Jackson Jambalaya

The wheels are comin' off the axles in Madison. Seat Belt Violation. Careless And Wreckless.

Business buglaries are down 48% in precinct 4 which may indicate a focus of effort. Crime in Jackson is down and has been down from a high in 1999.

Madison reports "SOME OF THE MOST SERIOUS OR OTHERWISE NOTEWORTHY" crimes.

Someone in Madison must REALLY not like these two guys.

KF, you might consider that in all of MS , there are only a VERY few venues except in casinos where one can hold an event of any size. You really are shooting us in the economic foot when you make it appear that it is unsafe to come to Jackson. Dixie Rodeo, IBC,the Museum, the Symphony,the State Fair really aren't being helped by the politics of fear.

If you had bothered to read my other crime reports posts, you would have seen where I have written violent crime and other property crimes have gone down. Home burglaries are up 60% compared to two years ago.

That might not mean anything to you but it might have something to do with all of those for sale or for rent signs in NE Jackson.

but its my fault for reporting it. Got it.

You really are shooting us in the economic foot when you make it appear that it is unsafe to come to Jackson.

Jackson is unsafe. Just because a given rate has fallen from a higher level doesn't mean the current level is acceptable nor any indication of safety. Pull your head out.

9:58, while citing one rodeo (I guess it's the white one), you failed to note the youth rodeo that pulled out three months ago and headed to Hattiesburg specifically citing the crime rate in the areas of the Coliseum and nearby motels.

Crime being 'down from a high in 1999' is rather a useless claim, don't you think? It is indeed unsafe to 'come to Jackson'. It's also unsafe for those in the burbs to ride into Jackson on business (we go there for no other purpose).

When KF exposes crime stats in Jacktown, he isn't shooting the town in its economic foot. He's reporting data that people have a right to consider, apparently against your wishes.

Ben Allen's chant of:

Crime Is down, Crime Is Down,
Load On Up And Come To Town.

Is pure bullshit.

All you lawbreakers need to read the fine print at the bottom of the Welcome to Madison signs - don't let the sun set on your expired driver's license in this town! We don't take kindly to criminals up here...

DonnerKay NOBODY, I mean NOBODY, gives a shit if you or PardnerTodd or the JFP 'calls them out'. Get a clue.

KF, I'm fine with you reporting the stats. I just don't think the comparison between a city and a suburban town that 30 years ago was A main street is quite fair. I think Madison's crime reporting is more than a little suspect.
I think you'll find homes sales are down in Madison neighborhoods as well. If you compare prices ranges and home AGE, I think you'll get a different picture. I've had more than a few friends move BACK to Jackson.

I just don't think the comparison between a city and a suburban town that 30 years ago was A main street is quite fair.

What comparison was made? Don't see it. Yours does not appear to be an evidence-based comment.

Shadowfax, you made my point. If the youth rodeo left, the revenues ,not just to Jackson businesses but the surrounding areas left with it. Some of the vendors for events actually make their goods in Madison or Rankin.
NO ONE benefits if Jackson fails so instead of fear mongering, why don't we focus on solving the crime problem? The JPD, while far from perfect, does beef up security for events. Law enforcement agencies should be cooperating better than they are. We all should be finding ways to improve law enforcement capabilities. Programs like the Ambassador Program should be supported. Improving personal and business security to make it harder for criminals to succeed is important and working where it's done. Many states have good state bureau of investigation which helps their communities fight crime. Why aren't we doing that?
We can look at cities that have been successful in turning around crime in the northeast instead of looking at the ones that failed.
What dooms a city is what you advocate ...running away from problems. What saves a city is the determination by the State as well as the citizens in the city that they will not turn over their cities to criminals.
I am at a loss to understand why you or anyone else wants to just fold without a fight. And, I don't understand why you think a negative attitude and giving up will work for anyone.
The naysayers mention Detroit alot. You need to look at the effect on Detroit's suburbs over time. When a city fails, the suburbs start to fail as well and some types of suburbs go down rather quickly. Madison, which got off to a good start modeling successful efforts ought to be looking at the suburbs that developed the way Madison has begun to develop.
Look at what happens when the developers aren't required to pay attention to drainage or proper sewer systems or putting in good roads or required to adhere to good building codes. Look at the roads in the first subdivisions like Annadale. Look at the golf course that isn't anymore. Look at what happens when man made lakes aren't done properly and no maintenance plan exists. Look at how " club houses" decay.
Some of Madison older subdivisions aren't faring so well especially when compared to areas in Jackson like Heritage Hills or East Northside. Compare spec to spec neighborhoods and you start to see the problems.

