Jackson Free Press

A local business owner said to me recently, "If they could stop the Klan, we can stop this." I looked at him, and something snapped for me, and I felt a wave of anger. I grew up around good people who did nothing, and I realized that I still live among many who still aren't doing the right thing.

For him, "they" were people in his own family who put their lives on the line to fight segregation in Mississippi and get African Americans the right to vote. The "this" he was referring to are the crime networks that have ingrained themselves in Jackson for many years with too many people—from elected so-called "leaders" to people in neighborhoods filled with drug dealers—turning their heads as the networks grow and flourish.

And he is not talking about petty drug dealers and the "thugs" many politicians like to rail against during their campaigns; in many ways, they are victims, too. He is talking about the powerful people who are pumping drugs and guns into our inner city to make money off addiction and violence.

Put another way, every time a young black man picks up a gun or a bag of weed in order to commit a crime, he is doing what the man wants him to do. It's long been that man's goal to keep him down—ever since Jim Crow was forced to end and the powerful started looking for other ways to keep their wealth and control.

Sadly, even multi-racial alliances resulted with African Americans helping bring the nightmare to their own community to satiate their own greed and unsavory needs. Of course, that happened during slavery days, too, with Uncle Charlie playing his victims—or "pawns" —against each other in his powerful chess game of divide and conquer.

It is not enough to talk about fighting crime in Jackson. It is irresponsible to sensationalize crime, as much of the media do, driving investment and wealth outside the city. It is plain wrong to use the problem of crime to keep fighting race wars in this city and state—whether you're black blaming a white police chief or white blaming a black police chief. Either misses the point.

Worse, all of those things deter us from what we really need to do: Stand up.

It is clear to me, nearly seven years after I returned to Mississippi, that the real demons here have been glossed over and ignored by the curse of public apathy. Too often, Jacksonians have looked for easy folk heroes to solve our problems, they've voted for people who entertain them more than be straight with them, they've allowed lies and distortions to cloud the big picture.

Jackson has a crime problem. But it is so much bigger than a carjacker here and a coke dealer there. Its roots grow deeper, and thus we have to yank on them harder to kill them, wherever they grow. But, just like my friend's family helped defeat the Klan, we can do this. We must. It's a matter of life and death.

The first step is to acknowledge that there is a big picture. Like it or not, the young "thugs" many people love to scream about were scared kids with no opportunities, lives of poverty and poor educational opportunities when someone turned them. The man, or men, came into their neighborhood—or sent someone—armed with promises and easy access to drugs and guns.

Ridding Jackson of its worst disease means the so-called "thugs" have got to stand up, too. Let's get real here: Many of you guys read this newspaper, and are reading this now. You've got to be on this train with the rest of us. It is time to buck up and make choices: Do you really want (a) to destroy your family; (b) be what bigots think you are; (c) go to prison; (d) watch your kids copy you; (e) kill; (f) be killed?

If the answer to a single one of those questions is "no," then act like a man and take responsibility. Put down the gun; wear a condom; say no to the man who wants you to make him rich, even if it kills you and yours. And if you can help stop that man, have the courage to stand up and do it. He has abused you long enough.

It's time to choose.

There are people right now out in Jackson reading this and laughing at me. That poor, dumb, naive Donna. She's just a bleeding heart who thinks drug dealers are going to take advice from her. What an idiot.

What those people don't know is how many of you I've talked to—and listened to. You've told me about your pain, and I feel it the best I can. My heart breaks because people with my skin color started much of this and then formed disgusting rainbow coalitions to continue it.

I can never fully understand, but I hear you telling the world to go to hell because we've expected so little from you and have helped make you who you've become. But for God's sake, don't give back what the worst people in our society expect you to. Say a little prayer, take a deep breath and beat them. But don't defeat them in a way that will send you to prison; join others as we stand up to change our city and our expectations of you. Be a hero for your own people, for all of us.

That brings me to the rest of us. We've got to believe that our young people can, and will, join us. We've got to change the conditions that provide so few opportunities for them and stop blaming them for the horrors posed by powerful evil. We've got to mentor, reach out, empower them. We've got to invite them to join us.

We also have to stop fearing "thugs" and people we think fit the stereotype. First, we need to know that they're not committing all the crimes, just the ones that get the press. Many of our worst thugs wear business suits.

But when they do commit those crimes, we can't coddle them. In our communities, the people must stand together and say, "enough." If there is a business overrun by drug dealers in our neighborhoods, we've got to organize and use the power that numbers provide to demand change, police attention, the same resources "nice" blocks get, whatever it takes. The squeaky wheel does get attention, but y'all have got to be willing to squeak loud and long and to fight on multiple fronts. You can't leave the squeaking to one person; if so, you put that person at risk. But if we stand together, we'll be heard and get it done.

Jackson, take back our city from those who want us to hate and even kill each other. Stand up, talk back, tell the truth, expose the evil. Don't be a pawn in anyone's game.

My friend was right. We have to stop this. All of us. Now.

Previous Comments

ID

130524

Comment

Nail, please bend your head down so I can hit it.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-06-05T09:36:50-06:00

ID

130535

Comment

Interesting. So few believers though!

Author

Walt

Date

2008-06-05T12:24:37-06:00

ID

130541

Comment

Amazing...what can I do to be part of the solution?

