Jackson Jambalaya

There’s no shame in the Lumumba’s game.
The people are getting wise to their shuck n’ jive.

Concern: "You have neutered our political leadership."

I disagree -- it's a compliment to the process.

Incredible display of how absolutely full of it they are. All they really want is the ability to steer contracts. They could care less about what "the people" want.

This just means that 95% of Jacksonians are racist.

The 33 anti-Henifin comments were bought and paid for and/or submitted by Rukia et al. Right?

12:55 - "You have neutered our political leadership" - I agree with you, it IS a compliment to the process. Besides, our political leaders have been operating as eunuchs without any help from the judge or the ITPM.

Lubumba will still win by 70% in 2025. You can’t fix stupid.

David Archie was correct!!!

Tee up the old democrat political argument “If there is even just one citizen who feels the process isn’t preferable, that’s all that should really matter.”

1:36 p.m. is wrong. This is the flock of canaries in the coalmine for Lumumba. He is toast next election.

The insinuations that this is a racial issue are off the mark. Everyone agrees on issues related to crime, roads, water and sewage. Everyone knows Lumumba fails on all these issues. He has his core supporters and that's it. A year ago Kenny Stokes supporters were sporting "stop smoking that damn dope" t-shirts, referencing something Stokes said about the mayor. Those folks will not be voting for Lumumba. It's over for Lumumba after this term. And he knows it.

Chokwe is a moron. He’s as corrupt as he was an unqualified lawyer. He’s a laughing stock among respectable lawyers in area

"5% Rule" defined as 95% of the problems are caused by 5% of the people.

What we see here is an excellent example of the 5% rule.

I also think this is curtains for Chokwe. He doesn't understand that most people in the city want (1) safety, (2) water, (3) sewer, and (4) roads. They don't give a damn if the person delivering those things is white, black, or purple. We are ALL tired. Tired of worrying about getting robbed. Tired of boiling water, and tired of raw booboo flowing through the streets.

"You have neutered our political leadership."

From the document:
"Comments urged that citizens be allowed to directly participate in overseeing the Sewer System and the ITPM, expressing concern that the ITPM has authority to generally run the Sewer System without involvement or oversight by the public or the City (e.g., Public Works Director, Mayor, or City Council)"

"Some comments also noted disagreement with authority seemingly vested in just two individuals (the ITPM and Judge Wingate) and remarked that the court process was inappropriate and insufficient for addressing citizens’ concerns. One comment also stated....to express skepticism that management by Mr. Henifin and management in general by an ITPM and without community input could succeed."


Some of the We-Dont-Want-This crowd's comments:
"Citizens of Jackson have been excluded from the process concerning the water and sewer systems and their future."

"The city should be present at every meeting, function, and decisionmaking. They need to see how the process works and hopefully this will add value to them and help them become better leaders. Also, Jackson leaders will bring a different perspective to the table."

"Status hearings are not a place where folks can actually provide input in a way that is appropriate and friendly to residents. The hearings occur during the day and you have to leave your cell phone behind."

"implement a citizens’ oversight committee or public accountability oversight board to review the ITPM’s plans and actions and provide input"

"implement a citizens’ selection committee for contract bids"

"require the ITPM to hire an ombudsman to represent the citizens or to serve as the liaison between the Parties, the ITPM, and the people of Jackson"

"implement an institutionalized community input process into how money on the Sewer System is spent"

Some of the USA's Responses:

"Under the circumstances, allowing the ITPM broad authority and latitude to manage the Sewer System with speed and flexibility—rather than with additional layers of consultation and review by citizens or elected officials—is appropriate and the most efficient and effective means of providing some near-term relief related to sewer overflows and prohibited bypasse"

"the United States disagrees that the temporary transfer of control of the Sewer System to a third party, subject to this Court’s oversight, is inappropriate under the current circumstances. The United States recognizes the extraordinary nature of placing a city function under the control of a third party and has agreed to do so only after many years of the City’s demonstrated failure to comply with the CWA, MWAPCL, and NPDES permits—resulting in public health risks and environmental degradation that affect citizens’ quality of life, cause economic losses, and contribute to distrust in their government."

"extraordinary circumstances warrant an extraordinary remedy. Under the City’s control (and presumably under the watch of the City’s elected officials), the Sewer System experienced violations under the CWA and MWAPCL, thus necessitating the Consent Decree in 2013. Despite the years afforded to the City to comply with the Consent Decree, it failed to do so and committed violations under the Consent Decree. The physical condition of the WCTS and the WWTPs continued to deteriorate, and the staffing necessary to operate and maintain the Sewer System and to respond to SSOs has fallen to inadequate levels. Indeed, the City has not mustered the financial, technical, and managerial resources to perform fundamental duties expected of a competent sewer system operator, such as quickly remedying active overflows of sewage from City sewer lines onto streets and yards."

