Jackson Free Press

Yesterday's special section in the Clarion-Ledger about homicides seems, at first glance anyway, to be a vast improvement over their crime coverage of at least the last year. It is not in-depth, but it does bring in vital context instead of lifting certain facts out of context to sensationalize crime, as has been epidemic over there lately. It at least starts to delve into root causes, a dialogue that the C-L needs to really continue if it wants to prove that it practices the "civic journalism" that it has promised recently. And we like the numbers charts and such that break down who's doing the crimes, what weapons they're using, where they're happening, that most are between acquaitances, and showing how much homicide has fallen in Jackson over recent years. It also doesn't have that blame-the-police undercurrent that has been so rampant over there. So, kudos to Jeremy Hudson and the C-L.

One thing, though: the sensationalist graphics are a turn-off. Why hurt a decent story package with NY Post-like illustrations that will still promote the wrong idea about the story's conclusions to people around the state who don't actually bother to read the words before they draw their conclusions?

Also, we'd like to see/do an examination of each homicide—where did they get their gun/weapon? Was it a domestic dispute? What kind of record did the murderer have—had past treatment contributed to their recidivism, that kind of thing? We urge the C-L to use their vast Gannett resources to really get inside crime, and its causes, in the future.

On this topic, I really I was remiss in not complimenting Eric Stringfellow's column about falling crime in Precinct 2. I have really been appreciating Stringfellow's columns more lately:

Vance and his colleagues deserve positive reinforcements from citizens. The city's battle with crime is not hopeless. When everyone is engaged, everyone benefits.

This is a very different tune for Mr. Stringfellow and his paper, and a welcome one.

Previous Commentsshow

By George, I think the C-L is getting it. Here's some excerpts from their editorial today about their Homicide section Sunday. This is a change in tune, and hopefully will help move the crime discussion in an intelligent direction and away from all the ridiculous sensationalism: http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0402/18/leditorial.html "Most prevention is not 'cop work' ... A breakdown of the murders presents a frustrating picture for prevention. Most is black-on-black crime, with 39 of 46 victims black and all 38 arrested black; with 21 of the killings in a section of west central Jackson, an area of low-income housing and vacant buildings. Average suspect: male, 24. The dilemma of how to defuse violence among young men is difficult. It's just not "cop work" that police can be effective at accomplishing. Solutions require community and government action aimed at intervention, mentoring, counseling and education: aimed at employment. Only 25 percent of those in the age group have high school diplomas. That fact alone shows a greater need for outreach to identify and steer at-risk kids to stay in school. In police work, that intervention is limited to drug enforcement and crime prevention. But it can be bolstered in courts by alternative sentencing via drug courts and community service, aimed at job and communication skills. The C-L wasted a lot of time and ink last year on fueling crime sensationalism, but I still applaud them for putting on their thinking cap on crime. Now maybe we can all come together as a community and start fixing these problems. Very important: that 75-percent dropout number. NOW, let's hold that thought and go talk about No Child Left Behind, high-stakes testing, unfunded education mandates and Barbour's de-prioritizing of Adequate Education funding ... and how all that relates to drop-out rates. That there's the big picture. [cue the music] "The hip bone's connected to the ..." (BTW, that CHiP editorial is good, too. They're on a roll this week.)

ladd

Feb 19 2004

I'm sure it's coincidence, but the C-L seems to be reading my mind (or blog) this week. Here's some of their Thursday editorial talking about the domestic homicides of last year. http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0402/19/leditorial.html [O]f Jackson's 46 murders in 2003, a quarter or more are family arguments gone terribly wrong, with children as young as six weeks the victims. They include women and children killed by boyfriends, and brothers, mothers and fathers killing one another. This is domestic violence, and it's volatile, unpredictable. Victims may not want to turn in the family provider or relative, or admit to embarrassing altercations, or draw attention to their private lives by "official" action. Good start, but I still want them to analyze them further and tell us more about the domestic murders. Did the domestic murderers have criminal records? Where did their guns come from? Were they legal guns? Were the murderers "law-abiding" citizens before they committed their domestic crime? How do our domestic crime rates compare with other cities? What else can be done to deter domestic crimes? Same for the non-domestic murders. Tell us about the weapons. We're not talking many cases here; break 'em down for us. Demand that the city/police give you the information. Cite the open-records laws. Keep digging. This kind of specific, detailed crime analysis can help the community figure out how to deter future crimes -- from demanding stronger gun legislation to getting involved as community members. It is so much more useful than so much of the crap we saw bandied about in 2003 in the political games, comparing us to rich cities up North and such. This is real and helpful; I encourage the Gannett Corporation keep putting their resources where it matters and help this city, rather than demonizing it. And if they do, I for one will keep saying nice things about them, at least on this point.

ladd

Feb 19 2004