Jackson Jambalaya

I would suggest leaving Hinds County and DO NOT spend your money in Hinds County. Look what happens to your tax dollars. Truly Pathetic.

Not to mention, the crime, the roads, the obvious layers of corruption, the schools, etc.

in a legally responsible environment, i believe criminal charges could apply. here, no.

I would like to know WTH is going on in the CL building for them to continue to ignore this story. You'd think the state's "flagship newspaper" (I use that term loosely) would be all over a corruption story involving the state's largest county. At least they would've been 20 years ago.

Jerry Mitchell won't investigate a crime until it's at least 50 years old ;-)

1) Heck of a job, Lewisey

2)George Smith hates white people. (Kanye told me so)

7:21 - 20 years ago the perps would have been white, so they would deserve to go to jail.

Black people can't be crooks because they are victims of a racist society. If they did something illegal it was because they were forced into doing it by evil white oppressors. Ask any liberal arts major. Or Ike Brown ;-)

Don't know if anyone saw the Federal Emergency Declaration.

It included Hinds. Yes, there was a tornado a week ago. But it is by no means comparable to the EF5 that rolled through.

Was Haley providing some cover beyond the poor folks who lost everything in Clinton?

It's a Hinds County Thang! You wouldn't understand.

As a former Jackson city council member once said, "white people been doin it foo 600 yrs, it just time for us to gits ourses" ....close enough. lol This new system of government and society is working so well I think we need more diversity, affirmative action and redistribution. Maybe Jeff Goode can help. To HELL with meritocracy, I can see the abyss now...full steam ahead!

Ben Franklin pointed out that in a democracy people get the government they deserve.

Of course, he was a racist, patriarchal homophobe ;-)

1751 Franklin had pointed out the economic weakness of slavery, and in 1758 had suggested the establishment of the first school for African American children. Franklin�s views gradually changed as he grew older. After about 1770 his writings became progressively more anti-slavery, and in a letter to the London Chronicle he called slavery "a constant butchery of the human species by the pestilential detestable traffic in the bodies and souls of men." After the Revolution, Franklin was involved with the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, and served as its president for a time. In 1789 he drafted a petition condemning slavery and sent it to Vice President John Adams. The petition was rejected, as Franklin had anticipated. Franklin, who as a former indentured servant was the only Founding Father to have been "owned" by someone else, came to see both the economic and the moral paradox of American freedom and American slavery.

I see some have convenient memory loss about who headed FEMA during Katrina and what HIS " competence" and " experience" level was!

This is about competence, not race and making it about race is not just a distraction , but it's what keeps us from putting a stop to either party rewarding supporters rather than running government effeciently and effectively.

I'm as WASP as you can get and am amazed that some of you white folks haven't noticed that not all of us are competent and/or honest and that you've been so isolated/insulated that you've never met a black person smarter and more competent and better educated than alot of the white folks you know!

Making race your basis of opinion labels you as STUPID no matter what color you are! Whether you are Kenny Stokes or David Duke...stupid is stupid.

Speaking of race and Katrina: Alcatec (Rosemary Barbour)! Did the FBI ever conclude their investigation?

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aG1fHyzJA56A

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501263_162-2968476-501263.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

Anon @8:14 p.m., the reason that Jerry Mitchell won't investigate and write about recent crime is because of his "obsession" with the "civil" law issues. Particularly, he searches for and writes about stories that he believes to be demonstrative of plaintiffs and lawyers gouging the civil law tort system. Jerry Mitchell never heard of a legitimate civil lawsuit against a corporation or a medical provider, so he focuses on exposing bogus litigation -- he doesn't have time to investigate crimes that affect all of the citizens.

Lynching someone solely because of their race is a "civil" issue, as opposed to a crime? Maybe there's another Jerry Mitchell out there to whom you are referring.

And to the misguided soul ranting about race and FEMA - please note the sarcastic comment I made previously re: "Heck of a job, Lewisie". In case you are too young to remember that was designed to invoke the memory of an incompetent WHITE guy who deservedly got canned because of his lack of leadership during an emergency.

