As if Jackson was not plagued by enough crime, it's citizens now face a new menace every day: street racing. The sounds of impromptu drag races and loud mufflers continuously echo throughout the city. WLBT reported:
As residents express their concerns to Jackson City Council members about illegal street racing, a video obtained by 3 On Your Side shows not only how dangerous this behavior can be, but also how the city’s no-pursuit policy likely hinders their ability to make headway in these cases.
The video taken in late February shows dozens of vehicles revving their engines and speeding down a portion of Bailey Avenue, passing through red lights and failing to adhere to the four-lane’s 35 mph limit.
It also shows a Jackson patrol car with lights flashing as the racers speed by, unfazed by the police presence.
The video does not show JPD pursuing the lawbreakers, though the department’s no-pursuit policy only allows them to give chase in situations where violent felonies are involved.
“There seems to be almost no traffic control. It seems like you could do any type of traffic violation here with the exception maybe of drunk driving,” said Patricia Ice, who lives in Fondren and is part of the Fondren Renaissance Foundation’s task force to address this issue. “People are running red lights. They’re not stopping. The police are often in the neighborhood. My husband says this all the time, that the police are sitting right there, but they didn’t stop the person.”
Ice spoke at a special called Jackson City Council meeting Tuesday, where a few council members also expressed their concerns about the dangers of street racing and running red lights on straightaways throughout the Capital City....
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said mandatory jail time would be difficult because misdemeanor offenders in Jackson can’t be jailed, thanks to a consent decree.
“It matters very little what we do here if we have a jail that can’t keep people and a jail that can’t take misdemeanors,” Lumumba said. “When they say they’re not taking any misdemeanors and that’s what our police have been told, it’s not an option available to them.”
The council also discussed impounding cars as a possible deterrent.
“We want more action, you know, and less talk. We want to see them doing something. We want to see them giving out tickets a lot. And as I said, impounding cars, putting boots on cars, all those things cost money. But we feel like the city has money and can do those types of things,” Ice said....
One thing Police Chief James Davis said during the meeting didn’t sit well with Ice.
“It appeared that they are racing, but in many of these cases, they are not racing. They are individuals in nice cars, and they travel in packs,” Davis said, explaining to the council that when police show up, the racers disperse, and it’s difficult to be able to get anybody....
“Jackson Police continues to enforce Operation CRUSH, which saturates high-traffic areas of the city targeting speeders,” Brown said. “However, Jackson Police Department has a no-pursuit policy. Officers are not allowed to pursue vehicles during misdemeanor crimes for fear of jeopardizing innocent lives and property.”
Brown said officers are utilizing other investigating tools to gather information on vehicles and individuals that participate in street racing.
Kingfish note: Has an administration ever been so good at manufacturing excuses? This is simply basic competence. Jackson can't even do anything about noise and street racing? Reductive analysis says Jackson is literally giving up the streets.
Oh, and the irony of Patricia Ice complaining that law enforcement is not tough enough on lawbreakers. The irony.
52 comments:
ahhhhhh........ms patrica ice.
another social justice warrior complaining about about the very culture she and her fellow activists have created.
How about the Radical New City installing traffic light cameras? It's a very common and proven method to catch and ticket violators, in many parts of the civilized world...oh, wait.
If you vote for these jackasses you're part of the problem.
HA!!! Patricia Ice complaining about lack of law enforcement. Suck it, Comrade Ice.
The Omega Man v2.0 could be filmed in Jackson.
I don't quite understand the irony of Patricia Ice complaining.
Wasn't there just a primary held to determine each political party's candidate for Mayor?
Why yes, yes there was. And it's assumed that the Democrat will win in the fall?
Why yes, yes it is. So are there really a majority of residents in Jackson who want functional infrastructure, low crime, good schools, and a growing residential/business community?
Why no, apparently not.
Paving major streets has unintended consequences. :(
@8:26 if that is meant as a dig at the City, keep in mind that they did install a few traffic light cameras in downtown in the 2000s, but your pre-MAGA GQP legislature made them illegal in Mississippi.
Give them Hawkins Field's runways on Friday-Sunday. Charge a fee to enter and race. Make them sign a waiver. Monetize this shit.
"Dats only early in the morning. You should be up cooking breakfast by then. It's like an alarm clock Whoooooo Whooooo."
They're called whistle tips and they are driving residents nuts.
What a bunch of idiots regarding the traffic cameras. Chowkey could send out a million tickets and his citizenry isn't going to pay 1% of those issued. Get a clue. Jackson government has thrown in the towel.
@8:26, using traffic light cameras to issue citations is prohibited by state statute (Mississippi Code 17-25-19)
I would love for some of the more "progressive" posters here to chime in and give their ideas to stop this lawlessness instead of just criticizing conservative posters who at least offer up some solutions (albeit not always good lol). C'mon progs what can be done ?
