Jackson Jambalaya

This lady is trying to reason with Neal and Anna and there is no reasoning with them. This is all about money for Neal and Anna and the money is too high for them to pass up. They don't care one bit about the neighborhood or what this could mean for the children and families in it. Hell, they are getting ready to leave, building a house in Bridgewater. Money is their only motivation. I would also say that the Fisers are funny people. I've known them since Anna was a baby. They will be entrenched and no amount of talking or reasoning with them will help. They are very prideful and self-satisfied and will not change their views. Anna learned this from her parents. The only way to solve this problem is to cut off the taxpayer money that is funding this scheme.

So make a plan and execute it. Go after funding for Dore. Lobby primary care doctors to blacklist Fiser. Bring lawsuits for anything that can survive Rule 11.

For all your money, bluster and supposed influence, you NE Jacksonians make for a pretty feeble angry mob.

Although I agree with her opinion and hate that she, her family, and her neighbors had to face such an ordeal, am concerned with the idea that it seems as if this family kept their back door unlocked KNOWING that they were dealing with a stalker. I want her story to be legitimate. I want this story to carry weight so as to encourage caution. But that part of the story damages the credibility of her testimony. Am I reading that into it?

Everybody just move along. Nothing to see here. No need to worry about the children over at Spann and Jackson Academy. No need to worry about all those young cross country runners JA sends out into the neighborhood for their workouts. That wasn't a JPD officer parked directly across the street from Neal and Anna Stephens Forest Park ministry house this morning before 8 AM. Repeat after me, they're all clean and sober, clean and sober.

10:08...They can't do a damn thing about it. I do take a small pleasure in watching the tizzy of those whose own greed so often blinds them to their own misdeeds and harms others. Greed destroying the lives of the greedy is nothing new. It is just the first time for many of them to suffer from someone else's greed, not to be the one inflicting it. Throw in the reality that their perceived self importance and power is useless to stop this, and we could have some major meltdowns coming. The lawyer per capita of the area must be off the charts, yet none of them will be able to figure out how to stop it. They just got trumped by a deeper and smarter level of greed. That is why this is pissing them off so much. I understand the concern for children, but that is not the real issue here. The pending further loss of property value (greed) is the real driver. If they really cared about their kids, they wouldn't live in Jackson and they wouldn't perpetuate (and worsen) the endless cycle of greed (and condoned drug and alcohol use, but that is for a different day). And I guarantee you that many of those complaining would have been the first to pull this had they known about the opportunity.

Hypocrites all!

10:25 - blame the victim??? Seriously????! Wow.

I know a member of this woman's extended family. This is a heartbreaking story, and it seems we are likely to be getting more stories like these.

10:53 You obviously aren't from Northeast Jackson. You weren't born and raised surrounded by family there. Your assertion that if people opposed to these halfway houses really cared about their children they would not live in Jackson is a complete joke.
Would you have said the same thing to the residents of New Orleans who wanted to move back after Katrina? Probably not, but everyone else in the world seems to understand that home is home.

10;53 - It is not greed to want to maintain your property value. EVERY property owner wants his property to maintain or gain value. That is called common sense, not greed. The property owners are invested in the neighborhood and Jackson otherwise they would have left with the droves of others years ago. The property owners are making a plan - the first part of which involved approaching the Stephens to sell the house for more than they paid for it. This part of the plan has been done, but I do not know whether the Stephens accepted. If they didn't, then we have to move on to the next step, which will likely involve litigation as well as lobbying work.

I would be far less worried about the children in the neighborhood than about older adults. Children, these days, and especially children in places like Jackson, have strong young adults protecting them.

I would be worried about older women. The occupants of these "clean and sober houses" have the perfect vantage points for studying the neighbors. They have time to see who's alone, who's vulnerable, what their routines are, who visits...

Lenora Edhegard moved into a safe neighborhood in Rankin County. But a recently-released sex offender moved in next door. He stalked her, then broke into her home and murdered her. We have LENORA'S LAW now, because of that. But it won't bring this hard-working and much-admired woman back.

But maybe there's time to prevent the NEXT tragedy - the one on Northside Drive, which hasn't happened, YET.

Oh, and people in these "clean and sober houses" may be prone to stealing mail, for purposes of Identity Theft. Maybe it's time to get your mail sent to a post office box.

Look no further for a shining example of why Jackson won't survive than 10:53 AM.