There is no comparison made. I simply post the crime stats available online. Just found out Byram's is online and am going to start including those stats as well.

Home sales down in Madison? Bullshit. There are currently at least seven subdivisions being built up, concrete being poured daily. Yesterday I noticed there are three huge new buildings being built on Old Canton in sleepy little Madison.

Thirty years ago a main street? Perhaps. But we're not discussing thirty years ago are we? But if we are, let's look at Jackson crime and police presence thirty years ago compared to today.

Oh, I see. The way to fight crime is to ignore it. Leave your visiting rodeos and events in place and sacrifice safety of the participants (especially children and fun-seeking, unsuspecting old folks) for the good of the venue. Bullshit.

The way to improve Jackson is to tout it's available motel rooms and meeting space while pretending rampant crime and muddle-headed police leadership isn't a reality? Bullshit.

I have many friends who are moving back to Jackson? Citation please. Bullshit.

Even Felder has moved, albeit to a shack in his back yard.

7:32; Some parents believe the physical safety of their children participating and enjoying the youth rodeo was a bit more important than the revenues the event brought to Jackson and the surrounding area. I'm one of them.

No group looking for a place to hold their event owes it to a community to sacrifice safety in order to pump the local economy.

We will be driving (and hauling horses) a little further to Hattiesburg, but will find some relief in the safety factor.

When a city fails, the suburbs start to fail as well and some types of suburbs go down rather quickly.

Stopped reading from your hymnal when you exposed yourself as a contagion theorist.

The hypothetical "nobody" may not benefit should Jackson fail but the real world Jackson has been failing for at least two decades and the suburbs have done just fine.

Jackson's leadership isn't solving Jackson's problems. People and businesses voting with their feet aren't running away from anything.

Holy shit. Did the Fondren Harpy go off the deep end yesterday or what?

Any local writer who broad strokes away the violent gun death of an innocent child as unfortunate "collateral damage" is a complete moron and idiot.

What are you talking about?

This shit:

Therese Apel is a Moron and Idiot.

She must be sharing a crack pipe with Donna Harpy.

Got it. Definitely wrong phrase to use there. What the heck was she thinking. I agree with alot of what she is writing as the crime stats show it is down and I have said so on this website. However, I also have pointed out the house burgalaries in 4 are way up and that IS a big deal for several reasons. 1. It is a large chunk of my readership 2. That is the city's best tax base 3. They have had enough and are moving out as the for sale and for rent signs prove. People, black and white, are tired of living in fear in their homes and seeing their car window broken.

You can't give away a house in NEJax right now.

Once again one of the JFP's 'Most Intriguing' poster thugs proves only intriguing enough to the JFP readership cult when their story provided a ready conduit for further expression of DonnerKay's animus against Frank Melton.

Batman Donelson then.

Albert "Batman" Donelson

The attention of Mayor Frank Melton left Donelson one of the more intriguing Jacksonians in 2006; after he was acquitted of murder charges, the JFP ran an exclusive cover interview with him—an issue that became one of our most popular to date. Much of the intrigue with Donelson centers around that feud with Melton, which Donelson said originated with Melton for no reasons that he can figure out. Donelson heads the list of young black offenders whom Melton openly reveals a vendetta against, as opposed to the list of young black offenders he tries to help even as they commit more crimes. Donelson and his rap partner, Willie Hardge, originated the name "Wood Street Players" for their musical act before he went to prison the last time, he says, and they are now trying to re-start their musical career. In the interview, Donelson says that he has no interest in breaking the law any longer, although others in the community dispute whether that's true. At any rate, hearing the name "Batman" gets people to listen.

Batman now.

A judge called Albert "Batman" Donelson a wasted talent after he was convicted Wednesday of aggravated assault in a 2010 attack on a Jackson man.

Circuit Judge Tomie Green sentenced Donelson to the maximum 20 years in prison moments after the jury returned the guilty verdict against Donelson.

Green noted Donelson's long criminal rap sheet.

"You are what I call to be wasted talent. If you were in business, you could have been a CEO," Green told Donelson before revealing his sentence. "But you chose another path. You are accountable to the people of Hinds County... Today you will be held accountable."

Imagine that. The subject of a JFP Cover Story goes from 'Most Intriguing' to 'wasted talent' about to be locked up for 20 years and not even a peep or tweet out of DonnerKay about Batman's latest sans-Melton transgressions.

