Jackson Free Press

This dude, Mark Sandridge, shouldn't be elected dog catcher after this expensively offensive—and inaccurate—campaign ad. Shame!

Watch:

Previous Commentsshow

Some people REALLY need to get out more.

Todd Stauffer

May 9 2011

Wait, SERIOUSLY? Love that "US" vs "THEM". Damn, should we let St. Louis know this guy down here is running for Sheriff of their city? ;) I can't even seriously get in to that hot mess of propoganda.

Lori G

May 9 2011

The sad thing is, some think tank probably polled local residents and decided this dribble was exactly the type of bullcrap propaganda that would win the election for him.

BuyJxn

May 9 2011

What movie theaters are showing this? That seems to send a message that they don't want Jackson patrons, doesn't it?

DonnaLadd

May 9 2011

I am so tired of this "us vs. them," small-minded, bigoted mindset. What's he going to do? Build a concrete wall to separate Madison County from Hinds? What an idiot. Especially when so many of the high-priced lawyers, doctors and business people who live in Madison work in Jackson in its courts, hospitals and offices. And where do they go for entertainment? Thalia Mara hall, the museums, the zoo ... all in Jackson. When are people going to learn that we all sink or swim together?

Ronni_Mott

May 9 2011

Whether you like it or not; admit it or not -- this fella is EXACTLY what Madison residents want! They've not tried to keep it a screct. Those of us who really care about Jackson have been screaming their attitude to the TOP of our lungs but it's being redirected by others who say we "have to work together". Madison isn't interested in "working together". Every opportunity they get - on websites and media outlets-- they are digging into the pulse of Jackson and spitting in our faces. They are bold and consistent. They don't want anything to do with Jacksonian thugs and criminals. Because if you didn't know if you live in Jackson, you are most definetely a good-for-nothing thug!!!! *sarcasm off*

Queen601

May 9 2011

Stop cying Jackson and do something about your crime rate. Blaming us for pointing it out doesn't help any. Frank Melton is dead, and someone else needs to step up and finish the job he came close to doing.

Walt

May 9 2011

Helen, I find it remarkable that Malco would screen this ad. Remarkable.

DonnaLadd

May 9 2011

To really make this ad sing, I think he should have superimposed the phrase "And I don't like Them Mexicans neither" over the upper body shot in the last frame.

Lori G

May 9 2011

One wonders if Malco would accept a paid ad from someone in Jackson bashing Madison -- not that anyone should do such a low-class thing. But it is interesting to consider. I can't imagine that this can be good for their business.

DonnaLadd

May 9 2011

Personally I don't come on the south side of Countyline road. I want to live a while longer.

Walt

May 9 2011

Stop it, Walt. Some people don't pick up your sarcasm. [glare] As for Malco, even if they hadn't seen it, how do you keep screening something so hateful in front of people who live in the city being trashed? This just can't be good business.

DonnaLadd

May 9 2011

You think? ;-) It probably also wouldn't hurt if patrons expressed themselves to the theater as well.

DonnaLadd

May 9 2011

Jacksonians demanding their money back might send a message as well. Expect an editorial.

DonnaLadd

May 9 2011

This ad is not surprising. Malco's decision to air it is not surprising. The average Madisonian is pretentious and thinks they are superior to everyone else. Madison County propaganda is ridiculous. Kumbaya, indeed. I do not spend one thin dime in Madison County. I don't even live in Hinds County and I feel this way. So I know Jackson residents are sick of it.

redlion

May 10 2011

He's not what THIS Madison County resident wants. I sent an email to the man's campaign website, letting them know I had considered voting for him and would definitely NOT be doing it now, thanks to this ad. If he wins with this type of message, how can he effectively work with JPD and Hinds law enforcement? There are plenty of criminals living in Madison County, and this type of thinking makes it a lot easier for those criminals to get away with it.

lls32001

May 10 2011

The problem for me is you dont collectively hear from Madison residents or ANYONE in positions of authority denouncing such. We know that ALL Madison residents dont feel this way but when do we hear from a prominent pastor, public official, businessperson, newspaper editor? ANYONE publicly denouncing this ad and decreeing that THIS isnt the type of msg their city wants to send? And Sandridge is running third BTW so he's probably about to go deeper into the fear mongering

Kamikaze

May 10 2011

Good point, Kaz. There are people on Facebook who live in Madison County denouncing him; they need to speak up and out using their names so all can hear. I am adamantly opposed to attempts to paint any group (whether Madison Countians or Jacksonians) with the same brush because that's just as ignorant, but they do need to speak out against this if they care about living in a strong metro. This is divisive. We all need to speak out against these kinds of divisiveness. We all sink or swim together. The sooner we realize, the sooner our city, metro and state will get up off the bottom. And Malco needs to stop running that ad. It's got to be bad for their business. I know the company isn't a Mississippi company, but it's based in Memphis, not China. They must realize that it is irresponsible to make money-goers pay to sit through something that bashes their home city.