Jackson has done a great job of conveying to these irresponsible young people the impression that Jackson is a loose and very tolerant city. The mayor, city council, municipal judges, and JPD have all made Jackson a haven where these fools can indulge their wild urges without fear of serious consequences. The "no-chase" policy among other liberal policies might work among a different demographic but only invite crime and a lack of respect for law enforcement in a place like Jackson. It's not cruel or racist to impose a hard line in a place like Jackson. It's common sense.
As of 9 AM projection @ rate = 150 YE.
Why is it that those who create the problems are the loudest when their utopia doesn’t pan out like they thought it would. Not to worry these clowns never stop trying to fix things that weren’t broken in the first place. Welcome to the new America brought to you by your neighborhood left wing nut jobs.
8:37. She is the wife of Bill Chandler, the guru of defending illegal aliens, (and fully into open borders), liberal to the core and AA progressive "over the top" advocate.
@9:01: I did propose a solution at 8:50.
Wonder how much money can they save by not putting up/replacing signs and lights? Not being used anyway. May want to think about taking flashing red lights off of the school buses.
@9:26 your proposed solution is to ask them to pay to race in one location, only a few days a week, when they can now do it for free every day of the week anywhere they like? Seriously? Shirley not...
Hope those poor racers dont hit an uncovered manhole....
If Jackson leaders won't help a leftist social justice warrior who hates America, it raises a question about exactly who will they help?
Don't allow Patricia to fool you - she was all over Nextdoor defending the Mayor endlessly leading up to the primary.
She supports him and by doing so supports his pro-crime stances.
I thought we liked freedom?
Why does the government need to tell us how fast we can drive?
"Hope those poor racers don't hit an uncovered manhole....". Hope they don't either. They may kill themselves, which I have no concern about, but I am concerned about the innocents that may also get killed if they did hit an open manhole losing control and riding up on a sidewalk, going into other traffic, into building/residence, you know, shit like that.
If y'all recall, it was your hero Stokes who championed for the no-chase policy (remember rocks, bricks, and bottles?). Antar was not mayor at the time, that was likely during Yarber. So direct some of your blame in his direction.
Traffic light cameras are illegal in mississippi. Chokwe couldn't install them if he wanted to. Again, this happened well before he became mayor. Direct some of your blame to the state legislature and governor. Although personally I agree that traffic cameras should not be legal.
Best answer I can come up with? Don't chase. Take pics of license plates, identify addresses, and tow cars away later. Don't pay? In 30 days the car gets auctioned.
I don’t know Patricia Ice, but you guys seem to think that she invented crime in Jackson. Maybe you guys should inform City Hall, now that you’ve found the root of the problem.
Or maybe you should just return to licking windows, eating glue, or whatever it is that you guys do whenever you’re not spouting nonsense on the internet.
Jackson can start by enforcing the laws, a few of which are set forth below. Or, the mayor can just come on out and say that these laws are unenforceable in Jackson.
"(1) The driver of a motor vehicle who is given a visible or audible signal by a law enforcement officer . . . to bring his motor vehicle to a stop . . . who willfully fails to obey such direction shall be guilty of a misdemeanor . . . "
(2) Any person who is guilty of violating subsection (1) of this section by operating a motor vehicle in such a manner as to indicate a reckless or willful disregard for the safety of persons or property . . . shall be guilty of a felony . . . , a fine not to exceed Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), or by commitment to the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections for not more than five (5) years, or both."
Miss. Code Ann. § 97-9-72.
"Any person who disturbs the public peace, or the peace of others, by violent, or loud, or insulting, or profane, or indecent, or offensive, or boisterous conduct or language, . . . or by conduct which may lead to a breach of the peace, or by any other act, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment in the county jail not more than six (6) months, or both."
Miss. Code Ann. § 97-35-15(1).
"If any person . . . or mayor, marshal, or constable, or any other officer of any city, town, or village, shall knowingly or wilfully fail, neglect, or refuse to perform any of the duties required of him by law . . . or shall violate his duty in any respect, he shall, on conviction thereof, be fined not exceeding One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or be imprisoned in the county jail not exceeding six (6) months, or both."
Miss. Code Ann. § 97-11-37
@8:54 - Light cameras record the driver, vehicle, incident, and date/time stamp. They give the authorities the ability to charge them and bring them to court when they don't pay. As opposed to what? What's your solution? Just sit and bitch and throw your hands up?
And, if they're not allowed by law, then change the damn law.
Excuses are a poor substitute for performance.... just sayin’.
You get for what you vote. If you’re in the voting minority in Jackson, you’re screwed. Wail, yell, offer solutions. It ain’t gona change a damn thing in Jackson. The majority is not willing to effect desired change by voting to office those who would bring it.
