Jackson Free Press

This next statement pains me to admit: I live in Madison. There, I said it. It's not that I don't love my home out here in the country. I do. Its "free-rentness" is a large factor in why I love it so much. Its ability to stay approximately 40 degrees during the entire month of August is another reason. But there is obviously some shame for me in the admission, as I love Jackson and everything about it.

Last week at a lunch meeting in Madison for local business leaders, a representative from the Madison County Chamber of Commerce spent half an hour enumerating the many benefits of this beautiful town. She informed the crowd that "everyone who is anyone" is moving to Madison. I must be ahead of the cool-people learning curve because I've bussed myself out to this county for the past five years—the large Madison Monument calling me home to a town filled with ground-level signs, brick-encased gas stations, decorative lighting and scary looking cell-phone towers. I often feel I am wandering around a large soundstage for the government propaganda film "Better Living Thru Planning." Although, one would never find me complaining about the high-end wine cellars and the large selection of good beer in our gas stations.

The lady speaking to the luncheon used the word "safe" over and over again to prove her point: Madison is supremely kick-ass over the rest of the suburbs in the Jackson area.

Safe? Hell, I almost never feel safe.

At least twice a day, my life is put in jeopardy by a small woman driving a large SUV while talking on the phone. The rear ends of their assault vehicles usually display myriad stickers advertising their ability to pay large sums of money for their child's education. I've come to suspect that these women lead organized attacks on local drivers. Or, at least, those of us that look as if we don't belong to the club. I've often thought they hand out a "let's kill all the people who have liberal bumper stickers" phone tree at the PTA meetings. But I've always been a little paranoid.

That paranoia is even worse when I have to schlep my cookies across the interstate to the Super Retail-plex That Is the Spawn of Satan. I won't say its name because I think it operates sort of like "Candyman." If you call the "W" word three times in a row, another behemoth store sprouts up in a previously empty field, and 500 people from the surrounding area spontaneously appear. If you build it, they will come. I don't know if they lead bus tours to the Malco Theatre and Chili's on a daily basis in order to extol the virtues of large, lighted streets and parking lots, but I do know that people around here take their discount shopping seriously. If you've ever wrestled a woman to the ground in a fight over the last $4 roasted chicken, you know there is nothing safe about grocery shopping in Madison on the weekends.

I also don't feel safe living around people who assume that it is reasonable to hand a 16-year-old the keys to a brand-new BMW and let them loose in all their prep-school glory and adolescent entitlement. At 16, I could barely control my own bodily functions, much less the steering wheel of a large German luxury car. It's akin to asking a sex-starved baboon to pilot a jet plane. Everyone really hopes it works out all right, but you know it will end with displays of big pink asses and the slinging of feces. No child at the age of 16 should own something that costs more than $29.95.

In fact, contrary to feeling "safe," I feel attacked to the very core of my individualism when I leave the house on most days. Besides dealing with the overwhelming soccer mom traffic and thrill-seeking adolescents, three times in the past year I have endured "feeling safe" simply driving down the road leading from my home to the grocery store, when I was forced to go through a police roadblock. If having a cop inquire about where I was headed was supposed to make me feel "safe," then I'm moving to Iraq. I'm assuming they feel as safe as a Baptist on Easter. Mostly, the experience made me feel like an extra in the movie "Red Dawn."

It wasn't until after thinking about all the ways in which Madison makes me feel wholly "unsafe" that I finally realized that people in this town not only cover their shop fronts in large brick walls and decorative glass, but also coat their reasons for the Madison exodus with shiny words and beautiful landscaping. We hide our cell-phone towers in church steeples. We hide our hate in building codes and planned developments. It's all the same thing. If anything looked as it really was, well, we just wouldn't feel "safe" now, would we?

In Madison, the word "safe" is used as code for there are no black people here.

Turns out there are quite a few people that do not feel safe in Madison. A large percentage of them are friends who are brave enough to face the half-hour hike out here and get pulled over by overzealous cops looking for nothing more than an African-American face and a Hinds County tag. They couldn't possibly belong here, could they? Not in this beautiful town that has planned its development and hung its future on the possibility that we can create a community that bars the outside world. A community that is blind in its belief that if we can protect it from color, we can protect it from crime.

I'm waiting for the Madison City Government to propose a large concrete wall across I-55 and man it with Web cams to catch the desperate "illegals" attempting to cross our hallowed borders.

Good Lord, this place is supposed to be "safe." What's going to happen if all those Hinds County tags start finding Madison on a more regular basis?

There goes the neighborhood.

Previous Comments

ID

72603

Comment

Good article Ali. There are a few remaining black neighborhoods in Madison still. I graduated from Madison/Ridgeland High School on the corner of 51 and 463, most recently called Madison Station, I think. There is a black neighborhood on 463 before you get to the police station on the right; another one of Cawford, after you pass Rosa Scott Middle School (a school loved by black folks all over Madison and Ridgeland as it used to be the black school); another one on Cotton Hill, not far from Malco Theatre; one in what we called 3-Way Inn (possibly outside the city limit), and possibly one or two more on streets I can't recall. We have been asking Freedie Williams, a black writer and my old classmate, to write a book on these neighborhoods before they no longer exist. Despite the wishes of many, some black folks will be there forever. I love and hate Madison but mostly hate it. I refused to live there though as it's too hard to get to the freeway from many neighborhoods, and the people are far too uppity for my taste. Now that Ridgeland has its own High School, Madison isn't really important to me anymore, except that Walmart and movie theatre on occasions. The above high school was integrated around 68 or 69. We didn't have a prom or hardly anything else where the races could get together except sports. The powers that be put me, Freddie (writer and speech pathologist), Early (PhD in Social Work), Paul (OBGYN doctor), Percy (chemist), and a few more blacks in the so-called advance classes with the white kids and most of the black kids in the slower classes. We black students walked out several times closing down school in protest of various policies. Irrespective of the foregoing, I wish Madison the best except I desire that Jackson, Flora, and Canton do just as well. As far as I'm concerned, my hometown Ridgeland, has Madison beat in every regard, and it's not an accident.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-14T17:31:44-06:00

ID

72604

Comment

ali - you should move down to the city. it's comfortable here. there are still plenty of suburbans blowing through stop signs and i get a sideways glance at my kerry sticker every now and then, but overall, it's really nice to see all types of people, all the time, getting along. well, most of the time.

