Jackson Jambalaya

Phones ringing off the hook right now in the JCVB offices trying to schedule national conventions in Jackson. Ward 3 tours are booked solid. Record sales tax collections being reported.

I do not believe there is anything Stokes could say or do that would cause the people of his ward or the spineless fools on the city council to oppose him. He could go on TV and demand the murder of all white people in the city and people in Ward 3 would be screaming "Right on!"

I expect such behavior from a bunch of unsophisticated wards of the government, because the Stokeses of the world have been telling them it's all the fault of Whitey and the Cops for years, but for the members of the Jackson city council to support this silly bit of ceremony is reprehensible. Call it what you will, but this is a show of support for Kenny and his flagrant idiocy by Stamps and Priester (and Tillman, despite his abstention).

I hope there are some legal repercussions for his statements, but Hood won't do anything even if there are. The city council should at least censure him, but they're supporting and lauding his actions. This vote is proof.

All you "Jackson has great restaurants out the ass" people can go take a leap. This BS is EXACTLY why anyone with a shred of decency and respect for law and order has left the city, but I'm sure you'll call it racism, because your addled, lazy brains can't muster anything more than what you're told.

yes... but once you run from the police after committing your misdemeanor is that NOT a felony??? So then carry on then??

The man described Jackson very well, "the end of the world". Quite a few people have already stated that the people in Jackson support Stokes. Sort of hard to argue that.
Maybe it would be advisable for the police in other areas to stop all cars with Hinds county tags.

This headline is quite misleading. You know many of your readers assume that the majority, or large part, of Jackson's population support Stokes, which is not true. The mere fact that some of the radical fringe spoke in support of him makes that no less true. Lumping "Jacksonians" as a whole in the same corner as Stokes is, at best, inaccurate.

I read in a comment thread regarding this that if you flee from the police it's no longer a misdemeanor but a felony. sounds pretty legit to me. I don't think it's crossed their minds the scope of what they're advocating. I guess we'll have to wait and see how many chases end on 55 @ Countyline where Ridgeland or Madison PD hits the brakes and let the misunderstood thieving yoots escape back to their sanctuary.

It's impossible to say that 'most' Jacksonians do not support Stokes. There's no way to back that up, other than by assumption, which is meaningless.

It's hard to believe that 'MOST' don't when all we hear and see are those who DO support him. Sorta like Radical Islam. Since we have never heard anything but crickets from the larger community, we are left with nothing to believe other than there is not much support for his condemnation.

Cops from other cities besides Jackson now have a problem. Do they not enforce the laws to anyone who lives in Jackson, do they have to ask a criminal where they are from before arresting them, do they allow any car with Hinds county tags to break the law?
The city councils of other cities have some planning to do also. Do they build a turn about on every road where it leaves their city just for the cops to turn around if they encounter a Hinds county tag?
Out laying cities need to get on the ball. Stokes is giving you warning. He may not be quite as nice as he has been if you do not shape up.

As someone who lives, works, and plays in Jackson, I have a much better basis for saying that than you.

The Jackson City Council and Mayor Yarber publicly condemned Stoke's call to violence against police officers from neighboring cities. Sheriffs from neighboring counties and Gov. Bryant did the same. As to your aside, many muslims publicly oppose violence in their religion's name. This includes political leaders of muslim countries coming out against the Paris attacks. It is not that condemnations aren't made, you just ignore them.

As to police chases for misdemeanors, we aren't talking about chases that prevent serious threats to life or substantial bodily injury (e.g. murder). I see how it is unfair to let a burglar escape because he/she makes the additional bad decision to run. The victim is more likely to lose his/her property.

However, a reasonable person could say that risking the life of an innocent bystander or driver is even more unfair. Why should I be put at that much more risk simply because I am on the road or sidewalk when there happens to be a chase going on? Some people think their lives matter more than a stolen television. Do you think that sentiment is unreasonable?

Interesting comments from the Reverend Hightower regarding what the prophets said. I think he forgot one of the Ten Commandments that basically said Thou shall not steal.