"The comments have not presented evidence that further involvement or decision-making by elected officials/the City or the direct involvement or decision-making by citizens about the Sewer System would enhance the ITPM’s efforts"

If anyone was thinking about stormwater drains:
"Stormwater management is outside the purview of this case and the Stipulated Order. Stormwater management (e.g., drainage ditches) is and will remain the City’s responsibility. However, Mr. Henifin, as the prospective Sewer ITPM, should be aware of and appropriately address sewer issues even if they also involve stormwater issues. The United States will forward these comments to Mr. Henifin. To the extent the problems are issues with the Sewer System, the ITPM has the authority and discretion to investigate and address them based on his professional judgment."

If anyone was thinking about the billing question:
"This question refers to Mr. Henifin’s proposal as the Water ITPM to explore billing customers based on a property’s assessed value using data from the Hinds County Assessor’s Office rather than rely on water consumption measured by meters. The Stipulated Order does not mandate or legally require the ITPM to use consumption data or any other particular method as the basis for billing customers. Nor does the Stipulated Order prohibit any particular method for billing customers"

Great comment on one:
“It’s a shameful thing that an angry and misguided faction of ‘activists’ choose to sabotage rather than embrace the very real progress being made under the ITPM”

Kingish you got to hit on Poor People group/Rukia demands in this doc. Demand this, demand that. Good grief. It could have been boiled down to this: we want the money, we want to direct where it goes, and none of it is your business.

"Under the Order, the ITPM has authority to hire personnel, determine their salaries, make purchases, manage and enter into contracts with whomever he deems necessary for the performance of administrative, financial, advisory, legal, technical, accounting or other services. The fact that the ITPM under this Order will have unchecked power over the management of millions of dollars of public funds, including funding related to staffing and contracting is alarming and disturbing for the people of Jackson."

"We demand that the Order be modified to include the immediate appointment and hiring of a public representative, an ombudsperson, to serve as the liaison between the Parties to the suit, the ITPM and the people of Jackson. "
"We also demand an institutionalized community input process into how money on the sewer system is spent."

"We need a clear, transparent bid process for contracts. Contractors should also be accountable to community benefits agreements including hiring and local contracting goals. Include a clause that requires the ITPM to prioritize businesses and companies that agree to engage in Community Benefits Agreement"

Um, what is the Community Benefits Agreement?



And bless this person's heart:
“I am writing to ensure that is is perfectly understood that the groups that have spoken against Interim Third-Party Manager Ted Henfin receiving control of the city’s sewer system do NOT represent or speak for all African American cisitzens in the City of Jackson, MS.”

This document is a thorough beat-down of all arguments made by the mayor's minions. They're the same crowd Federal Judge Wingate recently labeled as ignorant, or racist or both, as you'll recall.

The federal government states time & again that the city of Jackson voluntarily surrendered control of its water system to a receiver - & now is doing the same with its sewer system. In doing so, Jackson surrendered the oversight & control Rukia's crowd now demands. Extreme problems require extreme solutions, as this document notes. Putting both water & sewer systems under a receiver has never been done before. It's so drastic & necessary only because of the scope of the disaster Jackson's leadership has created. Rukia & her crowd don't get to change thel terms of those federal orders after the fact. She really is just as stupid as she sounds.

Somebody (on one of the threads) asked about funding for the groups that area fighting Henifin and Wingate. Did a quick search for the person who represents one of the organizations. Nothing good/bad, but it does show how many organizations are involved.

Danyelle Holmes
Mississippi Poor People’s Campaign
"legal name is Morlettra Danyelle Holmes
a National Social Justice Organizer with the Mississippi Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival (MS-PPC) and serve on the steering committee of the Mississippi Rapid Response Coalition (the MRRC or “the Coalition”), alongside the People’s Advocacy Institute (PAI) and other partner organizations, including Alternate ROOTS, Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity (IAJE), Strong Arms of Mississippi, and the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable

has worked with MS-PPC since approximately 2018. MS-PPC is the state chapter of the national Poor People’s campaign, which is a campaign of the organization Repairers of the Breach. In my position as National Social Justice Organizer, I am a field team member organizing communities in fifteen states, including in Mississippi. In my role, I go into states to organize and assist different PPC state chapters with their campaigns under the PPC umbrella.