Author

Jay

Date

2006-06-14T17:50:54-06:00

ID

72605

Comment

Ali, the W word? Whole Foods Whole Foods Whole Foods.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-06-14T21:36:57-06:00

ID

72606

Comment

Jimmy, If only Madison were a socialist camp of Vegan whole foods fascists. Oh, what a delightful world that would be. But try saying "Whole Foods" three times in front of a mirror and see what happens. The most mystical thing that will happen is that you might become regular. I actually drove around Madison tonight and I felt assaulted by everything around me. Only the nuveau riche could be so tasteless that they think stapling unfluted Doric columns to a bank is classy. It makes something utilitarian something tacky. There is that hideous gas station, which turns mass produced petroleum dispensers into mass produced crap-art, which soothes the BMW masses. Cause it's classy. I even drove by a fire station that was decked out like a Greek temple, and guess what? It looked STUPID. And cheap. Madison would embarrass anyone with real money, but being just a little richer is pretty much the American dream these days. How embarrassing.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2006-06-14T23:28:37-06:00

ID

72607

Comment

Driving around Madison, especially around I-55 and 463, reminds me just how vanilla the city is. It could've been the perfect setting for The Stepford Wives. What really ticked me off about Madison is how Queen Mary managed to get MDOT to brick the interchange there. If she would've provided the bricks or the money to pay for the bricks, that'd be one thing. But there are a number of bridges in Madison County that in such bad shape, school buses had to be re-routed some time ago to prevent them from falling in. Think how many bridges could've been repaired with the brick money.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2006-06-15T00:15:33-06:00

ID

72608

Comment

Driving around Madison, especially around I-55 and 463, reminds me just how vanilla the city is. It could've been the perfect setting for The Stepford Wives. --GEB--I think you've gotten it. Its almost frightening in its perfection. There is something eerie and sinister about the whole place. I keep thinking I can never leave the house in my jammies again.

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-15T00:21:02-06:00

ID

72609

Comment

Sis Ali, I digs this piece! Reminds me of a scene from the movie Pleasantville. It also makes me relfect on some lyrics penned by a Black Muslim minister who was a classically trained violinist and former calypso singer. He wrote: "Take it for what it's worth. Heaven and hell are two conditions. And they are both here on this earth...It's so easy to tell. White man's heaven is a black man's hell." When I take excursions through the city of Ridgeland and the county of Madison, I think of those lyrics. According to what you've written, a vanilly city seems to be a hell for progressive type individualists, black, white or other. That's all I have to say. Good work, my sista columnist! Peace, love and universal understanding. Ken

Author

Stiggers

Date

2006-06-15T01:27:22-06:00

ID

72610

Comment

Ken-That means a lot to me, Thank You. :)

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-15T08:27:10-06:00

ID

72611

Comment

When I first moved back to Jackson/Ridgeland, some of my old high school friends told me I needed to meet the mayor of madison. I declined just on instincts. Later on I started to read about how she had stopped apartments and low income houses from being built there. I then knew for certain I didn't want to meet her highness.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-15T10:00:00-06:00

ID

72612

Comment

Today I picked up your latest issue & just read your piece on Madison. I also live in Madison & have since '99. I sooo agree with you & your opinion. I often stop & ask myself, "Why do I live here?" I am white, but that's about all I have in common with the majority of the Madison residents. I am a single Mom, my ex is in prison, I have to work 40+ hours a week, I don't drive a SUV, I don't have a big house, I don't ride around with a small dog sitting in my lap, During school, I don't plan my days around who I will see in the school car-pool line; Put those kids on the school bus! BUT I am raising my kids to treat people like they want to be treated & not treat them based on their looks or the color of their skin. I may not be financially wealthy, but I am still very blessed & wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

Author

Poor White Girl 69

Date

2006-06-15T15:26:25-06:00

ID

72613

Comment

Rich White Girl-:) Thanks! I'm getting more response on this piece. I've gotten a few emails just like your comment today. People must have just been WAITING for someone to say something about Madison. ;)

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-15T15:36:02-06:00

ID

72614

Comment

I should point out that there are many well-off people in or near Madison who dislikes Madison and the mayor too. Several neighborhoods including Ingleside and Annandale have fought off annexation. I'm still so disappointed that the mayor's husband didn't go to jail for helping David Richardson, x-madison county supervisor, cheat that old lady out of her land that is now Bridgewater in Ridgeland, a very exclusive neighborhood. Yes he helped the feds get Richardson but he deserved to have to pay the money back he received and/or go to jail too in my bias view. Madison used to have a washateria where poor folks who didn't have a washer and dryer could go wash their clothes. I think it closed down.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-15T16:09:38-06:00

ID

72615

Comment

Someone mentioned the apartment issue. Good. I didn't want to be the only one to point that out. Hate the place, narrow streets for narrow minds.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-06-15T16:43:37-06:00

ID

72616

Comment

I just posted on "Melton Flies to Phillips" but I think it more appropriate for this post.

Author

ATLExile

Date

2006-06-15T16:48:31-06:00

ID

72617

Comment

Hate the place, narrow streets for narrow minds. And not enough sidewalks.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2006-06-16T00:11:47-06:00

ID

72618

Comment

[quote]People must have just been WAITING for someone to say something about Madison. ;)[/quote] They have been Alie!! I know I have been griping about that place at least since I moved back from Memphis 3 years ago, but probably sooner. I can remember seeing that hideous Washington Monument when I would come home on weekends, and all I could think was "WTF?" I thought Germantown, TN, was bad! It is so bad, my sister and her husband, who happens to be a JPD officer, have come up with a fictitious family that they joke about, the Hummers -- Mike, Judy, and little Chaz, and then there's Judy's man on the side, Rodger Batton, Mike's old fraternity rival. It's quite hilarious... I'm trying to get her to make it into a comic. Madison really is a ludicrous city. Or, at least, the development has become ludicrous. There is no reason for a gas station to have more brick than most people's homes. I hate to admit that I even live in Flowood, but at least so far the structures have remained fairly normal-looking. I still deal with a ton of oversized soccer-mom-mobiles, however, and the Flowood cops are probably 10 times worse than Madison, because they have an even smaller area to patrol. My boyfriend and I were accosted in our parking lot one night, actually, as we were just returning from the grocery store. We feel like we are living in a Nazi camp sometimes. So believe me, I am looking for a way to get into the city as soon as possible!

Author

andi

Date

2006-06-16T09:47:58-06:00

ID

72619

Comment

The top of that Washinton Monument creature reminds me of the head of a klu kluk klansman. I didn't really notice that until a white person made that comment to me as we drove by it one time. I thought about writing the mayor a letter telling her that but I was worried I'd get a return letter saying "I know."

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-16T10:01:56-06:00

ID

72620

Comment

Ray-I've said the exact same thing before. I actually think a LOT of people have said that before. Andi-I think that story would make a wonderful comic. I especially love "Chaz"...its so perfect.

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-16T11:32:34-06:00

ID

72621

Comment

My first 15 years of life I lived in Jackson and for the past 30 have lived in either Madison County or the City of Madison. I certainly have had my disagreements with the way that Mayor Mary has run the city but all in all its a very good place to live. It is easy to paint everyone who lives in Madison with the same brush but it is not intellectually correct. I live in Madison not because I am a racist running from the black man or have a Million dollar home but because it is a much better place to live. If I wanted to live in an arien utopia I would move to Montana where I would be twice as likely to see an Elk as a black person. I like Mississippi, I like this area and I do care about where I live. The facts are that Jackson is a much higher crime area, the PUBLIC school system is operating on facilities that were constructed primarily during the 60's and 70's, the infrastructure, i.e. streets,sewer,etc are also past their useful life and taxes are higher. Its a quality of living thing not a race or social standing thing for me. I am sure some people move to Madison for those reasons but probably fewer than you believe. I could use a wide brush and paint you and many of the responses to your article with my wide brush but I'd probably be wrong. All I can say is to those who do not have the luxury of living "free rent-ness" is that you do have a choice of where to live and shop and if Madison is not the spot for you housing is certainly cheaper off West Capitol in Jackson. Also, the "Washington Monument" cell tower is in Ridgeland which has apartments.

