Jackson Free Press

Spurred anew by the closing of a Kroger grocery store in South Jackson, Ward 6 Councilman Marshand Crisler is pushing an effort to encourage residents to purchase goods inside the city of Jackson.

"The real picture is always bigger than it seems," Crisler said. "Businesses are taking calculated steps to move out into the suburbs because they've seen a trend among Jacksonians to not concentrate their economic power towards the center."

Kroger Co.'s Delta division said it is closing the store at 2101 Raymond Road in September because it was identified as "an under-performing store." The decision, according to the press release, was "based on economic reasons" connected to encouraging "company growth."

Crisler said the company's statement isn't the real story.

"I've spoken with the folks at Kroger corporate headquarters, but when you've been doing law enforcement as long as me, you can tell when people aren't telling you the whole story. You can tell by their voice pitch, their reservations about answering, and I knew from day one that their reasoning for the move wasn't on the up and up," Crisler said.

Crisler said the store on Raymond Road is averaging about $12 million in annual revenue, while a similar Kroger in Byram, built recently, is making $14 million. He said the closing store's revenue doesn't explain the shutdown.

"They give no valid reason to leave that location," Crisler said. "They built a new store in Byram, which was unnecessary, in my opinion, because the Byram people were already coming to the one in Jackson. They moved this other Kroger to give a convenience to a handful of people in the Byram area," Crisler said.

Kroger headquarters in Ohio did not return calls to the Jackson Free Press.

The population of South Jackson is about 70,000. The population surrounding the Byram store is less than 10,000.

Clarence Chapman, president of Chartre Consulting, spent about $30,000 on a study analyzing the feasibility of major development his company is doing near the closing store. Chapman said the area is prime for growth and said he was puzzled as to why Kroger would pull out, especially considering the more than 300 new homes Chartre is building in the neighborhood.

"It just seems to me that they have chosen not to serve that income level. The 325 family homes I'm building within 100 yards of their front door is generally enough to drive a grocery store in itself, plus the thousands of homes already around us in the area," Chapman said. "I just don't understand why they're leaving."

Chapman is in a position to profit from the move, though, because his company is looking to reform the area with a new town center, featuring a grocery store of its own.

"We'd like to have a community grocery store in our center, and we think this only helps our development," Chapman added.

Crisler, however, has made the shutdown the central piece in a campaign to induce Jackson residents to buy almost solely in Jackson. The endeavor is an extension of Crisler's "Buy Jackson" campaign, which also looks to encourage city residents to buy inside the city—though Crisler is now urging the populace to be more selective in their purchases to penalize fleeing businesses.

"It seems we're happy to spend our money in a buckshot manner, spending it all over the place, generally outside (our) community. Right now, businesses know if they build their business right outside our city, folks will still go to it even though it's only a convenience to that 8,000 who live outside the city. Our message is 'if you want our money, stay in our community. If you leave, the punitive action is that we won't follow you. Let's see how much that store in Byram will miss our 70,000 Jackson shoppers," Crisler said. "That's what this is about."

South Jackson resident Genny Seely said she was fine with buying exclusively in Jackson whenever possible, but could not say whether other Jackson residents would go for it.

"We, as human beings, do not connect our actions to the consequences," Seeley said. "There's no telling if Jackson residents will buy into the plan, but the residents need to understand that if they buy outside Jackson then Jackson isn't going to have that tax money. If you buy outside of Jackson you can't complain when city services suffer."

Previous Comments

ID

68041

Comment

Does anyone know how the reverse boycott went the other Saturday? Did a lot of people come to the Kroger on Raymond and buy something?

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-09-08T23:40:16-06:00

ID

68042

Comment

"If you buy outside of Jackson you can’t complain when city services suffer.” What ludicrous statements. Maybe if people weren't being beaten in parking lots, or robbed at gunpoint, people would shop in Jackson. Crisler needs to step up his "leadership" within the City Council and stop just "talking" and start taking ACTION. You know, I had to buy a 24 Millimeter socket yesterday, and the guy at AutoZone told me to go to Sears b/c they stocked a bigger selection. NO WAY. I won't go to Sears in Jackson, and I'm usually armed. No need to tempt fate. I found Harbor Freight tools in Pearl and went there.

Author

LawClerk

Date

2007-09-09T08:15:28-06:00

ID

68043

Comment

I bought a set of metric socket wrenches at Sears in Jackson three weeks ago and had no problems in the parking lot or anywhere else. The Sears store has an excellent selection and their Craftsmen tools have lifetime guarantees. The last time I was armed was when I was in the Army. Why spread paranoia? Crisler's right.

Author

lucdix

Date

2007-09-09T09:05:22-06:00

ID

68044

Comment

What ludicrous statements. Maybe if people weren't being beaten in parking lots, or robbed at gunpoint, people would shop in Jackson. Crisler needs to step up his "leadership" within the City Council and stop just "talking" and start taking ACTION. OK, first, what ACTIONS would these be? Council is the Legislative branch of Jackson's government. The EXECUTIVE branch (root word: execute, as in make things happen) is in such a state of incompetence right now that its chief executive left town and failed to meet his self-imposed deadline for resubmitting his budget. So what, exactly are you proposing Crisler do? You know, I had to buy a 24 Millimeter socket yesterday, and the guy at AutoZone told me to go to Sears b/c they stocked a bigger selection. NO WAY. I won't go to Sears in Jackson, and I'm usually armed. No need to tempt fate. Wow. You're THAT afraid to go to Metrocenter?! I know the media has been down on the place for a while, but being afraid to go to Sears in broad daylight is just insane. People who carry that level of irrational fear is one argument against allowing conceal-carry, IMHO. The broader question, though, is how, exactly, to shape the "Shop Local" campaign. The "Buy Local" group I've heard from occasionally, in my opinion, hasn't done the outreach it needs to do. They're previously met for lunch at chain restaurants (yes...in Jackson), which I don't think necessarily drives the point home. I don't mean that as overt criticism as much as I'm suggesting that there could be a more focused initiative, as long as we identify what would really make a difference. We need to really figure out what a "Buy Local" campaign could do -- what its mission and goals would be. Because sales taxes are not, generally speaking, local options in Missisisppi, the only municipal revenue advantage to buying in Jackson and/or Hinds seems to be property tax revenue, business and sign licenses and so on. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) Obviously from a "City with Soul" perspective, we need the town to continue to have open, vibrant businesses just to keep the machine moving forward. But that campaign needs leadership, vision and so on. But what else would people want to see (or expats, what you have seen elsewhere) in terms of "Buy Local" campaigns that really work?