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

Malco corporate pulling campaign ad, per an email to JFP news editor Lacey McLaughlin: Lacey- Our screen ads are handled by a third party. It is the policy of Malco Theatres to not run political campaign ads and we have requested this be removed immediately. Karen Scott Director of Marketing Malco Theatres -- Karen Scott Director of Marketing Malco Theatres 5851 Ridgeway Center Parkway Memphis, TN 38120

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

Also from Malco: "no further comment"

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

Was JUST going to call for a (Jackson at least) boycott of Malco. But I see theyve responded. Kudos to them. Didnt think it was prudent to run political ads on their screens anyway

Kamikaze

May 10 2011

I disseminate information; I don't organize boycotts. ;-) But from the Malco response, it sounds like the ad should be coming down "immediately." Y'all keep an eye out.

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

Candidates should run on their qualifications and merits to be elected. When they lower the standard by bringing out negative of others, they should be considered as a non issue. But I guess politics is all about bashing others and playing peoples emotions to win elections.

DeGuyz

May 10 2011

I wish someone could find out how may crimes committed in Jackson are done by people who don't live in Jackson.

LatashaWillis

May 10 2011

The whole idea of fighting crime by discussing where criminals may come from doesn't even make sense. Who cares what zip code the criminal lives in? Crime is everywhere! If a crime is committed, solve the crime and find the person who did it. Pointing fingers at one town doesn't do a thing to decrease crime in any town.

lls32001

May 10 2011

Let me go ahead and nip this in the bud right now as I know where this is leading: AHEM!!!!! Please pardon my comment above that "grouped" all citizens in Madison into one category of being behind this guy's ploy to scare the bejeezus out of folk and get elected for sheriff. I know (and so does any intelligent person) that not EVERY single person living in Madison county is down with this ridiculousness. I forgot that on this site, one must be VERY VERY CLEAR on what they mean. That's my fault. However, if people don't want to be viewed as being "ok" with this, they might need to show up on posts on other sites and REPRESENT for their beliefs. Because what's heard most (in MY world) is in line with what this ad depicts. I am not ignorant by any stretch! I do apologize to lls and others who are just as offended by this crap as I am. I thoughtlessly left out a word or two that would have clarified that there are a few folk in Madison who take issue with this.

Queen601

May 10 2011

Classy post, Queen. There are many people who live in Madison speaking out about this. I've seen it all over social media, and many apparently got in touch with the theater and the campaign. *That* kind of unity is exactly what the Jackson metropolitan area needs to defeat the forces of old that want us divided and conquered (so they can maintain the status quo and find little ugly power pockets for their hate to reside). Stand together, all. That is what it will take to make Jackson what we can be. And stand up to hate and stereotypes (and, like Queen, apologize if your emotion gets the best of you and you accidentally stereotype. Mine certainly has in the past as well.) We can all be better than that.

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

Never mean to be offensive to anyone...EVER! Olive branch extended. Thanks Donna.

Queen601

May 10 2011

I want to understand, but I don't really see the problem here. Maybe it's a little divisive and scare tactic-ish in its rhetoric, but so are a lot of campaign ads. He's running for a law enforcement position, not an administrator. It would be his job to protect the residents of Madison County. His basic message is that he won't let crime get as bad as in the neighboring county. I think its safe to say many potential voters in Madison County perceive crime to be higher in Hinds County (true or not), so he's pandering to that belief. Politicians do this ALL the time. I live in Rankin County, so it doesn't really matter to me, anyway. But I am not sure what the core complaint is here. I've seen a lot worse "smear" ads from State and National campaigns.

The Eskimo

May 10 2011

You can now go HERE http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mark-Sandridge-for-Madison-County-Sheriff/137460759653539?sk=wall and voice your displeasure directly to the Sandridge campaign. And as far the "us vs. them" goes. No olive branch will ever be extended from my hand until I see the SAME effort by the SAME number of folks on that side of the county line. That means the chamber, the mayor or other officials, and some prominent businessmen who stand up like ours do everyday peddling this "metro" unity. The energy only comes from OUR side and a few Madison citizens who stand up on here and on FB. The feeling is NOT returned in kind. Prove me wrong. I know there are many who were just as appalled but they are being drowned out by the silence coming from most in Madison. Its amazing to me how THEY feel like their attention to crime is so superior. As if WE dont want the same for our families here. As if OUR law enforcement dont care as much as Sandridge's. BALDERDASH! While they have to protect THOUSANDS less than we do here in Jackson.

Kamikaze

May 10 2011

Kaz, I know we disagree on the approach to helping our city, and that you're into an us-v.-them mentality. I'm just not anymore. But as I've demonstrated in the last 24 hours, I'm also up to the task of defending my city and demanding answers from businesses and candidates and getting the word out. I also have a very diverse network of "friends" in my social networks, and I've probably seen as many who live in Madison County expressing outrage about this in the last 24 hours as I have Jacksonians. Just because people aren't saying it to you -- perhaps because you tar them all with the same b rush -- doesn't mean they're not saying it. The Civil Rights Movement should be our guide here. We can fight back even as we allow people the space to mature on these issues and do the right thing. With due respect, beating them with an angry club because of where they choose to live and referring to them all as "they" as if they all think alike is doing yourself a disservice. So, yes, fight for Jackson -- and the metro. Believe in the possibilities for all of us Mississippians of all races and income backgrounds as the people who died during the Movement did. And, yes, more than ever these days, I believe in turning the other cheek a bit and giving people a chance to climb on board before walloping them. Why? Because I see it happen over and over again -- and I can see the immense change that has happened here in the last decade every day. I hear it. I think I've just grown past a place where my anger controls what I say. And it could be that I just take a more female, collaborative approach. ;-)

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

And for the record, I fully believe that both Sandridge and Malco owe the city of Jackson and her residents a heartfelt apology.