Author

burton

Date

2006-06-16T14:31:14-06:00

ID

72622

Comment

That thing, madison cell tower, is not in Ridgeland. It belong to y'all in Madison, Burton. I searched the and deeds to be sure. We don't want it either. I also know you City of Madison residents are jealous of our Ridgeland exit three miles south with the trees, shrubs, and plants - no red bricks, et al. Not to mention our roundabout at Old Agency and Highland Colony. Just wait until we get the new upscale mall on Old Agency and Highland Colony. I dislike all those new stores, restaurants, and places y'all have built on 463. Y'all don't deserve that. We were counting on continuing to get your money in Ridgeland.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-16T14:58:39-06:00

ID

72623

Comment

I've got it! Let's all go to the Kroger in Madison and dress up in our New Age Best (or neo-60's best, whichever you prefer). That'll get their attention As for the gas station, the Wal-Mart, and the faux Greek columns -- Invite Prince Mongo of Memphis down to Madison for a day and let him do his thing! That would really add a Yin to the Yang over there. (Prince Mongo's an eccentric who got hauled into Memphis City Court for decorating his yard with manequin heads, coffins, toilet seats, beach umbrellas, and God knows what else! Plus, he showed up in court wearing green body paint, a green boa, and a rubber chicken). Now if THAT doesn't send the haute nouveau riche into palpatations, I don't know what will :P

Author

Philip

Date

2006-06-16T15:07:55-06:00

ID

72624

Comment

Well, I'm going to play nice for right now. I've been expecting that post. Actually, I'm expecting more of them. All of his points are valid too. I'll just answer with this: sat·ire ( P ) Pronunciation Key (str) n. A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit. Until you understand this, everything I ever write will probably make you ill...or pissed. Either one.

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-16T15:18:08-06:00

ID

72625

Comment

Surely you're right, Burton, there there are many good people living in Madison. I'd love to know what happened to 2 of my white classmates - Madison/Ridgeland High School Class of 1974. They were smart and stayed at Madison Ridgeland instead of running to Madison/Ridgeland Academy. Their names were Jimmy Martin and Kathy James. Help me out if you know their whereabouts, Burton. Ali is right too. There are many just like she described.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-16T15:19:06-06:00

ID

72626

Comment

Ali, I thought enough of your article to read it and I do understand satire but even in your our definition it is an "attach". As I said before I am not a card carrying Mary lover. I have personally delt with her and can only describe her and some of her ways of doing things as scary. She did get "her" interchange but its an exit to no where since within a half a mile it all bottlenecks into two lanes. Jackson has become a very bitter disappointment for those of us who grew up there. It really has gone from a strong growing city to one that is teatering on the brink. I thought Frank Melton might be the "White Knight" who began the turnaround but what a huge disapointment. Kenny Stokes who IS a racist has become a little less vocal recently but still is a city leader. No wonder people are leaving for the outer reaches of Ridgeland, Madison, Clinton, Brandon and Flowood. I'd rather take my chances with a cell phone, Lexus SUV driving soccar mom then a crack head with a gun at Metro Center.

Author

burton

Date

2006-06-16T15:50:03-06:00

ID

72627

Comment

Burton-Hold on now. I regularly shop at Metrocenter...if fact, I do so because there is hardly ever anyone there. And, in the five years I've worked around the corner, and been a customer ,I've never seen a crackhead in that place. Much less a crackhead with a gun. And, what exactly does a crackhead look like? Because, I have this friend that worked with a woman who seemed totally normal. She was very repubtable and worked at a law firm full time. He even spoke about how prim and well dressed she was. One day, she slammed her finger in the door at work and had to get an x-ray on "worker's comp". They drug test as part of that. Crack was ALL UP IN HER BOOTY. There are crackheads everywhere....and I bet you five nickels and a Sonic Diet Cherry Coke that you own a gun yourself. So, who should be afraid here?

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-16T16:00:22-06:00

ID

72628

Comment

I know Madison well and there are crackheads there too that are not all black. I have represented some of them. Kenny Stokes is not a racist. I know him well too. He is a city leader because the voters in his area love him. An accurate test of Kenny's racial views versus those of the aldermen or councilmen of Madison might just surprise you Burton, or would it?.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-16T16:00:49-06:00

ID

72629

Comment

I TOLD YOU to include Metrocenter ;)

Author

emilyb

Date

2006-06-16T16:23:50-06:00

ID

72630

Comment

Yes. You did. I am a fool.

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-16T16:36:55-06:00

ID

72631

Comment

I am brand new to this forum and a brand new resident of Madison County. I grew up in Jackson and am an aging Millsaps hippie. For the past 16 years I have lived in Wisconsin. I also happen to be a lesbian with a partner of nearly 22 years. We now live in one of the much-vilified "gated communities." Culture shock, yes. But, indeed, one cannot paint all Madison folk with the same wide brush...We live a few houses from a gay male couple. We, too, laugh at the ghastly Madison gas stations and such, and abhor the cell-phone-yakking SUV demons...but so far we have not been ridden out of the community on a rail... I must confess that my brother is a prominent and well-off Madison County resident who is a bigwig in this particular development...but you all might be surprised to know that he is not a ranting rightwinger...but is in fact a card-carrying Democrat who has donated much dough to liberal causes. Anyhoo, I look forward to posting here...and have stored up many comments...and will no doubt have some...interesting experiences to post... Best to all--strongheart

Author

c.strongheart

Date

2006-06-17T10:12:59-06:00

ID

72632

Comment

Welcome aboard, C! We love lesbians, too! It doesn't matter what your orientation is, if you ever have anything to say, feel free to post it. Hope you have a wonderful time posting here.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2006-06-17T12:40:34-06:00

ID

72633

Comment

Thank God the Lesbians showed up! I hope you live near me. This makes me feel better.

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-17T12:56:40-06:00

ID

72634

Comment

If you leave your car parked on the street in front of your home in Madison, you could go to jail for 90 days. Madison officials last week took another step in keeping the city looking its best by telling residents to stop parking their cars on neighborhood streets or in their front or side yards. (and later in the article) Driveways, carports and garages are made for parking. Neighborhood streets and front yards are not. Soon, Madison police will drive this point home when they begin issuing citations to owners of cars parked illegally in the wee hours of the morning. Those who violate the ordinance could face a fine of up to $500, up to 90 days behind bars or both. Since Madison doesn't seem to have a crime problem, I guess they need a reason to fill the city jail up.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2006-06-17T13:02:17-06:00

ID

72635

Comment

I don't think it looks good to have your car in the yard. However, if I have overnight guests (& lived in Madison), and they have to park on the street then MPD can kiss my booty! My guess is this is targeted towards people who don't fit into Mary's mold of who should be a Madison resident. My guess is if you live in one of the nicer subdivisons and a guest parked on the street they would be fine.

