Saturday, January 30, 2016

The horses at Renaissance stand proud again


Visitors to Renaissance at Colony Park can once again enjoy seeing one of the true masterpieces of public art in Mississippi.  The marble horses that are part of the  fountain are repaired and proudly welcome people to the shopping destination.

 Ridgeland police arrested Jackson resident Clay Branch on December 28, 2015 for attacking the statues and breaking off all of the horse legs with a sledgehammer.  Police found the broken-off pieces in his grill at home.  Ridgeland police charged him with malicious mischief and took him into custody.  He posted a $2,500 bond on January 11 and is now free pending trial.

Law enforcement sources told JJ that Branch suffers from mental illness and his family cannot afford to purchase the medication used to treat him.    He was arrested earlier last year for trying to destroy the horse statues in front of P.F. Chang's with a chainsaw.  The picture below shows the damage to the horses.

Statues after sledgehammer attack. Credit: Rick Guy
The artisans who built the statues visited the site and repaired the legs.  It took a week to complete the project.  The fountain was donated by Jim Barksdale and is made of Italian marble.  Each horse cost over $150,000.  Here are some pictures of the restored steeds.









Lest we forget, here is the perp.  If you see him at Renaissance, call 911 immediately, assuming you are not armed. 

Charles Branch

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

He was grilling marble horse legs and didn't invite me?

Anonymous said...

Wow - that was fast.

Anonymous said...

Super Glue?

Anonymous said...

Glad they're repaired - saw them yesterday.

Sad that our society is so much more prepared to fix broken statues than broken people. The man should be in Whitfield or somewhere getting help.

Anonymous said...

The idiot who did this should have to work and pay back the cost of his destruction; maybe the next time he decides to destroy something he will think twice!

Anonymous said...

Glad they are fixed. But where are the bitchers here about the benefits from the state that allowed for the development of this fine shopping center. See them all on the posts below - guess they, along with KF, have their preferred reciepents of our state's largess.

Deo Vindice said...

That he should be in Whitfield is rather beside the point, 4:22. You liberals and your liberal courts have fixed it so nobody, regardless of mental incapacity, can be required to 'stay' in Whitfield.

But, you're wrong from another angle. It's a shame we spend all this time fretting over marble horses' feet when certain groups among us are hellbent on destroying monuments and statues of our very heritage and we sit on our asses and celebrate it or let them get away with it.

Anonymous said...

Dollars to Donuts, this man like most adult onset mental illness patients, is ill because of drug use. All of the mentally ill people who I know of that commit crimes caused their own mental illness by using drugs and alcohol. How to we help these self inflicted folks?

How do you help people bent on self destruction? Use drugs, cause society problems.

Anonymous said...

I am very sad, 5:19, that our heritage as traitorous, rapist slavelords is in some danger of being insufficiently celebrated in the future.

In other news, statues of Himmler and Goebbels are mysteriously absent in Germany. I blame the liberals.



Anonymous said...

"true masterpieces ..."?? such logic lends itself to the conclusion that Renaissance at Colony Park is some iconic stopover on the cultural tour of American Strip Malls. I imagine the Ridgeland, Ms. shopping destination is routinely a top-tier consideration for the adult consumerist - the veritable Fifth Pillar of American Consumerism. Costa Mesa, Macon, King of Prussia, Pa., and of course, Ridgeland. The significance of this blog cannot be over-estimated..

Anonymous said...

Thank you for giving us this update with the pictures. A lot of us do enjoy seeing them.
Is there any possibility they could just put ankle bracelets on him and let him stay in his home area? Let them monitor him and see when he comes back.

Also, how did he get there if he is so mentally ill? Is he driving? His family cannot afford his medicine? If they cannot control him, can they not be charged for his damages?

toejangle said...

To 6:10

"that our heritage as traitorous, rapist slave lords"

None of my relatives were involved---I noticed you used the word "our" you must have a terrible family history, perhaps you and your family members should pay some sort of restitution and leave the statues alone!!