She makes a good point about cross-addiction. That is real and happens. Also, the average addict is in and out of rehab over five times, so chances are that the folks that live in these houses aren't totally "cured". I sure wouldn't want them living in my neighborhood.

When the Federal Government can call people in alcohol addiction secondary treatment "chronically homeless" and cover them with exemptions meant for others, then they can move into any town, anywhere. This is not just a Jackson problem. Wait and see. Obviously getting to work is not a problem for these residents, they have cars.

10:53am here....I grew up in NEJ, went to prep, went to ole miss, moved back to NEJ, sent my kids to a private school, was a member at CCJ, moved away for work, sold my house right by JA, moved back a few years later to Madison. I am deeply educated in the hypocrisy, greed, and feaux-Christianity of NEJ and her residents. Sure there are good, honest people in the midst, just like anywhere else. However, there is a dearth of money grubbing, social climbing, "look at me", delusional wanna-be's that are more morally corrupt than those they look down upon. And I just love those of you who turn a blind eye to abhorrent behavior bc the perpetrator is "rich" and you may have something to gain from that person.

11:26am...."home is home"????? when the odds of your kid getting his head blown off for his car or wallet are literally hundreds of times greater by living 10 miles closer to...well, not quite sure why y'all stick around there. When the odds are much greater that your children will be harmed in one area (Jackson vs. anywhere else in a 30 mile radius), and you willfully put your children in that dangerous area every single day, I would say home is where you freaking make a safe place to live, not some nostalgic memory of a place that no longer exists.

That wasn't really the point though....reap the whirlwind....go Neal and Anna go!

Again....HYPOCRITES ALL!

Are you serious? Bridgewater? How can they carry on their ministry from that ivory tower? I would think they would fit in Oregon better.

11:32am...the best laid plans of mice and men...

Go get 'em champ. Make that plan. Too bad the law and the plans of others that are way more advanced than yours are in play now.

The only way out is for this delightful, young Christian couple to relent, and most delightful Christian couples I know from NEJ won't relent one bit when their true god of $$$$ is on the line.

I am sorry for the handful of decent individuals caught up in this, but from my point of view, this is hilarious, especially with that beacon of status (oh, and education), JA, caught up in it. The gnashing of teeth and wailing of sorrows coming from NEJ this last week pale in comparison to the daily problems most people face. Most of your ilk need a way bigger dose of reality than this. This is nothing.

Good luck!

Reap your own whirlwind pal. I've no doubt with the weight of that massive chip on your shoulder it will pay your sad vituperative self back many times over. Enjoy loser!

10:53, 12:43 - wow, bitter much?

Why wish ill or bad on others you don't even know? Ok, so you love Madison now that you live there. Great. Does that mean you want a halfway house with 7 recovering addicts who are likely to also be felons living right next door to you? I'm sure the answer is no. Why then support something you obviously know is detrimental to a neighborhood because you apparently had a bad experience with a few folks? The bottom line is we should all be endeavoring to protect the integrity of all single family neighborhoods so that this Oxford House model doesn't become the norm throughout all of the tri-county area. Don't be so naïve to think that they won't come calling in Madison and Rankin counties sooner rather than later.

12:43 - "I grew up in NEJ, went to prep, went to ole miss... However, there is a dearth of money grubbing, social climbing, "look at me", delusional wanna-be's that are more morally corrupt than those they look down upon."

Perhaps you should quit being a judgmental ass and pick up a dictionary.

12:43 - that would be plethora not dearth. Don't use big words if you don't what they mean - makes you look stupid. As my freshmen English teacher wrote on my first submitted paper - "you attempt to be profound - you fail miserably"

This is the City of Jackson's fault for not having good land use controls in place to protect it's residents. You can not wait until there is a major problem to know what to do.A good lawyer could get this fixed if there there was sound planning to work with.

2:33pm, I think he needs a thesaurus, not a dictionary.

Predicatable how the number of visceral hate NEJ comments escalated so rapidly once Donner got back into town.

Not sure why Kingfish won't publish my comment. I've been trying to respond for a while now. I guess some statements are ok on one thread and not on the other.

Yes....I accidentally deleted "not" in front of "dearth". I was trying to get my description of the residents of NEJ just right and must not have added "not" back.

Please publish my earlier response. I can't retype it and remove the questionable questions. I don't remember what all I said.

I do remember this....I like my chip. I didn't wish ill on anyone. I don't live in Madison now (or Jackson). And this is still funny as shit.