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

Not speaking from anger. thanks. Im speaking calmly from clear conscious and sound mind. I can only react to the way Ive seen our city treated. Prove to me that the effort is the same amongst business and public officials as it is here and I will GLADLY digress. I see NO one championing the metro concept except Duane O'Neill. no one from the Madison chamber ever speaks publicly about it. I dont see Mary Hawkins reaching out to embrace Jackson, yet Mayor Johnson embraces Jackson's neighbors. Doesnt even seem to be an effort from law enforcement as we CLEARLY see to foster a Metro thinkspeak (Which btw could help us ALL curb crime in the tri-state area) Ive got a diverse set of friends. Some of which live in Madison so I dont paint them all with said "brush" But althogh their voice is important it pales to the voices of those that can sway opinion. And I think you know what I mean. theyre not all saying it to me. But theyre not all saying it to YOU either. sooooo.... I turn my cheek. I prefer it. I teach it. But if it keeps getting slapped everytime I turn it. what am I to do. When I finally reach up and grab your hand and STOP you from slapping me again THEN you get the picture that I dont like it. Again, show me max effort..and I will stand corrected. All i hear is silence from those who carry weight

Kamikaze

May 10 2011

Kaz, every person carries weight. Movements aren't started or won from the top down. We definitely differ on this: you tend to focus on the elected officials and expect them to be heroes and measure success by whether or not an elected official is doing what you want. I just don't. I expect the people to do it and make them irrelevant at the right time. And the elected officials almost always are the last ones to c ome around because the worst of them think their little power binges depends on idiocy and stereotypes. And even some of the ones who start out on the right track can fall prey to us.-v.-them rhetoric. Effort is all around if you notice it. And I apologize if you're not angry; I believe that stereotypes always come from places of anger. I can't imagine why else people would do it. When I've stereotyped, it's usually been because I was pissed. And like when done in other ways, the whole "I've got friends in Madison County" excuse doesn't work if you tar groups of people. I know we come from similar places on this stuff, but I do think your methods and rhetoric toward people in the suburbs can turn off a lot of people that only a slight change in strategy would join your campaign.

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

I can respect that. and disagree. So be it. I only wish to collaborate with those who SHOW openly a desire to work WITH me...with US and I do it ALL the time here. I believe firmly in TEAMS, in movements. But..all parties have to be willing participants do they not? Just. dont. See. it. The voices of displeasure from Madison arent loud enough yet...But Ive got my hands cupped to my waiting ears. Right now what I see is the majority of the folks there agree with Sandridge. They support the Jackson bashing and cheer the propoganda. And I said the MAJORITY not all. Its clearly not everyone in Madison. And anyone that knows me knows where I stand on that and where my heart is. ..Dont like my thought process..take an alternate route. We'll meet up at the finish line of a better capital.

Kamikaze

May 10 2011

...The "collaboration" that you speak of IS needed Donna. We agree on that piece. Effort from the Top down AND the grassroots up! They have to work TOGETHER to change the seperatist perception Madison has painted for itself. It cant happen with JUST the people speaking out and cant happen with JUST officials efforting change. Meetings of the minds..somewhere in the middle..is whats needed

Kamikaze

May 10 2011

Agreed with your last statement. But there has to be space for people to do that. And I really don't think your or I can know what the "majority" of Madison Countians think. That's my whole point: When you speak for groups or call them "they," you weaken your message.

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

YOURE RIGHT! Cant know for certainty what the majority thinks BUT..Only going by what I see. Silence. I WANT to be proven wrong.

Kamikaze

May 10 2011

Here we go ahead, round and round in circles. Not everyone in Madison Co. shares the views of this Sandrige dude. But the ones who disagree are not as vocal as the ones who agree. This has been my experience. My olive branch is to those who like lls up there are willing to speak out to the ridiclousness that comes to separate us by the county line. I have been grouped with others before and it's not always a good feeling. I'm sure there are people in Madison who are disgusted by this as much as we are here. And some who couldn't care any less here in Jackson. Point is, in a movement, you have to have like minded folk whether they meet from the bottom to the top or start in the middle. From that all voices worthy of being heard shall sing out in unison. Bickering about how to approach the finish line without starting the race is not benefiting anyone. And if Madison isn't crying out to the wrong-ness of this sort of ad, then the ones who are silent are ALLOWING this stigma to be placed on them. If they want us to know they think it's wrong they should be heard as loudly as we are. Donna, I know you say your people in Madison are very verbal, well, all of us aren't privy to hearing them. I know I'm not. I don't care if it's the majority or not. If it's only two people I'd like to hear them!