He mentioned that the media did not show the large number of people outside city hall that were supporting Mr. Stokes. Even though there may have been a small number of Stokes supporters, I would venture to guess that there is a significantly larger number that oppose his racially charged rhetoric.

Here is a novel idea - introduce Mr. Stokes and remind Reverend Hightower that Thou shall not steal is the first step in eliminating high speed pursuits, wherever they may originate or end.

Correction: Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance

These so called misdemeanors are serious crimes, for a variety of reasons, whether against a business or individual. Stokes should keep his hooligans in his ward. I was hoping the sheriffs would have a basis for a civil suit, and maybe there will be something to come. At minimal slander, or something like interference with duty.

Stupid is a stupid does

I'm still waiting to hear the details of the supposed incident behind Stokes' outrage. All I have heard is about a stolen piece of bubble gum. When did it happen? Who was injured? How fast were the police going? Was the suspect apprehended? Were there children actually in the street? (If so, why, but that is another issue.) Do the good folks of Mobile Ave just not like the police?

"high speed chase" is a somewhat misleading term. Nearly all agencies have very specific operating procedures that dictate if and when an officer can pursue at high speed. Jackson PD, Ridgeland PD, Rankin County all have these SOPs.

when an officer has probable cause to intercept another vehicle, and uses siren and blue light to alert the other vehicle to stop; and the vehicle does not stop and uses speed and disregard for traffic control devices [running lights and stop signs for example] it indeed is a separate crime called felony evading. The resolution of the city council is meaningless; it is mothering but a political request for the various agencies to obey their SOPs.

The resolution of the city council is meaningless;

Correct......much like Stokes.

So, if JPD is not allowed to pursue people who have only committed a misdemeanor, does that mean it's ok for all of us to drive in excess of the posted speed limit in Jackson ? If you pass a JPD car and are speeding and the officer flashes his lights and turns around to follow you and give you a ticket, all you have to do is speed up and run from them, they can't chase you, and you get off scot-free (assuming they don't get your tag #). Speeding is just a misdemeanor. Might as well take down all the speed limit signs in Jackson. Want to drag race through a neighborhood ? Have at it, they can't chase you. Want to drive your motorcycle up I-55 at 110mph, feel free. I'm not advocating anyone do this, but under their non-pursuit rule, this is the effect.

Just a little something for the law enforcement in other cities to think about. Right now you can still chase criminals in your city. Keep up the mouthing off and Stokes will end chases in your city.

"...nothing but a political..."

oops

The real news from this video is that 'SCARED' rhymes with 'DEAD'. ...and that each word has two syllables.

Only in Jacktown...

I don't perceive stokes meaningless now. To a sane person yes, to his ilk and the democraps not. Everything Jackson politicos are doing is driving the city deeper into a black hole, and effects Hinds
County and the region. Laws, ordinances, regulations, etc mean nothing to them. They either change them, disregard them, or use their own interpretation. The written nor their words mean little. There are no commitments nor guidelines a business or individual can follow. It's a wild animal kingdom.

Sounds like jackson is choosing to be a sanctuary city. Maybe, just maybe if its leaders and court system were 100 % intolerant of crime then this would be a moot point and these people could find something else to agitate the people.
Screw this crap. I'm out.

Part of the reason for officers from other cities/towns having to pursue criminals into Jackson could be caused by Jackson's historical refusal to use a shared radio system with other LEOs. For example, if a Ridgeland police officer is chasing a criminal headed towards Jackson, he can't radio JPD and ask for JPD assistance. If he could, JPD could have an officer waiting at the city limits to help stop the criminal. But no, Jackson wanted its own radio system that wouldn't allow it to communicate with others or others to communicate with it. So the others had to continue the pursuit into Jackson with no assistance from JPD. (I'm not blaming JPD for that, that was a city council decision.)Maybe the new soon-to-be shared radio system will help ???

So they can or can't chase a speeding motorist? If they do chase me and find out I am carrying a misdemeanor amount of something will it be thrown out because you weren't allowed to chase me originally? This is some lazy stuff and going to turn into some lazy cop work.