Author

slugbug

Date

2008-06-05T13:06:11-06:00

ID

130599

Comment

I just watched the 5pm news,which led with the armed robbery at the mcdonalds on highway 18.the men robbed not only the cash register but went table to table robbing at gunpoint. the worst part of it all was that the restaurant was filled with children of all ages,many of whom,along with their moms and dads, appeared extremely upset.every kid i know loves mcdonalds;happy meals and the playground.let us apprehend the men who did this today and,somewhere along the way, figure out what would make these men or boys walk into a crowded family restaurant at high noon with pistols and threats of death?how many kids will watch the news tonight and now be afraid to go to their favorite place?

Author

chimneyville

Date

2008-06-06T16:27:07-06:00

ID

130600

Comment

Also, Donna's piece is fantastic and ought to be run as a guest column in every city newspaper in the country.

Author

chimneyville

Date

2008-06-06T16:31:23-06:00

ID

130601

Comment

BTW arguably the best and perhaps the oldest restaurant downtown ,the Elite,got held up about an hour and a half ago.i will make a point of eating there on monday

Author

chimneyville

Date

2008-06-06T18:19:54-06:00

ID

130602

Comment

Who is the only man that can beat a white woman and get away with it? Barack Obama

Author

NewJackson

Date

2008-06-06T18:26:30-06:00

ID

130604

Comment

Poor taste NewJackson. Your an ironic insult to your alias.

Author

daniel johnson

Date

2008-06-06T18:39:03-06:00

ID

130605

Comment

I hope that the thug basturds who robbed the Mickey Ds are caught soon. Robbing a busy, crowded restaurant in broad daylight, especially if there were kids around, is low down and I'd hate to see them get away with it.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2008-06-06T18:40:59-06:00

ID

130606

Comment

Once again you offer an editors note which is insightful and inciteful. Most of the peeps i meet are too jaded with humanity to believe that you can ask people to act revolutionary. My experience is the opposite. i think people are ready to be revolutionary but they are held back by their fear that they are alone in this desire.

Author

daniel johnson

Date

2008-06-06T18:42:09-06:00

ID

130608

Comment

daniel Johnson stop being so uptight its a joke. Its not poor taste.

Author

NewJackson

Date

2008-06-07T08:23:40-06:00

ID

130613

Comment

It's not even a really funny joke though. Its just kinda gratuitous. It's in poor taste in as much for being stale as for just being off-color.

Author

daniel johnson

Date

2008-06-07T14:07:43-06:00

ID

130615

Comment

That was very poor taste and not funny, New Jackson, and it had nothing to do with this topic, either. On topic, I think this is a great article. I am very sad to hear about the McDonalds and the Elite -- it seems that these criminals are not even really thinking about what they are doing anymore, and acting very desperate -- to me it takes desperation to rob a busy restaurant in the middle of the day.

Author

andi

Date

2008-06-07T21:54:28-06:00

ID

130618

Comment

I agree with you Daniel. I received this same "joke" as a text message from a friend a while ago. I didn't think it was funny then, and it's certainly inappropriate here and off-topic.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2008-06-08T09:05:59-06:00

ID

130741

Comment

"Thugs in suits" really stands out to me.  Unfortunately, we can be dazzled for way too long before we recognize that fact.

Author

darhe3425

Date

2008-06-11T16:29:40-06:00

ID

130744

Comment

Right, darhe. Far too long, especially when the thugs in suits know just what to say to divert our attention. As for NewJack's joke, it was tasteless. I'll leave it up, being that the JFP Nation responded well before I got to it. You're better than that, NewJack. And thanks for the nice comments. But don't just read. Stand up. There are a multitude of ways, and I discussed some in the column. But I'd say the biggest is awareness, and not letting the Head Thugs get away with this mess any longer. Focus on the big picture.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-06-11T16:44:09-06:00

ID

130747

Comment

Give us more on the Head Thugs at your earliest convenience. Maybe it wasn't just a perception.

Author

bill_jackson

Date

2008-06-11T21:20:54-06:00

ID

130749

Comment

Are you referring to Perception-Gate™? I assume you're aware that no one ever said that crime was "just a perception"? Not Chief Moore, not the JFP, not Harvey Johnson, nobody. That was a (re)creation of The Clarion-Ledger and politicos who, well, might not have actually had the city's best interests in mind. It all stemmed from Moore—who was residing over the lowest drops in crimes in these parts in years—warning the media at a press conference that sensationalizing crime as the Ledger and TV tend to do creates a "perception" that it is hopeless. He was calling for more intelligent conversation and media coverage, just as every criminal-justice scholar in the country has done -- but he didn't know what anti-intelligent media (and political) planet he had dropped on to. The problem is that even the people perpetuating crime (as in setting up and running the networks, and supplying them) have had the power to play a naive media for their own purposes. If the community is focused on the "pawns," then they won't do anything about the Head Thugs, so to speak. For one thing, the media is so busy chasing sensationalism that they never take time to figure out what is really going on. It's not like this is unique to Jackson. A good friend in mine in NYC—the commander who launched community policing there, among other things—used to shake his head at the PR drug shake-downs in parks where petty users and dealers were carted off to jail in front of TV cameras. It was laughable because there is always someone desperate to take their places. It's about the suppliers, stupid, he would always say—but finding the political will to face that animal head on is hard for communities. Because, frankly, they don't want to know that some of their own politocs and leaders are in the thick of it. If people care about crime here and not just putting young, black males in jail and taking away their right to vote, then they will look at the big picture. But be prepared for whatever you see. It might surprise you. And until you look at that big picture, get used to the idea that you're no less of a pawn than the corner dealer.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-06-12T07:25:23-06:00