Jackson Jambalaya

"The City could loose Federal Funds" That's the kicker. That's how they control us. We need to figure out away to get off of the federal teet, I'm for going back to gravel roads.

Do what HUD wants and Ridgeland will be Jackson in 2 years.

"HUD notes the mayor and aldermen created a "community awareness committee" that was all-white as well."

Ooops.

Whether Ridgeland is right or wrong, it is an abuse of power for the Feds to make whatever demands they want of states and municipalities while holding unrelated federal funding hostage.

Sounds like it may be unconstitutional as well. Powers not given to the feds is left to the states. The fed isn't meant to have limitless power over cities and states.

Spare me the HUD arguments because HUD has nothing to do with transportation funding.

11:28 is right. But I'm not for gravel roads. How about slashing what we send to DC and keep that tax money in the state/local community. Then we can pay for our own roads and not have to be slaves to unelected bureaucrats in Washington while we beg for our own tax money back.

Demographics have been changing in Ridgeland. County Line and even Northpark have changed so much from 10+ years ago when I was growing up. No denying it.

How much is it due to cannibalism by Renaissance? Barnes and Noble and Best Buy leaving..

My other question, is, -- why does this changing demographic matter?

Are there statistics to back up that Ridgeland is now worse because of the demographic diversity? Or, are the people moving to Ridgeland "with it" working class minorities who want to give themselves and their families the best chance at a decent middle class life and education?

In my mind, if Ridgeland is no worse for wear except for the fact that the County Line area has diminished due to shifting populations, cannibalism by another mall and other factors-- causing property values to drop bringing in more working class people, then this diversity alone being a problem does in fact seem racist / classist.

If hey, crime is increasing, then that is a cause for concern. And I want to know why. And Ridgeland should be looking into measures to combat the source of the crime. But I am tired of people with blanket statements and theories based on just people moving in not looking like us.

I wish there was data to back up claims either way so we could know for sure.

The state of Ms. gets much more money back from the feds that they send to it in the first place. Ms. cannot pay for their own roads if they kept every dollar they send to the feds. We are a welfare state.
They don't need a community awareness committee. The only thing they need to do, as well as any other city, is to treat all of the citizens the same. Everyone, every city, every state, and the whole U.S. is afraid of being called racist. Evidentially all you have to do to be called racist is to be white and not hand over everything to a minority that they ask for.
If people want to e treated equal they should act equal. Quit making excuses and yelling racist every time you want something handed to you for free.

Read somewhere last month that Ridgeland Public Schools were over 65% black. Look at Jackson from JA to Lakeland Dr. It's practically all white with no kids in JPS and mostly very weathe families and new houses on Brecon selling over 900k. Look at Belhaven it's all,white so I guess it's gunna be busted next by HUD or fondren area as well... thus whole HUD crap is Obama and his cronies own doing.

Complexes can raise rent $100+ per month and require full deposits. They can also stop accepting new HUD vouchers. To be fair, grandfather in current HUD residents. If the rent increase causes current HUD tenants to pay more than their voucher gives them, they have a choice to make the payment or move. They do-have-a-choice. Use the extra income to properly maintain/repair the properties. Trashy tenants will move and the problem is solved. There's no discrimination that way. Everyone is equal. In the the eyes of those who feel entitled to cheap housing, it's a new day. Stop complaining, it not our problem.

11:46 you are right. Transportation important than the silly HUD programs. HUD can not cut off anything worthwhile.

It didn't happen overnight, but the United States government has taken Mississippi from the wealthiest State in the nation to the poorest. And for the last fourty years has held us hostage WITH OUR OWN MONEY.

HUD, your focus is a few miles south of where it should be. Typical federal bureaucrats who aren't quite smart enough to figure out where the real issue lies. "Close enough for government work" is a saying for a reason.

So, the apartment capital of the Southeastern United States is discriminating against minorities?

Do they want another Wal Mart to trash? Do they want bus transportation from the apartments to the Krystal? Are they demanding that Mac's sell cold beer? Are four trailer parks not enough? More Pawn Shops? Freer than the already free tuition at Holmes?

bargain priced housing in NE Jxn, money saved will pay for education at JA!

12:15 you are absolutely right. HUD/Obama is currently writing regulations that will target white zip codes to fund hud housing.

1:35... you need to come see several of the new construction going on at end of Brecon drive. These are 900k and up. Please take a drive and check it out. However I do live in NE Jackson and own 20 rental properties in ridgeland and 3 in madison. Big difference in my Tenants though. Mainly black in ridgeland and oddly enough 3 somolian muslim families in Madison. All good tenants.

All you morons get ready. Apartments are coming to Madison next.

When will HUD file suit against Jackson and Hinds County for running the minorities (whites) out to the suburbs? The whites I know who left did so over policy changes by the majority black city and county governments. Shouldn't HUD's argument work both ways?

lets hope not

While HUD may not be the solution, Ridgeland is definitely the problem. Developers financed and constructed apartment complexes within the requirements of the zoning regulations. The developers and investors invested in Ridgeland based on the expected income. Many years later, Ridgeland has rewritten the zoning regs and is trying to make new rules retroactive. To comply with the new rules, many of the complexes would loose 20% to 30% of their units.

That's clearly an unfair taking of the rights of the landowner / developer.

lets hope not

The Maulding guy from Pearl who is feuding with Big Bad Brad Rogers should east this stuff up.

