Jackson Free Press

"There just isn't a sense of community here like there was back home," a Denver, Colo., transplant told me after moving to Jackson. In a city with almost three times the population of Jackson, residents there felt that city government and business owners had built up their cities to be inclusive of many people's needs. The lack of this trend in the city that I have called home for 21 years is becoming more and more clear as issues like crime and development become hot-topic items for discussion. Jackson has neighborhoods and associations that create community among a certain group of people, but the community of Jackson is vastly underserved and disjointed.

A month ago I ran into a family acquaintance at an art function in Fondren. I asked her how she and her family were doing, and she told me they had decided to move to "Madison," she whispered with an embarrassed smile. Her home in northeast Jackson was nice, but after her neighbors had a break-in, they headed to a "safer" area. I didn't think anything of it at the time—everyone is entitled to feel safe in their homes—but running away from a problem doesn't solve it.

Jackson's black residents, who make up more than 80 percent of the city's population, have complained about "white flight." But now, even they are picking up and moving out. It's not a black-and-white issue any longer. It's an issue of how much Jackson residents are willing to invest in their homes, how patient they are willing to be to come together as a city and address its problems. The social function of this city is deteriorating. I'm not talking about the availability of arts programs and entertainment venues. I'm talking about the ability of city residents to take care of each other, to hold each other accountable and promote intermingling between geographical lines.

Jackson has a plethora of rich, historical areas and buildings that have fallen in disrepair due to the elements and lack of upkeep. As a result, many Jackson residents have moved away from these once-bustling areas, giving rise to new cookie-cutter developments that seem to have taken over certain areas of Jackson and neighboring cities. Jackson resources go unused by the masses, forcing local businesses to move out or close up shop.

Areas like Virden Addition and Rose Street have become the "bad" parts of town, where you don't venture after 5 p.m. and where you have to make sure that your car doors are locked. These are the areas where, upon passing a young black man, people point their eyes to the ground and pray to God that they don't get robbed. These areas are the ones featured on the 10 p.m. news—and never for anything good.

When Poindexter Elementary School received a level 5 rating earlier this year, they held the celebration and announcement event in their auditorium. As I entered through the front doors, a camera crew was leaving because there was a murder on the next street over that was more important for the evening news. If we don't take back our communities, take back our children, take back our city, every area of Jackson will become the "bad" part of town, and it will be our fault. If we don't learn to embrace the diversity that this city has, and use it to encourage education and communication among all Jackson residents, we are in danger.

Instead of seeing a crime that happens in West Jackson as an isolated event that isn't relevant to people outside that area, we should be concerned. You should be alarmed when there is a woman less than 10 miles away from your home who has had her back door kicked in five times. Instead of crossing the line into Madison County, or even crossing the interstate into North Jackson, we should be renewing what we have here already. Jackson has an enormous amount of potential. We can't watch it waste away because we were too impatient or not compelled enough to become involved.

Development in the downtown area shows promise, as do the many organizations like Parents for Public Schools and One Jackson that have taken an interest in fighting to make the area flourish. But it isn't enough when you still have people in Jackson who have never been on Capitol Street and seen the amazing architecture and street art. It's not enough when people are huddled in their cozy homes, disconnected to the world outside.

Business developers need to get out into these areas and revive them. Venture risks aside, it's a great opportunity to pull more people into vapid parts of town and give them new life. I would love to see the area around Poindexter crowded with neighborhood businesses and office spaces, and people experiencing the fullness that Jackson has to offer. Community members also have to meet developers halfway and destroy their glass houses, traveling into the unknown. You may find something appealing.

Working against each other doesn't solve the problems that plague Jackson; they only make them worse. To turn a blind eye to our neighbors across town just because they do not attend our neighborhood association meetings is to do an injustice to ourselves. Bridging the gap is not an easy task, but it will draw the citizens of Jackson together in a way that echoes a sense of community and empathy, not condemnation and seclusion. We need to get over ourselves and our prejudices to find common ground: to peacefully coexist in order to better the community. That means education reform, criminal accountability and entrepreneurial cooperation.

When "they" becomes "we," and the "neighborhood association" extends across geographical lines, the city will be taking a step in the right direction.

Previous Commentsshow

Great article Maggie. Don't count out racial reasons as a motivating factor for flight,We bought a modest home in Belaire . People keep up property and some yards look like they could be pictured in Better Homes & Garden. Our incomes allowed us to move to the Watkins area to a larger home to raise our children: We were the first blacks family. "For Sale" signs went up and by the end of 2 years, the community was 99% black. We were told so many things, i.e., mammo is getting old and we need more space. Many blacks moved further down to another "all white" community known as Valley North. The same things happened. Even the church sold. In 2 years, the community begame black. Valley North continues to be a nice community. Then came the killer, A black man whose wife hat looked white, bought property in the Underwood community of Woodlea. A very stately home was built but, the spouse was killed. He was jailed on some trumped up charge and died in jail. Again, there was white flight: I'm told that the same excuses of the late 60s were the same being marketed for home sales is Woodhaven and Woodlea. These two communities continue to thrive. Now let's look at the "I'm moving to Madison?Ridgeland group." For the most part, these folks are blacks with serious money or not so serious but don't mind two people working and spending every dime to live in certain communities. They have not left Jackson because of CRIME. They were not living in crime infested areas anyway. White folks, are not afraid of crime, "poor schools" bad roads and nothing else here is Jackson. If this were true, why do so many whites work in Jackson, will come to jackson for certain entertainment and restaurants? Hal and Mals is one of the best kept secretes known to Jackson. People party. It reminds me New Orleans. Black folks will have to stop whinning about whites leaving and work towards becoming more entrepreneural rather than consumers only.

justjess

Nov 29 2007

White folks, are not afraid of crime, "poor schools" bad roads and nothing else here is Jackson. If this were true, why do so many whites work in Jackson, will come to jackson for certain entertainment and restaurants? Hal and Mals is one of the best kept secretes known to Jackson. People party. It reminds me New Orleans. A lot of the big money jobs are still in Jackson (downtown in particular), but I bet if many of them had their druthers, those jobs would be on Highland Colony Parkway or on Lakeland Dr.

golden eagle

Nov 29 2007

Ooooh, tell the truth and shame the devil! Good one, Maggie! Jackson resources go unused by the masses, forcing local businesses to move out or close up shop....We need to get over ourselves and our prejudices to find common ground: to peacefully coexist in order to better the community. That means education reform, criminal accountability and entrepreneurial cooperation. I was just saying on another thread how local businesses aren't supported enough, especially in certain parts of town. I believe that if they were, the economic situation would change there, and the areas would improve as a result. After the JSU parade, as I walked up Capital St., I looked at the empty storefronts and imagined what it would be like if those storefronts were occupied and the parade spectators were able to shop or get a bite to eat on the way back to their cars. I had a lofty dream where I had millions of dollars and was able to buy up the storefronts, put retail shops and restaurants there, and employ scores of people. Then I remembered that I had no money and jacked-up credit, and kept walking to my car.

LatashaWillis

Nov 29 2007

Thanks, guys. It's a tough subject, especially looking at the racial implications, but I think we work through those issues by talking about them. If we don't, what will happen to our beloved city?

maggie

Dec 6 2007