People get the government they deserve.

Jackson has stated its preference over and over and over again.

Jackson prefers leadership provided by Kenneth Stokes and his fellow 85-IQ Democrats.

As long as the focus is on Stokes, nobody is talking about the decaying Jackson streets and water problems.

You are correct 5:06, which is why it will take a looooong time for Jackson to ever get better. The leadership in Jackson wastes its time dealing with small side issues and not the real problems that need to be seriously addressed. It's frustrating and why so many people have left and continue to leave.

If these suburbs are the alternative to Jackson...they're not the alternative.

This should be a marketing item for tourism. Come to Jackson, see the locals pelt police cars from other jurisdictions.

If I hear we have to protect our babies one more time......... #boycottjackson

Stokes has to have health issues. I doubt he'll be around too many more years.

There are those of us who truly love Jackson, and will not abandon the city no matter what. And we certainly have been tested about the "what" in recent years. Thugs runagate, streets splaying, water system faulty...and yet, where would we go to escape? To one of those faceless faux-French Madison neighborhoods built on former cow pastures? There's just no "there there," up there. I'll take my stand right here in Fondren, shop local, and celebrate, as a friend of mine put it, "localism in extremis."

The Council has condoned Stokes rancorous rants in which he calls for violence against police. Isolate any such people financially and politically. It will take a while but eventually their kind will be neutralized by more reasonable political leaders who can work with others.

Oh give me a break, ophelia, and take your sanctimony to the Cups in Fondren. Every time I hear a self-proud Jacksonian bad mouth the suburbs, they're invariably living in the few remaining white parts of the city. For all the self-righteousness from the "I live, work, and play in Jackson" talk, the living, working, and playing seems to be centered on Fondren, Belhaven, Heatherwood, East/Leftover and Whole Foods Village.

Not one of you defenders of the city loves it enough to move into Kenny Stokes' ward.

How much of your monthly shopping budget is spent at Westland Plaza or the Highway 80 Corridor, and how much is spent at Northpark and Renaissance? How many friends do you have living in those faceless faux-French cow pasture neighborhoods versus the number of friends you have living by Lake Hico or in Woodlea? I don't know you, but I'll make an educated guess that your localism in extremis includes more Madison County activity than Ellis Avenue activity.

It's easy to take a stand in Fondren, where everyone is white and well to do. in my experience, every champion of the city is taking their stand in a cozy ivory tower as well.

Move to West Capitol or shut up.

"...and yet, where would we go to escape? To one of those faceless faux-French Madison neighborhoods built on former cow pastures? There's just no "there there," up there. I'll take my stand right here in Fondren, shop local, and celebrate, as a friend of mine put it, "localism in extremis." "
January 13, 2016 at 9:36 PM

What do you think Jackson neighborhoods are built on, if not 'former cow pastures'? (OK, and the unmarked graves of Insane Asylum inmates) As for Madison's "faux French" houses, most of those are actually 'Acadian' (Cajun, which is an AMERICAN style), or 'Louisiana Creole' (another American style). and are basically the same as all the 'Acadian' houses and 'Creole compounds' being built, or already completed, in Jackson. Many of the same builders who worked, once, in Jackson, and many of the same families who built/bought houses in Jackson, are out in Madison and Brandon, now.

Jackson, on the other hand, has quite a few houses which were built with "French intentions". One big example, from the Seventies, is currently sitting on the market. If not in Fondren, it's "Fondren adjacent". I knew when I bookmarked the following, that it would come in handy. Here's a good description of the "French Aspirational" style you see around Jackson: http://www.city-data.com/forum/32298811-post5.html

I particularly like: "...lined with a veritable cavalcade of French Providential masterpiece homes. To quote a local architectural historian: "Perhaps nowhere else in America have plywood soffits and brick veneer been applied to Mansardesque homes with such verve and immediacy." "

I thought the Sheriff of Rankin County filed criminal charges to lock up Kennuf.

What happened?