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-06-17T13:27:43-06:00

ID

72636

Comment

Right--a three-month prison sentence for parking in one's own yard or on the curb is obviously a policy meant to preserve, ahem, neighborhood gentrification. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-06-17T18:16:38-06:00

ID

72638

Comment

Oh Dear Lord, all of sudden I got very, very scared.

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-17T18:49:50-06:00

ID

72637

Comment

Oh Dear Lord, all of sudden I got very, very scared.

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-17T18:49:50-06:00

ID

72639

Comment

Madison should be a haven for liberals. Liberals, who everyone knows are atheists who worship the government think the government should tell you how to live, where to live, who to talk to, who to sleep with, what to learn, what to drive, how much you can drive, what you can do in the car while you drive. Madison is a perfect haven for godless liberals who try to force their freedom-taking, tax-raising, abortion-promoting, elderly-killing (euthanasia), and criminal (is there ever a criminal they don't love?) loving schemes on the rest of us while escaping to a nice sanctuary from the effects of their policies which have killed alot of people and ruined society (Maybe Melton should invade Madison with his airborne divisions he's about to deputize to protect Jackson) Madison even has a phallic shaped tower which represents the government they worship while claiming to be godless America hating atheists who want to burn all Bibles and out law all churches. In Madison, liberals should rejoice at the plans to tell you what to put in your yard, how large your house has to be, what they should look like, and what kind of business you can operate. Madison is the epitome of liberalism. While liberals love Madison, look at Belhaven, a bastion of conservatism. No planning schemes yet the area is much prettier, the neighborhood took on a life of its own. It has good property values because each home is different from the rest. The community has a life of its own and is not run by the government. The neighborhood has character, is vibrant, and not controlled by the liberal vision of running people's lives and home what does this have to do with the truth? I dunno. but if truth doesn't stop coulter why should it stop me, especially after 3 glasses of wine.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-06-17T20:29:56-06:00

ID

72640

Comment

Jimmy, You have convinced me, not necessarily about Madison, but that I am a conservative. You are so right about Belhaven. I used to think I was a liberal, and so at first I thought I should move to Madison, but I am, first and foremost, an American, so I am too lazy to move. As a consequence, you may now count me among the proud Republicans moving our country forward through tax cuts, containing the homosexual conspirary to undermine marriage and the American way of life, and waging war on any country that messes with us, whether they mess with us or not.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2006-06-17T22:06:46-06:00

ID

72641

Comment

Has anyone been to the new movie theater in the Vanilla Paradise? I plan on seeing the new Superman movie when it comes out in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to decide where to go. I'd like to go and see what it's like, but at the same time, don't wanna go. Unlike the UA Cinemas, I doubt if Malco will give away free popcorn.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2006-06-18T00:41:19-06:00

ID

72642

Comment

I often feel I am wandering around a large soundstage for the government propaganda film “Better Living Thru Planning.” Prettying things up and telling people they have to overuse brick whether or not it suits the building type is NOT planning. "Better Living Through the Overuse of Discredited Excuses for Planning," maybe. :-P One thing I wish Mayor Hawk would figure out is that the only way to create a place worth caring about (for more than a couple of years) is to (1) mix uses, (2) make things denser and (3) provide a pedestrian-oriented environment. Golden Eagle Boy got it: And not enough sidewalks. Best, Tim

Author

Tim Kynerd

Date

2006-06-18T09:38:56-06:00

ID

72643

Comment

Except that in the Suburban Theogony's World to Come, nobody actually walks outdoors. They generally stay at home, hiding below window level just in case someone with a Hinds County license plate drives up and...and...parks on the curb. Or just gives them one of those black* looks. Cheers, TH * After close to 29 years in a city that is predominantly African-American, I still have no idea what the hell a "black" look is supposed to be; presumably it involves death rays, a la the Daleks.

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-06-18T10:02:27-06:00

ID

72644

Comment

Hello again, Thank-you to those who welcomed me to the forum....But a couple of the posts do scare me...and dishearten me...(and vaguely threaten me and mine) and I don't need any more of that...to read hateful comments...(unless I am missing a stab at satire here...) upsets me deeply... Good luck to all---

Author

c.strongheart

Date

2006-06-18T11:50:48-06:00

ID

72645

Comment

C.strongheart-Probably missing a stab at satire. :) We're generally very nice and not hateful people. We welcome diversity...in fact, we revel in it. We also poke fun at people who have problems with it. Feel free to stick around. Occasionally we are funny, sometimes we border on being offensive. (at least I do). Feel free to slap us around when we do that. :)

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-18T11:59:15-06:00

ID

72646

Comment

c.strongheart, Please do stay. I do not know what specifically offended you, but I hope it was someone being crass and juvenile rather than hateful, not that that provides much comfort. If anyone is ever explicitly hateful, do report them to the moderator, [email][email protected][/email], as that violates the rules of this blog. She will strike the posts or even ban the poster if they can't behave. See the recent, long-overdue hasta la vista she gave to JSU, who was a mysoginistic pig. We very much value a diveristy of perspectives, and I use the word "perspective" because sexual orientation is not an "opinion." As a consequence, sexual orientation garners special protection. That's right, you Republicans lurkers, I said "special" protection. Of course, like hate law legislation, there is really nothing "special" about it. This is who you are, and so homophobia is just as unacceptable as racism.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2006-06-18T12:21:31-06:00

ID

72647

Comment

Jimmy's got his finger on the stem of the right wine glass, that's for sure. Although, if our choices are the control freak mayor who'll send you to jail for parking on the curb, or the plain ole freak of a mayor who wants to call out the national guard, I'm thinking the libertarians should *really* start fielding some viable candidates around here.

Author

kate

Date

2006-06-18T14:42:19-06:00

ID

72648

Comment

Sarcasm and Satire, two things we'll never run out of here. :D All of Miss Mary's policies are aimed and keeping the undeserving down in Ridgeland and Jackson. I imagine if one was a rich, liberal black family you'd be welcome up there. Money Uber Alles, I guess. I do know one thing: Madison has more Ole Miss grads than anyplace else.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-06-18T14:49:30-06:00

ID

72649

Comment

It just occurred to me that c.strongheart might have been reacting to what I wrote, sepcifically: containing the homosexual conspirary to undermine marriage and the American way of life. If so, that was totally satire, just as my professed conversion to the conservative cause and my desire to move to Madison were satire. If there is one thing I am not, it is a "proud Republican," precisely because they profess such stupid and offensive beliefs. ;)

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2006-06-18T15:07:03-06:00

ID

72650

Comment

Or she might have been offended at my over-the-top anti-Madison comments. Dunno. I think it's safe to say that a huge chunk of the regulars here (Knol Aust and Tim Kynerd, to name two obvious examples) are either gay or bi, and that at least half of the remaining regulars post to Unity Mississippi. And Ali is an admitted Madisonian, so our lack of love for Mayor Hawk (I'm stealing that one, Tim) obviously doesn't translate into a lack of love for everyone who lives in her domain. Heck, we're not crazy about Frank Melton's policies, either, but we haven't changed the name of the newspaper yet. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-06-18T16:53:32-06:00

