Jackson Free Press

BREAKING: WLBT is reporting that guests of Melton onboard the Mobile Command Center assaulted an Upper Level manager while he was in handcuffs early Sunday morning. Police arrested Tonari Moore around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday morning on charges of disorderly conduct.

After police handcuffed Moore and escorted him outside, occupants of the MCC beat Moore to the ground.

WLBT reports: When our camera arrived, Moore was obviously in pain. The mayor and many others helped him get on his feet. He was put on an ambulance, and the mayor went with him to the hospital.

Witnesses also claimed that the young men inside the MCC identified themselves as "Wood Street players," though there, at this time, no independent confirmation.

Earlier in the evening, Melton badly injured his hand while "checking drug houses." He was treated at UMC around 9:15 p.m. and released.

Updates to come as they are available.

Previous Comments

ID

123022

Comment

So, have the "Wood Street Gang" members, "GUEST" of the mayor, been arrested and charged with attempted murder and has the mayor been arrested and charged with aiding and abeting,/racial profiling? He promised to "close him (THE UPPER lEVEL) up for good." Melton has gone too far, too fast, with too little and it is past time to CALL THE WOLF UGLY!!!!!!!!!!!

Author

justjess

Date

2006-08-28T12:13:01-06:00

ID

123023

Comment

The clarion ledger reported that Melton frequently has people on the Command Unit but, at 1:30 in the morning? A group of yound guys? What about the curfew? Melton talked about the Johnson Administration's "Pride Ride" and actually had a bus with a sign on it that read: SHAME RIDE. There were actually some people who road with this man who had nothing good to say or show about the City or its citizens. This has really come back to bite those who did not listen to his message. It was the same message used during his Bottom Line Slime at Channel Three. He has truly brought SHAME to this City and it seems unending. That Command Unit is not a toy or a vehicle for pleasure. This might be changing the subject a little but how did the City Council justify buying the "County Coroner" a car. She had a van. I thought that the corner's vehicle was purchased by the County and that it serves all cities/towns in Hinds County, proper. As broke as this City is, how can anyone justify adding to the expense? So you need a tax increase - I know why?

Author

justjess

Date

2006-08-28T12:34:27-06:00

ID

123024

Comment

Sorry for the spelling error. Just in case a stickler for error is reading, corner is spelled coroner and yound is spelled young. See, I learned a few things in school. (smile). Ladd, is there a spell check on this link?

Author

justjess

Date

2006-08-28T12:39:15-06:00

ID

123025

Comment

I doubt anything will come of this. The mayor has made it clear that he has no problem with his officers (and, presumably, hired muscle) beating up suspects, and the prospect of racial profiling is the reason the white suburbanites sent him big fat checks anyway. Meanwhile, the state attorney general has been sitting on his hands for this long and I'm doubtful that he cares any more about the victims of all this than Melton does. He has also made it clear that the prospect of lawsuits against the city doesn't bother him a bit. When you turn down $250,000 in free money from the state university system, when you whimsically fire a consultant who has brought in $110 million over ten years, when you have armed street toughs with no police training helping you round up suspects, what's another lawsuit? I seriously don't know how anyone can still believe that Melton cares about the future of this city. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-08-28T12:46:05-06:00

ID

123026

Comment

No spellcheck used to get me sometimes.....then I started writing my long blogs in Word...spellchecking and then cutting and pasting. Just a tip....

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-08-28T12:49:52-06:00

ID

123027

Comment

Thanks Tom!

Author

justjess

Date

2006-08-28T12:54:02-06:00

ID

123028

Comment

Call Dale Danks and ask him to check whose insurance covers the thugs on the MeltonMobile. All residents of Jackson should DEMAND that Melton stops this behavior. Any harm that occurs will be liable to the City of Jackson, and ultimately the residents of Jackson. (I hope that anyone injured will sue Melton, privately.)

Author

HDMatthias, MD

Date

2006-08-28T15:31:32-06:00

ID

123029

Comment

Mayor denies story. Melton said one of his bodyguards, Marcus Wright, did handcuff club manager Tonarri Moore after he refused to stop taking photographs of undercover police officers. Melton said Moore cursed at police and fled the club on Northside Drive. After Wright restrained Moore, bouncers from the club surrounded Wright, Melton said. Moore told WLBT Channel 3 news last night that he was attacked by young men who were part of the mayor’s entourage while he was in handcuffs. Melton said two young men, who had been riding with him and his bodyguards in the JPD mobile command unit, did try to pull bouncers away from Wright. The mayor said the young men did not attack Moore. Moore was later taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Melton said he rode with Moore, whom he said was hyperventilating “probably from running.” “This is something he (Moore) caused because of his own behavior,” Melton said. First of all, are Melton's bodyguards actual bodyguards or can they act as police and handcuff/arrest people? Especially for just photographing someone who is on the property of the photographer - cop or not. Second, regardless of whether the "young men" were trying to help Wright, they had no business touching anyone involved - especially as "guest of the mayors!" This is not adding up.

