Jackson Free Press

Lots of determination, but no details formed the substance of Mayor Frank Melton's State of the City Address at the Alamo Theatre this morning. An emotional Melton, who is under investigation by the FBI, took the stage after an introduction from his 82-year-old Cuban aunt, apologizing for a myriad of snafus during his two-year term as mayor. "I've made some mistakes, but they've been mistakes of the heart," Melton told the audience. Ӆ I cannot and will not do anything that's designed to hurt another human being. That's not my nature.

Melton's pitch called attention to social issues such as broken homes and families, with the mayor—who lived in Jackson while his biological children grew up in Texas—making at least three references to absentee fathers in homes.

"It takes a man to teach a boy how to be a man. We can talk about our criminal justice system all day, but our problem is not policing … the prosecutors … or the judges. The problem is a serious breakdown in the family unit. The solution," Melton said, "is education and the church."

Melton repeated vows from his inaugural speech and his last state of the city address, promising to have "all school-age children … in somebody's class." He renewed his oath to put children found "in the street" during school hours in "the youth detention center," with the promise that "parents will be held accountable for their children."

The mayor emphasized the more than $1 billion in construction underway in Jackson, followed by a slide show of developments, many of them begun under other administrations or jump-started, in part, through Hurricane Katrina and the federal Go-Zone tax incentives that followed.

Melton said that while the downtown area grew a new face with all the incoming construction, he would concentrate on building new homes, refurbishing old homes and demolishing old non-livable structures.

The mayor dedicated speech time to dealing with the crime issue, and emphasized community policing, though he outlined no real plan for accomplishing the tactic, aside from saying "we need to do a much better job in the area of prevention."

The police academy is currently in the process of training 14 cadets, however, and is looking at "about 50 applications" for the next class in November, according to the mayor.

Melton said he wanted to start arresting people who hold city citations, though the city has largely been ineffective at collecting derelict fines over the years. Melton encouraged people to pay their fines, reminding them that the courts would work out a plan for incremental pay if "you can't afford" the whole price at once.

Melton added that he would be keeping Shirlene Anderson as police chief, because of her honesty.

"The police chief stays in place … because she's not a member of the good ol' boys club, and she has the courage to tell this community the truth about public records. Crime has never been down," Melton said, recycling his old accusation that the last police chief downplayed crime reports. ӅThe fact is that she inherited a mess, and she has the courage … to deal with it."

Statistics say major crime had steadily dropped over the eight years leading up to the Melton administration—but then took a sharp shot upward by more than 40 percent during the last year. Last fall, Anderson discontinued COMSTAT reporting of crime statistics both within the department and to the public.

Melton offered more details on illegal drug sales than the city budget, which reported a $13.1 million shortfall this week.

"There are people who go through our city neighborhoods, and who pawn their cars for narcotics, then they turn around and call the police department and report the car stolen. Then we bump into the 15-year-old kid that's in the car. He goes to the detention center. She goes to the next neighborhood and buys drugs," Melton said. "We're going to stop that. Those people going through those neighborhoods attempting to buy narcotics are going to be arrested just like the people who sold it to them."

The city reported no arrests for drug sales in 2006.

Melton's drug-buying scenario mirrors the defense of one of his male companions, 17-year-old Michael Taylor, who was indicted for carjacking a woman last year.

Taylor's mother, Valerie Taylor, claims Taylor didn't steal the woman's car, that the victim was "going into (Taylor's) neighborhood pawning her car for crack." Valerie Taylor did not speak on the implication that her claim paints her son as a crack dealer.

Disappointing to some audience members, the speech was short on particulars. "I wanted to hear more about the budget," said one businessman, who chose to remain anonymous because of his deals with the city. "I think there was much to say on that, but we didn't hear it.

Previous Comments

ID

129314

Comment

“… I cannot and will not do anything that’s designed to hurt another human being. That’s not my nature.” Too late. Already did. See Evans Welch, Jennifer Sutton, Tonari Moore and Jim Dollarhide.