A lot of my work also entails working alongside the MRRC, which is a coalition of over thirty organizations that provide rapid response support in times of crisis. Founded in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coalition has responded to crises related to both climate change and failing infrastructure in the State of Mississippi.

Prior to my work with MS-PPC, I worked with United Auto Workers as the State Lead Interfaith Organizer from 2015-2017, working to organize clergy across the state in support of the workers attempting to organize unions at Canton Nissan."

3:59

Man, that’s a lot of verbiage. Let me help. “ Professional shit stirrer.”

The only thing I don't see addressed is the city's fire hydrants. Does the fire department give up the responsibility for maintaining them?

He couldn’t survive as a lawyer. That’s why he ran on da-da’s coattail. Rukia and he mooch off the illiterates, like all good democrats.

Jackson natives will re-elect Shock-Way in a landslide. He is fighting "the man"

8:49 is probably right as (just like last election) there will be no credible candidates to vote for, as the professional black middle class has left Jackson for the white schools and suburbs surrounding our city. The stable ones that are left don't want to touch this mess. We are left with the bottom 1/4 of the class.

The Lumbumbas are singing the blues.

The citizens of Jackson's interests have been and were represented by their elected officials, the Mayor and the City Council who the citizens elected to represent them and their interests. And both the Mayor and Council agreed that the ITPM should have full control of both the water treatment system and the wastewater system, as well as the federal funds that were given to fix them.

Imagine requiring the same of your brother and his administration. This is why literally no one, but themselves, take them seriously. Hold your Mayor and city accountable first and them your demands will carry some weight.

implement a citizens’ oversight committee or public accountability oversight board to review the ITPM’s plans and actions and provide input
implement a citizens’ selection committee for contract bids

require the ITPM to hire an ombudsman to represent the citizens or to serve as the liaison between the Parties, the ITPM, and the people of Jackson

amend Paragraph 18.a to require the ITPM to disclose records if requested by the public within 21 days unless the records would be otherwise exempt from disclosure pursuant to the Mississippi Public Records Act

amend Paragraph 6 (Limitations of ITPM’s Authority) by striking “unless otherwise ordered by the Court” so there is no ability for the ITPM to request to sell the City’s assets or privatize the Sewer System

amend Paragraph 5.gg by require customer complaints to be processed with a local independent source separate from the ITPM

amend Paragraph 5.gg to require that procedures to receive and respond to customer complaints be implemented by a date certain, within 60 days of entry of the Stipulated Order

amend Paragraph 18.b, which requires the ITPM to establish and maintain a public website to post information that “in the ITPM’s reasonable judgment” should be disclosed to the public, to include: (i) a clear definition of what “reasonable judgment” is based on; (ii) a specific requirement for how often to update the ITPM’s website (recommending weekly updates); and (iii) a requirement for the ITPM to post to the website all notices and other information to be submitted to MDEQ pursuant to the CWA and the wastewater system’s NPDES permit, including but not limited to required SSO Assessment Forms pursuant to the City’s Sewer Overflow Response Plan, and copies of all official correspondence concerning Notices of Violation, reporting or inspections under the CWA

increase the frequency of the ITPM’s quarterly status reports to monthly status reports

increase the frequency of the ITPM’s quarterly public meetings to monthly or bi-monthly public meetings

place the City’s information-retention obligations under Paragraphs 86 to 88 of the Consent Decree on the ITPM and JXN Water

implement an institutionalized community input process into how money on the Sewer System is spent

amend Paragraph 5.w to remove all provisions that give the ITPM unilateral control overrate changes

LOL...Make Chokwe and Co. do the same thing. Hold them to the same standard and demand they do the same thing. Then we will take you people serious.


require the ITPM to report all accounts, balances, payments, contracts, and other financial interests

amend Paragraph 5.q to require the ITPM to disclose contracts and agreements, and

require monthly written reports of project implementation and progress and of project accounting and financials.

October 3, 2023 at 12:59 PM, the ITPM doesn't have a history of failure, underhanded dealings, and a shady lack of disclosure. The mayor's administration can't say the same. Besides, the ITPM is required to report to Judge Wingate. That, with in its self, would be enough for honest people.

Already seeing more action with the sewer system! Saw them working on Peachtree yesterday and had moved over to Belvoir and still working when I drove by at 8pm last night. Thank you to Ted and especially the crews out there working!!!