Jackson Free Press

I have been trying to keep silent about the recent devastation that has plagued our city government, resulting in indictments of the mayor and his bodyguards. I convinced myself that I did not have an opinion and that the situation would work itself out eventually.

However, I can't keep quiet anymore. My grandmother taught me never to do things halfway no matter the difficulty of the task. I keep wondering if anyone ever told our city officials the same thing.

Take the new ordinance to demolish "crack houses." It doesn't sit well with me. I strongly believe that if a problem is addressed, it should be solved in a timely manner. The ordinance seems to be a political effort for officials to look like they're fixing the drug problem in Jackson, but it leaves too many questions unanswered. It leaves the problem unsolved.

First, the quality of living in the inner city is not the same as the quality of living in North Jackson. I am concerned that houses will be targeted for the wrong reasons, as the Ridgeway Street house may have been—and the law is so vague that we have good reason to worry about false accusations. Some people cannot afford to make a weekend trip to the Home Depot in an effort to make the outside of a house meet the standards of eyes looking for the signs of a "crack house."

While some people focus their attention on drug-addicted patrons and their suppliers, the average citizen is ignored. Where is the community outcry when an old man's roof falls in, and he doesn't have the money or the strength to fix it? Where is the community outcry when landlords accept hundreds of dollars a month for property that isn't worth living in?

Will there be a community outcry when the lots of these houses become overgrown and infested with rodents—after they're torn down? Will city officials come clean up the rodents that then infest the surrounding houses after the bulldozers leave?

The beautification of the city is important, but it doesn't fix problems, especially drug problems. I am concerned that as a community, we are so desperate for help that we are willing to relinquish our rights as American citizens for half a solution to a major problem.

Simplistically trying to make the owner of houses pay fines because others think that the property may be a haven for crack has too many loopholes. The landlords are not the people suspected of being crack addicts.

This brings me to my biggest point (hold on to your seat; it's really big). People who are addicted to crack, marijuana and other controlled substances will support their habits anywhere.

After the city forces people out of their homes because they are addicted to drugs, these people will probably do a short stint in county jail, and then they'll be right back on the streets, doing drugs. Tearing down the house where they live does not change the fact that this city has a problem with people who have drug addictions. Don't just throw the book at the landlord and convict the user; track down the supplier.

There are more questions that should be addressed in the near future in order for us to engage ourselves in a full-fledged war against drugs in our neighborhoods. Beautification will only give drug addicts a pretty place to get a hit. However, rehabilitation (beyond a few months in jail) gives people a chance to live a better life.

This problem is bigger than the City Council and the mayor. Now that we've decided to address this problem, we cannot do it halfheartedly. If this new ordinance is executed as written, then there will be many blighted lots within our communities. There are too many people in this city who can't afford a place to live for us to tear down houses and not rebuild them. I was under the impression that the city of Jackson was on its way forward. I now feel that this new ordinance is a backward attempt to fix—or hide—our city's drug problem.

Fellow Jacksonians, if you truly care about the future of this city, look past the political fiasco, contact your neighborhood association president and organize a community meeting. While in the meeting, forget whose side you're on and really address the problems of the community. If we are to move forward, we have to do it ourselves. We have to become more hands-on, and we have to hold the right people responsible when problems go unattended. Let's show our elected officials that we are concerned about the well-being of our community by playing a role in making it better.

JFP intern Melishia Grayson is a sophomore at Jackson State studying journalism.

Previous Comments

ID

73618

Comment

I convinced myself that I did not have an opinion and that the situation would work itself out eventually. I approached a lot of things that way, but I guess my patience began to wear thin in my 30's. Either that, or my mouth is still growing. Take the new ordinance to demolish "crack houses." It doesn't sit well with me. I have questions about that too. What about houses with meth labs? Meth has outpaced crack nationwide. What about homes that have marijuana plants growing inside? How about homeowners or renters who abuse prescription drugs? What about folks who go on Robo-trips (heard it on Dr. Phil today) and drink whole bottles of Robitussin? How about mouthwash and air freshener? Why just go after crack houses? Get 'em all! Maybe if Jackson becomes a sea of foundations and looks like a whirlwind hit it, we won't have crime anymore. Hmph. Don't just throw the book at the landlord and convict the user; track down the supplier. HELLO! That's like giving a pregnant teenage girl dirty looks when it took two to tango.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-09-27T22:35:10-06:00

ID

73619

Comment

L.W. I am all for getting drugs off the streets but crack is not the only drug that Jackson is plagued with. Our city officials are just used to half doing things and if this city doesn't stand up for itself, then they'll continue to do just that. They allowed the residents of the Maple St. Apartments to be evicted from their homes only for the complex to be abandoned now.