This would be much easier if Kingfish didn't disallow comments that have already been made on other threads.

"Predictable how the number of visceral hate NEJ comments escalated so rapidly once Donner got back into town."

April 8, 2015 at 4:21 PM
------------------------------------
Your world view is quite amusing. Do tell- what brand of tinfoil do you use? Are you a victim of liberal media bias?
Those are rhetorical questions that require no answer.

11:45. You're right about the recurring stints in treatment for most in recovery. Here's a couple of quotes directly from the Oxford House FAQ page:

How many times has the average Oxford House resident been through residential treatment?

The average number of times an Oxford House resident has been through prior treatment is three

How much sobriety or clean time is needed before an individual can be accepted into an Oxford House?

There is no specific amount of sobriety needed. Generally an individual comes into an Oxford House following a 28-day rehabilitation program or at least a 5 to 10-day detoxification program.

That should tell you worlds about this organization. "Generally their people have a 28 day program." But, ok, maybe they just had a "5 day detox." It really doesn't matter as "there is no minimum requirement." So... no wonder there's so many return visits. This also means that there's no guarantee these adults moving in have had any kind of reasonable help before lining them up to make money off their government subsidized housing allowance.

Oh, and as for 12:43, I'm pretty sure if I had a choice of him as a neighbor or the halfway house, I'd have to flip a coin. I'm not sure what happened to him, but smh at so much anger/resentment. I still had to laugh a bit over the obvious attempt to convince us his JP/OM education worked out for him.

Hey, 2:33 and 4:01, can you throw in a spell checker for him, too - "feaux"? Seriously, dude?

Let's deal with two issues: 1) By my estimate they are getting $3500/mo for a 1800+ 3 bedroom house. Most homes that are being rented in that neighborhood are being rented for less than $1800.
My conclusion is that this is about money. 2) If I remember her quote correctly, 'this sort of turned into a ministry thing'. I conclude they have now rationalized and justified their position as ministry. First it was money, then it became out of necessity ministry. Is the passion for ministry or filthy lucre?

6:19 ,this is a stupid Federal program that we all should protect each other from. Ask Thad what so since he gave the money to make this mess.

Her husband 'chased him with a gun'? Are you shittin' me. Why did he not blow the MoFo in half?

The dearth of consideration by the property owners to communicate in a meaningful way with NEJ residents is appalling.

It sounds like someone might experience a dearth of medical practice referrals.

A plethora of knowledge gained through an Ivy League education can be diminished by a dearth of common sense and decency.

So much for:
"*There is no evidence that any one of the renters poses, or might pose, a threat to anyone in the community"

3:59: "This is the City of Jackson's fault for not having good land use controls in place to protect it's residents. You can not wait until there is a major problem to know what to do.A good lawyer could get this fixed if there there was sound planning to work with."

Wrong. Read the other posts on this.

Where is the Northside Sun on this? They have not posted a word on the biggest story to happen in their backyard since....ever!!! The Stephens couple have managed to instill more fear and anguish on those than any criminal, terrorist, or corrupt politician ever could.

Wyatt???? We're waiting.....perhaps you shouldn't try to hide your close relationship with Neal, NE Jackson's Gomer Pyle. Seriously, listen to Neal's voicemail. He's got the biggest Gomer voice.

Is there anybody who's worried about the alcoholic husbands and fathers who have been living in the neighborhood long before this? Is there anybody worried about the neighbors who watch kiddy porn on their computers right next door? Or the pedophiles already in the neighborhood? Or is everybody just worried about the alcoholics that they don't know yet? Believe me, they are in every neighborhood whether you know it or not. I can walk down any street in Madison, Rankin, or Hinds and find a criminal. I work in court and see it every day, and I can tell you that bad behavior does not discriminate by race, creed, or color.

6:19 - you are correct re rental rates. I own a larger and nicer rental in the area and receive rents in the ballpark that you stated. I take great care to select only stable long term tenants and have turned down several shocking offers for HUD vouchers plus cash because I could not face the neighbors if I did that to them, and also because I don't want to devalue my investment long term. It truly is hard to understand this short sighted destructive behavior.

8:47 - much like dealing with a rattlesnake - one at a time is much more manageable than 7 crawling around in the same nest. What don't you get about concentration of a problem in one area? I guess you failed basic chemistry class - put too much of something in the same beaker it catches on fire!

Is there anybody who's worried ...