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2007-09-09T10:04:31-06:00

ID

68045

Comment

Ive sat back and read discussions on this topic for many months now, but as a lifetime Jackson resident born and raised here. AND having lived on all sides of this town at one point or another through good times and bad, Lawclerk, your attitude is the major problem that exists in this city. Its the reason why businesses fail for the most part and the reason why transplants to this city react as they do. Its the same fear mongering that our government is so guilty of right now. You've been swayed by propoganda and sensationalism. Ive lived here and frequent plenty of those places that you and those like you fear to tread for whatever reason. And the truth is the city simply is not as bad as you and otheres make it to be. The supposition that you will be attacked just by patronizing a particular buisness or side of town at a particular time is ridiculous and damaging. Sure the numbers dont lie and there is a common sense issue here but c'mon. you are not tempting fate by going to the metrocenter. In fact in most cases if youre minding your own business other people will mind thiers. Crime can and will happen anywhere. It is a chance occurance. Most of the "scaredy cats" that you know dont even know anyone PERSONALLY that has been robbed or harmed in any way. They just read the paper. See where it says "crime up" and panic. I just did an interview for JFP with a very energetic capable new writer who met me on millsaps ave. for an interview..on her bike! she rode through an area you would be scared to drive through due to your "fear" and didnt have any reservations. She intimated that she is the only "little white girl" in her area. And outside of knowing not to just leave her bike unchained somewhere she was pretty content and confident. See, she's lived in the big city and trust me..it can be worse brother.

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2007-09-09T11:05:57-06:00

ID

68046

Comment

Crisler is dead on..Buy Jackson and help to maintain our infrastruture within the city. We've been told that the shops in the burbs are better so we believe it. We've been told that they are safer and we believe it. Mostly we'll believe anything someone or some media outlet will tell us without even batting an eyelash...Your attitude towards Metro is dead wrong. And its that attitude from folks over the years that has made it be in the condition its in. The first white person that went to the Metro one day and got scared because they saw a group of young black men walking in a group went out and voiced that to another person, who told another person, who told that to another person and pretty soon white folks even in south jackson stopped going to metro because " its too many black kids" running around..and thats how it begins.

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2007-09-09T11:09:43-06:00

ID

68047

Comment

I went to Burlington Coat Factory on Wednesday night and didn't feel threatened.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2007-09-09T12:02:08-06:00

ID

68048

Comment

With due respect, all the unsubstantiated innuendo about getting shot in the Metrocenter parking lot is a continuation of racist innuendo that hurts that part of the city. You can get held up in any shopping center parking lot in the metro, and I dare someone to give specifics on all the times that's happened of late. It's just rhetoric, and spreading it is unconscionable. I've never once felt threatened at Metrocenter or anywhere around there. It must be so much fun to live in constant uninformed paranoia, LawClerk. I feel sorry for you. Seriously.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-09T16:03:03-06:00

ID

68049

Comment

BTW, I *always* buy Jackson unless I can't for some reason. That's simple support of the city I live in, and I've done the same thing in other places. Why send money out of town if you don't have to? Makes no civic sense.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-09T16:04:35-06:00

ID

68050

Comment

Kaze makes a good point as well: Such overblown fear of crime is extremely provincial. And it will keep Jackson from reaching its big-city potential. Funny how that works. BTW, the McDades are defying all the corporate "wisdom" of the grocery-store chains and supporting the city, including West Jackson. In return, everyone should support them every chance you get. I'll go elsewhere for stuff I can't get there, but Todd and I pass through McDade's just about every day. They are heroes in my book.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-09T16:07:34-06:00

ID

68051

Comment

Crisler said the store on Raymond Road is averaging about $12 million in annual revenue, while a similar Kroger in Byram, built recently, is making $14 million. The population of South Jackson is about 70,000. The population surrounding the Byram store is less than 10,000. So tell me, why is a store with only less than 10,000 surrounding population making $2 Million more than a store with about 70,000 surrounding population. It seems to me to make perfect economic sense to close the South Jackson location. It's taking 70,000 people to make $12 million and only less than 10,000 people to make $14 million. Surely their prices at the Byram location can't be that much higher than the prices at the South Jackson location. You're talking a difference of 60,000 in population. Crisler is making it a race issue but the figures speak for themselves. Can't fault Kroger for that.

Author

LambdaRisen

Date

2007-09-09T18:56:57-06:00

ID

68052

Comment

So tell me, why is a store with only less than 10,000 surrounding population making $2 Million more than a store with about 70,000 surrounding population. It seems to me to make perfect economic sense to close the South Jackson location. It's taking 70,000 people to make $12 million and only less than 10,000 people to make $14 million. There is another grocery store in that area of south Jackson, plus Wal-Mart in 18, which cuts in to the amount of revenue the south Jackson Kroger could make. In Byram, there are two grocery stores, including Kroger. Since the other stores in Jackson are a little bit out of the way, people who shop at the Byram Kroger probably go there out of convenience. It's easier to make more money when you don't have as many choices.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2007-09-09T19:13:00-06:00

ID

68053

Comment

"You can get held up in any shopping center parking lot in the metro, and I dare someone to give specifics on all the times that's happened of late." Kroger, recently, right? 60'ish year old woman, attacked, I-55, Kroger parking lot. I have known FIVE people... YES. FIVE. To get robbed, at gunpoint, in Jackson. Maybe it's because I know more people than you do? Who knows. What I do know, is that I will NOT go somewhere that I perceive to be dangerous. Period. You call it racist because that is the ONLY argument you can make, however, it's a unintellectual argument. Like the woman saying she should get leniency after killing that other woman, because of slavery? Ridiculous. Make fun of me for wanting to carry a gun. It doesn't bother me. And iTodd, my "irrational" fear isn't one of the intelligent arguments against concealed carry. Anti's have a fear of what THEY would do with a gun, so THEY don't want others to carry. Very simple. It's projection. I wear my seatbelt, and carry a fire extinguisher in my car. Am I paranoid about getting in a wreck or having to put out a fire? Well, I've never had to use my seatbelt, but I've actually put out 3 people's car fires.....

Author

LawClerk

Date

2007-09-09T19:37:18-06:00

ID

68054

Comment

The Kroger in Byram is brand new, I shopped there a lot when I lived in Florence. I noticed a lot of white and black shoppers there. The Curves gym in the same strip also has a very mixed race groups of clients. Kroger also has a gas station there where you get 3c off if you have a Kroger card - one reason why I still do shopping there at times, instead of the I-55 Kroger which is closer to where I live now. And yes, I shop at McDades, too.

