Martin's Appliances & Furniture on Medgar Evers Boulevard is closed. Owner Patrick Martin apparently closed the store after he suffered over 15 burglaries in the last six months. He complained to the City Council JPD was of no help to him.
The Kingfish went by Mr. Martin's store today in an effort to interview (the phones were disconnected) only to find the store completely closed. There was nary a night light in the place as it is now forever darkened on the boulevard, another business run out of business by crime and incompetence.
JJ reported on April 7:
Patrick Martin owns Martin's Furniture and Appliances on Medgar Evers Boulevard. Martin's has been in business for over 60 years. Thieves have stolen merchandise. They have stolen checks and used white-out to cash them. A truck was used to break into the store. Suffering through it all, Mr. Martin provided JPD with videos.
The store owner charged JPD with doing nothing. He said they don't take fingerprints nor perform much of a crime scene investigation. There is a crime center camera down the street but he said he doubts JPD has even looked at it (What do you say about that, Mr. Fox?).Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes spoke up in support of Patrick Martin. He said Jackson can not keep losing businesses. "The sales tax in this city in the last 20 years has gone down almost 30 percent. We cannot keep losing businesses. Cities need sales tax; counties do not receive sales tax. But people like Martins closing down, it's going to hurt us even more. We're not going to be able to pay firemen, policemen, and others because poor people cannot pay these taxes," said Mr. Stokes.Unfortunately, no one from JPD came up to speak to Mr. Martin.NEXT!
Good job, Jackson. You done good.
Transcript.
Patrick Martin: Good morning. I’m Patrick
Martin. I represent Martin’s Furniture and Appliances. We have a
business off Medgar Evers. We’ve been in business for over 60 years. And
I’m here because of all the break-ins we keep having, and we can’t get
anything done. We’ve been broken into probably 15 times in the past six
months. The prior year, probably another 10 times.
We’ve given over video—videos of people coming in, breaking in. We’ve
given over the tools that they used, trying to get them to come in and
get fingerprints off of it, and nothing ever gets done. We were
broken into not last night, the night before, and I had the officers
come out there and they had merchandise out in our parking lot that they
had taken from our store. And I said they were chrome rims, and I’m
like, "You could get fingerprints off the merchandise," and they
left—they didn’t even take anything with them.
I mean, I don’t know what else to do on it. It’s time and time again. I
give them video evidence. And one time, they came in and stole issued
checks from our location, and they used White-Out and reissued the
checks and put it in their own bank account. And the money went into
their bank account, and I’ve told police this, and they still don’t get
anything done, and they have the person's bank account information.
I just don’t know where to go with it. There’s been other times where
we’ve recovered something like a sledgehammer that they used, and we tell the police, and it takes them almost a day and a half to even show up. I mean, we’ve been there for 60 years. How many other businesses are like that in Jackson?
We’ve had our front doors—they pulled a truck up to it with chains and
actually ripped the front doors out. To replace that is very expensive.
They have a camera like a half a block down the street. And I tell the
police, "You all probably have a video of the people that are doing it."
And they always tell me, "We’ll check in on it and get back to you." Nothing ever gets done.
And that’s about all I have to say. I know my brother’s here too, and
he wanted to talk about it also. But thanks for hearing me.
[00:03:16] Council Member Kenneth Stokes: Thank you. Mr.
President, this is the company that we had on the agenda, and Hometown
BBQ is at the Marshall Shopping Center that we're trying to save. You
know, this company is a win-win for inner-city neighborhoods. People
come, they're walking distance. They have layaway, things that poor
people need. And to allow criminals to run good people out of these
neighborhoods is absolutely wrong. We need to run the criminals out of
these neighborhoods and keep helping people like Martin.
I just hope—and I’m going to see if we can meet with the US Attorney’s office and everybody else, because the
sales tax in this city in the last 20 years has gone down almost 30
percent. We cannot keep losing businesses. Cities need sales tax;
counties do not receive sales tax. But people like Martins closing down,
it's going to hurt us even more. We're not going to be able to pay
firemen, policemen, and others because poor people cannot pay these
taxes. What we got to do is run those people that's doing this.
The Hometown BBQ, Mr. President, has a copy, photos of the gentleman
doing it on the bicycle. I think from our investigation, someone bought
three houses in the neighborhood, and one of them is hiding them—they go
there, young thief living with grandma. And as that thief lives with
grandma, they create havoc throughout that neighborhood. And because, as
I stated, the zone, we need to go back to the beat system where we can
see police officers.
Medgar Evers needs Martins. I'll say it again: Medgar Evers Boulevard
needs Martins. And I know they have a for-sale sign now. If we don't get
these criminals out of these inner-city neighborhoods, there's not
going to be anything left. We lost McDonald’s on Woodrow Wilson because
some fool out there shooting guns. We lost Kentucky Fried Chicken on
Woodrow Wilson—who takes chicken out of the inner-city neighborhood? We
lost the drugstores because people go in there stealing. We got to give
these businesses a chance to succeed.
And I just hope, Mr. Martin, that y'all will meet with Mr.
Tillotson—don’t leave the meeting, kind of talk to him—and we can
probably get a plan. And as you said, cameras are there, and people know
and have an idea who's doing it. We're trying to get a reward offered
to make people talk a little more. Once the reward is offered, it's only
if that person is caught and convicted. It's not going to be issued any
other way. But we hope y'all will reconsider leaving the community
because the community is not part of this stealing and trying to run you
out of business. The community supports Martin's. Thank you.
[00:06:34] Council Member Tina Clay: Mr. Martin, we want
you to stay in the community, and we hope that crime prevention will be
something that works and that we can prevent crimes in the community.
And we appreciate you in the community.
[00:06:47] Council Member Kenneth Stokes: I was telling the
brother, we're not going to let him speak because he didn't sign up. But
could I say to Pastor Thurman, this is an outstanding preacher, young
man. I had a chance to do a revival a couple weeks ago...
11 comments:
Jackson hasn’t cared about keeping business in the city for many years. It’s the city that just doesn’t care. That should be their motto.
Doesn't the police dept. work for the mayor? They didn't care.
JPD shouldn't have to look far for the perps.
I imagine his financial losses will continue because he will never sell that building for a reasonable price. Another casualty -- in a long list of casualties -- from years of poor leadership.
I thought the new mayor was going to fix this; guess he is focusing on the zoo.
He’s white. That’s why the city doesn’t care.
The new fancy talking chief can ask those hoodlums to stop and solve the problem. Pass me the bong.
Sales Tax Diversions to Jackson*
July 2005 to March 2006 = $28,190,442
July 2015 to March 2016 = $24,033,632
July 2025 to March 2026 = $22,773,161
* For JPS grads, 'progressives' and cultural social media stalwarts: Mississippi's cities receive back from the state 18.5% (.185 cents) of every sales tax dollar generated within the municipality.
Real estate in Jackson is more often than not a losing financial proposition.
I agree with @2:59 If you are white it doesn't matter what you say. I am not sure when people will understand the people that are left in the third world section of Jackson don't care if they don't have anything. They all live in section 8 so who needs appliances
2:49pm Ding Ding Ding. This really puts into perspective how bad the decision is to float the zoo. Should be spending every cent possible on stopping crime. Fuck the bad roads, everywhere has bad roads. The bad roads don't get fixed until the crime gets solved and the tax base comes back.
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