Jackson Free Press

Residents of the city of Jackson are never short on criticism - especially about the topic of crime. I am wondering what locals are thinking about the causes of such a meteoric rise in crime?

Lack of family values? Poverty? Poor city management? Not enough police officers? Lack of personal responsibility?

Okay, all of the problem alernatives were basically rhetorical. We all think of these, but is it really about putting more police officers on the beat or having kids in schools 24/7?

I doubt it. So, I am just going to say it. Isn't - fundamentally - a problem of personal responsibility? I realize the impact and importance of social responsibility. I know we need a healthy tax base and caring citizen-advocates to run social service programs.

But, at the end of the day - isn't it really about a person and their responsibility to NOT shoot a police officer? to not rob a bank? to not gun down a family? After all, all we can really control is ourselves?

So, if that is the case, (and the if implies its up for debate, folks) how do we - as a society - improve personal responsibility?

PS Please think about (pray for) the recently shot Jackson police officer.

Previous Comments

ID

131900

Comment

After all, all we can really control is ourselves? i think this is a telling quote for a debate on personal responsibility. Should we read "ourselves" as a collective entity or a bunch of disconnected individuals? When we begin to talk about personal responsibility we must ask ourselves as individuals what we can do to effect our community for the better. Are we limited, as individuals, to a simple "every man for himself", up by my own boot straps, type of advancement or is there an alternative paradigm which offers greater return on our personal investments? Aside from appeals to the "good samaritan" type of community building, i think there is a common-sense argument to be made for the benefit gained when those with resources make sure others less-fortunate have equal-access to the opportunities those resources provide. As for arguing for more personal responsibility by using those in society who have been most restricted from the resources our American society has access to - i would say they bear as much responsibility for their predicament as those who did not take the personal responsibility to ensure that every child received the optimum education/nutrition our society can offer as well as continuing to let those people down as they mature into adults and beyond.

Author

daniel johnson

Date

2008-07-07T23:33:46-06:00

ID

131904

Comment

When did it become society's job to ensure that everyone has adequate education and nutrition? That is a family's job, not the government's. I resent the idea that I am in any way responsible for raising up individuals that are not a part of my family and circle of friends. "Lack of resources" is a poor excuse for crime in this country. I've been to some places in the world where real poverty exists, and I've come to believe that extreme poverty exists only in very isolated pockets of North America, certainly not Jackson, MS. Even the poorest in Jackson have shelter and food, which is far more than poor in other countries have. Everyone knows better than to commit crime, especially violent crime. Criminals are absolutely and fully responsible for their own actions, and should be treated as such. Don't blame society, society is nothing but a collection of individuals.

Author

Brad H.

Date

2008-07-08T07:39:08-06:00

ID

131908

Comment

good points all around; but, i can't help but wonder - even in light of the oppression and lack of resources for the most vulnerable of our society - is there really any justifiable explanation for violence?

Author

John Sawyer

Date

2008-07-08T08:56:10-06:00

ID

131907

Comment

To clarify my first sentence: Society's job (in the form of government) is to ensure that we all have ACCESS to adequate education and nutrition, not ensure that we're all taking equal advantage of those opportunities. For instance, JPS provides free K-12 education (paid for by taxpayers regardless of whether or not they have children). Although this education is free about 4 out of 10 kids never receive a high school diploma. Society has done the job of providing education, individuals have failed themselves and their children by not taking advantage of free education. We can't blame society for everyone's failures.

Author

Brad H.

Date

2008-07-08T08:56:10-06:00

ID

131909

Comment

That sounds great, but people don't have equal "access."

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-07-08T09:17:52-06:00

ID

131910

Comment

John, why would there be a "justifiable explanation for violence"? The goal should not be justifying; it should be understanding the causes in order that we can prevent them. It's easy enough to point to other people's "personal responsibility" and keep living in fear of crime. To me, either we live in the world, and thus try to make it a better place for all, or as many as possible, as we don't. Understanding what leads to violence, and weak personal responsibility on some people's parts, can help that world be better. Oh, and everyone does not "know better" than to commit crime. And there are hungry people in Jackson, Brad. There are also people without shelters over their heads, and there are shelters with lots of holes in them.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-07-08T09:21:13-06:00

ID

131911

Comment

I do agree with this, though: Don't blame society, society is nothing but a collection of individuals. And those individuals can choose whether to help others find their bootstraps, or even have them, in the first place. To me, choosing not to do that would leave one in a very lonely place.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-07-08T09:22:25-06:00