Sorry but your list of worries is not related to the matter at hand.

Where is the Northside Sun on this?

If the Stephens are in any way related to a friend of a friend of a friend of Emmerich's he won't touch this.

The sad reality is that 10's of thousands who lived in west and south Jackson experienced encrochments that changed their neighborhoods and devaluated their properties a decade or two ago experienced these same feelings long before NEJ ever felt threatened. Simply because the property values insulated them (NEJ) from the immediate onslaught only prolonged the inevitable. Those who "fled" Jackson in the 70s, 80's and 90's were actually the ones who could least afford to do so… but now the remaining homeowners in Fonden, Belhaven and NEJ continue to berate those who have moved on to the burbs.

12:02, Fondren, Belhaven, and Northeast Jackson ARE 'burbs'.

Brandon and Madison, at least according to Wikipedia, are 'exurbs', or 'bedroom communities'.

Oh, and 8:47, your LATEST attempt to demoralize us, in accordance with the "recommended techniques", has been noted. Thank you for 'sharing'. We know who you are, and we know WHAT you are.

A recovering addict living alone is more of a relapse risk than seven living together. They are more likely to keep each other straight than to lead each other to relapse. The residents of the neighborhood who are so afraid of these people probably should have paid more attention to their zoning ordinances. Why residents would sit idly by and allow boarding houses to be included in neighborhoods zoned for single family dwelling is beyond me.

7:43
We are all just waking up to the fact that the Federal FHA has gone beyond belief in making a special protective class of people whose only claim to being handicapped is that they had allowed themselves to become drug or alcohol addicts and now require recovery. You and I who have disciplined ourselves are not in the protected handicapped class. It will take Congrss to fix this by taking these people out of the protected class. Posters who pit Madison v. Jackson are wasting focus and time if we are to fix this sine Federal preemption can affect any city.

The lack of good city planning and failure to protect residential neighborhoods began long before white flight!
The inability of neighborhoods to agree to new covenants after the old ones expired or co-operate to write covenants happened long before Jackson white flight.
White flight contributed but the lack of residential protection and racism certainly made " block busting" easier. In cities where whites didn't flee, neighborhoods remain in tact.

So the accusations of hypocrisy are pretty funny. Those of you who were instrumental in creating the problems are still unwilling to help solve problems . Your ignorance of how the world works and fear of change still makes the problems more difficult to overcome. And, you are the people who thrive on bad news, exaggerate anything bad, gossip, and thus make things worse for everyone.

The over-reactions to common city and human problems are ridiculous.

These are real problems that need to be addressed. There's no question about that. But, you Jackson bashers are not helping solve problems. You are enjoying them. That says very bad things about who you are!

I agree that the Stephens are not nice people to be willing to profit off an enterprise that so obviously is not appropriate in the neighborhoods where they bought " rental" property. The kindest thing I can say is that they did not bother to do their due diligence as citizens.

Here's a news flash for the Jackson bashers. There's a reason successful developers from out of state are investing in Jackson. Unlike y'all , they have studied socio-economics and see the opportunities. They know perfectly well what the patterns are in other cities like Jackson in the northeast and the more populated areas of the country. And, they've studied city development in the rest of the world as well.

They know that there are economic gorillas in Jackson ( the hospitals, state government, and colleges) that aren't going away. They know that the suburbs never can develop a planetarium or museums or support a symphony or zoo. Starting those things is far too expensive now.

And, they understand that the " bones" of construction were made to last and can't be duplicated today.

But, you bashers all think you are smarter than those who have successfully invested in other cities. You all know the histories of other capitol cities.

And, you bashers are certainly the least observant and curious people around or you'd notice the development going on in Jackson and wonder why !

Northside Sun reporting that Yarber administration is REFUSING to enforce zoning laws relative to Oxford Houses.

Please remember this when Yarber wants Ward 1 votes come re-election time.

The statement about successful out of state developers spending money in Jackson is wrong.The only folks looking to do business in Jackson are semi-con men seeking a hand out and a quick buck.Jackson has the mark that it can be had real easy with a few dollars spread around.

8:22 the city does not know what it is doing and has 0 professions to assist that have a clue.

Turn off the tax credit spigot and all the developer interest vanishes.

8:19... Were you taught to be that verbose? ...or did you learn how all by yourself?

Two things:

-To all the people defended this house either move them next door to you or shut the #$*& Up!

Second...

