive to work, take their kids to school, or be seen in public, and that fear has driven children to stop showing up to class.