"... many muslims publicly oppose violence in their religion's name."

Back it up Speedy. Your saying it's so doesn't make it so.

A hollow resolution or parenthetical remarks from one or all council-persons and the mayor were still couched in support of Stokes' outlandish remarks.

To paraphrase, "We don't agree with hitting a cop with a brick, but they should stop coming into our city at a high rate of speed and endangering the life old folk and chirrun, cripples, dogs and babies."

January 13, 2016 at 11:43 PM
One of the best comments in a while. Well done.

Maybe not ophelia -- but her mindset -- rode their WorldCom stock straight into the shitter also.

12:37 AM, the Rankin County sheriff cannot even keep the crooks he arrested locked up. I know one meth head he has arrested so many times I have lost count. Last time he was supposed to be in jail for 30 years. That was about 6 months ago and he has been out for about 3 months.

Just saw on the news that Byram cops have decided to take the warning given to them by Stokes. They stop chasing a stolen truck involved with some other crimes at the Jackson city limits. If I lived in Byram I would want those cops who decided to let a criminal drive off in jail themselves. That is piss poor police work. How can they call themselves law enforcement officers? They need to get their job flipping burgers back.

Living in Jackson's suburbs is like using one of those paper covers on a public toilet: It's only 1% better. That being said, this former Madisonian will stay in Jackson. Where we have nice things like, you know, trees.

So, er, let me see if I understand: it is necessary to move to the dirtiest area of a city in order to love and support it? Mutability is the only constant in any place, and Ridgeland has already seen a woeful degentrification in parts, Madison is following apace, and Gluckstadt will eventually need to be renamed "Weltschmerz" when the blight reaches its sacred borders. Canton is already shot to Hell; where next, o thou who art in flight?

And yes, about the trees,5:54.

5:54 and 8:05 We don't have trees in Madison? I must be seeing things then.

Let me know when Madison has raw sewage running down its streets.

I wish commenters would try to be logical.

There are two issues.

The first is Stokes outrageous comments for which there is no excuse or justification.

The second is what rules should govern police pursuits.

SOPs should involve the officers asking themselves a couple of questions before engaging in a pursuit.

The first and most important is can this person be apprehended without putting the public at risk?

The officer's training should help him know whether or not there are other methods to make the arrest without putting the public at risk. Do we have witnesses or a video or a description or a license plate number? Can vehicle blocking the vehicle the help of other officers or unmarked cars be used?

Some of you seem to forget that officers don't fire at a suspect in crowd when pursuing on foot. Chasing into high traffic areas at high speeds also put the public at risk.

Some of you giving absurd examples and have not a clue what the risks or alternatives are.

The fact is that insufficiently trained officers or those who seem to lack judgment have made some very bad decisions in deciding to pursue. Teens who are stupid and afraid Daddy will take away the keys if they get another ticket have died. Chases onto County Line road at the Christmas season resulted in a death. Pursuing someone who tried but failed to cash a bad check resulted in a death. None of these pursuits should ever have taken place under any theory of good law enforcement.

I think some of you must regard a badge as a license to kill. It is not. It is a serious responsibility to protect the public.

And, I would remind those just looking to bash Jackson, that Stokes is elected from one ward. He does not, nor has ever had the support of the entire city.

I hope that anyone seen to be throwing any object at a law enforcement officer will be swiftly shot on sight. No questions asked.

And, I would remind those just looking to bash Jackson, that Stokes is elected from one ward. He does not, nor has ever had the support of the entire city.

True......but he is the face of Jackson across the state. Not a pretty sight.

Lets look at the chase that was stopped at the Jackson city limits. The criminal was involved in a theft in Hazlehurst. Criminal ran from police in a stolen truck. Started in Hazlehurst and the crook made it to sanctuary in Jackson. Hazlehurst and Byrum police were involved in the chase.
What kind of "law enforcement officers" can not stop a criminal in that amount of time with the use of two different cities "law enforcement officers"? What kind of "law enforcement officers" would just turn around when a criminal crosses a magical line in the road?
Wonder what sort of crime a criminal would have to caught doing before the "law enforcement officers" would think it was worth arresting them.
I used to think Jackson cops were worthless but it seems other cities have the same sort of cops.
Good thing people are allowed to arm themselves. We can't count of the law for help. It is every man for himself.