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-08-28T16:06:18-06:00

ID

123030

Comment

I was an owner/operator of nightclubs for almost 10 years. The owners have every right to photograph police actions in the their establishment. If the officers are acting within the law, there should be nothing to hide. Besides, everyone knows who those Wright and Rieco are. One day, someone's gonna call Melton and his entourage's hand and it WILL not be pretty when it happens. This is just the opening act; the headliner is still to come.

Author

Cliff Cargill

Date

2006-08-28T16:17:14-06:00

ID

123031

Comment

take those out of the last post...makes no sense...Whoops.

Author

Cliff Cargill

Date

2006-08-28T16:18:18-06:00

ID

123032

Comment

Yall, this fella is the worse of the worse. I am ashamed of him. WHY ON EARTH WOULD HE HAVE WELL KNOWN GANG MEMBERS RIDING ALONG IN A POLICE VEHICLE. Doesn't that seem strange to anyone? I mean does he just have the idea that if he has criminals in the MCC that he won't have to go looking for them? OR, does he figure that they will protect him when someone gets fed up with his antics? OR, does he just keep with criminals? This is just ridiculous. He is am embarassment to the city. He continuously makes this citizens of the city feel unsafe and just plain unimportant. How can he go up in that man's establishment and commense to allowing him to get beat down. I mean isnt he suppose to be unable to go into businesses like that. And why didn't he shut them down, or did he? So he got his hand injured and some other local business owner sent to the hospital all in one night. This dude is the worse....in a variety of ways.

Author

Queen601

Date

2006-08-28T16:37:46-06:00

ID

123033

Comment

Just so everyone is clear on it, Melton's bodyguards are also JPD detectives assigned to "dignitary protection." Also, it is hard to envision "undercover officers" accompanying Melton with the MCC and other police. How would they be undercover? Furthermore, I think Cliff is right that an owner/operator may photograph anyone coming into the club. In any case, we already know that the Upper Level has a video surveillance system. Do any lawyer-types out there have input?

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2006-08-28T16:42:30-06:00

ID

123034

Comment

Well the one thing that you can say about Melton............when he leaves this city, he will have produced more millionaires than the casinos. Almost everytime that you look around the Ultimate Authority is setting someone else up to get rich at the expense of the taxpayers. He had no business being involved in a drug raid in the first place. What if there had been gunfire and Melton shot someone or took a bullet himself? Or why was he even back at the Upper Level? He has already said that he is going to close the place down. Now they might become rich enough to never have to work again because he sports around "thugs" in a vehicle that is not even supposed to be used on a daily basis. This is so sickening when you see the mayor involved in such antics almost everytime that you look around.

Author

lance

Date

2006-08-28T16:44:53-06:00

ID

123035

Comment

Thanks for clearing that up Brian. The story is not adding up at all. When you have undercover cops, Melton's cops, bouncers, and wood street players together there is more to the story then Melton is telling us. Needless to say, he doesn't seem apologetic in his denial in the paper today.

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-08-28T16:54:33-06:00

ID

123036

Comment

If you really want to find out just how popular the mayor is, just go to Google and type 'Frank Melton' in the search bar. Almost everyone in the media has done a story about Littlt Napoleon.

Author

rufus

Date

2006-08-28T17:05:19-06:00

ID

123037

Comment

Yall, this fella is the worse of the worse. I am ashamed of him. WHY ON EARTH WOULD HE HAVE WELL KNOWN GANG MEMBERS RIDING ALONG IN A POLICE VEHICLE. Doesn't that seem strange to anyone? Maybe they are his "Special" Victims Unit. Or his Crime Scene "Instigators". Jackson is being held hostage, and the city and the nation is finding that out more and more every day.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-08-28T17:12:42-06:00

ID

123038

Comment

"If you really want to find out just how popular the mayor is" Rufus Popular or Notorious? ""Special" Victims Unit. Or his Crime Scene "Instigators". " ejeff Wonderful!

Author

ChrisCavanaugh

Date

2006-08-28T19:26:57-06:00

ID

123039

Comment

Popular or Notorious? - ChrisCavanaugh You're absolutely right. My bad.

