Why Jackson Doesn't Need 'Superman'

By Donna Ladd Friday, September 15, 2006 7:30 p.m. CDT

It is time for a reckoning.

The myth that has been Frank Melton is now exposed for all to see. Ever since the JFP's Adam Lynch told the city, on Sept. 1, about what really went on when Melton cut his hand "on a drug raid" on Aug. 27, the busted-up duplex has become a symbol of what happens when an illusion is shattered, when a superhero is dethroned.

The truth is ugly and painful. It's hard to look at it, but we must. The most powerful truth that came out of the events of that night is that every single American has rights, no matter how poor, how disconnected, how abused. As civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph said many years ago: "A community is democratic only when the humblest and weakest person can enjoy the highest civil, economic and social rights that the biggest and most powerful possess."

The most significant result of that night, and Adam's reporting of it, is not that Melton may go to prison, or that he may resign the mayor's office. Both of those things need to happen if the accusations are true. Not one or the other, but both.

Most vitally, some of our weakest residents found their voices. They were listened to. They were the focus of media coverage, drawing out reporters and city officials who seldom go west of Bailey Avenue. The very people who have been the most frequent target of Frank Melton's warrantless searches and supposedly "loving" harassment may be about to bring down a very powerful, near-mythological figure who brought lawlessness to Jackson in the name of fighting crime.

This is the way it's supposed to work in America. "Justice is never given; it is exacted," as Randolph warned us.

But regardless of what happens next to Melton, the rest of us have hard work to do. We must join together to heal this city and, along the way, do some soul-searching about why a man like Melton, with a long history of lying, trashing people's characters, sensationalizing crime for political reasons and violating the rights of our weakest citizens, rose to this cult status in the first place.

There will always be people who will try to gain power by any nefarious means necessary; the question is why our community allowed him to get away with it for so long. If we can answer that question honestly, we may well come out better off in the long run and grow into a more united, compassionate city.

It is hard to say whether Melton has targeted poor blacks merely because they are poor or black—or if it's because he knew the power structure wouldn't let him get away with targeting white people in the same way. Regardless, as Councilman Leslie McLemore said so eloquently today, it is hard to argue that a white man or woman, using the exact same tactics, would ever have gotten this far. Allow us to ask ourselves why.

I believe strongly that the Melton Era is a tragic outgrowth of our past—a difficult, hate-filled past where horrendous crimes were committed against black people often based on the thin excuse that they were more prone to commit crimes. That attitude is supposed to be in our past—and who would have thought that our next demagogue playing off the fear of (black) thugs would be a black man?

People, if there is any lesson that we all must face here, it is that unscrupulousness comes in all races. And the most unscrupulous are willing to betray us all in order to gain power. Just because they form uneasy alliances with divisive white folks does not mean we are suddenly living in a peaceful rainbow alliance of a city where all are treated the same.

The Ridgeway Street Demolition Derby is a glowing symbol of this—every single one of us knows that it would never have happened on a "white" street, regardless of how poor or drug-infested.

I challenge every Jacksonian who supported Melton to ask yourself why. Not to beat yourself up, but so that you can be part of the solution. I have talked to progressive-minded leaders in this city who believed many of the worst rumors about Melton could be true—and still voted for him. It seemed they thought that, somehow, he would swoop in and "clean up" Gotham.

Folks, it's time for group therapy, not to mention a bit of flogging the media for not giving us the whole picture about Melton.

Melton is charming in person, most of the time, but beyond fear-based Superman rhetoric—"Help is on the wayyy!"—he never offered the citizens another thing of substance. During the campaign, he was near contemptuous of any kind of positive development. Candidate Melton told rich white ladies at Bravo! that he wanted to put the Convention Center "between Two Lakes" (in Rankin), while he told hip-hop artists repeatedly at Birdland that he was going to build them a recording studio on Farish—even as they were asking him how he was going to redevelop downtown and create jobs for all of Jackson.

His sole platform has long been his "obsession" (his word) with young black men—how many he's "saved," "put through college," "lost," "buried." For many voters, his wink-wink promises to put the "thugs" away—even as his brand of "evidence" is seldom admissible—was enough. They pictured black men being frog-marched to Parchman by Melton, regardless of the reality that he seldom sends anybody away for long.

Helped along by his fact-challenged "Bottom Line" editorials over the years, Melton reached a cult, superhero status. I suspect it's because he presented himself as the single answer to what people believe ails the city. He alone could flex a muscle and save the inner city; thus, we all would be safer. This, of course, was an illusion. One man cannot "cure" crime—in 90 days or 9 million days.

There are no superheroes.

For a moment, this town believed in a cartoon hero who could sweep away our problems. But the answer is never that easy. The answer relies on each of us, doing the hard work of staying informed and demanding democracy and justice. We can dust ourselves off, forgive ourselves for believing in a myth, and then join together to make Jackson better for all our residents. We can come out of this a stronger city—that expects civic journalism, competent leaders and solutions that actually make sense. We can, and we must.

Previous Commentsshow

What's this?

Support our reporting -- Follow the MFP.

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Jackson Free Press