Queen601

May 10 2011

Queen, I don't have people in Madison. I just know what I have seen and heard. Just because a tree doesn't fall on your personal Facebook page doesn't mean it doesn't fall. I like that y'all are so passionate, but good golly, don't fall into the same traps as the people you blast. In other words, stop the stereotyping, and I'll stop calling you out on it. I hate to see good people fall into that trap.

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

For instance, here is one of many similar posts I have seen on friends' Facebook pages in the last 24 hours. I'm not including his last name because I didn't ask permission; I just saw it on a prominent local attorney's page. (And I don't know the person posting it, but he seems to be a middle-aged white man, FWIW): "I live in Madison County and am very pleased with it. I have gone to Jackson every day for the past three years, and have experienced ZERO problems. My luck? I don't think so. I lived in Rankin County for two years and Madison for one, and have experienced ZERO problems from Jackson. My luck? I don't think so. I, too, think this is a bad ad. Jackson is a great place. It does have its problems. Madison County is a great place. It, too, does have its problems. The sheriff represents all the people who happen to be in the county, resident or not. I hate to think a candidate would have an "us v. them" philosophy. I hope the other candidates don't share this thought. I don't think it is a necessity that they denounce this ad. I do, though, favor the candidates that don't throw dirt, especially for this crucial job."

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

And this just popped up in Twitter. (Recall that Dr. King's approach was modeled on Gandhi's): "Hatred can be overcome only by love." Gandhi

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

First Donna, I haven't a clue what the hell you are talking about. Second, YOU said you have people in Madison. Now u don't. Third, you do know that FB is not the only social network out there right? And surely you don't think that I am forming opinions based on FB and/or twitter only....are you?? I think maybe u should re-read my post....maybe you were meaning to direct that to someone else because I CLEARLY stated that I know that everyone in Madison doesn't feel this wway. But then again....

Queen601

May 10 2011

Kaz, how do you know that people of weight in Madison County are not appaled at the absurdity of the ad? Maybe they are and choose not to dignify it and lend anything to it by calling a presser and denouncig it. Maybe they don't know about it at all. Maybe they do, but don't think it's worthy of a response since it's an absurd political ad by the person running for office. Maybe it's against policy (if not borderline against the law) to address a political ad publicly. Maybe it's a slippery slope for some. Maybe/

independent

May 10 2011

I said I have Facebook "friends" there; that doesn't translate, necessarily, into "having people" there. ;-) I don't know how you're forming opinions, Queen, especially when you try to make a whole group sound the same. I realize you've backtracked from that now, which is great. Of course, Facebook isn't the only social network out there; in fact, that's my point to you and Kaz. Just because you don't see something wherever you're looking doesn't mean it's not happening. Same goes for me or anyone.

DonnaLadd

May 10 2011

The whole idea of fighting crime by discussing where criminals may come from doesn't even make sense. Who cares what zip code the criminal lives in? Crime is everywhere! If a crime is committed, solve the crime and find the person who did it. Pointing fingers at one town doesn't do a thing to decrease crime in any town. This is why I still say it would be interesting to know how many criminals that commit crimes in Jackson are not from Jackson. We know that crime is everywhere, but Sandridge's ad made it sounds like it doesn't, and I see statistics as a great way to shoot down a lie. He implied that all the troublemakers are from Jackson/Hinds County, yet I am sure that Madison County has its share whether they want to admit it or not. Also, it doesn't matter to me what Madison Countians say verbally or online about the ad because one can say anything to hide what they truly think. To me, they speak from the voting booth, and if Sandridge loses, that will be enough for me to see that most of them don't go for that garbage.

LatashaWillis

May 10 2011

I know we're saying Facebook doesn't count for a whole lot necessarily, but I was certainly heartened to see that only 77 people "like" his page. That certainly can't be a majority of the Madisonians on FB.

andi

May 10 2011

Tom Head. Thank you for your perceptive remarks, though bringing rationality to an argument sometimes is less entertaining! LOL.

Pops

May 11 2011

@ independence Maybe they are and choose not to dignify it and lend anything to it by calling a presser and denouncig it I think your a good person for giving people that live in that county the benefit of the doubt, because they are definately not giving Jacksonians the same credit But I think the leadership in Madison county will not say anything, simply because they relate to the message in the campaign. I am not shocked that it has gotten to this point. We just need to keep calling them out for that empty fear mongering rhetoric they are pumping out from that side of town

Duan C.