-Figure out a way Boss Hog and Butler Snow can make money getting rid of this Federal funding and it will be taken care of this afternoon ( actually by mid morning).

This is not a city issue. This is a State issue. They control the funding. Mayor Yarber is a friend to our neighborhood, but this issue is bigger than the city.

The U.S. DOJ has mandated that our state provide these services. MDMH was sold on a snake oil solution under duress of DOJ litigation.

We have the capacity within our state to provide these services in a beneficial manner without shipping resources to Boston and Maryland.

The city planning department is run by a bigger bunch of fools that I thought.You never fail to follow your laws.This city will one day in near future be burned to the ground.I fear that once the fire starts it will spread to the entire metro area.

10:30, wrong. Each city must have by law their own plan for growth and development or allow very bad things to happen.With a good long range plan law suits are not a problem. The State is nothing but an extension of the Federal government in this matter and cares nothing about the people of Jackson or any were else.

10:30 am - it is my understanding that the federal law was changed by amendment that went from mandating these services to permitting these services.

The Oxford House website itself states:
"In 1988, Congress enacted P.L. 100-690, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act. This Act included a provision that required all states to establish a revolving loan fund to provide start-up funds for groups wishing to open sober living environments based on the Oxford House model. The mandate was changed to a permissive provision in 1990 and is now codified as 42 USC 300x-25. To determine if a particular state has a current recovery home revolving loan fund, click the Single State Director List and contact the agency. Such loans of $4,000 pay the first month's rent and security deposit and thereby accelerate the rate at which individual recovering people can find affordable housing. Repayment is made monthly for 24 months so that others can benefit from the same kind of loan."

I saw Anna Fiser at school this morning when I was dropping off my child. She was smiling, laughing. How she can look people in the eye and act as if she's doing no wrong (to her employer and coworkers), is sickening, and beyond me.

@10:30 AM, Yarber admin legal not authorizing filing of zoning violation against OH. So much for Yarber being our friend.

In other words, the state of Mississippi has chosen to give money to Oxford House (and similar housing models), but it does not have to.

Here's a scary fact touted on Oxford House's website:
"In some states, the start-up revolving loan fund has turned over many times enabling the development of strong statewide networks of Oxford Houses. For example, in Washington State the original $100,000 start-up loan fund has loaned out more than $700,000 as houses repaid their loans. The money is used over and over again with the result that the state has 179 houses with 1,464 recovery beds."

Our state officials need to wake up. As many have said, there are better ways to help these addicts/criminals in a manner that is not harmful to our family neighborhoods and children.

The state does NOT have to provide these funds for such housing. It is optional. The state needs to choose a better, safer option.

@ 11:26 Very good information. Now what we have to determine is if this is a DOJ mandate to our state as a part of the settlement or if the State has the ability to opt out of this program.

@10:47 the State level elected officials I have spoken to have shown great interest in this and the people in our state, Jackson or elsewhere. In particular, they have shown interest in finding better ways to provide mental health and addiction related services in our state. Rest assured there is a growing drumbeat at the state level about this.

@12:43 It has been well documented here and elsewhere that there is NO zoning violation. Ask your city councilman.

You are trying to take everyone's eye off the ball. This is now a state issue.

@12:43 I am glad that Mayor Yarber did not waste taxpayer dollars pursuing a hopeless fight. There is not one documented case of a successful zoning challenge to OH. The OH lawyers would have pounced all over the zoning issue.

The fight is at the state level and their discretion over the administration of these federal grants. These grants are clearly funded by the feds and administered by the state. The paper trail is there for all to see.

@1:12 pm. Thanks. How do we determine whether this is a DOJ mandate which the state can opt out of?

Also, wouldn't good, strong, legal neighborhood covenants put a stop to this? What are the necessary requirements to put in place new neighborhood covenants in older neighborhoods like ours in which the covenants have expired? In addition, would it be possible to apply new neighborhood covenants retroactively to cover rentals such as the Oxford House?

@1:16 PM & @1:27 PM

Those are your opinions. There are others.

The fact that Tony Yarber hasn't expressed any outrage or public condemnation of the recent OH events speaks volumes.

The fight is at the state level...

Wrong.

The fight is with the property owners.

"I saw Anna Fiser at school this morning when I was dropping off my child. She was smiling, laughing. How she can look people in the eye and act as if she's doing no wrong (to her employer and coworkers), is sickening, and beyond me." April 9, 2015 at 12:16 PM

With WHOM was she smiling and laughing? The mirror? Imaginary friends? Helpless children who have no real choice but to be pleasant with the adults WHO HAVE POWER OVER THEM?