Author

golden eagle '97

Date

2007-08-24T18:24:43-06:00

ID

129315

Comment

And lest I forget, the two MBN agents he lied on and got away with it.

Author

golden eagle '97

Date

2007-08-24T18:25:59-06:00

ID

129316

Comment

Disappointing to some audience members, the speech was short on particulars. I'm disappointed as well.It takes more than feel-good (if you can call it that) rhetoric to save this city.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-08-24T19:46:29-06:00

ID

129317

Comment

Safe to say he is hurting Charlotte Reeves. He said he didn't give a shit what the people think on camera.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-08-24T21:18:25-06:00

ID

129318

Comment

First point: Melton repeated vows from his inaugural speech and his last state of the city address, promising to have “all school-age children … in somebody’s class.” He renewed his oath to put children found “in the street” during school hours in “the youth detention center,” with the promise that “parents will be held accountable for their children.” My understanding is that it is illegal to imprison children for status offenses like breaking curfew. When I was on a raid with Mr. Melton, I saw firsthand how farcical this promise is when put into practice. The mayor would stop all the young black men we saw and ask them how old they were. "Nineteen," they would say. "You ain't lying, are ya?" the mayor would ask. "No," the child would reply. Various conversations about marijuana and/or the droopiness of said child's pants would follow. Then we continued our crusade to save Jackson. I can't say for certain that any of these youngsters were under 18, but several of them looked more like 14 than 19 to me. Fortunately, in the United States you do not have to carry identification with you if you are just walking down the street, so the mayor really didn't have any reason for detaining these kids, if they were in fact minors. The most important point is that the city's own crime stats show that minors commit a small percentage of crimes, and most of the crimes they commit are misdemeanors like shoplifting and disturbing the peace. There are exceptions, but criminalizing young people wastes police resources and embitters youth, teaching them to hate the police.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2007-08-25T01:15:24-06:00

ID

129319

Comment

Second point: Melton added that he would be keeping Shirlene Anderson as police chief, because of her honesty. “The police chief stays in place … because she’s not a member of the good ol’ boys club, and she has the courage to tell this community the truth about public records. Crime has never been down,” Melton said, recycling his old accusation that the last police chief downplayed crime reports. “…The fact is that she inherited a mess, and she has the courage … to deal with it.” Ms. Anderson is completely unaccountable as a police chief. She canceled the ComStat program, which was the best tool the city has ever had for determining, on a week-by-week basis, where crime occurs. She has not replaced that system with an alternative, and she seems to have canceled it for spite's sake. Her department routinely refuses even the most common sense records requests. For instance, her department has refused to release arrest records of juveniles to the mother of the juvenile. It routinely demands court subpoenas to release records that state law requires be public. Melton's statement that crime has "never been down" is so dishonest that it borders on the insane. Even under his administration, crime remains well below where it was 10 years ago, a fact he might use to put the current crime crisis in context if he weren't so busy dissembling. He has never presented even an iota of evidence that crime stats were doctored. As we have noted before, how is it possible to falsify the murder rate? Ms. Anderson inherited a police department that faced serious challenges, but there were hopeful signs, such as an increase in the number of officers and better deployment using tools like ComStat. She has taken a department that was improving and steered it right into a mountain through gross incompetence and a total inability to lead. She has shown nothing but contempt for the citizens of Jackson, and she wouldn't know honesty if it broke into her house and stole the television. Frank Melton has been a sickening disaster for the city of Jackson. Let's hope the FBI brings Jackson's nightmare to an end sooner rather than later.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2007-08-25T01:28:57-06:00

ID

129320

Comment

Faye and robert will be on hot talk at nine for an hour monday morning at 9 on 97.7 fm

Author

NewJackson

Date

2007-08-25T07:23:56-06:00

ID

129321

Comment

Brian, What an excellent commentary! Somewhere in all the reporting regarding Melton's nervousness and misery during his so-called State of The City ramble yesterday, I heard or read that he was excessively nervous because of having a podium and following a script. ?? Who was forcing him to use a podium? Why was it necessary to have a script? From what I've heard, he didn't follow the script, if he had one. Why not just notes? He just never makes sense to me. This was his moment and his stage to play and he could call the shots, so why do anything that made him that nervous! More later...........