May 11 2011

Great posts, Tom. One of the worst insults we can make against another person is to impugn their autonomy–to oversimplify what they believe and what their lives mean because of some external value that we see. So, so true. Racial profiling is horrendous, but so is "profiling" all people who live in Madison County with the beliefs of one candidate. This is true not only with respect to race, gender, sexual orientation, and of course the city we live in, but also on a personal level–"you just believe that because Donna says it," which is leveled against me pretty often (though it no longer bothers me a bit), is a nastier thing to say than it might initially appear to be. That cracks me up that someone would be so ignorant as to say that to someone as intelligent and independent-thinking as you. It's clearly a device to try to silence you. It reminds me of the small-minded idiots who post (anonymously, of course, because they do not have the courage to own their own views and insults) on blogs and forums that someone must be *me* because that person dared to disagree with them. That insults everyone in Jackson to imply that Donna Ladd must be in the only independent, willing-to-challenge-the-status-quo thinker in the city. It's also funny because I don't post on under local blogs (or barely any unless it's informational and I sign my name). I own my views, and that's makes the little, er, minds crazy. But that mentality is losing handily in Jackson. Progressive minded people of all political beliefs are joining forces, whether or not I urge them to. They are speaking out and being heard. They/we are building a stronger metro area, and we're calling out divisiveness. Jackson is on a very good path. That's what we call rebranding, baby.

DonnaLadd

May 11 2011

Could someone point out for me what he said that was incorrect? Or even misleading? You just did that yourself, Mike. A huge problem with these "dangerous" and "violent" rankings (often used to sell books or increase TV news ratings) is that they take into accounts crimes that are not actually dangerous or violent. You just linked to something that is mixing up violent and property crimes, including those where a person is nowhere to be seen in order to be put in danger or at risk of violence. The truth is that people are at much higher risk of danger, of being physically harmed, by commuting in and out of Jackson every day, especially now that fools text and check email while driving. In Jackson, if you're not involved in the illicit drug trade in any way (including all those "good" white folks who go looking for drug dealers to buy their weekend entertainment), you're at very low risk of being harmed in a criminal incident. *That* is fact. Words matter. Images matter. Insults matter. Facts matter. Truth matters.

DonnaLadd

May 11 2011

BTW, they are deleting critical comments on the Sandridge Facebook page, so be aware. If you post, you might PDF it if you care to show what they're deleting. I just posted and asked why they're deleting. I don't expect to be allowed to "like" the page much longer.

DonnaLadd

May 11 2011

@ Ladd That insults everyone in Jackson to imply that Donna Ladd must be in the only independent, willing-to-challenge-the-status-quo thinker in the city Don't tell me your speaking in 3rd person now? lol!!! Yes indeed!

Duan C.

May 11 2011

Only this once, Duan. ;-) Same could be said of Kamikaze, Barbour or anyone else. People aren't supposed to all think a like, or like one person. My goal as a newspaper editor is to give people the factual information they need to think for themselves. Those who try to imply that others think like someone else tells them to are morons.

DonnaLadd

May 11 2011

Whoa whoa whooooa, I'm just reading this. Comparing me to Barbour for what?

Kamikaze

May 11 2011

Nothing nefarious. Read again. Was responding to Tom that it's lunacy for anyone to say that another thinks a certain way because you, I, Barbour or anyone else told them to.

DonnaLadd

May 11 2011

Gotcha.

Kamikaze

May 11 2011

Sandridge states the following in his platform: 1. "Round-the-clock efforts to keep criminals out of the County - before they commit crimes in OUR County. ....." How does a person become a criminal "before they commit crimes"? What tool, other than profiling, could an officer use to make such a determination/assessment? If elected, will Sandridge set up a criminal toll ckeck point for all Jacksonians, leaving County Line, attempting to enter "THEIR" County? Not only is this idea, profiling: It is STUPID!

justjess

May 11 2011

1. The best way to stop political ads you don't like is to not elect the person they represent. 2. Why do some of you feel that the silence from Madison over this by residents and or government officials automatically makes us agree with the ad? Should we comment on every stupid thing going on in this world or it means we agree with it? 3. Jackson has a high crime rate, Madison does not. Accept it, change it, ignore it, whatever the hell you feel lead to do but do not think raising hell about people pointing it out is going to end it. 4. If you like living in Jackson that's great and I'm behind you 100 percent. If someone lives in Madison because that's where they want to live it's none of your damned business so quit running them down. 5. That ad represents the opinions of that person not an entire community so maybe you should direct you anger at him. I would say elect a decent city council in Jackson but that's never going to happen.

Alex0393

May 12 2011

ok Alex, I'll bite. What do you mean "thatll never happen" and what does "elect a decent city council" mean. Because I've found that it has different connotations to different people. Particularly folks from the Burbs. We're not begrudging anyone who chooses to live anywhere. That's individual choice but the question still begs itself Why even include Jackson at all in the ad? Truth or not. Lets look at ALL the facts not just the cherrypicked ones that people use. Lets look at the newest stats. Lets look at what IS being done here to curb things. Don't paint us a city full of "lax on crime" slackers and don't paint this as a "WE care about our safety and YOU don't" scenario

Kamikaze

May 12 2011

Don't paint us a city full of "lax on crime" slackers and don't paint this as a "WE care about our safety and YOU don't" scenario Thank you 'kaze - I say let's help donate funds to help them build a wall, a moat and let them live in their pretend "Mayberry" world and keep it moving. For the last three days, going through the blog-o-sphere in regards to this topic, the comments have been ridiculous, absoulutely and completely ridiculous. In 2011 we should be way pass half the stuff we debate on JFP and CL. We should be debating over taxes, locations for businesses, whether or not we want a theme park or a NASCAR race track. But instead we have some goomba (and I mean that in the italian sense) campaigning on the crime in Jackson, in other words "us vs. them" and not one person in Madison, Ridgeland, Canton, Flora's leadership stood up and said, "we don't need this at this time, we need to work together to rid all crime in the Metro area" Which in turn led me to think, they (the leadership in that county) concur with his sentiments, period.