"Contagion Theorist"...I like that.

Who the fig is 'Donner Kay'?

@ Shadow- Donna Ladd of JFP

And I am SO glad we moved out of NE Jackson. Got tired of the crime...even in an awesome neighborhood. I didn't even use 55 Kroger anymore and would drive all the way to Madison to shop. I got sick of hearing about all the purse snatchings and muggings.
I now feel safe going to the grocery store at night...by myself or with my child. It is a great feeling.

If you want to stick up for Jackson, fine. But it won't change the facts- crime is insane. It will only get worse. The police force just doesn't care. They would rather sit on Newland and give out lame "speeding" tickets (for going 6 miles over the limit)at 2 in the afternoon then go out there and find the REAL criminals. Where were they when 2 black men jumped my grandfather on Newland at 11 in the morning after following him home from the bank? Guess it was donut break time...or perhaps they were too busy getting a cat out of the tree.

I am originally from Madison, and even in high school you knew better than to mess with Madison PD. You just didn't do it. You don't speed in Madison, you don't drink even a sip of beer in Madison and drive, and you sure as hell don't break the law- or you will go to jail. JPD is a joke. No one fears them because they know they are a joke.

There are, of course, many benefits of Jackson...but you could not pay me to move back to Hinds County. I am glad it still has supporters, and I am glad there are people brave enough to move back. But, in reality, it is just a matter of time before the whole town fails...unless someone strong enough comes in and changes things.

With the economy the way it is, crime is only going to increase. Sellers are forced to lower the price on their house and guess what happens? Property level goes down...thugs move in...

The housing market in Madison County is booming. I don't know where the person above got their information. There are only 3 houses for sale in our current neighborhood. There are more than 25 in our previous one in NE Jackson-including ours. One house in our neighborhood was on the market for a week and already sold.

Some people refuse to move from Jackson and good for them for sticking it out. I hope things get better in Hinds County, but it doesn't look very promising. As for my family and me- I am SO grateful we moved out.

I've owned a home in Belhaven for 7 yrs. I thought it would be a good investment--especially with the upcoming Fortification St. project. Ha!!

My house has been broken into twice. The JPD made no attempt to take fingerprints from the windows--which were clear and perfect as sunrise. A few years ago I complained about the renters to the slumlord owner of the house (converted into apts) across the street. As a result, I awoke late at night to a renter beating on my door, threatening to "fuck me up," and then shoving his hand through mail slot in the door, trying to grab me. I called 911, JPD showed up and talked to him first. I swear to God, I am not leaving out details of things I may have done wrong, nor am I embellishing the story. I'm leaving out a lot of shocking details to condense.
So..black JPD officer/bitch talking to black assailant/trespasser resulted in..

The first words JPD bitch spoke/yelled at me were that if JPD got called again, I was going to jail. I asked her who should I contact when I was being attacked on my property, as I didn't want to go to jail for calling 911 in an emergency situation. Her reply was gibberish mixed with attempts of intimidation. I wasn't going to argue with a bitch that kept one hand on her gun while during her illogical rant towards me. I was truly afraid that my 12 yr old son might wake up to a mom--shot dead by JPD in the doorway of our home.

Never owned a gun before. Bought a .357 snub nose the next day.

JPD sucks. Dodging potholes everywhere is way passed being on my last nerve. The taxes here are outrageous. The city and county government primarily consist of dumbasses who are too dumb to be embarrassed by the idiotic things they say in public meetings. They are very keen on milking the system. (A black female working for Jackson city government told me outright that she always had an "out" of playing the "race card" in sticky situations.)

If you are of the preferred color and holding gov't position with City of Jxnn or Hinds County, you are "entitled" to milk the system without doing any credible work. Welfare in a suit.

Bought a .357 snub nose the next day.

Excellent decision. Many JPD officers recommend that Jacksonians purchase firearms for protection of their person and property.

Because I guarantee you that when face-to-face with a dangerous person in a dangerous situation your attempting to use a fucking rolled up copy of the JFP 'Good Crime' issue as some type of lame progressive weapon is only going to get your ass killed dead.

Rebekah: The poster got his information about houses not selling in Madison the same place he got his comment about having friends who are moving back to Jackson. Straight out of his ass.

Two houses in our Madison neighborhood have been on the market for almost a year. Each was on the market about the same length of time two years ago, then taken off the market for six months. Nothing has sold in about three years.