Jackson Jambalaya

The residentially challenged are not challenged when it comes to opening gates and exhibiting other forms of cleverness.

I'm betting that even the most residentially challenged among us can figure out how to open a gate. My last two dogs had it figured out.

I am glad for the fence. I can take my toddler and not worry about him getting into the street so easily.

Dr. Hays is a good man and a natural leader, and the Foundation's goals are to be commended. I'm just wondering how a fence is going to keep the "bums" out unless there are security personnel present whenever the park is open. Too, the fence is not going to stop thugs from taking drive-by practice with their Glock-switched weapons. At least the Foundation is trying.

How long will it remain upright?

Just more evidence of the changes REQUIRED due to the demographic and cultural alterations of 39211. Right Othor?

Dr. Clay Hays is a hero!

Its a nice looking fence but you are right it looked better without it and its sad its come to this

All those contributions "for improvement" that are 100% by white folks to an area now 60% "diverse". Read that again. 100%. SMDH. Idiots.

Is it just me or does an eight foot high iron fence make the park seem so much more dangerous? Like I wish they would have just used the "several hundred thousand dollars" for lighting and on-site security - place just looks scary now.

I'm sorry, but there is a certain point when the city needs to be called out by entities such as this, for not doing its job. The vagrancy and residentially challenged go unchecked and it has to stop. Concerning security, do we even have a police force anymore? Does JPD even exist. Is the city of Jackson capable of providing, at minimum, 10% of what a municipality is charged with/ providing

Updating a park in Jackson make as much sense as installing new carpet in a house that was in fire

Thug driving stolen car through fence in 3, 2, 1...

When the park was young and one of my sons was also, I would put an old, thick Rawlings baseball mit over the crossbar of my ten speed so he could sit in front of me holding the handle bars and take him for a ride through the park. Rattling across the bridge decking was especially fun for both of us. When he was older we played soccer-tennis on the courts a few times.

It's long overdue. For decades too many threw their trash out of the windows of their cars as they passed by. Those using the park were good to pick up and throw into available barrels but it's decline is not recent and I'm delighted with the improvements including a fence.

Not going to stop anyone.

I played many tennis tournaments at Bridges and Tennis Center South in the late 70’s early 80’s. It’s really sad to see this at PB and I’d guess TCS is a weed farm.

100% agree. Now it looks like a prison yard.

You are right. Sad it has come to this. We literally live in a town of less than 200,000 people. And yet we are all strangers to one another and a huge portion of those residents' understanding of living life is so different.

I really think we should do cross-city church once a month.

Until strangers become neighbors, until neighbors become friends-we will not heal and nothing will change.

It is a lot harder to rob and perpetrate against your neighbor, much less your friend. But Psalm 51 and what David did with Bathsheba shows us of the evil which what we are all capable.

Sigh.

What stops homeless folks from wandering the park during the day and simply not leaving after dark?

The problem is most of the LE board lives in a fantasy land and have condos beach houses and one has a house in Martha’s Vineyard and pebble beach. All have multiple kids at local private schools and think rest of world lives like they do. Ppl outside Jackson in Madison and rankin co have no idea the level of wealth that is in this pocket of NE Jackson. I think parham bridges needs to separate the tennis area from rest of the park.

The new Dr. Chief is on it.

Maybe even sooner.

Your neighbor is more likely to rob you

Bums in Jackson??? Ha! Ha!

NE Jackson only has old money all the new moneys is in Madison. Why? Because Jackson isn’t safe

You would take your child to a park in Jackson??

I like the new fence and don't think it looks like a prison. It's a lot safer for children as one poster noted. Hope the ground crew can prevent honeysuckle from growing all over it and assume whoever locks the gates at night will scan the area for bums and eject them.

To the people bitchin' about bums and "culture", you should be the change you want to see. Get involved, pester the mayor about the crime and the money wasted on the zoo.

would love to see this at fondren park

It's long overdue. For decades too many threw their trash out of the windows of their cars as they passed by.

Right, fences stop litter! Fences STOP litter!!

Jackson is way less than 200,000. Has been for decades now.

Hey, great, now the park looks like the Exit 100 underpass.

Ha! Ha!

Will Jackistan's copper thieves diversify?

9:31 and 9:43, Right on! And 10:01 That's because 100% of the administration doesn't see vagrancy and similar issues as a problem. When you live amongst such things, you don't see a problem. That's why the wave continues to grow from the west and south unabated.

Your comments are exhausting to read. Are you this negative to your coworkers and families? Geeze. Are you eaten alive with bitterness? Those that live here are excited about this and numerous other things taking place in Jackson.

To which comment are you responding, 12:29? Are you addressing a single comment or poster, or are you talking about the comments section as a whole, or the comments in this particular thread?

By the way, if you're referring to humans, then "Those THAT live here...", should be written, "Those WHO live here...". Or, were you deliberately dehumanizing the inhabitants of "here" (And again, you're so vague, we have no idea what you mean by "here". Are you talking about the neighborhood surrounding the park, the city, the metro, or the entire state?).

It's kind of remarkable how quickly this happened. I traveled to Jackson for a junior tennis tournament at Parham Bridges in 2000 before I moved here. I felt completely safe, and we even walked across the street to the apartments by JA to warm up on their tennis courts prior to matches. Stayed at the Cabot Lodge on County Line and walked from there to eat at night. My how times have changed.

Don't worry, 11:22! The fencing will be regarded as an 'Herbicide Opportunity'! This will help populate the cancer centers and memory care facilities. Life is good.

Now it will be even hard to get away from creeps inside the park that may be after you!

You negative assholes can’t help but tear down something good happening from productive people and organizations in a city that desperately needs them. WHY?? What is wrong with y’all?? My gosh this is a sad comment section. Your harsh judgements need to be directed at the office holders in this town and not at LeFleur’s East!

Because most of us know Jackson is in serious decline and is beyond saving. I was born and raised in Jackson left Jackson almost 30 years ago and never looked back

"Cross city church once a month"? Cross city anything is unsafe.

Because we are pissed off at what "the culture" has done to our city.

2:22 Ok, if that’s the case then please move on and find somewhere else to be a negative loser. Do you really think they are going to move the State Capitol, Gov’s Mansion, State Office Buildings, multiple hospitals, multiple colleges, multiple massive historical churches, thousands of beautiful homes, etc.? Jackson’s got a lot of problems, but there is so much worth preserving that so many miserable self centered people can’t see. It is crazy and frankly sad how people love to beat a dead horse.

Jackson is a dead horse. We already knew that.

2:22: ..."never looked back"? Come on! You seem to be constantly looking back, because it's obviously a topic you can't let pass, not unlike a dog obsessivly knawing and drooling on the same bone for years. There are therapists and counsellors and psychiatrists available in metro Jackson who can help you overcome this hand-ringing anxiety that seems to grip you.

Good luck!

@3:04 I full support moving the state capital out of Jackson. Mississippi needs and deserves a city it can be proud of. I’m ashamed of Jackson it’s an embarrassment that Mississippis state capital is one of Americas most dangerous cities. You can’t drink the water because of poor leadership of city government. Plus Jackson can’t even get your water bill right. Schools suck and taxes are high. I know the hospitals will never leave but hospitals are located outside of Jackson and umc is expanding outside of Jackson

Like it or not Jackson is Mississippi capital and lot of people are embarrassed to have Jackson as the capital

Boy is that a truthful mouthful.