Duan C.

May 12 2011

Mike, just seeing your comments. I'm deep in next BOOM so little time to dig through the files to prove the facts; others probably can help out. One quick thing, though: It's really not hard for you to find the basis for people harmed in (non drug war) violence in Jackson versus commuting and driving in the area. That is a no-brainer. As for crime stats and "analysis," you have to be very careful to read the small print as we have proved over and over again over the years. Many politicians, book publishers and bigots like to group all sorts of crimes together that are very different and then come up with the easiest comparison to prove their point. Of course, anyone who actually cares about the health of a city and its suburbs, and the residents, would never do such a thing. But a lot of them are out there. Sad. Spend time Googling our sites, especially for stories containing Morgan Quitno, CQ Press, crime statistics and so on, and for a lot of the kind of analysis that other media don't bother to do because they're banking on crime sensationalism. Gannett's home office even warned them not to do it (and in an infamous piece linked in other articles on this site), and they kept on doing it anyway. Shortsighted, even from their own business perspective.

DonnaLadd

May 12 2011

Thanks, Tom. With any luck, all the local media (and politicians) who hawk these so-called rankings will take time to read the FBI's warning about them.

DonnaLadd

May 12 2011

Funny: The Mark Sandridge Facebook page is deleting any negative comments and ousting any "likes" of people who criticize. What does this imply about future transparency were he to be elected?

DonnaLadd

May 12 2011

Mike, it's more than a little strange to use a private real estate web site as your source on crime statistics. Their crime comparisons are not based on UCR stats. Rather, they blend a variety of data sets and analyze them using proprietary software. They say they use "twenty different formulae" and a "relational database" to build their stats, but there is no way to tell how they're weighting the data. For what it's worth, even they do not list Jackson among the most dangerous cities in America. Jackson's murder rate has fallen dramatically in the last three years. We can't know whether your source accounts for that improvement because it is so vague about the data it uses. It goes without saying that you could never cite such a source in an academic publication.

Brian C Johnson

May 12 2011

Wow. If I were to get this worked up every time I saw a political ad that I didn't like I would truly be a miserable person.

bill_jackson

May 12 2011

No, Bill, you just tend to get worked up over other people daring to speak up about things that matter. If you can't see why this ad is so potentially harmful, that is your blind spot, and it changes nothing for all the people in Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties who are outraged by such a false, blatant, ugly, nasty, stupid attack on the capital city and everyone who lives here or raises a family in Jackson.

DonnaLadd

May 12 2011

Why is it not okay for others to delete negative comments from their Facebook or other pages but you insist in not posting comments from me, for example, and others, perhaps, who happen to disagree with your diatribes? And, Brian, who better to deliver information regarding relative home/land values than those most closely invested in their future values and factors influencing them? And, Tom...whatever...

Darryl

May 12 2011

Never heard a reply from Kaz. So be it. Also, does the JFP ever cover crime in the local area? If not, why not? Would love to hear some thoughts on the auto break-ins at The King Edward this past weekend, especially since this seems to be the right thread for it. Sure don't hear about those types of things occuring in the surrounding areas.

independent

May 12 2011

Sandridge isn't likely to care a rat's tail what anybody south of County Line Rd. thinks of his race. All he's focused on now is clawing his way into a runoff with Houston, and he will certainly try and use this controversy (and how it plays to right wing voters) to his advantage. I hope there are sufficient Madison County voters who reject this kind of demagogy to insure he loses, but it's too early to predict how this is going to fan out. Meantime, I'm sure he's loving all the attention.

ed inman

May 13 2011

A friend and supporter of his called me a couple days ago and said that he is devastated by all the negative attention. That's second hand, so take it for what it's worth.