Stokes wins. No out cry against what he said from Jackson leaders or people. Now other local governments support him.Time to just shut Jackson all together before it is too late to save the lives of the few good people left.

I really hate to do it but I will join the boycott of Jackson. There is one business I am going to miss going to. Huttos was a favorite of mine. Went there a few days ago.
When criminals have more protection from the police than the victims it is time to re think things.
I will be adding Byram to the boycott. Can't see supporting a city where the cops help the criminals.

So, er, Ophelia - you don't understand or you're playing dumb. I honestly can't cut through that morass of cutesy language to make a proper distinction. Let me put it in simple terms that do not obfuscate.

You cannot claim to support Jackson when you avoid 85% of the city. You cannot credibly brag about your dedication to an entire metropolitan area when you spend all your time in a specific neighborhood. And it takes a special kind of gall to point your crooked, accusatory finger at those outside the city and suggest that their chosen lifestyle is not genuine when the things that influenced them to move to a better place are EXACTLY those that are keeping you in Fondren rather than Battlefield Park.

I have heard more than one liberal Caucasian Jacksonian decry the rise of the white suburbs as motivated chiefly by racism, and in EVERY case that person is living in an area where there are plenty of people with similar skin tone living nearby. There are a lot of all black neighborhoods within the city limits, yet none of you Jackson braggarts with your sleeve-mounted "racial tolerance" on full display are moving there. Or shopping there. Or playing there, etc.

Get it, Oph? Your decision to stay out of the "dirtiest area of a city" is racially motivated, but it's far more pernicious, because it's wrapped in the lie of "tolerance", and accessorized with a combination of haughty self-congratulation (at your openness to the 25% of your black neighbors) and snide accusation (at the latent Klansmen who moved their families out).

I DARE you to shop in West Jackson one day a month for a year. I double dare you! If you love and support Jackson as you brag that you do, then you'll spend a little time and money in the parts of the city that need it, rather trotting off to Renaissance for shopping at Anthropologie and lunch at Panera.

And all one need do is drive Highway 51 or Highland Colony north to see all the trees you want. To suggest that there are no trees in Madison and Rankin is just a flat out lie.

It isn't racist to want a better life and a nicer place to live.
It isn't racist to want a better life for your children.
It isn't racist to want to protect your family from crime.
It isn't racist to want to live somewhere the cops do not protect the criminals.
It isn't racist to want to shop at a business that you know won't be robbed while you are there.
It isn't racist to want to send your child to a better school.
It isn't racist to expect paved streets in the city you live in.
It isn't racist to want running water in you plumbing instead of the street.

To not want these things would seem like ignorance. To not move into an area that provides what you want would be ignorance.

Ah, yes... Ophelia and TREES...

Ophelia is one of Shakespeare's characters, who (possibly under the influence of a poisonous herb) climbs onto a willow TREE branch, overhanging a stream. The branch breaks, and Ophelia floats down the stream, singing, oblivious to the fact that she is about to drown.

Luckily for "our" Ophelia, she does not need a stream. She can simply fall out of one of Jackson's many trees, and blithely float down the street (or skreet), since there's generally, at any given moment, a nearby brook, rivulet, or torrent (of either water or sewage) erupting from the pavement.

Oh, and 12:22: that was a BRILLIANT post - just what was needed.

Question to the suburbanites: Does it really anger you this much that some of us choose to live in Jackson? You seem legitimately furious that so many like living in Jackson and refuse to flee. Why?

12:22: I know what you are saying and have said it myself sometimes.

However, you unknowingly point out a major problem in Jackson.

Suppose I take you up on your suggestion. What exactly would I buy?