Author

Izzy

Date

2007-09-09T20:40:22-06:00

ID

68055

Comment

"But that campaign needs leadership, vision and so on." iTodd, I read carefully your comments because as a participant in the campaign you speak of, I've been frustrated to no end with the campaign. We have a vision and many great ideas for carrying forth that vision, we lacked money. Our goal was to convince local business owners to purchase small yearly memberships and use these funds to do the work we thought would help. We wanted simply to educate whenever and wherever we could about the necessity of spending dollars in our own local economy. Having read constantly in the JFP about "think global, shop local" we were encouraged because it seemed so many understood what we saw to be a problem, the state of mind of our own residents. We encountered many business owners who patted us on the head and told us to please keep up the good work but did not want to spend the money to join. Funds which would have kept us rolling and now forced myself and my partner almost to the point of bankruptcy. Things we could have done differently: We could have set up yet another non profit in Jackson but opted for a for profit business thinking it would be hypocritical to ask others to contribute to the tax base and not do the same ourselves. Our mistake. We are looking at the non profit arm so businesses can make tax deductible donations. The work as I personally saw it is in the area of changing the mindset of Jackson residents. We saw strides in this area as long as we were able to keep chugging along. The lunch thing? Just a way to get together with like minded folk and fellowship. This was definitely not the main work of the effort nor does it continue to be. I am truly amazed at businesses who buy memberships in our Chamber of Commerce though. I don't see much the chamber does for Jackson business and it seems to me they court the surrounding areas and indeed promote them heavily. Just my opinion. Even though the surrounding areas have chambers of their own, ours saw the need to expand it's reach. I don't believe they do the city of Jackson justice. We need our own Chamber dedicated to our interests....period. We do want the ideas and I truly hope folks respond. We need ideas to spur interest and even more to help educate and respond to the inevitable "I don't shop in Jackson because of crime" argument. I am currently working on what I hope will be a very successful idea for creating interest in the campaign but it will take sponsors (meaning businesses in Jackson) being willing to open their minds to the idea and their wallets. If I had the money myself I could buy all the media necessary to convince the folk that shopping in Jackson was the best thing in the world. I know that would do it because lately I've grown weary and quite disappointed and saddened. It seems we believe anything we see on TV or read in a newspaper. You have no idea how disheartening it is to continually talk to people ever chance you get about shopping in Jackson and consistenly receive negative responses. I'm not going to give up even though waging this campaign almost cost me everything literally. For once I would like to see the people of Jackson stand up and defend Jackson. I love Jackson. I live here, love here, laugh here and spend my loot here.

Author

BuyJxn

Date

2007-09-09T23:36:20-06:00

ID

68056

Comment

We've been wanting to jumpstart "Think Global, Shop Local." Sounds like a sit-down brainstorming session is in order.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-10T09:00:56-06:00

ID

68057

Comment

..."have known FIVE people... YES. FIVE. To get robbed, at gunpoint, in Jackson. Maybe it's because I know more people than you do? Who knows. What I do know, is that I will NOT go somewhere that I perceive to be dangerous. Period" ..Yaaaaay! You wanna plaque? You know FIVE people. Unfortunate. dont know if you know more people than any of us or not. that fact is irrelavant. Ive lived here my whole life as I stated earlier and I know five people whove been robbed in the past week! I also know a lot more folks who have been either stabbed, shot, killed, or conned and its a lot more than FIVE. But I also know a lot more folks who HAVENT experienced any of those. Ive got common sense and a pistol and I STILL know not to believe the hype. Because thats what it is hype. You can get mugged or shot just as easy at the Metro as you can at Northpark or Dogwood believe that brother! Those five you know are STILL, no matter how you cut them...chance occurances. And despite your best attempts not to..your statements wreak of the ugly R word. You're the guy who walks to the other side of the street when you see two black guys walking towards you. Youre THAT guy. If you're new to Jackson I could expect that but if youve been here all your life you shouls know better. Its like I was told when I expressed my fear of flying...Yes planes have crashed and folks have died. but the percentage of planes that take-off and land safely everyday crushes the times that it doesnt. And its still, some say, the safest way to travel. The same goes for Jackson.

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2007-09-10T09:25:02-06:00

ID

68058

Comment

It does make me wonder where those five people were? Apparently, all in the Metrocenter parking lot. Or, NOT?

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-10T09:26:20-06:00

ID

68059

Comment

...And Im down to help any campaign and bring our demographic to the table. Hiphop fans here have that "disposable" income that Ive been urging them for years to first spend on homegrown music and then on homegrown business. We've both been preaching the same thing for years

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2007-09-10T09:26:47-06:00

ID

68060

Comment

I have known FIVE people... YES. FIVE. To get robbed, at gunpoint, in Jackson. Maybe it's because I know more people than you do? Who knows. What I do know, is that I will NOT go somewhere that I perceive to be dangerous. Period. Which makes my point. Arguing from the specific to the general, you've developed a fear of Metrocenter (although, from the above, it sounds like that fear extends to the entire city of Jackson). It's my opinion that your fear of Metrocenter -- you said you refuse to go to Sears to buy tools -- is irrational. Make fun of me for wanting to carry a gun. It doesn't bother me. Please point to where I made fun of you for wanting to carry a gun. And iTodd, my "irrational" fear isn't one of the intelligent arguments against concealed carry. Anti's have a fear of what THEY would do with a gun, so THEY don't want others to carry. Very simple. It's projection. No, it's not. Your "I know you are but what am I" argument is school-yard framing. People who get conceal-carry permits are people who feel, for whatever reason, that it's important that they carry a concealed weapon. You'd agree? The reasons for a person wanting to carry a concealed weapon throughout their daily life can vary. But, those reasons are certainly going to be of a variety that trends toward "I feel more comfortable with a concealed handgun on my person as I go through daily life." Agreed? If they felt the gun gave them less comfort, they wouldn't carry it. If a person seeks the conceal-carry permit because they have a dangerous line of work, they tend to handle a great deal of cash, they have received threats or they are current/former law enforcement/military with the training necessary to give them a better than 50% likelihood that they could control a dangerous situation because they introduce a weapon into a scenario, then I can see that logic. But if the person seeks the conceal-carry permit because they generally tend live in an abundance of fear, then I postulate that their having the ability to introduce a handgun into a situation is problematic at best. That problem would either be compounded or mitigated by their experience and training with the weapon, and so on.