ID

72651

Comment

"post to" --> "support," though at least half have probably posted there at least once, too. I know I did, but then I lost my password. I need to reregister one of these days. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-06-18T16:54:16-06:00

ID

72652

Comment

I'm not really seeing any threads here, and Brian's comments were certainly sarcasm, if you know him at all. ;-) Burton, I find it intriguing that you grew up in Jackson of the '60s and think that it has worsened somehow. Are you clear about what Jackson was really like in the 1960s? It is impossible to compare a a capitol city with a rich bedroom community with a straight face. It's amazing to me that people try. The level of tackiness in Madison is rather remarkable. I was surprised the first time I visited; after hearing people talk about it, I expected more charm. Instead, it's much more what Ali describes. And being not-Jackson (and, thus, few-black-people) does not magically make a place charming. Neither does trying to turn tacky mega-discounters and gas stations into, er, art. It just looks silly. They'd be better off if they stopped trying so hard.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-06-18T21:43:50-06:00

ID

72653

Comment

yawn. I hope no one bought what I wrote earlier. I frankly haven't seen any posts on here that are scary. Brian, that was funny. Made me laugh. I was just clowning around more than anything. Ok, all kidding aside, let me take a serious stab at this issue. Everyone here likes to slam Mary Hawkins. She's a control freak. Has everything looking alike and wants to micromanage all parts of Madison. Its only one form of taking away property rights. You look at Belhaven (and I like Stanford Ave in Baton Rouge) as well as Fondren. WHY is it so nice to live in? No central planning, no scheme to cookie cut all development, no master vision. People and builders were left to their own devices and what developed was some really nice homes that were indidvidual and had character. Too many politicians, be it liberal or conservative, like to plan out the city and tell people how to live around the country. Mary Hawkins is not that different from planners/politicians around the country who want to mandate things like mixed use developments, banning cars in areas, heavily regulating the use of property so that it can only be used for certain purposes. Some on this board don't like madison and queen Mary (who for the record I odn't like). however, she is merely exercising the same power that other politicians some posters agree with exercise as well, it is just not in the manner THEY like. So you handed over central planning to Mary Hawkins and you got the lil Germantown of Mississippi. I'm sure if a couple of posters here had similar authority they would be implementing their own plan. My thoughts are property rights are property rights. If I want to spend money and build my house a certain way, that is my right as long as I don't create a public nuisance or health hazard. A little extreme perhaps but I'll take a little freedom over all the urban planning and schemes by Mary or the "new urbanites" etc.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-06-18T21:50:50-06:00

ID

72654

Comment

There is alot to be said for a strong woman leading a city. I don't know....we've got Shirley Franklin and she kicked this town into shape her first term..,,....into shape and started running this place like a business. She'll be re-elected to a third term no doubt. That's what Jackson needs....yea, a Strong, Determined, Black Lady at the helm...are there any prospects?......Momma? are you there? Like a child crying in the night....that's what Jackson is right now.

Author

ATLExile

Date

2006-06-18T21:58:57-06:00

ID

72655

Comment

Beverly Hogan would be excellent. She is Crisler's aunt. MUCH more qualified as well.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-06-18T22:03:51-06:00

ID

72656

Comment

Has anyone been to the new movie theater in the Vanilla Paradise? I plan on seeing the new Superman movie when it comes out in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to decide where to go. I'd like to go and see what it's like, but at the same time, don't wanna go. Unlike the UA Cinemas, I doubt if Malco will give away free popcorn. - Golden Eagle Boy I saw "X-Men The Last Stand" there twice and enjoyed the surroundings. It is an excellent theather, worth checking out at least once. I'm still crossing my fingers for Jackson to one day get a state of the art multiplex movie theather, but until then... As for Madison, I continue to marvel at the growth of the area since the mid 80s. I vaguely remember traveling up Hwy 51 once as a teenager when there was relatively nothing in Madison or Ridgeland and traffic was pretty light. I'm not a huge fan of the predominent architectural style of the gas stations, but I admire their attempts to be "distinct". Queen Mary has a vision for her city, and while it doesn't meet everyone's tastes, I can respect her for being determined and able to get her vision implemented. Even Wal-Mart kneeled down to kiss her ring, if only because the money they knew they would make more than offset the cost of giving in her eccentricities. It is funny to watch the competition between Madison and Ridgeland to outdo each other in very superficial ways, though I believe Ridgeland has a much more practical approach to its development policies. I agree that the comparisons to Jackson are a bit unfair, since most modern suburbs benefit from planning theory, building codes and zoning requirements that weren't around or loosely implemented when most cities like Jackson were growing, and were definitely not popular in the South. Not to mention the influx of middle-class and wealthy residents that makes it easier to attract new businesses who will gladly conform to the community building codes. But all of the suburbs are like shiny new toys that are fun to play with in the short term, but eventually they will lose their luster and become outdated and passe.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-06-18T23:14:08-06:00

ID

72657

Comment

when do we get a Rave theater?

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-06-18T23:22:15-06:00

ID

72658

Comment

Excellent post, Ejeff. I'm ashame to admit it, but the cell phone tower is in Ridgeland, I believe. I love all the hate Madison gets for it though. My wife loves Madison, and she gets mad at me when I occasionally refuse to shop at that Walmart or other places in Madison. The stores in Madison are closer to my house than those in the other cities. Yet Ridgeland, Jackson and Canton gets my money. I don't want to help Madison stand out for all the wrong reasons. Hopefully some day Jackson will develop so wonderfully that the suburds can't even claim any superiority in any manner or fashion.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-19T09:18:32-06:00

ID

72659

Comment

ejeff-I moved out here before ANY of that development was on the West side of I55...hell, the east side for that matter. (2000) There was only the Shell and Texaco gas stations out here six years ago. I've had to suffer thru all of that building and road development. Went thru three sets of tires and two windshields. I wish Mary would pay for that. Although, I admit I LOVED when they finally put a gas station on this side of the interstate, I could have done without the rest. I hate to admit this as well, but I kinda loved living in the "country" this close to Jackson. Warmed my little Delta heart. ;)

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-19T09:24:29-06:00

ID

72660

Comment

ah Ali, you bring back memories. had a g/f in college, lived by lake cav. Would get off at Old Agency, turn left, and speed all the way til it ended then hit lake cav road and do 70 or so all the way til it almost ended on a nice summer evening with the windows down. nice. oh well, I know thats gone now.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-06-19T09:42:34-06:00

ID

72661

Comment

I can understand that, Ali. I don't begrudge anyone who wants to escape the urban sprawl in favor of country living. I know you weren't alone in that sentiment. I'll bet it is disturbing to see the area around you become more and more populated and urbanized in a relatively short span of time. I would imagine that many of the residents in Madison "proper" aren't happy about the traffic congestion and almost constant construction work. But I also imagine there are just as many who are happy that now they rarely have to travel to Jackson to shop or eat.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-06-19T09:46:34-06:00