9:15 AM
Thanks. I'm not real familiar with the Fondren crowd other than knowing Felder Rushing lives there.
As long as they keep it out of Rankin, I don’t care. I do not cross the river. Let them kill each other. They live in the world they create. Nobody is forcing you to live with them.
As long as they keep it out of Rankin, I don’t care...
With some exceptions, our criminal element knows better than to stray into Rankin or Madison counties to do their dirt. Law enforcement is tough, the courts are tougher and they will put some real time on your rear end for showing out.
Jackson is an easy mark and the thugs know it.
The streets have been giveth up.
At 5:00pm yesterday there was JPD sitting on a side street of Ridgewood Road between Old Canton and Briarwood. He obviously clocked a motorcycle going south. The motorcycle stopped at the light in the turn lane to go north on Old Canton. JPD has lights on and stops behind traffic in the inside lane trying to figure out how to get at the motorcycle as there was a pickup behind the motorcycle and 2 or 3 cars in front of the cruiser.
Motorcycle notices the lights on the cruiser, pulls out into the oncoming lane, drives into the intersection, waits for it to clear and runs a red light and proceeds north onto Old Canton.
JPD, turns lights off, does a u-turn (a 3 point u-turn) and goes back to his spot on a side street.
See y'all in Madison! Can we get the Mayflower, Walker's and Manship to follow us?
11:13 Your observation might make sense somewhere else, not in Jackson. In all truth no one determined to make the necessary changes will run for office in Jackson. All cut from the same cloth. There is nobody to voter for!
@11:56a- EXACTLY!!
It is mind-boggling to me that Jackson can't see that their issues aren't racism or funding... their issue is CRIME!! It affects absolutely everything from property values to insurance rates to sales tax revenue to quality of life.
Jackson will NEVER grow or stimulate its economy until crime is under control. More and more businesses are fleeing. Less and less people are visiting. If it weren't for the hospitals, I think the shrink would have occurred much faster.
The democratic leadership has made Jackson a comfortable place for criminals to thrive. I do not feel sorry for Jackson anymore. It's becoming more and more hysterical to watch people defend Drake. His voters do not want to hear the truth about what it will take to recover their communities. Unfortunately, their community and religious leaders won't tell them either.
Surely the Chief realizes his public refusal to prosecute this crime opens him up to liability when one of these idiots kills someone.
12:50 Madison got its own problems with shootings on the interstate, etc.
“ It is mind-boggling to me that Jackson can't see that their issues aren't racism or funding... their issue is CRIME!! It affects absolutely everything from property values to insurance rates to sales tax revenue to quality of life.
April 29, 2021 at 1:28 PM”
I can assure you that the voters of Jackson don’t care. Otherwise they’d be mad that their mayor hid the fact that they were drinking polluted water for a YEAR
Damn gun shows. All we need is more legislation and that'll keep them from committing a crime.
@2:57p- I agree 100%!! I’ve stated multiple times on this blog that the fact Drake is allowed to even ENTER City Hall at this point proves they don’t care AT ALL!! The fools are gonna re-elect him. We are less than 2 months away from Jackson being a total lost cause.
I applaud the optimism of anyone who thinks a city who cannot mail water bills can effectively end street racing.
Or any other lawless behavior.
This is acceptable to the majority.
11:02, the "red light cameras" were outlawed when the company put one or more too close to the Capitol, and a few strategic legislators were photographed with passengers that shouldn't have been photographed.
Chuck again at the root of another problem in our capital city. These speeders know to just keep going and no pursuit will occur. One problem after another being ignored in this new world order. The downward spiral will continue until we get leadership that will enforce common laws. This MSNBC darling will only continue to destroy what’s left of this once great city. #boycottchuck
What happens if they pull over an illegal alien who is street racing, Patricia? Should they be required to present a valid driver’s license or will your activist organization fight that aspect of enforcing the law?
The CoJ should partner with a businessperson to develop a race track to give street racers a safe and legal place to race their cars.
751 for the win
11am Miss. Code Ann. § 97-9-72? They'd have to pull over a car a minute. Have you listened to ANYmof the words from that mindnumbing filth coming from their car speakers?
"Don't allow Patricia to fool you - she was all over Nextdoor defending the Mayor endlessly leading up to the primary.
She supports him and by doing so supports his pro-crime stances."
Don't blame Patricia. It's not her circus, so it's not her clowns and monkeys. Oh...wait...it is.
12:12, Yes, I have listened to it, usually not voluntarily. If the police have to pull over a car a minute to enforce the law, Section 97-11-37 says they are obligated to do it.
In other words, if the city ever becomes interested in changing the culture of lawlessness that has become pervasive within the city limits, the laws are already on the books to enable it do so.
11:00
Isn't fleeing from the police in a motor vehicle a felony?
9:25, see the comment at 11:00.
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