Jackson Jambalaya

The Cochran supporter in the white shirt came pretty close to getting the Cochran supporter in the black shirt with that last shot. I bet black shirt's ears were ringing.

I bet these upstanding citizens are just biting at the bit to get to use their toys, preferably on the white man that's keeping them down. It would be easier to identify them if you put a screenshot of the original post.

Could be anywhere. On March 23, 2015, I saw three guys shooting from the backyard of 370 Naples. After calling the cops twice, they dropped by and the people denied doing it. That backyard is fully fenced and has a small deck. Don't remember a patio. But this goes on every day in Jackson.

Our great senator Longwitz is meeting people for coffee & complaining about a sober living home (which is ALL he's done for 4 years). Meanwhile, crime is rampant, our district is crumbling, & all he sits on the sidelines. Time for a change! If he's reelected, I'm moving to Brandon or Madison (not in his district!).

Unfortunately crap like this is why I won't send my children to Jackson Academy. I graduated from that school, and love it. But the surrounding area is getting worse at a more rapid rate than ever, and it's just not worth putting my children in that kind of situation. They should have moved when they had the chance.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with their upbringing; fatherless homes, accountability, "the system"....nah, I bet it has everything to do with the white man, oppression, Bush, or that damn flag.

...(which is ALL he's done for 4 years) ...

That is categorically FALSE. Longwitz has gotten more legislation passed and signed by the Governor than many past or present first term Senators.

Meanwhile, crime is rampant, our district is crumbling, & all he sits on the sidelines.

That is almost verbatim one of Billingsley's narratives though Billingsley never once tells us how as Senator he would address crime differently, how as Senator he can have an impact on crime happening inside a municipality nor has Billingsley ever communicated ANY ideas for legislation to reduce crime. Billingsley has also never put forth any tangible legislative ideas how to provide aid to this "crumbling" Senate district.

The ONLY policy statements we have from Billingsley are that he supports MDMH and their OH approach and that he blames Longwitz for the half-baked Common Core bill that Reeves wanted to emerge from the Senate last session.

You said it 9:39 AM. My JA student, a Senior, was held up at gunpoint on Sheffield after a football game by a black male assailant wearing a hooded sweatshirt. Real shame because at its core it is a quality school.

9:27 - I'm no Longwitz fan and think this whole OH is a witch hunt. But, if you're putting local crime at the feet of a state senator, you're just being silly. What's he going to do, ask the governor for a special session to stop a shooting near JA? I understand he can have an impact, but that's only over time. Your local officials have the power to help you more quickly. Call them.

10:04

Probably one of those scholarship recipients that they suddenly decided was such a good idea.

It is time to get way from all this mess and live where it is safe.

Between the addicts and gangbangers I can't help but wonder what the parents of the young children are thinking. The crime surrounding the school is going to continue get much worse and will likely never get better. I understand letting a highschool student finish with his friends and all, but why in the world would anyone subject a young child to the crime in the area is beyond me.

Where did this shooting video take place? And how do you know?

Wouldn't send my dog to be boarded at JA.

Not sure how this turned into a discussion on JA and its surrounding neighborhood because I don't see where anyone has identified where this specific shooting took place. BUT, I do think it's time for JA to think about stepping up and doing something to keep its campus and surrounding neighborhood safe, especially considering the fact that their cross country students use the surrounding neighborhood for practice runs. I don't know exactly what they could do, except maybe budget for extra security patrols throughout the area during school and school event hours. And I mean serious security patrols like using armed off duty police officers. I say this as a parent who has yet decided where to send my children to school and JA taking bigger steps to securing the school and surrounding area would be a major factor in my decision.

Bill Billingsly, or Will Longwitz, if elected, should pass a law to remove Jackson Academy because it's obviously too unsafe to send kids to school there. That little elementary public school about 200 yards up the hill must also be right in the middle of the warzone and should be condemned. With all of the killings and robberies that happen right there everyday, that obviously go unreported, I can't believe parents that live around there let their kids run around outside and play in their yards, ride their bikes up and down the street, etc.

Also, JA must have paid someone off to keep quiet about the senior getting robbed at gunpoint after a football game. First it's the drunks and druggies living in an Oxford House 2 miles away and now it's mass shootings.

Ha how did this turn into a JA bashing session? Where was this video taken? For instance, some of the "NE jax" classified neighborhoods around the intersection of ridgewood and county line are downright awful but I wouldn't consider that to be near JA.