Author

ChrisCavanaugh

Date

2007-08-25T14:51:25-06:00

ID

129322

Comment

I wonder does Frank Melton realize he is the Mayor.

Author

dpsmith

Date

2007-08-26T14:57:41-06:00

ID

129323

Comment

melton was not following a script. it was the same BS of shooting from the hip that he did last year and in every public speech I have heard. Did anyone catch the announcement that, his "Aunt" who introduced him, is "CUBAN?" Is this his mother's sister or father's sister? Why use a "CUBAN" to introduce you even - if it is a relative. What was the point? Where was Mrs./Dr. Melton who according to frank would have hands on in dealing with youth educational issues? What exactly did the "CUBAN" Aunt say during the introduction???????? I did hear his spill that "The budget has been out of balance since 2000." He can really lie and the sad thing is that there are some silly people here who continue to believe him. Was the air fare for his aunt charged to the City? Great article Brian Johnson! We can only depend on the JFP for these kind of details.

Author

justjess

Date

2007-08-27T09:38:01-06:00

ID

129324

Comment

Great article Brian Johnson! We can only depend on the JFP for these kind of details. Actually, it was Adam. Say you're sorry! LOL

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-08-27T10:00:01-06:00

ID

129325

Comment

Dear Adam Lynch, I am on my knees and begging for forgiveness as I humbly offer this apology for the error or giving credit to Brian Johnson for an article you researched and reported on. Many thank to L.W. who so quickly pointed out my mistake. This proves one thing: Not only does the JFP have great writers, it has great readers who can see a flea on a pole in China. Brian Johnson's commentary on your article, Adam, was excellent! He was definitely on point with his "first" and "second" points.

Author

justjess

Date

2007-08-27T10:26:22-06:00

ID

129326

Comment

Not only does the JFP have great writers, it has great readers who can see a flea on a pole in China. ROTFL!!!

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-08-27T10:43:56-06:00

ID

129327

Comment

L.W, I am going to hit you three consecutive times without a pause:poppoppop. Now suffer you brute.

Author

justjess

Date

2007-08-27T10:58:56-06:00

ID

129328

Comment

OWWWWW! Tee hee.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-08-27T11:04:45-06:00

ID

129329

Comment

Turning Jackson around is a big job and I have every confidence our mayor is the right man for the job.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2007-08-27T11:10:04-06:00

ID

129330

Comment

Quote from Brian C Johnson: "Fortunately, in the United States you do not have to carry identification with you if you are just walking down the street, so the mayor really didn't have any reason for detaining these kids, if they were in fact minors. Actually, Brian, there are so-called "stop and identify" statutes in about 22 states (Mississippi is not one of them), which compel individuals - when stopped by law enforcement working under "reasonable suspicion or belief" - to provide identification or face detention (a so-called "Terry stop" after the Supreme Court's Terry decision), a fine, citation, etc. etc. (it varies by state). The Supreme Court upheld these types of laws in 2004 (Hiibel v. Sixth District of Nevada). The "reasonable suspicion or belief" test is very, very, very vague. Someone who appeared to be in violation of a city ordinance, whether they were actually violating it or not, could potentially meet the burden. Anyways, just FYI.

