Monday, February 25, 2008

Senate Bill 2991: The Redneck Green Zone

UPDATE: "Disposition: Dead"

Hold on to your hat folks when you read Senate bill #2991, authored by State Senator Fillingane from Sumrall. This little exercise in legislative mischief will create a Green Zone for Jackson called "the Capital City Security and Economic Development Zone." (Section 13) Bill: http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2008/pdf/history/SB/SB2991.xml

What exactly is this Mississippi Green Zone you say? It is an area where the creative class can frolic in Fondren, Borat can enjoy more wine tastings at the University Club, and the perfumed princes can live in their high-rise lofts overlooking the rest of the city which they relegated to third-tier status. It is an area covering most of Downtown Jackson, part of the Farish Street area, a large part of NE Jackson, and Jackson State University. The Green Zone will receive additional help from law enforcement, as the bill gives the Mississippi Highway Patrol general police powers within the zone in addition to creating a task force consisting of:
The district attorney's office, the Jackson Police Department, the Hinds County Sheriff's office, the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the University Medical Center Campus Police Chief, the Jackson State University Campus Police Chief, the Director of Security for the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center and Director of Security for the St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital. (Section 2)

Got that? Apparently one lesson learned in Iraq lost on our fearful leaders was the creation of the Green Zone in Iraq sowed much discontent among the Iraqis, as they correctly judged a privileged few were more worthy of protection than most Iraqis. This bill creates two classes of Jacksonians: those who live and work in the Green Zone and those who don''t. If you live on the wrong side of the line, you don't get the same level of safety as the perfumed princes do even though you are giving them your tax dollars.

The original bill gives away the true intent of those behind this legislative mischief:
SECTION 2. (1) The penalty for any felony or misdemeanor listed in subsection (2) of this section that is proved to have been committed in the Capital City Security and Economic Development Zone created in Section 1 of Senate Bill [this one], 2008 Regular Session, shall be subject to a fifty percent (50%) enhancement of the maximum penalties otherwise provided by law. Every person so convicted shall be sentenced to the maximum term of imprison prescribed in this section and such sentence shall not be reduced or suspended nor shall such person be eligible for parole or probation. http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2008/pdf/SB/2900-2999/SB2991IN.pdf

Subsection 2 lists crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, burglary, and other usual crimes that would have received the enhanced penalties.

Such garbage should outrage all fair-minded Jacksonians. The thug who beats and rapes your grandmother in Rollingwood or Presidential Hills would have received less time in jail than one who commits the same crime in the Green Zonehad had this travesty of justice written by the perfumed princes been allowed to stand. Safecity can repeatedly assure us how this is merely an attempt to improve cooperation between agencies. Unfortunately for Safecity and its allies, the original bill gives away the true intent of their efforts, which are to create a part of Jackson that lives and plays by a different set of rules than the rest of us. If this bill is passed, expect future attempts to revive the enhanced penalties provisions. The two versions of the bill ironically validate what liberals have complained about for years: that there are two standards of justice and police protection, two standards based primarily on race and class.

Another clue giving away true intentions of its supporters is the fact that several local lawmakers such as State Senator David Blount said they had no knowledge of the bill until it was introduced. When legislation such as this bill is introduced, usually the local delegation is involved so as to improve its chances of passage. It is very strange that the local delegation was ignored for the most part while a State Senator from Lamar County introduces a bill that is VERY specific and detailed in its language (read the boundaries in the bill).

There are several questions about both bills that need to be asked:
1. Who wrote this bill? There is no question that Fillingane did not draft this legislation.
2. Whose idea was it to insert the enhanced penalties provision in this bill?
3. Why was this bill not discussed in local forums before it was introduced, since it directly and substantially impacts Jackson?
4. Why were local officials and lawmakers not informed about the bill?
5. Who are the lobbyists who approached State Senator Walter Michel about the bill?
6. What are the bill's mandates in regards to JPD?

This bill is an insult to Jacksonians. There is no question Jackson desperately needs investment and reversal in its declining tax base. As an economic conservative, I support the current development in Jackson. However, discarding the rest of Jackson while preserving a Capitol Street Xanadu will merely encourage more Jacksonians to move to the suburbs where they are appreciated by their respective governments and not treated as a cash cow for two different standards of living and justice. True justice demands that our elected representatives kill this bill.

Related coverage in The Clarion-Ledger: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080225/NEWS010504/802250361/1001/news

Read comments in earlier post. There are some VERY good ones:
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2008/02/isnt-this-called-secession.html

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is an area covering most of Downtown Jackson, part of the Farish Street area, a large part of NE Jackson, and Jackson State University.

King, though I'm not sure what you consider to be the borders of NE Jackson, the CCSED zone covers very few square miles in NE Jackson. In fact, the zone only conveniently jogs east of I55 so that it can cover Duckworth's new project to be built on the ground of the old MS School for the Blind. Take a look at this map.

The zone proceeds east to Ridgewood, south to Lakeland, east to the Pearl and then follows the Pearl back to Highway 80. There isn't much of NE Jackson inside that zone except, of course, Duckworth next $140 million dollar development.

Somehow the Safe City brain trust must have concluded that everything is now fine along the I55 Frontage business district that runs north from Meadowbrook, or on the Jackson side of County Line. Wasn't too long ago that Safe City was making mucho noise about armed robberies and auto break-ins along the I55 Frontage. I guess McMillin has solved all of those problems so it was time to turn their focus onto the next high crime areas. Downtown and LeFluer's Bluff are pretty damn dangerous, or so I've been told.

Kingfish said...

I was including Fondren.

Anonymous said...

King, here is another interesting jog in boundary of the Jackson Green Zone.

Somehow the Safe City intelligentsia have looked into their crystal ball and concluded that Peters' Duling School development, once completed, is likely to become a high crime area.

Safe City wanted to send a unequivocal message to all future criminals planning all future crimes at that location so they jogged the boundary up and around Peters' project to demonstrate that they plan to get tough. I mean, f'ing Rudy Guiliani TOUGH. Got it?

Kingfish said...

can you do that for the whole zone? I'll post it if you can.

Anonymous said...

I don't want to disappoint you King, or maybe I should say that our staunch defenders at Safe City -- Jackson's Crime Watchdogs -- don't want to disappoint you, but not all of Fondren is a high crime zone worthy of being included in the CCSED.

King, unless you live or work below the red line on this map then the crime in your part of Fondren is not bad enough yet to qualify for extra police protection from the Mississippi Highway Patrol and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.

Safe City looked at crime King to determine those zone boundaries. Only high crime areas were put inside the zone.

Now, the only remaining question King is do you believe that bullshit?

Anonymous said...

The bill is dead......but is it dead, dead, dead?

Anonymous said...

That bill was as racist as any in recent memory. Not one word from Donna Ladd. DJP OWNS the JFP.

Anonymous said...

How does Safe City represent?

Anonymous said...

Reagan Dimwit: Not true to my knowledge. The zone was based on where the state assets were...mostly downtown, but stretching out the JSU parkway/Hwy 80 to JSU, and then up State St. on both sides of the street, to the University Med Ctr, Memorial Stadium and out Woodrow Wilson to the Jackson Medical Mall.

Read the bill then reach over and give Alan some help with his tugging motion.


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