You need to check your facts about Will WRONGwitz getting more legislation passed than any other first term senator. You are lying & grasping, but I guess that's what this site is about. He's listed as the top first term senator likely to not get reelected. I tried to post a link to the article, but his puppet (KF) wouldn't approve it. Shocker. Probably won't approve this post either. Unlike his opponent, the article wasn't bought & paid for by BB. It was done before BB entered the race. To the person who said you can't blame the senator for the crime-I call BS. If he'd get his head out of Mental Health & be a legislator & not try to regulate sober living homes, then he could do something. Instead, he's hell bent on trying to help the 3 neighbors who don't want a house. Now, the real story here-crime will continue to take over Jackson until new leadership is in place-including city council, mayor, police chief, AND senator AND representative.

I like the idea of closing JA & make it a boarding kennel. The current president/CEO/chief idiot can be the chief dog walker. I'll support that!

Anyone have a clue what language they are( or are attempting) to speak?

@11:18am - kids walk to and from school, kids do, indeed, run cross country around the neighborhood. kids walk down to the track/baseball field. kids leave their "stuff" all over campus and even outside of campus. I don't recall seeing any issues on social media about the safety of the kids in or surrounding JA.

it is not JA's responsibility to patrol the surrounding neighborhood and they apparently do a good job of keeping their campus safe amidst all of the supposed daily crime happening just outside of their gates

We are still waiting to hear how you know the location of this incident that you published as fact? Also where exactly was it?

"Facts are lost on certain people who are more concerned with making everything fit a certain narrative and a reason for existence." - KF on Donna Ladd, July 19, 2015.

Well I was almost attacked by a chupacabra in Madison County the other day. The chupacabra told me that he would let me go this time, but that I better watch myself around his neck of the woods. Therefore, I will never send my kids to St. Andrews or St. Joes. It is just too dangerous there. Too many chupacabras and Billingsley voters.

But wait a minute.....I was told that Whole Foods would put an end to all of this BS. Property values would soar, crime would disappear, nothing but roses and light. Must be because they haven't gotten their "across the street" parking lot. Yet. Whole Foods moves in, most all of the long-time mom & pop tenants leave. Sweet.

Has anyone ever considered that NE JXN is not one big monolith, and that Whole Foods and JA have absolutely nothing to do with this stuff(which may have happened up to five miles away)? I hate to rain on your "let's crap on Jackson" parade, but maybe you could find something better to do than to make sweeping generalizations on some blog.

1:18
As a lifelong chupacabra, I must state that I am OFFENDED that you would use us as a foil to poke fun at any commenter (especially those in politics). All of us in the chupacabra family look forward to you immediately retracting this hurtful, hateful joke.

Wow. Some of you are getting mad because I won't approve comments. The fact they are about nothing but the Senate race might have something to do with it. Sure does suck, doesn't it?

1:59
Nobody has to post "let's crap on Jackson" items. Jackson poops on itself all day, every day. Why don't you try and lighten up just a little, Nancy. That's right. Sit back. Take a deep breath. Jackson will crap on itself again soon, and the circle of life can continue.
p.s. waiting with bated breath on the plans for the $10 million dollar high school baseball stadium, right in the heart of beautiful downtown Jackson.

"Mom and pop" stores are having a hard time surviving anywhere these days

2:28, that's funny... An anti-Jackson Internet troll telling people to lighten up. There is good and bad in Jackson, and your denial of the city's attributes won't make them disappear. If you don't like this town, that's fine. Nobody needs your approval.

How about posting an open thread for discussion on the senate race? It seems to be a very hot topic.

JA made a stupid decision to stay in Jackson and spend even more money when all the signs were there that the area and neighborhood was dangerous.

I truly believe with a little effort these guys can be found. However, probably not a crime worthy of solving.

"An anti-Jackson Internet troll telling people to lighten up."
Ouch. That hurt. You've gone and hurt my feelings 3:02. Such examples of rapier-like wit are truly impressive. I guess you told me.
All I want to do now is go to re-education camp (they're having those at the Convention Center this week, right? so I can get my mind right.
Living here all my life (more than 60 years) doesn't seem to afford me the right to say whatever I want to about this "City with Soul"(or, is it the "Bold New City"? Or "Crossroads of the South"? We've had so many city slogans, I lose count) anyway, have a FABULOUS day, Nancy.

Donna Ladd should have them over for dinner.