ID

131912

Comment

The vast majority of homeless people I've personally spoken with in Jackson homeless by choice. They've either chosen to spend their meager means on drugs over shelter, or they'd rather not work for a living. For example, anyone can go visit Mr. Eugene in Smith Park (great chess player) and he'll tell you that he's chosen to be homeless. As far as hungry people in Jackson go, I can't for the life of me understand how someone in Jackson could go hungry. We have overweight homeless people here! I seriously doubt that one can starve to death in Jackson without great effort. The only vulnerable ones are children, and social services should be taking care of kids whose parents can't take care of them (another social service for which taxpayers are paying lots of money). If I lost my job today I'd have another one in a week, not because I'm necessarily qualified for great jobs, but because I am willing to work. If I have to flip burgers to feed my family I will. Not a lot of poor folk in Jackson have that mentality. There are people in my neighborhood that are second generation welfare recipients - that's a familial collapse, not a societal one. I live in a decent home and eat well because I work hard for it. Whether it's reasonable or not I expect the same out of everyone else.

Author

Brad H.

Date

2008-07-08T09:58:03-06:00

ID

131914

Comment

"I seriously doubt that one can starve to death in Jackson without great effort." I love this quote, but a person can be hungry after having tried to find an honorable way to make it numerous times and yet meet rejection over and over again, and have their spirit broken to the extent that they give up. Drive or refusal to fail is a marvelous thing to have, but believe me, not everyone is equipped with it. So, what do we do with those unlike us go-getters.

Author

Walt

Date

2008-07-08T10:36:02-06:00

ID

131916

Comment

I think that crime in Jackson is overblown from a statistical perspective. A quick search over the Internet informed me that Jackson proper has a population of roughly 180,000 people. If wikipedia is to be believed (and I have no way of knowing if this is correct) roughly 12 out of 100,000 people were murdered in 2006. I would be willing to bet loads of money that 85% of those victims either personally knew their murderers OR had made a conscious decision to put themselves in an unsafe environment where bad things could happen. (Not that this excuses the fact that they were murdered- a woman has the right to walk naked down the street and not be raped, but I wouldn't bet my chastity on intellectual altruisms either). There are a ton of property crimes, but that's mostly due to a drug epidemic that the entire country is facing. The fact that roughly 179,960 people chose not to kill last year would seem to be a triumph, considering what squalid conditions some live in. It takes a particular kind of evil to kill- one I'm not sure any society can weed out completely, regardless of empathy or social programs. Cops have been shot since there were guns. I am praying for the fallen officer, but this incident is not indicative of the level of crime in Jackson. It takes a deranged wacko to shoot at a cop- whatever he was guilty of doing before hand, it certainly couldn't have been punished worse than attacking a police officer. Even the dumbest criminal is usually smarter than that.

Author

Yorick

Date

2008-07-08T11:52:34-06:00

ID

131917

Comment

Excellent, Yorick. I once had a client in Houston, Texas tell the judge he needed to see a psychaitrist after shooting at the police. Fortunately, he missed all of them. The judge asked him why he needed to see a mental expert and he said, "Anyone who shoots at the police is likely crazy or needs some kind of mental help." Upon evaluation, he was found to have had a pyschotic episode at the time of the shooting that rendered him temporarily insane.

Author

Walt

Date

2008-07-08T12:17:14-06:00

ID

131919

Comment

A quick glance at the news article covering the crime confirms my suspicions that they were probably on drugs. Let's look at their plan, shall we? 1. Rob a Title Loan store- haven't most of these stores done away with keeping large amounts of cash on hand anyway? Surely they wouldn't have gotten much, even if they had been successful. And I'm willing to bet they weren't planning on using the money to buy azaleas, schoolbooks for their children, or to fund their retirement accounts. 2. Use a GOLD Kia Spectrum as the getaway car. Conspicuous AND short on handling and horsepower. Not the smartest idea. Then they crash it into a ditch- I bet near the "Dead Man's Curve" on Clinton Boulevard, since the article says it was near the funeral home out there. 3. Shoot the cop three times and take his patrol car as a getaway vehicle. They managed to replace a gold Kia Spectrum with an even more conspicuous vehicle. Unbelievable. 4. Ironically, their supreme stupidity may have saved the officer's life. I'm no doctor, but the fact that the officer was shot in the back of the head and didn't die immediately points to an incredibly small caliber weapon. Regardless, they weren't armed with shotguns. If you're going to rob a store, you don't bring a peashooter. 5. I'd also be willing to bet that they drove the vehicle to one of their residences (or close to it) and then ran into the woods where they were caught 10 minutes later. I'd be willing to bet that none of the men involved (and particularly the shooter) was completely sober and/or lucid as the events transpired. Drugs were involved in both the motive and, probably, the execution. Once again, my thoughts are with the officer. I hope he makes a full recovery.