So if it is state problem, why aren't we hearing about this in the burbs?

I'm sure there are some cheap rentals in Pearl and the Little Mexico part of Ridgeland.

There apparently has been a lot of research done on this issue by interested parties in northeast Jackson. Have any of you uncovered any documentation that shows these houses are "harmful to our family neighborhoods and children"? I think if the addicts already living there among you haven't been harmful to you then it's doubtful that these will be.

@1:55 I am not sure what additional outrage from Yarber would have added to this debate. Solutions are what we need and he can't provide them. Bashing Yarber on this point reflects a lack of understanding of the true issue in debate.

The issue at hand is the inept delivery of sound mental health care and addiction services in our state.

2:16pm...what do you mean? It is NEJ. People will continue to be nice to her face bc she is rich. Then, they will come on here and rip her to shreds. Then whenever her wealth benefits them, they will be nice again. It's the NEJ way.

2:32pm...It is ok to be an addict or recovering addict as long as you are rich and NEJ sycophants can still benefit from you. If you are just a regular Joe trying to make your way back to your feet, you are the scum of the earth and will probably rape their grandmother's dog.

@2:55 the recommendations as a part of the DOJ litigation were only released in September of last year. The additional funding to expand this program was just approved by the House last Thursday. This program is still in an emerging stage in MS.

But more directly to your point, this is a state funding and healthcare delivery problem. The discussion of this issue just happened to start in Jackson.

Why don't residents of NEJ have home owners associations and covenants to protect themselves? Who did they think would keep harmful things away from them?What little land of OZ do these people live in?

2:32 - Several others have asked the same question and its been answered several times. The difference is that one addict living with his/her own family presumably in a house owned by that family which is invested in the neighborhood, is NOT the same thing as 7 strangers "renting" a 3 bedroom house (with government money), sleeping on mattresses on the floor with absolutely no investment in each other or the home. Or as another commentator put it: "much like dealing with a rattlesnake - one at a time is much more manageable than 7 crawling around in the same nest. What don't you get about concentration of a problem in one area?"

Hey now don't be dogging young Harvey, er, Tony Yarber. He just wants to be able to go to the Walmart with his kids and avoid constituents seeking proof of his results. Seems whatever little traction he earned from extolling about a reading program and senior citizens center is long, long gone.

3:40, I understand the argument. I just wondered if there had been any incidents worth reporting. There have been over 1800 Oxford Houses established over the last 40 years - surely someone has been raped or murdered by now.

5:27 - off the top of my head I know there was an incident (in Texas I believe) where one Oxford House resident killed another housemate at the Oxford House and then killed himself. Is that something you want happening next door to your home? Especially if you have children? I don't.

Just want to correct my 5:57 post - the Oxford House resident tried to kill another housemate. He shot him, but he did not die. He then shot and killed himself. I'm sure there are many other incidents, but as I said, this is the one that's just off the top of my head.

http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/126642-methadone-finds-its-%20way-into-clean-sober-housing

"Smith is also certain that she doesn’t like the idea that her Oxford House, and the 45 other Oxford Houses in the Portland area, will now no longer be able to insist on a completely clean and sober environment. At least not according to her definition.

Whether Smith likes it or not, addicts who have opted for methadone treatment, and who wish to live at an Oxford House, can no longer be kept out. State health and housing officials, under pressure from the federal government, are telling Oxford Houses throughout the country that people taking methadone are protected under the Americans With Disabilities Act and cannot be discriminated against when they apply for housing.

But for heroin addicts such as Smith, methadone patients have simply traded one high for another, and being around them is like being around other users — the last thing someone in recovery should do."

The fact that Tony Yarber hasn't expressed any outrage or public condemnation of the recent OH events speaks volumes” – 1:55 4/9/15

Yes it does – that unlike some of you Jackson bashers he is smart enough not to put a comment out there that would eventually be used as evidence once the City is sued for discriminatory intent. This is how OH operates across the country, knowing that because their clients are a protected class under FHA, A LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT TRIES TO USE ZONING AS A WAY TO BLOCK AN OH WILL ULTIMATELY BE SUED AND WILL LOSE LIKE MANY OTHER CITIES HAVE ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

Or perhaps you people just like seeing the City piss away more taxpayer money in legal judgments.