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2007-09-10T10:09:07-06:00

ID

68061

Comment

BuyJax: I am truly amazed at businesses who buy memberships in our Chamber of Commerce though. I don't see much the chamber does for Jackson business and it seems to me they court the surrounding areas and indeed promote them heavily. Just my opinion. Even though the surrounding areas have chambers of their own, ours saw the need to expand it's reach. I don't believe they do the city of Jackson justice. We need our own Chamber dedicated to our interests....period. I agree with you. I know there has been work from within the Chamber to create an internal Jackson-centric part of the Chamber, but that would be less than Flowood, Madison, etc., already have themselves. Jackson absolutely should have *at least* it's own business alliance or renaissance assocation of some sort. There are a number of models for local-buying business organizations that can work quite well. I feel pretty certain that a non-profit is the way to go. Some resources for starters.

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2007-09-10T11:59:05-06:00

ID

68062

Comment

BuyJax, I would like to help you out in some way. I don't have a brick-or-mortar business or extra cash, but I would still like to help somehow if you need it. Email me at [email][email protected][/email].

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-09-10T20:56:35-06:00

ID

68063

Comment

LawClerk, I don't know if you see me as an 'anti' (I assume you mean 'anti-gun') but you're most definitely wrong. I'm not anti-gun; I'm anti-spreading-paranoia' such as the absurd idea that the Metrocenter parking lot is so dangerous you need to carry a gun to be halfway safe there. To the contrary, I believe in citizens' rights to bear arms, believe than when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns, etc. I don't want any government to have a monopoly on owning weapons and we've seen plenty of examples in history of what happens when laws like that take effect. I don't personally feel a need to own a gun but I certainly feel I ought to be able to buy one anytime as long as I'm not a felon. I'm also not afraid of what I'd do if I owned a gun. I grew up owning rifles; we had a rifle range on our land and, as I mentioned earlier, I was also in the military. Nevertheless, I feel that paranoia, such as I feel you're spreading with your fear of the Metrocenter and Jackson otherwise, is definitely dangerous and yes, can lead to completely unnecessary gunfire which will wound or kill people when there's no need for it. I also feel that carrying a gun can increase that paranoia. The basic point of Councilman Crisler's remarks about spending your money in Jackson whenever possible is 100% true. The tax revenues from such purchases come to our city - and we definitely need them. We also need a responsible city administration to intelligently spend that money (or save it wherever it can be intelligently saved) and not plunge us into a budget crisis, but that's a different thread.

Author

lucdix

Date

2007-09-10T22:02:13-06:00

ID

68064

Comment

I wanted to add something about gun violence, LawClerk. I think that once upon a time - say pre Hollywood gangster movies glorifying Al Capone - people in this country used to understand what guns were really about. In the meantime guns are seen as fashion accessories, as props in rap videos and Quentin Tarantino or Silvester Stallone movies. That's where the danger lies, in the thinking that if you own a gun you're automatically 'cool'. Am I saying ban violent movies? Not at all. My hope is that they'd die on the vine from not having any viewers. It's the glorification of violence - and specifically gun violence - which is the problem, not that it sometimes is, in fact, necessary to defend yourself - but not in the Metrocenter parking lot.

Author

lucdix

Date

2007-09-10T23:40:23-06:00

ID

68065

Comment

iTodd, I will be checking out those resources, Kaz you are the link I've been trying to establish with a younger demographic for quite some time. A lot of our disposable income is in the 17-25 age group. They are also a huge majority of the mall shopper set. Attractions such as movie theaters really drive where they shop but that's another discussion. LW I will be emailing you about that help. The idea I want to pull off is one designed to jumpstart the campaign all over again and hopefully we can get the city-wide cooperation desperately needed to start the turn around in buying habits. Donna, yes I really need that sit down. Lucdix, you're right we do have to hold city government responsible. I've been preaching that like the rest but adding to the equation that we must first do our part. The goal is to teach the average citizen. This is where the majority of the problem lies. I believe if we can turn the average citizen, the elite eventually join the bandwagon because it's the "in" thing to do. The 10% of the population that causes change don't have to be educated, they are the educators. Witness the JFP bloggers. We may not all agree but we're open to discussion and ready to help make change. There are so many forces to fight in this battle but we must first stop fighting ourselves. A conscious decision to support our own is necessary and that comes through education and awareness. The City of Jackson has a majority African American population and we have to start there with a battle for their minds. Residents of this city have been told so long what horrible people we are until a collective depression has settled blocking progress. When I made that statement at a city council meeting, Ben Allen among others agreed this was part of the problem and started talking about it openly. Others in various groups admitted they too felt this way but were actually unaware of their own feelings until it was pointed out. This is the type of educating I'm talking about. Hard work, one person or group at a time, encouraging residents and countering their reasons for shopping outside of Jackson. Another component is working closely with groups like ACORN , Safe City and the Hwy 80 coalition. Whether we agree with everything these groups and others are doing we can get behind some individual projects and causes they champion. Still it all comes back to the dirty work and personal commitment. Attacking the mindset that says I'm a better person if I shop at Northpark or Dogwood. Donna this is a discussion I believe worthy of one of your racial healing groups. Many blacks won't admit it even to themselves, but if we examine ourselves closely we discover we shop at certain stores and brag about where we buy things due in large part to an underlying thought process which leads us to believe that our shopping habits indicate a move up in the world. I've even had people tell me "I shop where the white folks shop". I was amazed at the statement and started exploring the though process that produced it. I was startled by the discoveries. I don't believe and am not saying all blacks feel this way. I am saying it's a larger majority then we want to know about or admit exists. This issue is much deeper than crime. Crime is just the convenient answer given to prevent having to look at ourselves.

Author

BuyJxn

Date

2007-09-11T03:40:17-06:00

ID

68066

Comment

BuyJxn, you said a mouthful. I know someone personally who says "I shop where the white folks shop" all the time. She believes that national chains have lower prices in the white areas, so that's where she goes most of the time. The person is a bargain hunter who pays close attention to price differences, and I've been with her while shopping somewhere local. I often hear her say, "That much for that? I can get that at Wal-Mart for such-and-such amount." Competitive pricing is a challenge for locally owned businesses who can't afford to have their prices that low.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-09-11T06:49:20-06:00

ID

68067

Comment

I've read this entire thread and haven't seen anyone mention the one thing that could prop up Jackson now and make so much of the other possible: Why doesn't Jackson get more help from Hinds County? Why not have a metro government to provide services instead of two seperate entities? For example, the Sheriff's Department in Hinds County is *huge*- try driving around the restaurants in Byram during lunch and you will see what I mean! What good are they doing Jackson, except for coming in and working the fair once a year- the one gig that would probably be fun for the JPD to work? I would think that the taxpayers in Jackson pay a substantial amount of the Hinds County budget- why don't they at least get some return for that money?