Author

emsy

Date

2007-08-27T12:23:21-06:00

ID

129331

Comment

“The police chief stays in place … because she’s not a member of the good ol’ boys club, and she has the courage to tell this community the truth about public records. Crime has never been down,” Melton said, recycling his old accusation that the last police chief downplayed crime reports. “…The fact is that she inherited a mess, and she has the courage … to deal with it.” Still waiting for the proof. Needless to say, when SafeCity is still backing you and trying to blame the DA for everything - you are one of the good ol' boys! When you have more data on the DA then you do the City of Jackson crime stats, it just shows that these guys have an agenda that is not rooted in fact. Do they even follow their own principles? Principle Before Personality – Personal agendas can not, and will not be a part of SAFECITY. Our sole reason for being is to make our communities safer places to live with the quality of life that we deserve! Principles Before Politics – We do not care what political party a public official belongs to, or what their stance is on non-crime related issues. If a public official wishes to productively and honestly deal with the issue of crime, SAFECITY will be their best ally. So, why do members of SafeCity buy and spread lies about JPD and crime? Isn't Larry on the radio a member? Here is a classic example of them blaming the DA's office. Then a month later, they are bemoaning the lack of Felony arrest by JPD, then McCreery, a Board Member, tries (unsuccessfully) to again blame the DA. Principles before politics....

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-08-27T13:57:42-06:00

ID

129332

Comment

Check this out! Melton's got some goals for the week based on his State of the City address. Don't waste your time with the article, just go to the PDF and commence laughing. Or crying when you actually realize he is serious. I think the mayor must mix a little crack in his Johnny Black.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-08-27T14:04:53-06:00

ID

129333

Comment

Just read on the CL site where "Jackson mayor outlines new initiatives". I thought it interesting in said article that "The mayor said he favored cutting about $1 million from JATRAN..." The same JATRAN that doesn't have air conditioners working on many of its buses and disabled-rider vans and the same JATRAN that has an aging fleet that's always broke down. Yeah, Frank's got his priorities in order... Frank Melton: [img]http://home.comcast.net/~tegaspard/images/smiles/chatterbox.gif[/img]

Author

LambdaRisen

Date

2007-08-27T14:06:47-06:00

ID

129334

Comment

First, who the heck wrote this....Chris Walker? This mess is full of spelling and grammatical errors. Rather than work my way down this wish list, I'll start with the obvious. Why does FM always insist on finding folks' daddy? He didn't raise his own children and now he wants to be in other folks kool-aid. Most of them don't want to be found to develop a relationship with the children or they would already be there and most of the mothers hope they never find them or their welfare will be cut off. Does he not know that the budget is jacked up already? He's trying to still add jobs for these children and cutting jobs from adults WITH bills to finance it. Then he had the nerve to say that some of the staff were unproductive. You have got to be kidding me! Most of the unproductive people were hired by FM for no reason other than he owed them a favor. This gets better and better!

Author

honey2me

Date

2007-08-27T15:12:00-06:00

ID

129335

Comment

And another thing, doesn't that idiot know that being a mayor consists of more than holding meaningless press conferences and making up to-do lists that probably will never get done?

Author

honey2me

Date

2007-08-27T15:16:55-06:00

ID

129336

Comment

Aside from the verious language problems (Is "desititute" now a negihborhood with people living in it? Are "additiona officers" like homework police?), here's the one I personally like: 3) Develop an ordinance the requires vendors to employ young people. Read that again. "Requires" them to employ young people. Not "encourages" them, or provides incentives for employing young people. It will REQUIRE them to employ young people. And what exactly is the official Meltonian definition of "young people"? Melton Melton uber alles...

Author

Rex

Date

2007-08-27T15:29:00-06:00

ID

129337

Comment

I'm curious about his "faith based" programs? What happened to the boys and girls club? YMCA? etc? Why not use what's already in place? Why waste more money and create a position of two ministers? With that in mind - all these staff members that he plans to appoint - he can just juggle the ones he wants to cut. And regarding his last item on his to-do list, I wonder if I can give him my address and add that to the list - I really need my grass cut? Maybe edge a little? Prune my hedge? And if he wants to build me, I do need a shed? Hmmm… Just a thought.... Regarding the style of the memo itself, what a horrible piece of work - grammatically, etc. Geesh – if he has Word, it puts a little squiggly line under mistakes. You would think that any competent government official would have a proof reader somewhere.