ID

72662

Comment

My apologies for my misperceptions of JimmyH and Brian's pseudo-rightwing posts...I am new here and don't know anyone, so I did think they were serious...phew! I feel a lot better now... Hope to join in on many more discussions--

Author

c.strongheart

Date

2006-06-19T10:01:22-06:00

ID

72663

Comment

Since I moved to Ridgeland in 1969 I can remember when there wasn't anything in Ridgeland or Madison except the graveyard on Hwy. 51 in Madison with the sign saying whites only. The sign was funny as no one, white or black, was lining up to die and be placed there. In other words, no one was looking forward to ending up there.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-19T10:13:08-06:00

ID

72664

Comment

Ray, was there once a drive-in theather on Hwy 51 near where I-55 crosses Hwy 51 near the Ridgeland south limits? I noticed an area on a topo map that appears to suggest such.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-06-19T10:16:00-06:00

ID

72665

Comment

Yes there was one. Nearby where Clements Cadillac sits. We used to watch some movies for free with that big screen. An old black man still owns the land behind Clements Cadillac and besides it. I partially grew up north of the area on 51 behind Prassel Lumber Company. i moved there at 14.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-19T10:25:34-06:00

ID

72666

Comment

Ridgeland had a used car dealership at one point called Self and Sons. After noticing the same cars on the lot for months and years, I asked my uncle why none of the cars were selling. He said the names of the place answers that question.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-19T10:32:18-06:00

ID

72667

Comment

Ray, I remember when County Line Road was mostly gravel and there was a Tote Sum where the Taco Bell is now. Only those who grew up here probably will know what a tote sum is but it was our convience stores. Madison only had one real business and it was a billups gas station where the approximately where the Amoco is on 51.

Author

burton

Date

2006-06-19T10:46:59-06:00

ID

72668

Comment

I remember too Burton. One of my brothers partially grew up in Ridgeland too. He came back 20 years later and I took him down county line road. He asked "where are we", and insisted "this can't be county line road." I used to get gas at Billips and the little service station (can't recall the name) that used to sit near where McDonalds is now located on Hoighway 51 in Ridgeland.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-19T10:59:31-06:00

ID

72669

Comment

Yep, things have changed alot. As I said I grew up part of my life in Jackson off Meadowbrook Road. Went to the dog n suds for special dinners as a child and drove downtown to shop at sears which is now the Eudora Weltly Library. Ridgeland was nothing more that a blip on the side of the road and the City of Madison was non existant. We had to go to the bigger city of Canton to get anything when I moved to Maidosn.

Author

burton

Date

2006-06-19T11:14:24-06:00

ID

72670

Comment

Y'all had a Dog 'n Suds? I thought that was just in Vicksburg! I can barely remember ours as I was only 5 or 6 when it was in operation. My family almost never when north of Woodrow Wilson when we would come to Jackson to shop except to make an occasional trip to the Rez, so I never really knew what existed north of Jackson (I had heard of Canton but never went there). Our days were spent going to the zoo, shopping at Jackson Mall or Metrocenter, and maybe an occasional trip downtown when there were a few more merchants down there. I can vaguely remember a two-lane County Line Road from I-55 to Old Canton Road, on the way to the Rez. From the responses, it sounds like Madison and Ridgeland were barely dots on a map back in the 1970s.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-06-19T12:44:19-06:00

ID

72671

Comment

Ali, old man Hamil, now deceased, who started Hamil Bar-B-Que on the hill in Madison there, told me he could have purchased the whole town for a few pennies when he first moved there. Both places have come a long, long way, baby.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-19T12:51:51-06:00

ID

72672

Comment

Ray-I LOVE Hamil's. I have a friend that says he drives his truck to eat there just so he can hop in the back and they can hose him down when he's done. ;)

Author

Lori G

Date

2006-06-19T13:31:36-06:00

ID

72673

Comment

The Hamils are good people. Very southern but nevertheless good people. My office for 6 years was in the 2 story brick building next to their house. Mr. Hamil says he built the building, house, and restaurant on nickels and dimes.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-19T14:19:15-06:00

ID

72674

Comment

And this just in from Rankin County: "I'd like to read between those legs...I mean, lines." From the toothless, well, except for that one brown one, man at the Conoco in Flowood. To me. Bless his heart. Someone alert the Northside Sun! Asshole in the suburbs! A mysogynistic one! I bet he played his music real loud too. I know for a fact that he smelled REALLY BAD! And while you have them on the phone, tell them that men pee on golf courses here. Just for fun! It's like off the interstate, but there are more drunk people.

Author

emilyb

Date

2006-06-19T21:37:45-06:00

ID

72675

Comment

You lost me on this one Emily! Not hard to do. But legs and position sure got my attention.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-20T08:38:13-06:00

ID

72676

Comment

Why is it a pre-requisite to show your love of Jackson by expressing your disdain of Madison- and vice-versa? Both places have their good points, both have their bad points, and both have pretty much everything in between covered. Why does it have to be one or the other? I don't particularly like living in Madison County because it doesn't really suit my current lifestyle, but that is more *my* problem than it is Madison's. I am sure that for people with children this would be a mighty fine place to bring 'em up. And no, it isn't because it is all white- I recently attended the graduation ceremony for Madison Central (brag- our niece was Valedictorian- 430 people in her class!), and the graduating class looked to be pretty diverse, though I didn't do an actual count. The board of our neighborhood association is comprised of two African Americans (one male, one female), one German guy (who is married to a very pretty Indian lady), one redneck guy, and me. I'm not sure, but somehow I don't think the Belhaven Neighborhood association (which regulates construction in Belhaven, just like Mayor Mary does in Madison) is any more diverse. But I don't mean to be taking pot-shots at Belhaven or Jackson- I love 'em both. Some of the old places mentioned on this thread have brought back wonderful memories. Anyone remember Ossie's BBQ? Taylor Burger? Mr. Swiss? Oz, Zap, the Mushroom, and Edge City? What about "The Kudzu"? And a more recent departure- Old Time Deli- RIP! People need to stop the infighting, and work for what is best for all. It would be a lot more productive...