8:17; I'm guessing there have been hundreds of domestic murder-suicides in Jackson (and everywhere else) by folks who don't live in Oxford Houses. Reckon?

you aren't gonna have 7 alcoholics living a house together, that isn't what the treatment and "recovery" industry is dealing with anymore. You will have seven poylsubstance garbage cans that have been formerly doctor shopping hydrocodone, smoking meth, snorting coke, taking sedatives, and smoking dope, who are hanging on a by a thin string of AA/NA bullshit, and still have a cell phone full of former addict use buddies and drug dealers. Sounds really healthy doesn't it.

8:17 am - read others' posts at 9:28, 3:40, and so on.

4:25, you my be right about Jackson losing if sued over a zoning matter BUT many other cities use zoning based on sound long range planning to prevent harmful used of land in single family areas. One on many ways is to have a reasonable places noted in their plan for all types of land uses to locate including group homes.A city simply placed these homes in a zone which better is suited for the homes and the city.Now a city has to stay ahead of a problem and really make good plans. You can't wait til the city on on fire to build a fire station.

Dang, there's got to be two folks on this thread that have posted 30 times each! They can't get enough of seeing their lukewarm babble onscreen.

Posting at 4:25AM? Either been up all night or JUMPED out of bed and ran to the computer to post again?

Get a life.

Young Harvey Yarber has 4:25 completely duped.

"On measures where control data are available, there is no credible evidence of significant gains in literacy associated with this intervention. There are no published studies on efficacy with the clinical groups for whom the programme is advocated. It is important that family practitioners and paediatricians are aware that the claims made for this expensive treatment [DORE] are misleading."

Oxford House (http://www.oxfordhouse.org/userfiles/file/0 does NOT hide the fact they admit all manner of criminals to their UNREGULATED, UNSUPERVISED, and UNLICENSED boarding houses they euphemistically call sober living homes. Not so sober if the article concerning a New Jersey man that was found dead of a heroin overdoes is taken into consideration: http://www.northjersey.com/news/lack-of-oversight-stirs-doubts-about-n-j-s-drug-recovery-housing-1.1087436?page=all

I suspect this explains the link on their home page to Heroin Overdose Info. Look at the home page on the left immediately under Vacancies.

The article does make it clear that the Oxford House model is a MONEY MAKING SCHEME. Landlords make HUGE profits off the scheme and Oxford House keeps the federal taxpayer money flowing to keep opening more and more houses. Something akin to a Ponzi scheme.

So who benefits from the Oxford House model? Clearly Oxford House and the Landlords. Not so clear the addicts get much but a place to sleep that is paid for by again federal and state dollars.

The bigger issue for the residents of NEJ is the inevitable decline in the home values of NEJ. As the homes decline in value the businesses that locate there will find it difficult to impossible to stay since the clientele will shift from middle and upper middle class that will leave over time.

I doubt that the Oxford House residents will do much shopping at Kate Spade and Maison Weiss nor take their meals at Char, Juleps or Bravo. The retail businesses, the banks, and all commercial enterprises should share the concern. Not to mention the Jackson City government that will see their tax base continue to erode. As 39211 goes, so goes the primary residential property taxpayer remaining in the city.

Does one have to post at a certain time of day in order to make a valid point. Talk about 'getting a life'!

Nevertheless; What's the line (no pun intended) on recidivism when you put seven bad behavioralists in a box 30 feet wide and 70 feet long and tell them to straighten up and fly right?

Exciting News: the OXford House for spoiled young me-first I only matter Harvard educated, the neighbors be damned and RHC bred narcissists has opened with 2 residents over on Newland Street! And it is self-governing! The results are evident and wonderful!

Soon to move to Bridgewater to even nicer digs! Sorry, the capacity has been reached with 2. For 7 or more, see the Forest Park and Sherwood Forest dumping grounds.

@7:25 AM, this turn of events is going to kill Jackson Academy. Just watch.

The people of once rich living NEJ let the City go to hell by not caring util it got into their area. These people could have made a difference when mattered but they could not find time while being in Destin, Colorado and the Grove. Just stick you head in sand , hang out at JA, and spend your money but now watch the value of your home fall to nothing.

10:54. Quit bashing NEJ. Sherwood Forest has covenants.

Wonderful news, isn't it, 8:59?! But you were remiss in not noting that this excellent Newland Street location specializes in facilitation and enrichment of those receiving high scores in evaluations for Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Sociopathy.