Jackson Jambalaya

You all hustle me up some white folk for the background. Get O'neil - He loves a photo op.

Impressive...most impressive.

Most informative & genuine press conference in over 3 years!

How about coming out against the local Judges that turn loose all the criminal back on the street. The revolving door in Jackson is notorious. You want to get tough then start putting them away. Ask the Feds to give mandatory sentences to felons in possession of a firearm! Start going into neighborhoods that have know gangs and searching them on the street.I will beleve all that talk when I see it . Jacksonians fleeing the city . Housing prices going down and talk about raising taxes. Brilliant!

Police will start throwing bricks and stones at the poor little misguided youth.

Waaaaaaay too late to stop the bleeding!! Jackson is the fried chicken version of Dodge City before Matt Dillon took over. The cops are outgunned and outmanned. Sad as it is, you cannot put the genie back in the bottle.

at least he's talking about it--unlike a few former mayors who talked of the perception of crime or that it didnt exist...the bar may be low, but at least he's clearing it

I don't see Kenny I(man)Stokes. He must not agree with the new mayor.
He missed a grate photo opportunity!!!!

Oh I for got, he was getting his little group together to throw rocks, sticks & bottles at the police that are chasing the criminals!!!

Why didn't RSS show up for a hug?

RSS is part of the problem; not part of the solution. Could name a few judges too.

Mr. Mayor needs to start by convincing his base we need a new District Attorney and several new judges. Prosecute the bad actors/repeat offenders who are responsible for the majority of the crime and you look like a hero to all, white black or whatever.

Holistic, comprehensive, "solutions" lip service, dog-and-pony "unity" show.

Good for the new Mayor. I hope he works hard to stop the rampant crime in Jackson. It's late but it's never too late. Wish him the best.

As silly as @ 6:10 post is about the "troubled youth" in Hinds County appears, there is truth in the statement that the City of Jackson and Hinds County will never be able to effectively address the problem of crime until the problem of a broken Juvenile Justice System is addressed.

ok, so besides Kingfish, who would be ordinarily tuning into this kinda crap? All the city workers who usually watch it have gone home.

9:37, you raise what is part of the problem.

Mr. Mayor was at the trial of our esteemed DA, sitting with his parents in front of that Hinds County jury, providing a very visual statement of support of our DA. Don't hold your breath thinking that he will work to convince his base that we need a new one - he is playing to his base by showing his support for the incompetence coming out of the judicial system.

Nothing will be done until we get judges and prosecutors who are willing to do something with the criminals.

"Start going into neighborhoods that have know gangs and searching them on the street."

Hello? Isn't this exactly what the ACLU and NAACP have accused the MadCo sheriff of doing? I heard there's a law that sez you can't detain and search people for no good cause.

Bet it's a different outcome for the DA when tried in Rankin County this year

Judge Green is the only judge that makes idiotic sentencing decisions when the rare conviction takes place before her. If she understands criminal law, she fails to obey it much of the time. She needs to go; the others are adequate to excellent with respect to criminal law.

What Hinds County needs are full time criminal courts, not split with civil cases. That means four more judges. Also, the DA office [any DA] needs at least 20 assistants and at least eight investigators. This would allow criminal cases to be tried 46 weeks per year instead of the 23 or less that takes place now.

The problem with RSS at this point is that the quality of his assistants has radically declined the last few years, with the most talented leaving for other agencies or retiring, and few skilled criminal lawyers want to work for RSS, so lesser quality people have been hired.

It all boils down to money. If Mississippi and Hinds County want to effectively fight the crime, the criminal justice system needs money and qualified people. Its the cash people, the cash!

If y'all seriously want to deal with crime, you might consider strengthened the tools of law enforcement in this State particularly in gathering evidence.

You might strengthened the laws and tools to get children out of homes where they are abused and neglected.

And, frankly, we could pass laws that make it harder to engage in criminal activity. We seem to have to rely on any criminal gang activity in this State making the radar screen of the FBI.

We have got to either strengthen outpatient treatment for mental illness and addiction or else give mental health professionals the legal authority to keep the dangerously mentally ill who can't be supervised to take their meds institutionalized.

Be FOR something instead of bitching.

August 23, 2017 at 7:17 AM = Yaaawwwnnn, SSssssnnooorreee, ZZZZZzzzzz

11:57 p.m. nailed it. If he cared about crime, he would not support RSS as DA. As long as RSS is the DA, Jackson is doomed.

All you have to do is ask one simple question.
Why is the crime rate in Jackson so much higher than any other city in the area?
There is only one answer that makes any sense.
The city officials want it that way as that is the only way they will be elected.
The majority of people in Jackson do not want anything except a safe haven to run to after committing crimes. Any city official or law enforcement officer that actually tries to make a dent in the crime will soon be out of a job.
Until the people of Jackson decide they want to be something beside a haven for criminals the crime rate will continue to be high.

I applaud the Mayor for not shying away from this latest homicide spree and making it a very public issue. He also seems to understand we need a new approach to crime, which hopefully includes a plan to right the JPS ship.