Author

Rico

Date

2007-09-11T07:22:42-06:00

ID

68068

Comment

Rico I agree with you. I'm not educated well enough on the issue to comment intelligently but if the city of Jackson pays over 80 percent of the taxes which fund the Hinds County budget I think we ought to receive over 80 % of the services.

Author

The Conductor

Date

2007-09-11T08:17:26-06:00

ID

68069

Comment

OK, BuyJxn, let's put together a forum for late October or November. (I'd like to do monthly Race, Religion & Society forums anyway.) And I'm thrilled to hear you talk about some of the issues in the black community that aren't always discussed openly. We need to talk about self-esteem and the effect the lack of it has on our city. We can make that a component of the forum. Want to moderate it? Or be on it? You tell me. Also, I've always wondered if the devotion of many African Americans to chains and franchises has something to do with their historic treatment by some local business owners in smaller, local shops. I've had people say that to me. I'd be interested to hear what you guys, especially those of you of color, have to say about that. It seems that fits into this discussion as well—because the education is not just of consumers; it's of local business owners and how to reach out to everyone. I've had white business owners tell me that they had no idea that such a strong black middle- and upper-class (meaning with money to spend in their business) existed in Jackson until the JFP came along and gave them a way to reach those customers. You do wonder if there is a disconnect between some/many local businesses and their potential customer base. Let's figure it out. And I'm serious about the forum. Let's do it.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-11T09:14:34-06:00

ID

68070

Comment

In fact, BuyJxn, I'd love a 750-word column from you on this to get interest going? Want to do it?

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-11T09:21:24-06:00

ID

68071

Comment

Any chance that this store is closing because it's old and filthy? A year ago, Kroger fired the manager because rats were found in the building.

Author

Lady Havoc

Date

2007-09-11T09:53:14-06:00

ID

68072

Comment

I don't pretend to speak for black folk, ladd, but my wife and I prefer doing business with chains out of familiarity. We've both lived in other cities and while we might occasionally try local, we tend to gravitate to chains because of familiar brands, quality, prices, etc. I can't go along with what you are referring to as far as the "historic treatment by some local businesses" as I've experienced discrimination in franchises as well as local owned businesses, so that's not the deciding factor for me.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2007-09-11T10:00:07-06:00

ID

68073

Comment

Let me ask you this: Do you and your family and friends ever discuss the issue of where the money goes when you don't "shop local"? In other words, is it on your radar? I don't ask this to be critical, but to try to jumpstart this conversation. As for the "historic treatment" question, Jeff, I was repeating what someone told me to see what y'all would say about it. I've long been curious whether others felt the same way.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-11T10:12:44-06:00

ID

68074

Comment

Any chance that this store is closing because it's old and filthy? A year ago, Kroger fired the manager because rats were found in the building. That store must've gone to the dogs since I moved from the area. I used to shop there all the time when I lived off Raymond Rd. From what I remember, it used to stay rather clean.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2007-09-11T10:20:57-06:00

ID

68075

Comment

Donna: Yes I'm interested in participating in the forum. I don't know exactly what a "moderator" does. You know me, I'm not usually moderate about anything. LOL Still I'm definitely interested and we can probably get a certain old geezer to help involve some other folk in the conversation and spur interest in his age group (or something close to it) I think involving that group is crucial to helping younger groups understand where the mindset originated and how it was communicated almost through osmosis! Dr. Joyce DeGruy made some interesting point in her "post traumatic slave syndrome" work. While I don't believe in using ANYTHING as an excuse to continue destructive behavior, I do think works of this nature can be a catalyst for personal change due to their thought provoking nature. That is as long as we're willing to use them to look at our own behaviors instead of using them as yet another tool to excuse irresponsible behavior. The fact that historically Blacks have not gotten a fair shake does not excuse the laying down of responsibility to our communities. Once we understand where the behavior originated then the next step is to correct it, not just blame somebody and stop there. There's enough blame to go around but the only part any of us can effectively change in this scenario is our part. I have emailed you a column which I had already written though not exactly on the racial component of this issue but specifically about the Kroger closing. I will be very interested to hear your opinion.

Author

The Conductor

Date

2007-09-11T10:25:16-06:00

ID

68076

Comment

Cool. (You changed your name here!) And hug the geezer for me, even if he's whacked sometimes. And tell him I said that. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-11T10:38:02-06:00

ID

68077

Comment

Just a few quick notes on buying locally whenever possible. If you shop outside Jackson at national chains just because you don't know local brands (although I've found the same national brands inside Jackson as outside), you will never know if the local brands might not be better or a better value or both. Let's say, however, that you can buy your peanut butter (or whatever) cheaper outside of Jackson. How much gas have you spent to get there? Is it really that much of a saving? If you shop outside of Jackson at national chains, Jackson will 1. not get the tax revenue (which we need for our streets if nothing else), 2. have that much smaller an economic base to support Jackson citizens who prefer to work in local businesses. If the store doesn't have the income (from you, from me), it can't hire local people who, in turn, will have reduced economic power to buy from other local businesses, have to spend their gas money to buy outside of Jackson, and so on, i.e., buying locally means believing and strengthening a local ecosystem, your local ecosystem if you live here or believe in Jackson. In other words, if you don't support local businesses, you won't have local businesses and local businesses are the fabric of a community. Additionally, while I can't say that I know each and every employee of the local Jackson businesses I support, I know many and they're part of my community, some of them literally my neighbors. You won't find that if you shop at WalMart because it's cheaper. My dollars, spent in the stores they work in, help them to pay their rent and to support other businesses whose presence in our community I value. As a side note, over the weekend at the CelticFest I spoke with a woman from Baton Rouge who told me how well Baton Rouge, as Louisiana's capital, is integrated with state building and development projects. She could not understand why Jackson, as Louisiana's neighboring state, didn't have the same relationship with Mississippi's state government - and neither do I.