Author

Puck

Date

2007-08-27T15:57:40-06:00

ID

129338

Comment

"Finally, I want the grass cut at 1318 and 1330 Deer Park Today. We will cut the grass and BUILD the owners" (emphasis added). How do you build an owner, is he going to begin an empowerment class of how to build the proper homeowner?

Author

malt

Date

2007-08-27T16:01:12-06:00

ID

129339

Comment

How many ways can you spell incompetent? Talk about re-inventing the wheel.....there are organizations, agencies, groups, non-profits, etc. already in place to do what he is talking about. Find children a church home? - now you have a whole new argument going about denominations, etc. Of course Frank wouldn't know this, but a large majority of the churches in Jxn have programs already in place that are seeking to help the youth in the community... I'm so sick of the rhetoric.

Author

lanier77

Date

2007-08-27T16:16:50-06:00

ID

129340

Comment

Well, public officials aren't always known for their use of language; I've seen Peterson put out documents with mistakes in them, too. But there is a HUGE difference as I've pointed out before: Melton has multiple people getting paid good money to do PR for him. The D.A.'s office uses every dime for their primary mission. If Melton's PR folk are this illiterate, what are we spending our money on?

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-08-27T16:36:18-06:00

ID

129341

Comment

This mess is full of spelling and grammatical errors. I concur. I've never seen a press release that looks more like a PowerPoint presentation with the huge font and bullets. Also, the misspelled words and grammatical errors are an embarrassment to this city. It makes us all look functionally illiterate and dense. How to Write a Press Release

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-08-27T17:33:39-06:00

ID

129342

Comment

The City of Jackson letterhead must have run out and there's no more money to buy additional letterhead. A proper PR department would have never let anything this shabby go out. A proper legal department would have deleted the majority of the borderline content. People and families are very important, but right now we need to balance the books, pay the bills, and get the police recruit class enrolled. Then worry about the fathers. And grass mowing.

Author

madisonresident

Date

2007-08-27T18:18:29-06:00

ID

129343

Comment

I think one nugget of information in the Goliath story that should make us grind our teeth and weep is that the number of narcotics officers is now down to six. The last time I checked, about 10 months ago, the police department said there were 13 narcotics officers. Mr. Melton has repeatedly said that narcotics is driving crime in Jackson, and yet the number of narcotics officers keeps falling under his administration. This cannot reassure those folks who believe the persistent rumors about our mayor. Even assuming that those are false, what in the hell is he doing?

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2007-08-27T18:39:05-06:00

ID

129344

Comment

On a lighter note, I like the bit about building owners. I picture one of those cute robots from bad '80s films, or if I can totally geek out here, maybe they'll look and act like the Daleks. "You are an enemy of the Meltonites! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2007-08-27T18:42:22-06:00

ID

129345

Comment

Finally, thanks for the tip emsy. At the risk of sounding like an old-school Mississippi boy, "What is this, communist Russia?" I just don't think people walking the street in our fine country should have to carry identification.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2007-08-27T18:44:37-06:00

ID

129346

Comment

I sure am glad that Shirlene Anderson is not one of the good ol'boys. What a relief that is for me!

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-08-27T20:31:15-06:00

ID

129347

Comment

I'm just glad Shirlene weeded out some of the worse officers! Just can't figure out how she missed her own cut.

Author

honey2me

Date

2007-08-27T21:03:54-06:00

ID

129348

Comment

Will y'all please let our beloved leader lead us. Leading is a hard rough job!

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2007-08-28T07:58:24-06:00

ID

129349

Comment

I am still annoyed Melton did not have the decency to bring a fiddle to the press conference to play while his city burns

Author

AGamm627

Date

2007-08-28T14:38:50-06:00

ID

129350

Comment

Okay, Melton issued goals for the week of August 27. It's now September 5. How many of those goals were met and how many were even initiated? Are there new goals for this week? You know... baby steps and all that. What's on the plate this week, Frank? Or was that all just a late night drunken ramble that got issued to the press before anyone in your house sobered up?

Author

Rex

Date

2007-09-05T13:25:48-06:00