Author

rufus

Date

2006-08-28T19:51:33-06:00

ID

123040

Comment

Moore was later taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Melton said he rode with Moore, whom he said was hyperventilating “probably from running.” “This is something he (Moore) caused because of his own behavior,” Melton said. In a WAPT interview that aired at 6:00, Melton claimed that no one laid a hand on Moore and that he probably had a seizure. He mentioned the hyperventilating thing in there somewhere. I hope WAPT has that link up tomorrow. I just gave the man some credit for saying something about the flooding at Rainbow, and then he pulls this. Sigh.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-08-28T22:50:21-06:00

ID

123041

Comment

Nothing to see here... just move along.... This story is dead in the water and again the mayor is going to skate free. Despite that fact he contridicted his own story on WLBT on whether the youths were involved or not with the altercation. Also, the mayor claims the boys were helping him clean up in the Varden Addition earlier in the day. So, why were they still with him at 1:30am!?! I don't think the club owners have the courage to release the video if they have it. I also think if this story dies then the Mayor probably lined the pockets of the club owner or he is going to take the heat off of the club if he keeps quiet. If there were witnesses, and they keep quiet, then they should not complain if there family gets a beat down by the police. We don't even have a statement from 97.7 who's van was clearly parked outside the club near the MCV.

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-08-29T09:30:34-06:00

ID

123042

Comment

The ball is in Moore's court and he is in a win win situation. I'm sure that melton had to dig into his lie book to add the seizure scenario. I'm told by a patron in the club two week ago that melton was caught on tape drunk, falling up the stairs and was assisted by patrons of the club as he tried to search them. This return visit was a follow-up tomelton's promise to "shut them down for good." If anyone were "disorderly" it was melton and his gang members (GUEST). It is time to call the WOLF UGLY!

Author

justjess

Date

2006-08-29T09:57:48-06:00

ID

123043

Comment

From WLBT: According to Melton, about seven people were on the J.P.D. vehicle during the skirmish. The mayor said they had been out cleaning up the Virden Addition neighborhood earlier that day. Upper Level staff said the men claimed to be part of a local gang, but the mayor called that "ridiculous." "You have to consider the source," said Melton. "Labeling them as ‘Wood Street Players' is incorrect, and it is inappropriate. One of the men on the bus was a deputy sheriff from Russia. What does he have to do with the Wood Street Players? He works for the sheriff's department. It is ridiculous." When asked why he had a group of men who are not police officers on the J.P.D. vehicle, the mayor said it was because they had been out cleaning up neighborhoods. He did not elaborate further.

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-08-29T10:43:59-06:00

ID

123044

Comment

One of the men on the bus was a deputy sheriff from Russia. -Melton (from WLBT) Pardon me, but I didn't know that they had "deputies" in Russia. I thought that they had a completely different law enforcement structure. Could anyone elaborate further? I don't want to call the mayor's statement idiotic too soon.

Author

lance

Date

2006-08-29T11:39:22-06:00

ID

123045

Comment

I think he said that it was a "Hinds County Deputy from Russia", as if that makes a difference. And what is the deal with the injury to his arm? Was he injured while demolishing an abandoned house or did he get injured during a drug raid. There are conflicting reports out there. But back to the incident at the Upper Level, why does he keep going to the same place that he claims he is going to shut down? We have banks being robbed, cars being stolen on a daily basis, and Frank keeps harrassing patrons at a night club. What up wit dat?

Author

Darron

Date

2006-08-29T12:15:41-06:00

ID

123046

Comment

tabeda, take your pick. All are probably lies. This man doesn't stop. Your point about the Deputy being from Russia not haveing any significance to the situation is priceless. Now I'm wondering if the Russian has a green card - Is he a citizen - If he is being paid by the City of Jackson or "out of my own pocker" frank's famous words?

Author

justjess

Date

2006-08-29T12:52:00-06:00

ID

123047

Comment

I missed this little story on WLBT about the events at the club. I like this quote: The Mayor says the club's manager, Tonari Moore, was arrested for using foul language. Well...damn! Then the mayor points out: As many as seven people were on the JPD bus. The mayor says they were not wood street players. So, who are they mayor? Can we have some names? They are riding in OUR Mobile Command Vehicle on OUR tax dollars. I and the rest of us deserve to know who was on that vehicle the other night, and every night for that matter, as long as you are going to use the MCC as a play toy to intimidate those who you don't like.