Author

Yorick

Date

2008-07-08T12:57:20-06:00

ID

131924

Comment

As Rick James once said, “Cocaine’s a powerful drug!” I continue to pray for Officer Collier and his family, as his condition is still serious but slowly improving. As for these punk criminals, I'd be surprised if this is their first offense.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2008-07-08T13:58:08-06:00

ID

131930

Comment

The job market in America is dwindling. More and more college graduates are taking work which doesn't require a high school diploma which shrinks the pool of non-skilled jobs for those who truly have none. As for feeding your family on flipping burgers - maybe when gas was $1.50 a gallon but not now. What is adequate education? What is adequate nutrition? People in low income neighborhoods have sub standard schools. There are usually compromised familial situations. There are rarely any grocery stores with convenience stores filling the gaps (and convenience stores rarely have the most nutritious of items and little to no produce). Society does not have a responsibility to provide for it's citizens. It is in society's best interest to bring everyone up together to not only minimize deviant behavior but to maximize productivity. Criminals are certainly due consequences for their actions. But there is no reason to not be proactive as a community to reduce the likelihood of crime.

Author

daniel johnson

Date

2008-07-08T20:48:12-06:00

ID

131931

Comment

Gas prices have driven all prices up, but the impact can easily be minimized: walk more, dust off the old bicycle, or pick one up for less than $20 at the thrift store. I walk to work 4 days a week. It's good for my health and my pocketbook. There's no reason more people can't do the same. People in low income neighborhoods have sub-standard schools because teachers are busy dealing with truancy, a nearly 40% dropout rate and students that are less than excited to be learning. Some teachers have to deal with violence in the classroom. The parents of low income students have failed them by not keeping them in class and excited about learning. As for the grocery stores... a business owner would have to be insane to put a grocery store in neighborhoods with such high crime rates. The residents of low income neighborhoods themselves drive away businesses that could enrich the neighborhoods.

Author

Brad H.

Date

2008-07-09T05:57:20-06:00

ID

131932

Comment

there really seems to be two answers: a. community involvement b. personal responsibility HOWEVER, community involvement is such a MACRO answer along with the fact that it seems to leave the individual waiting on assistance from good-natured neighbors or outsiders. SHOULDN'T the individuals who are using drugs/committing crimes wake up and realize there is not a savior in the wings. RATHER, the savior may just be themselves? This is my worry about general answers such as we need more community involvement and preventive programs. I agree that we need ALL these things. But, fundamentally, none of those solutions provide a MICRO (deep, intensive) level of change affecting individual behavior. There really needs to be some sort of "aha" moment in blighted areas where people decide to take control of their lives without waiting on the government or social justice programs to provide help. (I do believe in these programs and gov't assistance, but is it wise to wait on others to help you out, when you can (in at least some ways) do it for yourself?)

Author

John Sawyer

Date

2008-07-09T07:59:34-06:00

ID

131937

Comment

I agree Sawyer. There is much that people need to do that they can do to help themselves and their community. Churches need to step up to the plate also, but the churches are just a reflection of the individuals who comprise them. When an entire community/generation loses hope and the ability to dream the young begin to commit acts of desperation. What happens to dreams deferred? They literally explode in bursts of gunfire.

Author

FreeClif

Date

2008-07-09T10:03:34-06:00

ID

131968

Comment

As far as i'm concerned it is rather pretentious to discuss the personal responsibility of people in low-income neighborhoods and not my own personal responsibility to my community. John - tell me from your personal experience - when you have made efforts to lessen the plight of others, don't you witness micro level changes in attitudes and conditions of those less fortunate? It is not all about the more blessed members of society condoning social programs. It is about people recognizing the benefits they have reaped from their community and culture and seeking to lift up their fellow human beings from suffering. It means nothing to say that someone else should have an a-ha moment. It is only meaningful to do what you can on a micro level to better the conditions of humanity and by proxy you and your family. You can demonize people all day long but it is a meaningless exercise in justifying your own inaction. Egregious examples of behavior from low-income neighborhoods are no more indicative of the entire community than suburban white men getting busted for child porn are of theirs. At the end of the day it is about personal responsibility, but don't absolve yourself as a disconnected outsider. There is no excuse for crime but there is also no excuse for ignoring the social injustice which leads people to feel zero solidarity with a society which has left them in the dust.

Author

daniel johnson

Date

2008-07-09T20:47:03-06:00