3:20, and St. Joes made a dumb decision to stay in Madison. So much danger of running into a chupacabra up there! You can see signs of it everywhere. Fear for your life!

The ONLY reason JA didn't relocate is because the board members at the time it was discussed were living in the immediate area. If the school left the home values would plummet. They couldn't have their property values go down that quick, rather they took this route of a slow and steady decrease, taking the school down with them. The safety of the children at the school was never a factor. It was solely about the Board's money.

JA does have a uniformed Hinds Co. Deputy in a marked patrol car working the school during school hours.

"It is time to get way from all this mess and live where it is safe."
July 21, 2015 at 10:51 AM

True. And sadly, not all of those fleeing, are fleeing to Madison, Brandon, Gluckstadt, and Clinton.

"As far away from here as we can get.", sums it up. Jackson's loss is Seattle's gain: what's left of our Best and Brightest are LEAVING.

Amen 2:31

The next thing will be installing metal detectors. JA is a fine school, but needs to move from Jackson. The city could buy the facility for a "Head Start" (to train future thugs) or a Charter School (to let all the ADHD kids and those unable to handle rules) have a daytime babysitter.

My kids have attended several private schools in the area over the past decade. Hands down, JA has the most secure campus. They really took security to a whole new level immediately after Sandy Hook. Prep and St Andrew's Upper School are wide open by comparison.

20 bucks says the household wealth from JA to Lakeland Drive is higher than any comparable area in the state

In my opinion, after Sandy Hook and the countless other school shootings, EVERY school should have metal detectors and armed security personnel on campus at all times.

And I'm still unsure why JA is taking the heat on this thread when as noted many times by other posters, no one has identified this shooting video as having been taken anywhere near JA or its surrounding neighborhood.

Am I missing something? I watched this video twice, and the only thing I saw was two idiots shooting into the sky around a tree. Anyone (with sense) can see this behavior is reckless.

However, I lived in Rankin County until I was 18, and stuff like that happens on a semi-daily basis there (I moved, thank God). Again, I agree these guys are dumb and shouldn't be allowed to shoot these guns out in the open like that. But, how is this video so much worse than what they do out in Rankin? Is there the same reaction to a white guy in Brandon shooting guns in his backyard?

Also, I'll go ahead and join the people noting that we don't know this isn't five plus miles from JA (a similar distance from parts of Madison to Canton).

MRA is a wonderful school. Come north JA students, come north.

There is no way to tell if this incident happened near JA. What I see is fear that the one area of Jackson that was respectable is turning out to have crime problems. Twenty-five years ago we moved to this area from the northern United States. We chose another county besides Hinds to live in. On day one of our house hunting, we were uncomfortably and continually starred at while eating in a small "Mom & Pop" BBQ somewhere in south or west Jackson. While walking to our car, I overheard one patron comment about the lack of color in our skin and another smack his lips at my wife as we walked by. My first and only instinct was to move my family as far away from that trash as possible, and to live my life away from Jackson. That was 25 years ago and first impressions do matter. Our children had previously attended a large northern city public school that had a 50/50 racial makeup, so we expected no problems here. We weren't the bigots, we wanted a nice town to settle and live in. Jackson drives good families away and attracts nothing but ground feeders. Even companies presently moving to the area encourage their out of state employees moving in, to avoid he city, except for work. The Mayor and City Council must be very proud of themselves or be in a state of denial of what has become of their city. I believe the later to be true.

I have a child who just graduated from JA after 14 years, from pre-primer to Sr. High, and those who knock the school are ignorant. We can argue all day long about if the school should have moved rather than expand into the old Oaks Apartments, but that die is cast. The fact is that JA is what keeps NE Jackson viable. If you mark the neighborhoods in NE Jackson that are still safe and livable, you'll find they are all within close proximity to the school. If JA were to move to Madison or Flowood, Heatherwood and Sherwood Forest would look like Presidential Hills within five years. Anyone living in "East Jackson" (as that lying Harbor House shill called it) should thank their lucky stars that the school remains where it is.

Tyrone Lewis sends his daughter to school there, so the HCSD will be a presence until she graduates, or he is defeated.

But what I want to know is where the explosion of property values within a five mile radius of Whole Foods is? How are they staying in business? Do we have that many JFP reading marijuana advocates who cook with organic rapeseed and figs?