If I want to buy some books? I have to stay in NE Jackson. Jeans? Either Walmart, Target, or Great Scott. If I'm wanting regular Levi's, forget it. Have to leave Jackson. TV's and other electronics? No where in West Jackson for me to go. That is one problem facing most of Jackson: The lack of quality retail or goods offered for sale.

2:30 - My anger is not that people live in Jackson. That's their choice and I respect it. My issue is with the attitude often displayed (by Ophelia, among other Jackson residents) that the bedroom communities are phony or illegitimate, as if there's something more genuine about living one mile south of County Line than one mile north. So when such people start sneering at Madison while bragging about how they love Jackson, I take issue. That's why I called her out on her hypocrisy - a hypocrisy that is rather common among that vocal crowd. Donna Ladd sees nothing but racism behind the growth of the population of Flowood and Madison, but she's not making her home next to Jim Hill.

You want to live in Jackson? Fine. More power to you. But don't berate those who have chosen differently, especially when you do a significant amount of your shopping and dining across the county line.

KF, your point is taken, but there are places to shop. You just have to look for them.

For tennis shoes and other sporting goods, Westland Plaza has a Hibbett Sports. There's also an Aaron's Rental, which may not be the most economical place to purchase technology, but it's there. For other electronics, there's a Radio Shack on Highway 18.

In Metrocenter there is a store space dedicated to selling old Jackson Public Library books. Maybe not brand new best sellers, but there is an option.

For clothing, there's Burlington Coat Factory and Catherine's Plus Sizes in Metrocenter as well, and across the street is a huge beauty supply shop.

For motorcycle riders, you can shop at the Kickstand on 80 rather than Got Gear. For a new mattress, there's a Mega Mattress Outlet across from Battlefield Park. Craft Office Plus is a great place for office supplies on Terry Rd. And someone mentioned Hutto's on Ellis for yard & garden.

The bottom line is that you are correct - West Jackson does not offer the range of options that other parts of the city do, but there are places to buy some goods. Maybe you can't find the best deal on a 55" Samsung, but you can certainly buy your workout attire and plants for your yard.

My bet, however, is that the "I live, work, and play in Jackson" crowd does not avail themselves of these opportunities when it comes to spending their money. Those people can't tell me they're stalwart supporters of the city when they won't even go to Westland Plaza to buy a pair of gym socks.

3:13, I understand some of your points, but I'd say a lot of us don't "sneer" at suburbanites, we just get tired of suburbanites actually WANTING our hometown to fail, so we snipe back. Why do so many in Madison and Rankin want Jackson to fail? If Jackson fails, how does that help Madison and Rankin? These are serious questions I'm curious about. So many suburbanites seem to really get fired up and spend a lot of energy hoping Jackson fails...seriously...WHY?

By the way, I don't do much shopping or dining at all outside of Jackson. I try to support Jackson as much as possible. I realize others do shop a lot across the county lines, but I personally prefer the shops and restaurants in Jackson.

Doesn't anger me that some people choose to live in Jackson. I am really glad they do. Many choose to stay in Jackson for the protection of the cops when they commit crimes. Some choose to stay in Jackson because of the easy availability of drugs and prostitution. Some stay in Jackson because they have the ghetto mentality. Some choose to stay in Jackson simply because they do not know any better.
Please continue to stay in Jackson.

4:15, You seem pretty angry about it.

Because high speed police chases are so dangerous, the MS Supreme Court has set out 10 factors that all officers engaged in a pursuit should consider in order to avoid creating a situation where the officers act in a way that is "with reckless disregard for the safety of others." Thus, if out of jurisdiction law enforcement officer(s) engage in a high speed chase in Jackson without coordinating with Jackson PD, then once the pursuit is over, the Jackson PD can determine if the pursuing officer(s) acted with "reckless disregard for the safety" of the good people of Jackson, under the facts and circumstances existing then and there at the time, then the Jackson PD should be allowed to charge the offending officer(s) with the crime of reckless driving.

I am so sorry for you all. This stuff is appalling. The Jackson City Council is a joke. Where the hell is Ashby Foote?