Author

lucdix

Date

2007-09-11T11:20:14-06:00

ID

68078

Comment

In other words, if you don't support local businesses, you won't have local businesses and local businesses are the fabric of a community. Additionally, while I can't say that I know each and every employee of the local Jackson businesses I support, I know many and they're part of my community, some of them literally my neighbors. You won't find that if you shop at WalMart because it's cheaper. My dollars, spent in the stores they work in, help them to pay their rent and to support other businesses whose presence in our community I value. This makes me think of McDade's, which not only is able to thrive as a non-chain local institution, but can also find itself in a situation where it can go into a distressed location (such as Westland Plaza after Winn-Dixie pulled out) and help that neighborhood out because being a local business can make good business sense (often higher-margin than chain businesses). Rainbow Co-Op was a similar anchor for development in Fondren. I'll say this straight out -- if you live in Jackson and buy groceries at Wal-Mart, you are part of the problem. Shop McDade's every opportunity you can, and hit up Rainbow for your health food needs. Hit Kroger when you have to. Stay out of Wal-Mart. That's one way you can vote with your dollars to support progress in Jackson. OK...here's the question. How do we find out *how* sales tax for products bought in Jackson is allocated to Jackson? I've heard a ton of different stories, and our reporters and editors are all busy on other topics. ;-) Anyone know where to look in statue or elsewhere? I walk into McDades and buy groceries. 7% goes to Mississippi Sales Tax. Does that 7% get allocated to Jackson? I walk into Target in Flowood. I buy a Nintendo Wii. 7% goes to Mississippi Sales Tax. Does that 7% get allocated to Flowood? (That is still Flowood out there, right?) Anyone know?

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2007-09-11T11:34:21-06:00

ID

68079

Comment

That's an interesting question, iTodd. I just quickly googled for 'sales tax Mississippi city county state' and found this page: http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2007/html/HB/1100-1199/HB1115IN.htm It says that a municipality gets 18.5% of the sales tax collected inside its boundaries, if I'm reading it correctly. It's dated July 1, 2007 (although the original bill stems from 1992). An excerpt: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> (1) (a) On or before August 15, 1992, and each succeeding month thereafter through July 15, 1993, eighteen percent (18%) of the total sales tax revenue collected during the preceding month under the provisions of this chapter, except that collected under the provisions of Sections 27-65-15, 27-65-19(3) and 27-65-21, on business activities within a municipal corporation shall be allocated for distribution to the municipality and paid to the municipal corporation. On or before August 15, 1993, and each succeeding month thereafter, eighteen and one-half percent (18-1/2%) of the total sales tax revenue collected during the preceding month under the provisions of this chapter, except that collected under the provisions of Sections 27-65-15, 27-65-19(3) and 27-65-21, on business activities within a municipal corporation shall be allocated for distribution to the municipality and paid to the municipal corporation. A municipal corporation, for the purpose of distributing the tax under this subsection, shall mean and include all incorporated cities, towns and villages. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Author

lucdix

Date

2007-09-11T12:31:03-06:00

ID

68080

Comment

The individual cities receive 18% of the 7% you pay in taxes. So for every $100 purchase and additional $7.00 is added. The seven dollars goes to the state which in turn cuts a check back to the city for 18% or $1.26. One dollars and twenty-six cents. The State pays no property taxes for all these buildings they have here and the city only receives $1.26 for every $7.00 in sales tax. I personally each city should receive their portion according to the percentage of the state's budget they represent. For example, if Flowood sales taxes make up 10% of the State's sales tax revenue they should receive 10% of their contributions back from the state. If the City of Jackson accounts for 25% of the sales tax revenue they should receive 25% of their sales taxes back. So in this case the City of Jackson would receive $1.75 for each $7.00 it collects in state sales tax. The difference to our local budget would be awesome!

Author

The Conductor

Date

2007-09-11T12:43:39-06:00

ID

68081

Comment

ladd, I’m not unsympathetic to the plight of local businesses, and I generally support Jackson businesses even though I’m now a suburbanite, but I freely admit that convenience, price, and quality of service usually trump other considerations where to shop at a given moment. If a “local” can provide these three consistently I will be a repeat customer. Often my wife and I rely on word of mouth to let us know about a great local restaurant or a sale at a local clothing store, since many local businesses can’t afford to advertise as often as the chains. As far as restaurants, it’s whatever is closest when I’m hungry and in the mood for something specific. If a Pizza Hut is the closest restaurant around I’ll go there before traveling the extra distance to Sal and Mookies. On my weekend projects, it’s much harder to justify in my mind shopping local against Home Depot if HD is more convenient and offering a better price than the local guy.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2007-09-11T12:45:06-06:00

ID

68082

Comment

I personally each city should receive their portion according to the percentage of the state's budget they represent. For example, if Flowood sales taxes make up 10% of the State's sales tax revenue they should receive 10% of their contributions back from the state. If the City of Jackson accounts for 25% of the sales tax revenue they should receive 25% of their sales taxes back. So in this case the City of Jackson would receive $1.75 for each $7.00 it collects in state sales tax. The difference to our local budget would be awesome! Have any sense of how this works in other states? I have a feeling that many of them don't have such a "big daddy" approach to allocating sales taxes, but I could be wrong.

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2007-09-11T12:48:22-06:00

ID

68083

Comment

Yep there is a definte two-way street in this issue. We cant implore folks to buy local if the businesses here do not wish to comply to a certain code as far as service, prices etc...Its hard to get folks to support a movement when they get treated like crap at a local business. Have to wait hours for food or run into a limited selection when they order or shop. Just like the suggestions i ran into when trying to get listener here to support local music. they simply asked that the quality be good. Who wants to support an inferior product? So when we say BUY JACKSON lets make sure these businesses are on board to step their game up (those that havent I mean..Because many are excellent)

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2007-09-11T13:03:09-06:00

ID

68084

Comment

On my weekend projects, it’s much harder to justify in my mind shopping local against Home Depot if HD is more convenient and offering a better price than the local guy. Just FYI: RNC 2004 contributions

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2007-09-11T13:12:25-06:00

ID

68085

Comment

I'm in total agreement with Kaze. "Buy local," "buy American," et. al. are all good ideas, but in the final analysis free market capitalism will and should reign. Folks hammer Wal-Mart for low prices and low pay, which allows low-income people to buy enough goods that they don't have to scrimp and save to the extent that low-income people had to do 30 or 40 years ago, and allows people who would otherwise be unemployed to have stable, clean, dignified, and relatively low-stress jobs. Superior locally-owned businesses will and should thrive; McDade's is proof that this can be done. But inferior locally-owned businesses won't and shouldn't. Replacing national chains with locally owned boutiques that charge higher prices and hire fewer employees and provide lower-quality service to customers rewards local entrepreneurs, who tend to come from higher income brackets, while punishing people who are just trying to make ends meet. That's a case where the gentrification objective clashes with broader social justice concerns.