10:06pm,

Why would students from one MAIS school choose to pay to go to MRA? Every year MRA gains high school aged students that are remarkable athletes. As a tuition paying parent, it upsets me that, if my child was participating in a given sport, the school actively goes out and seeks a few new juniors or seniors that are given free tuition, sometimes free room and board just so that the school can compete. How many of MRA's star athletes were there from elementary or even Jr. High?

That lack of integrity is what has kept MRA from growing.

Arrgh! Here we go again.
If you don't like Jackson, live somewhere else and then shut up!

The bad publicity you blow out of reasonable proportion is not helping those of us who are making progress improving Jackson. You are making it harder.

We do have a crime problem. We know that and some of us are working on improving the situation rather than bitching.

I will say it again until it gets through your thick skulls. Jackson is our CAPITOL city. The capitols and governor's mansion and state government isn't going anywhere. That is not fiscally feasible. The hospitals will not relocate. That is not fiscally feasible. Belhaven and Millsaps aren't relocating either. Capitol cities go through hard times but they do NOT fail.

If you are going to have a model, it's not Detroit. It's Richmond, Raleigh, Columbia and Atlanta going North to South. And, you should also look at the TYPES of crime those cities experienced. But, perhaps, you prefer professional criminals and serial killers to our bottom feeders in the world of crime!

In most places, the State , unlike here, makes certain the problems are solved more quickly. Nevertheless, solved they will be.

I know you all think you are smarter than those investing in Highland Village. Like them, I have seen this same transition in other capitol cities ( with fewer critics bashing their capitol as in other places they know you don't hang out the family dirty laundry and they actually want their cities to succeed). The eventual outcome is not in doubt. It is simply a timing decision.

If y'all would shut up or step up and try to make it better, this would move along more quickly, but Jackson will in the next decade will experience increasing gentrification and thus increasing housing costs which will, in time, drive out the poor.

There is actually more than a little research and knowledge out there about how cities evolved over time. None of you have apparently read it or have a clue what factors determine success or failure since you are all caught up in the racial factor. So, since you don't know what you are talking about, you have become part of the problem!

I get all my fresh chupacabra at Whole Foods.

Nobody is bashing the quality of education received at JA. It's an excellent school. Unfortunately, right outside the walls and a couple blocks away is not. Why should it be JA's responsibility to worry about the surrounding neighborhood in one direction when there's gangs hanging out at a park across the street in another direction? JA should be worried about JA, and not the neighborhood to the south.

8:08 is spot-on about MRA as well. Why would I pay tuition for my child from preschool to highschool, only for him not be able to play ball with his friends when he gets in highschool? It's not right, these kids grew up playing together and when they get older some unintelligent, uncultured kid that can run faster is brought in to take their place, and gets a free ride. It's a slap I the face to the kids that grew up together and it's a slap in the face to the parents who have sacrificed to send their kids there.

"increasing gentrification and thus increasing housing costs which will, in time, drive out the poor."
Thank you, 8:24, for finally revealing what a cold-hearted bastard you are.
I guess the question now is: where do you think you are going to drive "the poor"? Do you really think that in ten short years Jackson will become some form of "poor-free" utopia, where we all drive a Prius and, of course, shop at Whole Foods?

If I had to guess, this appears to be in the Westbrook/Sedgewick area of NE Jackson. Growing up I had a lot of friends that lived over there, but it started to transition in the late 90s. I imagine it is flood zone in certain parts and thus lower property values.

For the most part, the area south of JA is still pretty good. There are sketchy rentals along Old Canton, but it's nothing like what happened to Colonial/Lake Trace/Northpoint . It's really shocking to think about how much that part of NE Jackson has changed and it won't ever be the same.

Hey 8:30 am. Will you please cite some specific streets south of JA that you think are bad and the reasons for your thoughts? Give some specific streets, incidents, etc, and not merely groupthink from the comments above.

That's a very unique back yard. Big, no trees, small oval shaped concrete porch right outside back door and a big empty concrete slab shaped like a rectangle when you walk out the door on the right side against the fence. Seems like if this actually did occur in northeast Jackson you'd be able to identify the house by combing satellite pictures of the area. I tried, but I haven't seen anything that remotely resembles that set up.

10:34

Reading is fundamental. 8:30 said that JA should not be worried about, and is not responsible for, maintaining the property values of the neighborhood to the south. He didn't state any of the streets were bad, rather that they are decent solely because JA has remained. That was a prominent factor in JA's decision. Which might prove to be a mistake as the area to the north and west continues to crumble.