The Township is in Ridgeland...all those businesses and nice new homes. Renaissance is in Ridgeland. Pelican Cove area on The Rez is in Ridgeland.

Pretty soon Ridgeland is going to be Jackson.

Best of luck with all that!

4:09....don't you know that white folks can be discriminated against in any way the government chooses to?

You people that fled Jackson for Ridgeland are fools. Ridgeland is nothing more than mid nineties Jackson. Wait until the residents on the other side of town are bused to the polls. It's Jackson Jr.

All you guys are laughable talking about "the next Jackson" as if you are immune from ever seeing a black person in Rankin County or in Madison "the city". You live a freaking mile from all of this. What happened to all the tea partiers championing property rights? What Ridgeland is doing is basically a public taking of property simply to drive blacks out of the school district.

If Ridgeland is the new NE Jackson, then Madison 463/I-55/Grandview Drive is the County Line Road. Traffic...sucks.

Segregation is good. Do you really want your daughters in school with dreadlock wearing bucks?

Nice to see Madison "THE CITY" looking down their noses at Ridgeland....just like north Jackson around the JA area used to look down at Belhaven who used to look down at south jackson. What idiots. That wave of people moving to Madison is mostly west jackson rednecks, a generation removed.

The city of Ridgeland relies on City Attorney Jerry Mills. This man gave poor advice to the mayor regarding the Costco fiasco. Now, he is advising the mayor on how to ensure that the feds will take over. Ridgeland needs to get a heavy weight lawyer, not a perennial lightweight to give actual legal advice.

What's going to happen when the flight north hits Canton? Ruh roh

This is just the beginning. It's a wonder that HUD didn't sue Pearl first. Mayor Rogers and his legal ninja Jim Bobo have done everything they can think of to eradicate minorities from Pearl. Now that HUD is in town perhaps they will wander over to city hall and examine the latest rental property ordinances.

Now that HUD is in town it should not take long for them to sue Pearl as well. Mayor Rogers and his legal ninja Jim Bobo (yes that Bobo) have led the metro area in establishing new ordinances to eradicate minorities from their city. Does HUD really think that the Mayor is concerned about the safety and well being of its renters (see storm shelters and fire sprinkler systems for rentals only)? We will see.

@8:30. Canton is ripe for the plucking. Real estate values are the lowest in the nation. Large swaths of the slum will be bought up, bulldozed, and million dollar homes will be built. Then the middle income neighborhoods will follow. Expect drastic changes in how the Canton school district operates to occur in the next couple of years. It's not right for so many Madison county residents to have no say so in their public schools. And it's not sustainable. Change is coming, and rapidly.

Here is how you fix Ridgeland H.S.: the school admits no students to its north. If it did, it would take in 400 white students.

Remember, there is no "Ridgeland Public Schools."

4:13 and 5:33 are right. And by the way, black folks do live in central MS. Madison and Pearl will be sued next. As well as the Madison County school district for disproportionately sending minority students to alternative schools for the slightest disciplinary infractions. I can hear the crosses crackling right about now.....

5:33 & 7:47 - Please point out a comment where a Madison resident looked down their noses at Ridgeland. 9 times out of 10 when I hear someone make a negative comment about Ridgeland, the speaker is a Jacksonian playing the "you can run north but you can't hide from the problems" card, which there is probably some long-term truth to.
And what's with the "west Jackson redneck" generalization? How does that even make sense in your head? Most folks in Madison moved in from other parts of the state/southeast or are moving away from NE JXN because they prioritize safety, good schools and working public services. This infighting idiocy is good for nothing, but distracts everyone in the greater metro area from confronting the truth....we are all on a sinking ship that will continue to sink unless the holes are plugged.

11:26 - No one, well maybe a very limited few, is trying to remove black people from central MS or keep them from living in Jackson's suburbs. Let's be honest, Pearl had a stigma for being white trash long before the mayor began cleaning things up. There are great people there, but the old guard in Pearl valued property owners' freedom more than aesthetics for way too long. As a life long Jacksonian, I can promise you I've never even had the thought that minorities are what made Pearl, "Purl".

Deep, deep sock puppetry on this one KF.

They could just rename SE Ridgeland to Little Mexico or Mexico Town.

I have heard the Mayors of both Ridgeland and Pearl laugh about how they have damaged Jackson with the Metropolitan Transportation Plan. Refusal to work together, regardless of race, has damaged Mississippi most of my life and the Metropolitian area in particular. Government by Commission or Committee is not working. CMPDD could do a better job of helping rather than being popular. It will all "sink together" if the powers that be don't learn to swim together. This means both races -- no more black issues and no more white issues. And we best all beware of Obama's Fair Housing; it is deadly to every type of culture.

I have heard the Mayors of both Ridgeland and Pearl laugh about how they have damaged Jackson with the Metropolitan Transportation Plan.

Where? What setting? What venue?

It will all "sink together" if the powers that be don't learn to swim together.

FALLACY.

Sure everyone left Jackson because the blacks moved in. You may have noticed the only running water in Jackson is in the streets, pot holes large enough for a bus or fire truck to get stuck in, businesses have left most of Jackson, crime is sky high, schools graduate kids that cannot write their name, cops spend much of their time guarding drug shipments, cops spend their time off stealing, criminals have keys to the jail, judges release criminals as fast as they get arrested.
Have you ever given any thought that these things may be the reasons people are moving out of Jackson?

Lovely comment, 7:41. Shining example of this blog's "culture."