Anonymous said...

Did this particular shopping center receive state money? Just asking.

Anonymous said...

Thought you'd appreciate this, Kingfish. (Wanted to send to you but didn't know how so commenting here). Bernie Sanders' senior advisor told Politico that he thinks several traditionally red states, including MISSISSIPPI, could potentially swing for him in a general election.

Whatever they're smoking or snorting, I want some.

Really? Yes, maybe Sanders could pull in a small number of Chokwe's old voters, but on what universe would Sanders take the state!?

Anonymous said...

It is puzzling that he can post a $2500 bond but his family can't afford to pay for his medicine.
He appears to be an adult.
He appears that he has been diagnosed with a mental illness which would make him eligible for SSI and thus Medicaid unless he has too much money to qualify. Which also means he has control of his money and a court thinks he can manage his money.
The real story here is why a person with a mental illness that causes him to violently attack horses isn't on medications that would prevent those attacks.
And, we might wonder if his psychotic ideations could change to a more dangerous fixation.

Anonymous said...

I happened to be there yesterday and made a point to go to the fountain to see the damage and to my pleasant surprise they were repaired. One thing that struck me is that a few of the hoofs don't seem to match at all. They are dark gray and the others are the same color as the rest of the horse. I don't know if they were the repaired ones or not but they definitely stood out. You can see one in the 4th picture that's a side view of one of the horses.

Anonymous said...

From what I have seen on the news New Orleans has decided not only to chopping the legs of statues but knocking down the statues completely. Sounds like the city leaders of New Orleans could benefit spending some quality time in Whitfield.
Why haven't we heard more about what they are doing?

From Mole Hills, Mountains said...

I'm aware of no Confederate monument that celebrates slavery. That 6:10 is a student of false history is sad. All statues of that period, whether images of Union or Confederate patriots should remain forever as part of our history.

And as to rape, why would anyone in the South want to preserve a statue or monument of Sherman or his band of cowards and slaughterers of non-combatants?

While it's a shame that the mentally ill man damaged these statues, it's much more important that we stop those who would apply bottles of 'white out' to US and Confederate history by tearing down monuments to our heritage. Once Sharia law sweeps across this nation, all monuments, statues and symbols will be torn asunder. None of us nor our preferred history will survive that.

Anonymous said...

The U.S. has our military in other countries protecting their people from what is happening in New Orleans. It is sad when we care more about the rights of people in other countries than we do our own citizens.
I for one will never set foot inside New Orleans again.

Anonymous said...

Can't place an ankle bracelet on him. He might chew his leg off..... He needs to be in an institution, not in public.

Anonymous said...

6:30 - It's an ongoing struggle to get someone with a severe mental illness to take his medication. They are extremely powerful drugs, and while they can be very effective, they tend to cause severe side effects. It's not like taking an aspirin every day.

Anonymous said...

"I'm aware of no Confederate monument that celebrates slavery. That 6:10 is a student of false history is sad. All statues of that period, whether images of Union or Confederate patriots should remain forever as part of our history. "

- go read the one outside the Columbus MS courthouse and come back to me

Anonymous said...

8:25 - Save me some time. I'm nowhere near Columbus, MS. Can you quote what's on the monument of a Confederate soldier that you think celebrates slavery?

If we tear down or obliterate all that with which we find disagreement, how can we call ourselves civil? And if the moment's prevailing group gets to decide what gets bulldozed and what remains, when it it your turn? Or mine?

On the other hand, I've heard there is a monument to slave-trading in Natchez. I think I heard it was put there by minority groups and funded by grants from civil rights proponents. Does that one get to remain?

Anonymous said...

You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make him take his meds.

Anonymous said...

7:38

The one you're referring to is "Boots".

Anonymous said...

7:38, maybe the one you are referring to is one that was a little better cooked. It probably set in a hotter part of the grill.



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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

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In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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