Author

Tom Head

Date

2007-09-11T13:29:20-06:00

ID

68086

Comment

Replacing national chains with locally owned boutiques that charge higher prices and hire fewer employees and provide lower-quality service to customers rewards local entrepreneurs, I don't think anyone made that argument, Tom. There's a lot of territory between comments here and replacing national chains with unfit local businesses. But it's interesting to read your comments as always, nevertheless. As I said earlier, one of the discussion points we need to have is how to make sure that locally owned businesses are treating customers well and then rewarding those that do. Like the McDades, for instance. I doubt seriously that anyone saves money at Wal-Mart. They didn't get to be who they are by taking less money from people. Bananas are a few cents cheaper, then all those pennies are spent on little things on the way out to make the bag fuller. As someone who grew up poor around people who filled their inability to buy quality and expensive items with quantities of cheap junk (food and otherwise), I understand this phenomenon well. It's part of the discussion that we need to have and have started here.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-11T13:32:01-06:00

ID

68087

Comment

I've wanted to do a "Buy Jackson' shoppers report for some time. Can't afford the space, can't get anyone to bite. For example I went to Brookshires on Terry Rd. today just to see if they had made any improvements over my last visit. Alas, no such luck. The parking lot, rugs in the entryway, floors, bathrooms were still in need of cleaning. The prior visit was around 8:45 pm on a Sat. so I thought I would see if there was a difference @ 11:30 am. No difference. At 11:30 am the parking lot, and entry ways should be clean. The rugs all over the store looked as if they had a three day build-up of dirt and debris. Behind the cash registers is filthy and so were the bathrooms. There was a space on the paper goods aisle (toilet tissue) where the baseboards beneath the shelving was missing. I took a peek and saw boxes of product which had been swept under the aisle, dirt and paper. The entire store is in need of a detailed cleaning. Those of you who have worked retail and restaurants know what I'm talking about. Dirt is embedded into the corners and crevices and all of the cashier stations need cleaning with bleach! The turntables you place your purchases on to pay were all dirty. I'm not exaggerating people. This is the type of thing I want to highlight about our businesses which are not up to standard and I want to highlight places like Hudgeys which have been in business forever. Without the benefit of a big budget to have shiny new things, they've managed to keep a very old place VERY CLEAN. The food and the service are good and the place is CLEAN!. I'm disappointed with Brookshires. My disappointment brings up feelings which I don't like because my first thought is they don't care because they are in a predominantly African American portion of the city. Can't wait to see what I find when I visit their other location. To be continued.

Author

BuyJxn

Date

2007-09-11T13:54:21-06:00

ID

68088

Comment

but I freely admit that convenience, price, and quality of service usually trump other considerations where to shop at a given moment. Maybe our experience is very different—I *always* spent more in a discount emporium than I do in a smaller place. (For instance, I'm much better off spending a few pennies more to get household items at Walgreen's rather than going to a big discount place like Target, where I inevitably add other items to my bill. People of all incomes do this; there are some good studies on it.) Also, I NEVER find that service is better in a big-chain anything. Ever. The JFP and the Ledger are a good analogy: Everyone who works for us cares about everything that goes into our paper. We own it. Any penny we make stays in the community. At a big corporate chain, the home office is elsewhere and the employees tend to feel removed and don't care as much about "the man." Of course, there are exceptions in chains, but very few that I've found. I do think that people get used to chain-level service, though, and because many seldom go to locally owned businesses, they forget how nice it can be. For instance, I would never go to Pizza Hut unless I was traveling and that's all I could get to (and their pizza is filled with MSG). Of course, from where I live, locally owned businesses, including two pizza joints, are the closest to me, so they are the most convenient. So the food is better; I know the people who run them; Jeff Good gives my table free calamari or such; and I see lots of people I know. If the service is bad, I can e-mail Jeff (or Larry) the next day, and voila, they work to make it better. I call that service. And convenience.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-11T13:58:01-06:00

ID

68089

Comment

While cities are suffering decreases in tax income, most of Mississippi is on board to lower or get rid of taxes on groceries. Last year, or the year before, when all the hoopla started about raising cigarette taxes and doing away with grocery taxes... even city governments were against that. They know EVERYONE has to eat, but not everyone smokes. It is all a sham by the ant-smoking crowd. They use now and used then the argument that raising cig taxes will bring in more tax money. But it won't. If anything, it will bring in less because A) you lost your grocery tax income and B) you lost cig tax income because what you really wanted to do was stop people from smoking so you jacked the price up $10 a carton to where most people in Mississippi can't afford to buy them. Can't afford to buy them + don't buy them = less cig tax income. No grocery tax, no smokers buying cigs because they can't afford them. 1 and approximately a half of your tax base gone. That's politics in Mississippi.

Author

LambdaRisen

Date

2007-09-11T14:04:43-06:00

ID

68090

Comment

Lamda, First, i don't think Amy Tuck or Alan Nunnelee fall into the "anti-smoking crowd". The tax swap was their idea, although neither felt like doing any really work for it this year. And the legislation changed the rebate cities received from sales tax from 18% to 36%. So there is no way cities would be see a decline in revenue related to the tax swap. if anything they would see an increase because people would spend more on groceries because of the tax cut. You know the same argument conservatives make when they push for tax cuts but for some reason they're making the exact opposite argument when it comes to a tax cut that benefits the middle class and working poor the most.