That's odd. When I drive by Parham Bridges I see people playing tennis, walking, and kids on the playground. I think you must have it confused with Battlefield Park.. now that cesspool is a 10pm local news favorite.

Wilhurst and Winchester east of Ridgewood (and south of JA) are tanking fast.

July 22, 2015 at 8:24 AM:
"The eventual outcome is not in doubt. It is simply a timing decision."


Ben Allen, president of Downtown Jackson Partners, said at the press conference that he has seen figures showing that, with all the residential development downtown in the form of loft apartments and condos, that in 10 years there could be as many as 25,000 people living downtown, tripling traffic on Pearl Street and Pascagoula Street.
-- Mississippi Business Journal
-- March 3, 2008

And the clock keeps ticking.

8:24

"The eventual outcome is not in doubt."

Yup.

" Capitol cities go through hard times but they do NOT fail."

You haven't been to Trenton, NJ, have you? Is Harrisburg, PA, still on the edge of declaring bankruptcy?

I don't blame you for asking about the source of the video. The video came from law enforcement sources. JPD is aware of it and would be grateful if any info on these guys is turned into them. I'm not going to post the Instagram account because I know one of you trolls can't wait to go notify the perps and tip them off.

I have a simple question: Why do some of you actually WANT Jackson to fail? I don't want Jackson, Flowood, Brandon, Ridgeland, Madison, or any city to fail. I just don't get it...

Thank you, 11:18! I love Parham Bridges Park. It is safe and clean and I exercise there almost daily, often with my young children. I am a white NE Jackson housewife and have never once felt unsafe there. Quite the opposite. I have made some nice exercise acquaintances there that I see around town. Parham Bridges is a treasure in our city. The Jackson haters need to find something else to gripe about.

These fools think that if Jackson fails it will increase their property values, make their schools more sought after, etc. in the burbs when it's actually the exact opposite. We will thrive together or die together.

Fair enough kingfish. Go to the original. Search anyone that liked it. I bet there's an open instagram account, that liked the video, that has a picture of one of the culprits. Or maybe a different picture taken in the same obvious backyard. Or look through prior photographs of the original account, and the people that liked them for pictures of people in the video. Maybe someone has a name tied to an open facebook, twitter, or myspace account. You can likely identify a roommate, family member, baby mama, or close friend that has more information publicly available to help zero in on the location or culprit. That's what identified the army recruiter that kidnapped the doctor.

Do they have computers at the JPD office?

Jackson is dying and the suburbs are thriving quite nicely, thank you. As long as the criminal justice system in Madison and Rankin counties remains aggressively committed to addressing crime then the success of the suburbs will continue unabated. The soundbites that the suburbs will fail if Jackson fails is 100% complete bullshit.

Ha 12:39. See beautiful ridgeland around the mall and the apartments along pear orchard by lake harbor with multiple shootings as exhibit A as to why you are wrong. It won't just magically stop there unless something is done to fix the core problem. Guess you haven't noticed all the carjackings in flowood either.

Per capita the crime rates in Ridgeland and Flowood are miniscule compared to Jackustan. But keep hanging on to your contagion theory claptrap because you can't think of anything else.

1:04 is right. As Jackson residents continue to move to the suburbs they will bring their thuggish Jackson ways with them. Can we build a moat? Or is an electric fence a more feasible option?

Funny that as Jackson becomes more of a sewer, my property value keeps increasing and our schools are still sought after. Police patrols have continually increased in most Reservoir subdivisions. Those driving around late at night may not be stopped, but tags are regularly run and recorded without a stop being made. Law enforcement knows who belongs and who doesn't. If you report a panhandler or an unknown person just walking around, patrols will stop and introduce themselves and remind the person they are in the area in case they may need assistance. That isn't harassment, it's Public Relations and a deterient to crime.

Most husbands I know value their wives too much to let them be in the park alone. Tennis courts with others, maybe.

You know what would be nice? If we could discuss solutions to the problems we have in NE JXN, instead of being put on the defensive by idiot trolls who don't live here and make even Donald Trump look like a genius.

Then kick it off 7:15 PM instead of being whiny. NAME A SOLUTION.

Just to clarify, the identities of these individuals are already known to JPD & the location this is taking place is in the Sedgwick/Canton Club area.

Who is to say that Jackson has already failed?

Maybe 260 Beechcrest? From google maps the curve of the patio, the concrete slab to the right, the fenced yard and open lawn suggest that could be a contender.