DonnaLadd

May 13 2011

Darryl, Mr. Sandridge is running for *public* office; he can delete comments all he wants, but it sends a disturbing message about the kind of transparency he would bring to the Madison County Sheriff's Department (and habits that could be illegal once he was elected if his skin is too thin to see criticisms of himself publicly). HUGE difference between government and private business. They, for instance, can violate your First Amendment rights; we cannot. (Not saying he's doing that on his Facebook page, but those habits, if elected, would be very alarming.) When my car was broken into in Belhaven, or New York City, for that matter, it didn't make the front page, either. As for comments on this privately owned site ... we have a user agreement that you must adhere to in order to post here. The only comment I remember from you that didn't get through recently was a personal jab to two users here that was not on topic. Play by the rules, and your comments get through. (And further comments on this thread about our moderation policies are off-topic and won't be opened, so don't bother.) As for "covering crime," independent ... yes, we "cover crime," but not in an episodic, sensationalistic way that is unhealthy for communities. And we certainly don't cherry-pick crimes like other media outlets do, putting crimes in "good" or hipster neighborhoods on the front page or top of the newscast with little or no context (or follow-up if the person arrested happens to be falsely arrested or acquitted later). If you're interested in the reasons that the kinds of crime coverage that most other media outlets around here do is so unhealthy, there are plenty of academic and journalistic sources out there that explain it. Do some research. Not to mention, we are an "alternative" to other media in the area, and they cover the hell out of (certain) crimes. If we spend our resources on that kind of episodic sensationalism, we would not have the resources to do the in-depth coverage that no one else does. Not would we be the only growing newspaper in the area. Why? Because most people know sensationalism when they see it, and see how bad it is for the community. (And assuming you probably don't know why it's bad for the community, here's a hint: Media that over-focuses on crime creates a sense of helplessness in communities so that people leave, lock themselves inside or just focus on law enforcement, rather than playing their own roles in preventing crime, which can be as simple as making sure a lot of people outside doing stuff in your neighborhood. There is much more on this, which we have talked about over the years, but I must get an issue of BOOM out, so no time for a more in-depth lesson on how dangerous crime sensationalism is.) And why in the world would we "cover" car break-ins around the King Edward instead, of say, Westland Plaza!? That would be absurd.

DonnaLadd

May 13 2011

Because most people know sensationalism when they see it, and see how bad it is for the community. I don't know about that Ladd - the way some of these jokers have been responding to how bad the crime is in Jackson - they take most of these other media outlets word/news as the gospel truth?

Duan C.

May 13 2011

@independent Duan's response was along the lines of what my response would have been so I didnt want to be redundant. But if youre looking for ME to respond particularly here goes. If it was ME..and its not...NO slight, jab, dig, shot, intended or not, stemmed in truth or not, would go unanswered. Sure, some are not worthy of responding to especially considering the sources. But I doubt, Madison's mayor would have let any ad or comment from us that slighted folks way of life in Madison, go unchecked. Doesnt matter to me if its true or not(and its horribly inaccurate) its a matter of PRIDE. Its about sending a message that our issues WE will handle and ARE handling thank you very much. Sepaking up with the TRUE and MOST RECENT facts that have been posted on this thread.

Kamikaze

May 13 2011

And as far as reporting on crime goes. the other outlets do a good enough job of doin it. and summarily sensationalizing it so I would gather that ALL of the media outlets doing it would be overkill. Much prefer to highlight the great things our city is accomplishing. And independent if you think that the msg coming out of Madison is NOT being controlled, Ive got some beachfront property in Pelahatchie to sell you. Crime exists in Madison. Just is extremely underreported. and actually I think its a good practice on their part. Utopia doesnt exist.

Kamikaze

May 13 2011

Here's how I believe Sandridge looks to be "proactive" on crime. Spoke with a young African American female last night who lives in a subdivison across from Lake Caroline in Madison (she is a HUGE Jxn supporter btw) she says that on several nights when returning home from work or parties she has been stopped by law enforcement hiding behind bushes near her neighborhood. She's been questioned as to her destination. where she came from. and "why" she in this neighborhood...even AFTER explaining on several occasions that she LIVES in the neighborhood. She has a Madison tag, madison address on her license but was asked about the 'emblem' on her tag. Guess what it was... A JSU EMBLEM! So apologists may cheer this. and this may be what some Madison residents want done and it may be what Law enforcement calls PROACTIVE..but it is PROFILING! Period. and it. is. improper. and at its core...scare tactics. Not just for Blacks but for ANYONE with a Hinds County tag. It is wrong and they should be called on it. Trowbridge was the master of this and unfortunately made NO apologies for it. These folks are crowing about the fact that they will defiantly stop any unknown Black driver. unknown Hispanic driver. unknown Hinds county driver. Truck with a paint job or rims. Car with loud music. Car full of young passengers etc. DISGUSTING

Kamikaze

May 13 2011

Wish I could "like" Kaz's 9:31 a.m. comment! ;-) and summarily sensationalizing it so I would gather that ALL of the media outlets doing it would be overkill. Much prefer to highlight the great things our city is accomplishing. Exactly. In order to overdose on crime (because they think that will save their media outlets), too many papers and broadcasters ignore positive news (certainly seldom lead with it) and barely do any in-depth contextual and investigative reporting. Our first priority is not to be yet another bad newspaper obsessing about crime. And we wouldn't still be here had we tried to out-sensationalize the Ledger.