Hey Jerry Mitchell -- or any reporter or investigator with integrity and motivation -- why don't you investigate the Hinds County siren debacle, and check to see if the facts satisfy the elements of this Mississippi criminal statute taken from Westlaw:

§ 97-11-11. Bribery of officer, agent, trustee or candidate


Every person who shall promise, offer or give to any officer, agent or trustee, either public or private, while holding such office, agency or trust, or after he has become a candidate or applicant for the same, any money, goods, chattels, right in action, or other property, real or personal, with intent to influence his vote, opinion, action or judgment on any question, matter, cause or proceeding which may be then pending, or may be thereafter subject to vote, opinion, action or judgment of such officer, agent or trustee, shall, on conviction, be imprisoned in the penitentiary not more than ten (10) years, or fined not more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), or both, and shall be forever disqualified from holding any public office, trust or appointment, and shall forfeit his office, if any be held.

I'm sure that many "citizens" would like to know if the facts exist which satisfy this criminal statute?

Anon @ 4:59 p.m., I think the point is that the book on Jerry Mitchell, or the rule as you might say, is that he "very rarely" investigates or writes about current criminal matters -- it's the exception when he does it, and not the rule. And, if you think that writing a story in the 21st century about lynchings that occurred many decades ago during the civil rights area is something new, then you haven't been reading much. The subject has received much attention over the years, and the unfortunate victims are no longer with us. On the other hand, the siren scandel is contemporary -- of very recent vintage -- and it currently affects living citizens. There is a difference between investigative journalism with an objective to receive notoriety and perhaps accolades, as opposed to investigative journalism intended to address current issues and bring about needed change. Which one reflects Jerry Mitchell's journalism?

If my parent or child had been murdered,and especially if that murder was " state sanctioned" I would want their murderer brought to justice no matter how long it took.
The same people who make the " leave the past alone" argument seem not to raise it when the Israelis hunt down Nazis and terrorists.
Germans have more sense than to make such an argument which makes a Mississippian making it even more embarrassing.
There are statutes of limitation, but not on murder.
So criticize Mitchell for failing to report, for inaccurate reporting, but to criticize him for reporting a murderer has gone unpunished makes the person making such a suggestion look either racist or callous.
Worse, those doing it simply reinforce the negative images of Mississippi from the past more so than any movie about the past because you are doing it in the present. And, most people can discern the difference between a historical film, however badly done, and now.
Why is this so damn hard for some of you to understand? WHY do you have to continue to embarrass yourselves and the whole State with such nonsensical arguments?

I don't know if I want the Clarion-Ledger covering this story. Some things are worse than no coverage and one of them is a whitewash due to a failure to do research or investigate and just go off of what some officials tell you.

I had an email exchange with someone at the CL a couple of weeks ago about the Bryam radios. Put the fault on both sides. Didn't matter how many facts I put in front of him, he kept saying Bryan was half at fault too even though he couldn't cite a single fact in support.

Congrats to you KF and WLBT.

Almost all of the other media in Jackson has ceded this story to y'all. And that's a good thing.

I work for the County. Does anyone on this blog have the balls to do shit about it, or are you just going to blog and bitch.

Man up, pussies.

"I work for the County. Does anyone on this blog have the balls to do shit about it, or are you just going to blog and bitch.

Man up, pussies."

HA HA HA "Anonymous" talking about having balls.

I remain anonymous.

6:15pm - picking up trash for the county doesnt count as doing something for the cause

KF: Smith had an interesting change of tune in today's CL.

May 1 8:43: I tried to reply with me new cell phone the other day and it disappeared. I enjoy knocking down the straw men some people create to distract away from the point under consideration.

No one is excusing or ignoring the heinous crimes of 50 years ago. The point is that while Jerry Mitchell, the only so-called "investigative reporter" at the state's largest newspaper, is writing what seems to be the most exhaustive missive on the topic of arson, he seems oblivious to the fact that he is sitting in a burning house as he writes.

Yeah, I see that.

6:15pm No local entity is going to do anything because they will be deemed racists if they do. Our only hope is if a complaint is filed to the OIGs for the various federal agencies that fraud, waste, and abuse of federal funds is likely to be present...

And, I am skeptical that even the outside folks from D.C. at the OIGs would have the balls to launch investigations for fear of the race-related backfire that may occur.

None of the Federal offices that are local to MS and none of the State offices want to take on an investigation of any entity that is predominately run by blacks.

In your case of trying to preserve your integrity and improve the quality of service the County provides, will only make you miserable in the end. And, speaking up will only lead to brutal retaliation from your employer. Jobs are very scarce right now, so do your best to accept your situation for now--and still feed your family.