And why the hell hasn't someone arrested Stokes? His inflammatory remarks incite violence and he should be out in jail. Where is the attorney general?

6:41, maybe you failed to notice but Stokes has more power than the attorney general. If he chooses to bother Stokes he may need to find another job. Stokes has the backing of all blacks in the state. Any elected official has to think if he can be elected again if Stokes tells the blacks not to vote for him or her.
You may also notice how the cops in other cities have decided to stop at the Jackson city limits when chasing criminals.
You might ask the cops in Byram why they don't come into Jackson when chasing criminals. I really don't think they will admit the truth just as other city cops will not.
Talk is cheap. When Stokes talks they all listen.

3:13: Pretty sure you guys started it. You people hate Jackson to the point that you're will to get mad online. You've made it pretty clear around here.

@5:01 - You know many suburban residents originally lived in Jackson. The anger comes from persistent disappointment and frustration. You have probably felt this disappointment and frustration yourself about Jackson. The suburbanites probably did "start it". I know I get mad online and vent when I look at where I grew up falling to pieces, except for shrinking enclaves, and a city government/court system whose actions on crime over the last 20 years seem to range from indifference to "payback". It is heartbreaking and it seems permanent.

Every Mayor since Dale Danks have been bullshit artist! Done nothing and spent every moment Fuc**** Jackson. Frank was a boy lover, Labamba or however the hell his fake name is spelled was a open racist and the young and stupid now in office is just screwing the city like the rest of them. Kim Wade said the truth about black leadership in our city! Once you go black you can never fix it.

5:01pm - Please grow the hell up. Your petulant little "you started it" line is right off an elementary school playground.

Donna Ladd has been blathering about racism fueling the exodus from Jackson to the suburbs (while simultaneously claiming moral superiority at living inside the city limits) since she started giving away free birdcage liners at every restaurant in the city. I can't speak for anyone else, but I have f***ing had it with her and others like her who are so narrow minded and blinded by bigotry that they cannot accept the notion that people would leave a crime ridden, overtaxed, decaying city run by corrupt, ignorant fools for any reason beside the one THEY have deemed. That reason, to them, is ALWAYS racism.

You can whine about who started what, but Donna and Todd Stauffer walked in here with an attitude and started broadcasting their accusatory sneers from day one, and there were plenty of locals who "hell yeah"ed them and joined in readily. No one egged Ladd into this argument.

But if you want to play with grade school rules, Donna sure as hell started calling people in the suburbs racist because they live in mostly white areas, and she hasn't let up. And this same Donna Ladd lives in Belhaven. Not Woodlea. Not Georgetown. Not West Capitol.

Live in Jackson all you want. Work to make it a better place. Be my guest. But I'll be damned if I'm going to sit by and let you and Ophelia and Ladd make accusations toward me and my motivations for choosing where I live without a counter, especially when those accusations are insulting and baseless, and when the accusers are displaying the same behavior they decry.

That is one problem facing most of Jackson: The lack of quality retail or goods offered for sale.
KF, there is a reason for this. Look at the robberies and thefts in businesses in Jackson. Do people really expect a business to stay in any city where the insurance is so high because the likelihood of theft and robbery is so high? They can move to a city nearby and people can come to them and expect to be safe. The business owner can feel safe.
Why would anyone want to shop in any business where there is a good chance they will be robbed or shot inside or outside of the business?

I don't limit my shopping to Jackson and Hinds County, but I rarely shop in Madison and Rankin County. I live in Jackson, and I am employed by Hinds County, so I strive to be loyal to the citizens whose tax dollars pay my salary. However, I do a lot of online shopping so the tax dollars are returning to the state. But I will say I have changed dentists twice in the last ten years because I would not follow them when they moved from my area of town. One moved to Byram and the other moved to Clinton. I am not a gypsy.

11:04, no you are not a gypsy. Have you ever wondered why the two dentist moved out of Jackson?

If it is who I am thinking of, the one that moved to Clinton did so because the Landmark building shut down.

Kingfish, is there not any buildings in Jackson that the dentist could have moved into?