Author

Rico

Date

2006-06-20T10:37:56-06:00

ID

72677

Comment

Ali and Emily are too smart for me. I don't get the last comments either made. Please enlighten me ladies. I'll accept emailing me of the JFP blog if this is more comfortable. Perhaps my "very southern" comment sparked one of them. Very southern from my perspective here simply means learned and schooled in the old ways but treats all people with respect and kindness. Had I viewed them as something more frightening or sinister I would have said it. Ali and Emily, stop using those big words and difficult sentence constructions. Some of us went to public schools with outdated and missing pages books.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-20T10:46:51-06:00

ID

72678

Comment

Oh! That was a recount of my evening at the Conoco, Ray. There was an editorial in the Northside Sun last year that was bashing Jackson, and it said "you'd never see that in Brandon." But that's untrue! I live in Brandon/Flowood, and we have our issues! That's all :) I love my community, but I can also admit our faults. And we do get the redneck streotype. Which is why I took moonshine to the Christmas JFP party :)

Author

emilyb

Date

2006-06-20T11:03:08-06:00

ID

72679

Comment

I agree, in theory, with Rico's point. You shouldn't have to dislike either Jackson or the suburbs -- although you don't have to like both, either, just to make people comfortable. Also, we're facing a huge problem of city-bashing from the 'burbs and beyond for their own purposes. We do have the duty to reverse that in order to take care of our own economic business and the perceptions that hurt Jackson. Unfortunately, our enemies have turned it into us-vs.-them, and we have to counter those attacks by showing that life in the burbs ain't all they crack it up to be (and is, in fact, more dangerous when you factor in all the driving, drunk driving, cell-phone talking, etc.). We've got to level the playing field. Personally, I would probably never give Madison a second thought; it's not my cup of tea. However, I'm all the time put int he position of defending my city against that very-haughty bedroom community -- that doesn't seem to have a whole lot of reasons to be haughty.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-06-20T11:56:08-06:00

ID

72680

Comment

GEB -- Malco is, indeed, grand. And they give free refills on large popcorn and large sodas. I live in Madison (since 2000), work in Ridgeland (lived there in 1999), have fun in Jackson, shop in all three. Not being from here, I've only seen the recent insane growth of Madison and, of course, OGLED Ridgeland's amazing sidewalks. Mayor Mary has heard from me on that issue twice. To, of course, no avail. Newt

Author

Newt

Date

2006-06-20T12:38:49-06:00

ID

72681

Comment

Well, when people in Jackson bash at the 'burbs to get back at them for bashing Jackson, it puts me in the position of having to defend Madison- which will just push some other Jacksonian over the edge and cause them to explain why Madison sucks, which will cause some Brandon person to explain that it is really Jackson that sucks and on and on and on... When does it end? I just saw an ad on TV for the *Metropolitan* Jackson Chamber of Commerce- what a nice idea! Just my opinion, but people should work harder at being *inclusive* rather than *exclusive*... Wouldn't everything be better that way?

Author

Rico

Date

2006-06-20T12:54:33-06:00

ID

72682

Comment

All good points, Rico. The problem is that the paradigm is set up wrong by the Jackson-haters. It's sad when we have to prove that we are not a dangerous hellhole by pointing out that it's more dangerous to drove home to the burbs every day than to live in the city. But, as I said, we didn't start this particular game. It's also why I try not to engage in it very often. I try to focus on the positives of the city, without bashing the bedroom communities too hard. But when attacked, I am capable of returning fire. No reason to take it lying down, after all, especially when it's framed as a comparison. I think when the playing field is more level—and it's getting there, despite Melton's efforts to tear down the city—all this will fall away better.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-06-20T13:13:09-06:00

ID

72683

Comment

Rico, I most definitely remember OZ Boutique...and The Kudzu...that most subversive publication...but then, I went to Millsaps...

Author

c.strongheart

Date

2006-06-20T13:43:26-06:00

ID

72684

Comment

To be fair to Madison, there are some sidewalks along Grandview Boulevard (where the Wal-Mart, Lowe's and the movie theater are). There's also some (I think) around Rosa Scott. But that's it.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2006-06-20T14:30:51-06:00

ID

72685

Comment

No, GE- there are plenty of neighborhoods in Madison with sidewalks- Northbay comes to mind, but there are plenty of others. And as I was driving down Poplar in Belhaven today- talking on my cell phone while dodging joggers in my SUV, I noticed that Poplar Street did *not* have sidewalks- and it is one of the main streets through there! And while we are on the subject, I noticed many trucks and SUV's parked in driveways- not as many as there are in Madison perhaps, but I would imagine that city dwellers have even less of a reason to be driving 'em than suburbanites! But again, I don't mean to slam Belhaven- the reason that I was driving through in the first place is because I love it there! c.strongheart- be careful, you are showing your age! (as am I)...

Author

Rico

Date

2006-06-20T15:07:11-06:00

ID

72686

Comment

Part of the problem in Jackson is that outside of Jackson loves to hate Jackson. Madison is far from being perfect but the people who live there, the mayor and others portray it as the "perfect" place to be. Jackson gets a raw deal. If you continue to tell a child it's bad after awhile it will think it is bad. Keep talking "negative" about Jackson and people will believe it really is bad. For those of us who live here we're proud of our city. We talk about it in a positive way. Now if we could only get the media (this doesn't include JFP) to stop reporting every incident like no other city is having crime, people might begin to feel better about it. Ridgeland, Madison, Flowood, Pearl, Brandon all of these cities have crime. We're the largest and blackest so we get the biggest portion of the negative news. Several years ago on the news one the chief of police from Rankin county even admitted that they had crime but Jackson seemed to be the one mainly reported. Ali your article was great and long overdue. Also we had a strong leader in Johnson, he tried to run the city like a business and we just weren't ready to accept it!

Author

maad

Date

2006-06-20T16:07:55-06:00

ID

72687

Comment

In the Clarion Ledger today there was a story about a bank in *Ridgeland* being robbed- the photograph that ran with the story showed the suspect being arrested by the Jackson Police Department. Check it out here... Crime happens in Ridgeland, suspect captured by JPD. Is that a negative or a positive for Jackson? I would think a positive, but I guess it is all about the spin.

Author

Rico

Date

2006-06-20T16:26:00-06:00

ID

72688

Comment

That bank has been robbed 3 times that I know of. It's located right in front of the neighborhood I grew up in. One set of robbers were the boys I grew up with. The leader lived right across the street from me and was a scared boy who never got in fights or trouble. I was shocked when my aunt called me in Houston in 1981 and told me 6 or 7 of the boys I grew up with had robbed a bank. All were arrested and went to prison. Some of these boys were so weak they couldn't fight knats from their behinds but participated in robbing a bank. I still can hardly believe it. Sadly, one of the mothers of one of the boys went out and started paying off bills with her son's share of the stolen money.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-06-21T08:51:34-06:00

ID

72689

Comment

As high as gas prices are, you almost have to rob a bank to fill your tank. No? Oh well... Rico, I don't hate the vanilla suburbs, but I do resent the subtle and not-so-subtle elitism from some segments. My wife and I are committed to moving out of Jackson by this summer and into one of these suburbs, not sure which one yet. I'm not thrilled with Madison, but I do enjoy the movie theather and Bonefish Grill. Ridgeland actually holds more appeal for me, but I know what is coming traffic-wise to that area and I'm trying to steer as far away from it as I can.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-06-21T09:08:23-06:00

ID

72690

Comment

Ray: sorry to hear that. I was filled with contempt when I saw him crying in the paper. Especially after thinking about how he made those tellers in the bank cry as well and scared the hell out of them.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-06-21T09:47:01-06:00

ID

72691

Comment

My suggestion is that if you live or work in Jackson you had better "Git while the Git'ns Good". I work in downtown Jackson and if the crime reports on the news bother you then you would die to hear all that does not make the news. The "burbs" also have crime but certainly not at the rate of Jackson and most of the crime that takes place comes from people who live in Jackson/Hinds County. There was a bad movie "Escape from New York" and on a smaller scale that same movie could be about Jackson.

