Posted on 05/30/2022 4:48:55 AM PDT by blam
In the first week of May there were six homicides in Jackson, Mississippi. How many more will there be before the end of the month?
Last year Jackson had the highest homicide rate of any city in America, with 155 homicides. To put that grisly statistic in perspective, that was about the same number of homicides as happened in Atlanta, a city with almost four times the population.
As a recent arrival in the city, what shocks me is not the murder rate, but the attitude of those who make endless excuses for it.
Some officials invoke that catch-all excuse for every failure, Covid. Homicide rates did increase at the same time that there was a pandemic, but correlation is not causation. I am unconvinced that the virus somehow made people more violent.
Some of the Mississippi media seem desperate to avoid being seen to blame Jackson’s city leadership. Rather like the failure to provide the city with running water, everything but the city leadership is held responsible. Why? It does a disservice to Jackson residents.
Honest reporting should hold to account those making bad public policy choices today, and not insist on looking at everything that happens in Mississippi in 2022 through the prism of a distant past.
There is far too much wishful thinking when it comes to crime. If only, some imply, we had one more rehabilitation program or enacted another bill that purported to help ex-offenders all would be okay. Sadly, good intentions don’t cut crime. Being honest about the causes of crime might.
Responsibility for crime lies with criminals. Responsibility for failing to deal with criminals rests with those public officials mandated to run the criminal justice system.
Next time there is another killing, Jackson’s leaders will do what they always do. They will emote about it. What we need to hear instead is what they will actually do.
Here are five specific actions they could take that would cut crime in Jackson:
1.More police: Despite the often heroic efforts of individual law enforcement officers, there are simply not enough of them.
2.Prosecute: No matter how effective the police are at chasing suspects through the streets, there are serious failings when it comes to pursuing them through the courts. Who in Jackson has not heard stories of suspects being allowed to walk free?
3.Detention: The failure to have enough detention capacity in Hinds County is outrageous. Build it.
4.Clear the courts: The bureaucratic backlog in the courts is perhaps the single biggest impediment to effective justice. Clear the backlog of cases. If those that administer the court system can’t cope, bring in administrators that can.
5.Work with the state: Every city likes to manage its own affairs. I get that. But the state capital ought to be able to team up with state-wide officials, police forces and prosecutors to tackle a problem that impacts us all.
I live and work in Jackson – and I love to call this city home. Jackson might seem caught in downward spiral, but every city has the power to regenerate itself.
New York in the early 80s seemed caught in a spiral of decline. But the city revived once it got a grip on crime. The key to Jackson’s future is to follow this example.
I take exception with the “more police”.
That’s the warm bodies version of throwing money at a problem.
Jackson likely needs more fuzz, but not the type Deep State likes: yes men and women willing to do anything for a paycheck.
More of THOSE kinda cops, we don’t need.
Anywhere.
Look at the demographics for Jackson to see the elephant in the room everyone ignores.
Some of the Mississippi media seem desperate to avoid being seen to blame Jackson’s city leadership.
ALL of Mississippi media goes out of their way to not run afoul of Jackson's political "leadership". Cowards.
Rather like the failure to provide the city with running water, everything but the city leadership is held responsible.
The leadership in crime enforcement starts in the police department, which is managed by City Hall.
Why? It does a disservice to Jackson residents.
Who are the citizens that voted for these crooks and hucksters.
So now what, Jackson, MS?
As I posted on another forum.
In another time long long ago, I remember going to Jackson as a child, usually with a school group. It was a very nice, clean city and to me a huge city, with wonderful, Magic places like the old capital, the zoo and a couple of museums. But now I guess it is the same as most American cities, with the same problems that most know and no one seems to acknowledge.
Leadership. Schools. Judicial System. Demographics.
Then Southwest Airlines dropped the city.
A major airline, dropping a state capital?
Was it the passenger volume, or the airport fees, or the difficulty of getting employees?
Never did get a good answer from the airline.
I went to the VA in Jackson for a sleep apnea test about 15 years ago, When I located the VA it was in a solid Black neighborhood...I arrived in the late afternoon and decided to get dinner before checking into the VA for the night.
I wanted somewhere close to the VA so that I wouldn't get lost. As I drove around, I wound up going to a cafeteria located within a mall that had a 12 foot chain-link fence around it with armed guards at each entrance/exit. The sight of all that still chills me.
(I drove straight out of Jackson the next morning after the test)
I didn't have sleep apnea.
Easy enough solution - put the whites back in charge.
About the author: Douglas Carswell is the President & CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
It appears the MCPP is a liberty- and freedom-based public policy advocate for issues in the state. I’d have to do more research to confirm my first thoughts that the MCPP needs better connectivity to the problem demographic in order to address it. By “better connectivity”, I mean getting some boots on the ground who align with MCPP principles and look like those comprising the troubled population the author just can’t seem to name. I’m thinking people like Candace Owens, Colion Noir, and Althea King, to name a few.
With the right boots on the ground connecting to like-minded and concerned citizens, like those 2 LEOs pictured in the article’s photo, perhaps they could work through the media’s soft-pedal approach to reality. The status-quo of race-card politics has to be invalidated by the electorate. For some tough talk, I’d bring in the North Carolina lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, to shake up the racial politics inertia.
JMO - I hope somebody from MS gets on the thread for some up-close observations.
More police doesn’t help....if they detain someone and the prosecutor/judge doesn’t want to move on action.
The minute some violent action has been accomplished....you need to bring the guy in and just say we are going to maximum jail time. You let the public know the gameplan, and then advertise far and wide...no one gets ‘off’.
The elected officials know better than to stand up to the criminals because the criminals are paying them to be cooperative. The politicians are allowed to decry “gun violence” but they are now allowed to do anything about it.
My family is planning on a two week vacation in Jackson, Mississippi in July. I would cancel, but it would disappoint the kids.
All these hell hole cities are dominated by Dems and african americans. Their might be poverty but if folks are just going to shoot each other, might as well stay out of the way......which is what these politicans, lawyers and police to in these towns. They need to stay alive....and of course if they actually treat the bad guys like they deserve to be treated, some do gooder will be all over them.
Sad. And the Feds want to take my guns.
Hightower!
Jackson, MS, is a great vacation spot because the motels are so cheap. Especially, on MLK Blvd.
If I continue to read this article, will I read that the population of Jackson Mississippi is 80% black?
Just wondering.
Do they have bulletproof glass?
Jackson is about 80% black, so in essence it’s an African city - with similar murder rates.
The mayor’s name is Chokwe Antar Lumumba.
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