Author

Melishia

Date

2006-09-28T11:02:42-06:00

ID

73620

Comment

Right. Melishia and I drove by Maple Street the other day, not to mention other houses that have been burned or demolished. It's truly hard to imagine a worse site for neighborhoods than the way they look now. I agree with Melishia—the city officials are putting out sound bites and pretending to do stuff. But Melton gets bored as soon as he gets out of the bulldozer seat and doesn't then follow through. And, L.W., you make a really good point about other drugs—especially the ones that plague white communities. This ordinance will not pass legal muster. The City Council really ought to start paying attention to what they're doing. By going with stupid sh!t that sounds good, they are going to get the city in worse trouble. Be sure to see MC law prof Matt Steffey's comments at the bottom of the updated Upper Level story about the trouble *City Council* is going to get the city into by not trying harder to stop the mayor's illegal activities. Ahem, Councilman Allen.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-09-28T11:09:41-06:00

ID

73621

Comment

In the mid 90's I used to go rent collecting in the, hmmm....how do I put it, the poorer parts of town with a friend of mine who was a landlord. We would literally have 12 year old kids offer to sell us drugs on the street. There were people that pretty openly sold it out of their homes. Everyone on the streets knew who the dealers were and where they lived and some of them had homes open for business. These neighborhoods just happened to be Black and I have yet to drive through a white neighborhood or mixed one for that matter and see the same atmosphere when it came to selling drugs. So when there is some support for demolishing crack houses etc., there are some reasons why it exists. And for the record, I'm in favor of drug legalization.

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-09-28T11:24:05-06:00

ID

73622

Comment

I would say that ordinance is how you say in Amehdika, constitutionally vague and violates due process?

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-09-28T11:24:54-06:00

ID

73623

Comment

..and remember the hotel room that some New Orleans folks were allegedly selling "dope" out of? Why didn't frank and friends tear that hotel down? Could it be that he knew that the people living there didn't own it? I think that the ordinance was a "get out of jail retroactively free card" for Melton. Now that there is an ordinance, it is not a big deal. Barett-Simone asked that the motion be tabled two weeks ago. It is interesing that it passed in her absence. She stated that this was not the time or the climate to vote on such an issue and I agreed with her rationale. This community has a problem with the elected officials on this council. They have so much power that go unused. Is everyone afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?. I know that he will huff and puff and tear a house down -but darn!

Author

justjess

Date

2006-09-28T15:21:02-06:00

ID

73624

Comment

I still wonder where the guy who Melton was hiding at the "Luv Tub" motel over off Old Canton Ext./Frontage has run off too? Anyone checked with Atlanta Police to see if he was arrested and sent back, etc... The dude stole a car and ran off with an outstanding Atl. GA warrant all under the guise of being "kept safe by the mayor." Come on! This is ridiculous!

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-09-28T16:14:39-06:00

ID

73625

Comment

I thought about that a day or two ago. We should follow up.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-09-28T16:21:10-06:00

ID

73626

Comment

But Melton gets bored as soon as he gets out of the bulldozer seat and doesn't then follow through. Which, if you're paying attention, tells you a hell of a lot about his true motivations for the crap he's pulling. Best, Tim

Author

Tim Kynerd

Date

2006-09-28T16:26:33-06:00

ID

73627

Comment

I have been receiving some interesting viewoints on this article. So let me clear the air, The ordinance is a good attempt. But it is just that, an attempt. It isn't the solution that will move this city forward. Not to any of you that has posted comments here, but this is in response to some feedback that I've received from readers while out and about.

Author

Melishia

Date

2006-10-04T10:14:17-06:00

ID

73628

Comment

Sorry, you'd think a sophomore in college (English major at that) would spell words correctly before posting. :)

Author

Melishia

Date

2006-10-04T10:15:31-06:00