Author

burton

Date

2006-06-21T10:05:14-06:00

ID

72692

Comment

Bad movie??? "Escape from New York" is a classic. One of my all-time favorite films.

Author

James Hester

Date

2006-06-21T10:29:39-06:00

ID

72693

Comment

I work in downtown Jackson, and believe me I'm well aware of the crime in the 'burbs. My wife used to date a cop in one of the surrounding cities (I won't name which one) and she has told me of all the burglaries that go on that don't get reported. But now that my family is going to "expand", it has put a new dimension on how safe I want my family to be. I live in a relatively nice neighborhood already, but we've become concerned about the graffiti and the "unreported" strong-arm robberies that have gone down the last few months nearby. When my neighbor's house on the next block got invaded in the middle of the day recently, that changed my mind about where the area is headed.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-06-21T10:34:22-06:00

ID

72694

Comment

Crime is everywhere. I served on a Grand Jury recently in Canton, and you wouldn't believe the stuff that has gone on around here. Move to the 'burbs if you want (and welcome!), but don't think that you are leaving crime behind- that just isn't the way it works...

Author

Rico

Date

2006-06-21T10:56:28-06:00

ID

72695

Comment

I know I'm not leaving crime behind, but I also don't want to have to put a bullet into one of these "thugs" for entering my property and harming my family. And it's frustrating to live in a county with a revolving door of repeat offenders who know that the system is incapable of putting them away and continue committing property crimes seemingly without fear, an embattled D.A. who doesn't have the staff or tools to prosecute the growing backlog of cases in her office, inadequate jail space and no money for expanding the existing one, a clueless mayor with diarrhea mouth who thinks running around in a tricked out RV and setting up roadblocks w/o arresting anyone is effective crimefighting, and a police force that is caught in the middle. I don't say all of this lightly, but I'm just one frustrated, fed-up Jacksonian who is having a hard time seeing a silver lining in all of this.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-06-21T11:46:20-06:00

ID

72696

Comment

I meant to add "overworked" police force.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-06-21T11:46:51-06:00

ID

72697

Comment

I dont think JPD is overworked but over-whelmed. They used to be as feared as the "burbs" cops are now. Fingers Taylor even wrote a song about them but they now have just become listless. I think its more than just the revolving door that has them being so ineffective. Melton's bizarre behavior certainly has not helped the situation but it seems that the JPD began having trouble many years ago.

Author

burton

Date

2006-06-21T11:57:11-06:00

ID

72698

Comment

Well, I'll just say here what I said to my neighbors when we discussed having a "neighborhood watch" program, that no neighborhood is safe if you don't have a sense of community, a commitment to watch out for each other and each other's property, and a good relationship with the police department. Some of my neighbors get it, but we've gotten a few newbies who don't seem to care about their property or anyone elses. We don't have a neighborhood association, but we have several older residents who keep their properties up religiously. And they have complained to me and my wife about the newbies and their disregard for keeping their music down, keeping up their yards, and having kids running around in the middle of the street at all times of day. These things don't bother me as much as the whispers of more property crimes that have been happening in our area lately (thanks Frank for no crime stats for 10 months) and no one seems to have a clue about how to deal with it. This in spite of the fact that JPD does patrol the area.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-06-21T12:54:03-06:00

ID

72699

Comment

Just based on my experiences in Madison, (no, I don't live there, but I got really close to moving there) there are plenty of black people. I worked in the Home Depot and another retailer next to wal-mart on and off for the last three years (summer jobs) and there are lots of African Americans and most of them are driving the Mercedes and BMWs. (This is a trend I see throughout jackson...) Now, these people may be Cantonese (ha) just driving south a little piece for some good shopping, but Ali's article made it sound like Black people were hard to find in Madison. Just stop by the Home Depot, meander back to the garden section, and you'll find one of the coolest African Americans ever...he calls everyone "Hard Hitta." Anyway, I think we should be careful about complaining, seems to me you have a line with Jackson on one end and maybe Madison or even a Flowood on the other. In terms of just safety... which one are you gonna go with? And even though some things are extreme (Homogenous Buildings) it is good for a city to have high standards. Who wants to settle ?

Author

Shrute2

Date

2006-07-15T02:52:55-06:00

ID

72700

Comment

Shrute writes: And even though some things are extreme (Homogenous Buildings) it is good for a city to have high standards. Who wants to settle? Based on 2000 census data: Madison: 92.8% white, 4.9% black, population 14,692, average income $84,589. Jackson: 27.5% white, 70.9% black, population 184,256, average income $36,103. So according to census data from six years ago, Madison is 1/13th the size of Jackson, almost exclusively white, and has an average income that's 2.3 times as high. Hard hittas indeed, but integrated...uh, no. Madison is a nice little suburb, but I'd much rather live in Jackson. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-07-15T05:02:39-06:00

ID

72701

Comment

Plus, in Jackson, you're likely to get less scorn for expressing one of those occasional non-mainstream opinions that the future will prove will be the correct one (or at least a non-erronious one) without risking ostracism and generally being shut out of community life. Kind of tells me how much value people put on freedom from inhibition of expression (every bit as vital to progress as the legal/constitutional right of "freedom of expression", believe me).

Author

Philip

Date

2006-07-15T08:44:26-06:00

ID

72702

Comment

Tom: How many new developments are there in Jackson? Or planned ones?

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-07-15T09:21:41-06:00

ID

72703

Comment

Thanks to free tickets I won from Jack FM, I'm going to Malco. The earliest I'm going to go is Sunday, so I'll give you a report on my experience when I go there. I guess I'll need to rent a tuxedo first. :P

Author

golden eagle

Date

2006-07-19T10:30:14-06:00

ID

72704

Comment

Well, it appears today that Madison is poised to double in size, with a Chancery Court judge approving most of the area they wish to annex. This means Annandale, Ingleside, Fairfield, Reunion and The Reserve will now have to bow before Queen Mary. Wonder how many of them will flee again further into the county to escape the clutches of city government?

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-08-09T20:52:24-06:00

ID

152266

Comment

I lived in Jackson for 9 years of my life. I lived in a trailor(mobile home) park off of North State Street, Homewood Manor. Those years were probably the best times of my childhood.My family bought a lot in Madison, off of Main Street, in the Pecan Creek Subdivision area in 1975. We built our first house on that lot in 1977, thus mived in the summer of 77. Lived in that house for 17 years, my family sold it to the Methodist Church on Main street, they eventually tore it down. We moved out to Ingleside in 93, been there ever since. I remember Madison being all land, with mayby a 3-4 subdivisions, and 2-3 stores. Sledges was on the corner of Main and HWY 51. Madison is packed now, to many stores, to many people, soccer moms, idiots in big pickup trucks, trying to run over you, etc. Its pathetic. I used to love to drive, now its a total pain. If I could hang up my keys, I would, and let all these fools have the road. So, I have seen alot of change in the 32 years I have lived in Madison. Some good, some bad. WalMart was part of the bad I believe..

Author

brannon67

Date

2009-09-23T18:36:37-06:00