@7:17 'Normal' platitudes about government solutions will not touch the problem in Jackson. Even if everyone were to get a job right now, mental health treatment, etc. all of the "Big Boys" in Jackson have vested interest in keeping things the way they are. Evading the government 101( on all levels) is taught at the ripe age of 2. They have the city mapped out better than google. That's what you're dealing with. Hugh Freeze and our legislators would do good to take a course.

Soros money put both RSS and Baby Chok in office.

Hey 1:05. It worked in NYC . They stopped and searched suspicious people. Crime fell tremendously. Maybe you didn't get the message. They stopped, not because of ACLU but because of the idiot Mayoy they have now. Guess what? Crime is back up.

1:05 is referencing the lawsuit filed against the Madison County sheriff.

The mayor and all the other elected officials of Jackson must make effective
education at the elementary level their absolute priority if they are to
do anything significant about crime. The gang and thug culture begins during those years when boys and girls begin to accept the notion that their only means of success is through "hustling" and crime. By the time they are teens it's too late. They have already committed to the life. Most of these kids have little or no positive adult guidance so the school system is the only avenue they have out of this quagmire. The problem is, JPS is pitiful and lacks the discipline to get those kids headed in the right direction. The mayor and city council must accept the challenge and attack the problems at JPS as if they were going to war. It will take time, but that's the only chance for Jackson's future.

JPD is in a crisis. Officers make $14.92 an hour from year one to year 10. No matter what you do as an officer you can not come up the ranks. They moved 5 detectives back to the streets as patrol officers. You can't make detective or receive a promotion at JPD no matter how hard you work. The have killed the morale of the patrol officers. The have the worst vehicles and the worst equipment. They won't even pay to send detectives to training.

1:45, that can be bad for moral but how do you explain why when they do arrest someone the criminal is back on the street before the cop can get back to his car?

1:24, Why is it the fault of the school that the kids do not have parents who should instill a code of ethics in their kids? Most of the kids in Jackson do not have two parents and many do not even know who their father might be.
The crime rate in Jackson is the fault of the parents. That is the simple truth. Some people will try to put the blame on other people but the parents are the people who have to teach their kids right from wrong.
By the time the kids start school many are already on their way to prison. Many will follow in the footsteps of their parents. You cannot expect criminals to raise good honest kids.

The parenting issue ( lack of) started with the explosion of crack use in the late 80s into the 90s. No role models, no fathers, no mothers, church folk ignored cause they are stale and focus on Bling and becoming an NBA player or rap star. Add in poor education, poverty and low chance for economic improvement and here we are. Changing the situation would take a well funded generation long federal program. Don't see that happening with the current admin station and political climate and don't know if the local government has the juice. It may take a lot more death before something changes.

2:09 Much of what you say is right, but what do you suggest? Sterilization? Jail
all the parents? How do you change the parents? No one said it's the schools fault but the school is where government can do something to help. Blame is obvious but solutions are not. Thanks.

1. Y'all assume there are parents, either one or two.

2. The unwed birthrate didn't start to rise in the 80's. Go read Moynihan's report from the 60's. Point out where he got it wrong.

This from his karate instructor in Ridgeland.

Hey team, it’s with a heavy heart that I tell you one of our members passed away Monday.

I came to know Reggie around the age of 16, he was living and being raised by his grandmother. She wanted him to have some activity to channel energy in his life and heard about martial arts training. Reggie was a great student and an amazing martial artist. Everyone that knew him enjoyed working out with him and loved to spar him. HE would make your helmet spin if you kept your hands down! A few years into his training his grandmother died. He tried to stay in classes but needed to get a job to help out around the home. During his break, he would stop in time to time to say hello and tell me how much he missed us and missed training with the team.

He stopped by just last Thursday night to say hello. He was bragging and glowing about the great job he had and was working around 50 hours a week. He had so much pride in the fact he was working hard and was now in a spot now where he thought he could make it back to class.

I got a text yesterday that he was shot protecting his mother in an altercation. It just broke my heart. I just saw him less than 4 days ago.

He was a great kid taken way to early.

Please pray for him to have justice through our legal system. Please pray for his family as they mourn Reggie.

I pray you all know how much I love you and care for you. Something like this put life in perspective. We are not promised tomorrow. I hope you all know how special you are to me and my family and that I pray for you all daily.

"And, frankly, we could pass laws that make it harder to engage in criminal activity."

WTF?

You are right KF. Many black leaders and organizations, Malcolm X, Nation of Islam, etc. made the maintenance of the black family structure a priority issue in the 60's. Like Moynihan they noted the trend of upward mobility was linked to the strong black family and it's failure was the first sign of economic and social collapse. Malcolm X even noted that his own family was destroyed by the welfare system. The solution must come after an honest recognition and admission of the problem, not more shuck and jive federal programs designed to satisfy a growing cadre of "leaders" who get rich by advocating solutions to problems that won't
change anything.

Blame it on the schools.
Blame it on the government.
Blame it on society.
Blame it on racism.
Blame it on hatred.
Blame it on a flag.
Blame it on a statue.

Why not try something new. Blame it on the people who raise such criminals and blame it on the criminals.
We have had enough of the blaming it on other things.

The parenting issue started in the 80s and 90s? Where were you in the sixties and seventies? The 'parenting issue' actually had its Genesis with certain documents signed by Lyndon Johnson. Get somebody to tell you when he was president.