Author

jd

Date

2007-09-11T15:04:03-06:00

ID

68091

Comment

Isn't disparaging someone these days for being "anti-smoking" about as dated as complaining that someone is, say, an integrationist!?! It's hard to imagine that being an insult. Most smokers I know are against smoking; they just can't stop because they're addicted.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-09-11T15:10:54-06:00

ID

68092

Comment

jaydortch That math just doesn't add up. Even if they raised the city tax rebates to 36% of 7%. Smokers would quit smoking, which is the real reason behind the anti-smoking lobby (not the interest of more tax income as they claim), and grocery taxes would be lowered. I imagine if anything, it would equal out to the cities still getting approximately 15 to 18% because of the balancing out of less grocery tax and less or about same cig tax because of smokers that quit/cig tax increase. 2005 when it got the initial attention, I read where several cities were against the tax swap because they could actually see the math doesn't add up as well and didn't want the state ultimately reducing their tax income. ladd Well now you know a smoker who isn't against smoking and who don't stop because he doesn't want to stop. I enjoy smoking. People who smoke are the ones being disparaged with all these laws and attempted laws that treat us like we have the plague and are second class citizens. The Comcast cable guy came over un-announced the other day (yes, I called and complained about by Weather channel still being in a scramble like state and was told someone would call me back.. never did.. cable guy shows up 2 days later banging on the door, waking me up) and while in MY home, he asked me to stop smoking while he was here. I told him the Weather Channel wasn't worth telling me what to do in my own home so if he couldn't fix the problem while I smoked, he could leave. If you know anything about smokers you know that when we first wake up, we want a cigarette. Maybe if it had been later on in the day, I'd been in a better mood and could have accomodated him in MY house. [img]http://home.comcast.net/~tegaspard/images/smiles/lol.gif[/img]

Author

LambdaRisen

Date

2007-09-11T19:01:31-06:00

ID

68093

Comment

Lambda, i don't think the anti-smoking lobby, as you call it, has ever claimed their number 1 interest is raising funds. It has always been getting people to stop smoking and raising the cigarette tax is the best way to do that. And every state that has raised their cigarette tax has seen an increase in revenue despite the decrease in smoking. The original bill in 2006 did not double the tax rebate, as it does now, and was flawed. Cities and the municipal league came out against it and the legislation was changed to address their concerns. Many mayors are in favor of the current legislation and the municipal league did not oppose it this year. I really don't get your math of it balancing out to 15 -18%. Are you saying that people smoke as much as they eat? whatever your reasoning, you're numbers are wrong. increasing the tax by $1 would result in 162 million in new revenue each year and would more than make up for any revenue shortfall in the state's general fund as a result of the increased rebate to cities.

Author

jd

Date

2007-09-12T08:09:31-06:00

ID

68094

Comment

It's also not a zero sum game. From my point of view, it would be better for Mississippi to do away with a grocery tax regardless, which is regressive, and use the cigarette tax as a bridge to some other tax scheme in the future, such as increasing overall GDP in the state so that income and property taxes float more of our municipal needs. It has always been getting people to stop smoking and raising the cigarette tax is the best way to do that. Is it really? 25-30% of Italians smoke -- some say it's part of the culture -- with prices around $5 a pack. The rate of smoking has been dropping slightly over the past 15 years, but it dropped more remarkably (about 5%) last year when they banned smoking in bars, restaurants and offices, not as a result of new taxes or a change in prices. When something is arguably as addictive as heroine, small changes in price are not going to be a determining factor in whether a significant portion of the population kicks the habit. Doubling the price might make a difference for some smokers -- but cigarettes are $5-6 a pack all over Europe ($7 a pack in New York in some cases) and smokers abound in those places. The best way is to limit the places where you can smoke and then offer smoking cessations programs that work. Since Barbour has very purposefully dismantled the latter in this state, we'll be relying on the former for some time to come.

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2007-09-12T09:37:34-06:00

ID

68095

Comment

As a smoker myself I have to agree with a few things you said itodd. Raising the taxes on cigarettes won't stop me from smoking. Actually the ban on smoking in public places may have coincided with a decrease in smoking but frankly I don't believe for a second the ban had a direct impact. The cessation campaigns coupled with cessation programs are the only way. I attended the stop smoking classes at the medical mall and was down from 1.5 packs per day to 5 cigarettes per day. This was strictly because I want to quit. My intention was to go through the program again in an effort to quit completely and then our brilliant governor got rid of the program. Stupid! I couldn't afford all the stop smoking aids so this program was a lifeline for me literally! That crap about "just quit" is just that....crap. If you're really addicted there is no such thing as just quit. One thing for sure, my attempts to quit have given me a new appreciation for the plight of those who made the mistake of trying drugs like crack and heroin.

Author

BuyJxn

Date

2007-09-12T10:35:21-06:00

ID

68096

Comment

Look yall, as usual this conversation has gone from one extreme to another. Crime is ALL over the city of Jackson. I don't think that has ANYTHING what-so-ever to folks moving their businesses. They are following money, not running from crime. As Crisler stated, if we don't support them, they will leave. And rather your reason for not patronizing Jackson businesses is to afraid to, or don't like the prices, or the customer service....if something is going to happen to bring about change it's going to start with US....not the councilman. We have to make our streets safe again. We have to bring attention to these types of issues before the businesses locate another building and pay a first month lease before we try and send all Jacksonians in the store to make purchases. I'm afraid all over Jackson, Clinton, Byram, Terry...everywhere. Regardless of age, race or location, now a days, people have no fear of jail time or dying. So either you can grab your basketball and go home or you can continue to play the game. The criminals in Jackson can not continue to run this city. Yall got to stop running because eventually there will be no where to run to. Control this city. Support this city.

Author

Queen601

Date

2007-09-12T11:44:17-06:00

ID

68097

Comment

Queen: truer words were never spoken

Author

BuyJxn

Date

2007-09-12T15:56:50-06:00

ID

68098

Comment

Oh and on that cigarette thing...man that's the biggest crock I've ever seen in my life. How on earth are they going to enforce this law? It's ridiculous. Everyone is so interested in making us stop smoking. Keeping us smokers from places we like to go because of non-smokers. YET, these little objects come 20 in a pack, kill you slowly, and can be found on EVERY STREET CORNER, every gas station, Walmart, Kroger...any and everywhere that money is spent you can purchase these silent killers AND when you consider that people can die of second hand smoke and that one is agreeing to die with each and every puff....isn't it outrageous that it only cost you $3 bucks to do this. Seems like if this was all about the a Healthy Mississippi...for one, they would be so expensive no one would want to smoke them and secondly, they should at the very least be hard to find. You go to jail for smoking a joint or having one in your possession but you can buy as many cancer sticks as you desire. And not only do you risk your life but some argue that this is putting others lives at risk even at the point to making us stop smoking in public as it hurts or jeopordizes others. RIDICOULOUS. This new law has no meaning at all. It is impossible to enforce. And you know what Ridgeland has done....NOTHING but run everyone who goes to bars to SMOKE AND DRINK two miles down the street to Time Out. Killing their own money and placing it in Hinds County. But I'm sure it'll find a way to screw that money over too.

Author

Queen601

Date

2007-09-12T16:07:38-06:00