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-08-29T16:53:48-06:00

ID

123048

Comment

Foul language? It's his business, not the mayor's. Foul language? How about the mayor saying, "I don't give a $hit what those people think..."[i/] in Jackson City Hall, on camera no less... Foul language? How about the drunken, curse filled tirade on the Charles Evers Show?? Foul language my a$$. Resign you fool.

Author

Cliff Cargill

Date

2006-08-29T17:12:05-06:00

ID

123049

Comment

problem is Clifton, there IS a law against profanity in public. NEver enforced but it is there so he can throw it at you if he wants to after you cuss.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-08-29T17:15:17-06:00

ID

123050

Comment

check out the longer version of WLBT's story: http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=5339395&nav=menu119_3 I have a few questions.... If the mayor was out on a crime sweep earlier that night in the Virden Addition and cut his had, were the young men with him then? That seems highly inappropriate to bring these types out on police business. Also, Why did the mayor even enter the Upper Level with just his two guards? If the Upper Level people would get out from behind their attorneys and actually go on the record and on-camera, this story would not be "dead-in-the-water." Melton beat them to it, but they still have a chance.

Author

inside story

Date

2006-08-29T17:18:10-06:00

ID

123051

Comment

Kingfish:problem is Clifton, there IS a law against profanity in public. NEver enforced but it is there so he can throw it at you if he wants to after you cuss. The name is Cliff. The man was inside his business, not out in public. Last I checked we still have rights in our own places of business. It's mighty hypocritical for him to arrest anyone for a law he clearly breaks on camera...AT city hall.

Author

Cliff Cargill

Date

2006-08-29T17:30:59-06:00

ID

123052

Comment

I know its a BS law. However, it is on the books and there's enough to make a valid charge out of it. thats all I'm sayin. Obviously its harrassment.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-08-29T17:34:20-06:00

ID

123053

Comment

Agreed Kingfish.

Author

Cliff Cargill

Date

2006-08-29T18:33:21-06:00

ID

123054

Comment

I am pretty sure that this law doesn't apply to language used inside your own property. It probably also wouldn't stand constitutional muster if the language was aimed at Melton and friends. Freedom of speech includes freedom to curse out an idiot mayor.

Author

Angry Democrat

Date

2006-08-29T21:31:43-06:00

ID

123055

Comment

Folks can be cited and fined for profanity if it's used in a disruptive way (there was a case of a guy loudly cursing his head off right next to a bunch of other people's kids at the Reservoir a few years back), but enforcement of the general profanity code is so rare that this case would be thrown out as selective enforcement. I have seen people use the F-bomb right in front of police officers and I have seen police officers themselves use the F-bomb. Hell, the JFP has Melton on the record as dropping the F-bomb in casual conversation with a young woman during one of his raids. I think both the arrest and the behavior of Melton's muscle following the arrest should be seen as an abuse of power, and I wonder where the hell our attorney general is. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-08-29T23:28:26-06:00

ID

123056

Comment

So we all accept the premise that swearing was not the cause of the arrests. What was?

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2006-08-29T23:50:17-06:00

ID

123057

Comment

*shrug* Maybe it was the excuse Melton used, but his issue with the Upper Level is well known. It sounds like police harassment to me, but I'd need more details to be sure. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-08-29T23:56:57-06:00

ID

123058

Comment

If, as reported by a blogger, Melton was in this club in an impaired or intoxicated condition a couple of weeks earlier, do the club owners have footage of that? Will someone interview the club owners? Or the patrons who were present either time. Its really necessary that the true story be told to the public. To me, a shooting on a street nearby does not mean a shooting at this club.

Author

ChrisCavanaugh

Date

2006-08-30T09:32:57-06:00

ID

123059

Comment

I saw a clip of last night's city council meeting on WJTV, and Crisler asked the police chief several questions about the mayor's use of the mobile command center (parking it at his house, using it during community clean-ups, etc.). Crisler asked her who was supposed to be in charge of the unit, etc. The chief seemed to have trouble providing answers. Let's try to catch the meeting on Public Access tonight. Was anyone at the meeting yesterday?

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-08-30T09:59:14-06:00

ID

123060

Comment

When asked why Moore was handcuffed, Dectective Marcus Wright said, "for using profane language." Trust me. I know because I asked him. It is their excuse to get someone in handcuffs and see what happens next. They'll figure out the charges later....how about disorderly conduct??

Author

inside story

Date

2006-08-30T10:02:41-06:00

ID

123061

Comment

Popular or Notorious? How about: A mayor that will live in infamy?

Author

Tim Kynerd

Date

2006-08-30T10:58:14-06:00

ID

123062

Comment

Let's all hop on over to the new thread on this subject.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2006-08-30T11:11:25-06:00