DonnaLadd

May 13 2011

@Tom: I'm not criticizing anyone for calling out his demagogy & of course he wants to be sheriff. He also knows the only way to get there will likely be a runoff with Houston since the latter candidate has the most tenure and name recognition within law enforcement. To the extent Sandridge may be enjoying the controversy (or planning to try and use it to his advantage)--I can only observe that the video is still up and we've yet to see any apology. I'll be as interested as anyone to see how this pans out.

ed inman

May 13 2011

Here, by the way, is a classic book on media sensationalism and how it hurts society. http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Fear-Americans-Afraid-Things/dp/0465014909 From the views: Amazon.com Review Americans are afraid of many things that shouldn't frighten them, writes Barry Glassner in this book devoted to exploding conventional wisdom. Thanks to opportunistic politicians, single-minded advocacy groups, and unscrupulous TV "newsmagazines," people must unlearn their many misperceptions about the world around them. The youth homicide rate, for instance, has dropped by as much as 30 percent in recent years, says Glassner--and up to three times as many people are struck dead by lightening than die by violence in schools. "False and overdrawn fears only cause hardship," he writes. In fact, one study shows that daughters of women with breast cancer are actually less likely to conduct self-examinations--probably because the campaign to increase awareness of the ailment also inadvertently heightens fears. Although some sections are stronger than others, The Culture of Fear's examination of many nonproblems--such as "road rage," "Internet addiction," and airline safety--is very good. Glassner also has a sharp eye for what causes unnecessary goose bumps: "The use of poignant anecdotes in place of scientific evidence, the christening of isolated incidents as trends, depictions of entire categories of people as innately dangerous," and unknown scholars who masquerade as "experts." Although Glassner rejects the notion that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, he certainly shows we have much less to fear than we think. And isn't that sort of scary? --John J. Miller From Publishers Weekly In a provocative report, Glassner (Career Crash, etc.) contends that Americans' worries about crime, drugs, child abuse and other issues have been blown out of proportion by a mass media that thrives on scares. Exposing fear-mongering in many quarters, this University of Southern California sociology professor argues that trendy issues like road rage, workplace violence, teenage suicide, "granny dumping" (abandonment of the elderly by callous relatives) and sex crimes via the Internet are "false crises" manufactured by inflated statistics and hype. Lambasting liberals as well as conservatives who allegedly blame teen moms for the nation's social ills, Glassner contends that teenage pregnancy is largely a response to the nation's economic and educational decline. He also believes that America's expensive campaign against illegal drugs like cocaine, heroin and marijuana diverts attention from the far more serious problem of deaths from the abuse of legal drugs and physicians' gross negligence in prescribing them.

DonnaLadd

May 13 2011

And he should apologize, Ed. No doubt.

DonnaLadd

May 13 2011

Jackson y'all did a fine job with this situation. I won't vote for the demagogue Mr. Sandman. I'm voting for Houston, a very good cop and decent man who knows this kind of play on prejudice and fear isn't necessary or appropriate and is infact awful for a lawman.

Walt

May 15 2011

Donna-with the way Sandridge's brother is over on "The Nameless Blog" crowing about this, I'm not thinking he feels "devastated". (I know you said it was second hand. Just letting you know it doesn't seem to be true). Kaze--You better believe Madision puts a shut down on negative speak about that county. I had a bench warrant issued for my arrest for a ticket that was taken care of a week after I wrote a negative column about Madison (the town). I had to turn myself in to the constable. It was so, so stupid. And, there is NO ONE that can convince me that having a bench warrant issued for my arrest 4 working days after the column was printed was a "coincidence" (also, on a ticket that was processed "Incorrectly", WTH?). Unfortunately, I did LIVE in Madison at the time and was writing about stuff I was SEEING MYSELF every day (stopping of Blacks, Hinds Co tags, etc). They've been doing that for going on 7-10 years now.

Lori G

May 16 2011

Well, Lori, the call from from someone who is a close friend and gave a testimonial on the site. It's quite possible that there is an amount of saving-face happening on blogs that pander to Jackson v. Madison hatred. Makes sense.

DonnaLadd

May 16 2011

That line in the road represented segregation... segrating Madison county from Hnds county. In the words of Bull Conner from last night's Freedom Riders: YOU GOT TO KEEP THEM SEPARATE

833WMaple

May 17 2011

I saw a house at the corner of Lake Harbour and Wheatley Street that had a large Sandridge sign in the yard. Be mindful when you take the way to go to Northpark.

golden eagle

May 17 2011

Let's not jump to too many conclusions. License plate scanners are available for squad cars. One simply sits by the side of the road and lets it read plates. The plates are then checked for ownership and crosschecked for warrants. Plenty of legal and ethical way to screen the roads... *** Sandridge states the following in his platform: 1. "Round-the-clock efforts to keep criminals out of the County - before they commit crimes in OUR County. ....." How does a person become a criminal "before they commit crimes"? What tool, other than profiling, could an officer use to make such a determination/assessment? If elected, will Sandridge set up a criminal toll ckeck point for all Jacksonians, leaving County Line, attempting to enter "THEIR" County? Not only is this idea, profiling: It is STUPID! ***

turbodog

May 28 2011

...still profiling; still stupid. It will also be very costly because if Jacksonian did not come into Madison to shop, many of their bussinesses will close their doors. In other words, Jackson consumers help many of Madison merchants make BANK. Think about it!

justjess

May 28 2011

Yeah, we've fed (at our expense) Madison County's economy (and Rankin's for that matter) for far too long and this is how we're treated. When at all possible, I'm not spending money in Madison County. I hope more Jacksonians get on board with this.

golden eagle

May 28 2011