Jackson Free Press

The Mississippi Black Legislative Caucus will continue to slow down Republican lawmakers and the legislative process after House Bill 868 set off a debate Wednesday. Rep. Earle Banks, D-Jackson, said his caucus is not going to give up their slim majority and even after a meeting with the Speaker today, have not changed their position.

Rep. Banks said that House Bill 868, which would re-district Simpson County into the same Supreme Court district as Hinds and Madison counties, caused the caucus to vote to slow down the process yesterday. House Bill 868 prompted hours-long debate on Wednesday but ultimately passed to the Senate (after a tabled motion to reconsider).

Today, the Black Legislative Caucus opposed House Bill 14, which would create a moratorium on superintendent salary increases for school districts with C, D and F grades. They asked that the 431-page bill be read, after a long debate on the bill. The bill is still being read and has yet to be voted on. To listen to the live reading click here.

Below is the Black Legislative Caucus' press release in full, from Rep. Banks:

"During the 2016 Legislative Session, the Mississippi House Republicans have hosted one substantive hearing this session. That was on the election dispute involving Bo Eaton and Greg Tullos.

There, the Republican Leadership ignored the testimony of election experts; including the local election commissioners and the Secretary of State; and threw out 5 duly recorded votes. So it's not surprising that the House GOP has given up on the pretense of debating and vetting policy.

Instead, they have rushed out bills that would wreck public education; change voting districts; and throw up bureaucratic red tape for public health programs. Last summer, Speaker Phillip Gunn made a promise that he would not involve any democrats in the policy process. And so far, he has kept his word.

Now comes House Bill 868 which greatly reduces the black vote in the central district. Which in turn would insure a majority white representation from the Supreme Court to the Public Service commissioner. The current political climate in the State of Mississippi has changed like fall winter night as the Republicans have displayed their might in pushing bad legislation to the deferment of our State.

Today, caucus members met with Speaker Gunn to discuss our concerns. As a result, the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus has not changed its position to slow down the process by which Republican lawmakers are passing bills we view as detrimental to Mississippians."

Mayor Tony Yarber reiterated during a press conference at City Hall Wednesday night that the city’s drinking water system is safe, while at the same time mentioning meetings with Jackson Public Schools superintendent about needed renovations to the corrosion control system.

“I spent a little time today with the superintendent,” the mayor said. “He and I will wrap around. I wanted to make sure that I meet with the team so that…the message will be uniform.”

The city also discussed the possible repair plan to the corrosion control system, estimating the total cost at around $500,000. Director of Public Works Kishia Powell said the city applied for a grant to pay for the repairs but did add that if the money did not come from outside sources, it would come out of the city budget.

Read more about the city of Jackson and the Mississippi State Department of Health's statements on lead levels here.

Note: This post was reported and written by Tim Summers Jr.

A news release from the Mississippi State Department of Health about City of Jackson drinking water is reproduced in its entirety below:

Today the Mississippi State Department of Health– after consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency, is advising all residents who receive their drinking water from the City of Jackson Water System to take the following precautions:

· Before using tap water for drinking or cooking, run your tap on cold for one to two minutes; for more detailed information visit www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tips/water.htm; · Households should never use hot water for drinking or cooking; · Any child five years of age or younger and any pregnant woman should use filtered water (NSF53 certified filter http//info.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU) or bottled water for drinking and cooking; · Baby formula should be “ready-to-feed” or prepared using only filtered water or bottled water; and · Parents with children six years or younger should contact their child’s pediatrician or primary care provider to ensure adequate lead screening and blood testing have been performed.

“Although the majority of home lead testing performed identified no lead, or lead below the action level of 15 ppb, we are issuing these recommendations as a special precaution for young children and pregnant women,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs.

“It’s important to remember simple measures, such as flushing the faucet for one to two minutes, can markedly reduce lead levels in tap water,” added Dobbs.

The Mississippi State Department of Health will mail the above health recommendations about lead to all customers on the City of Jackson Water System, and will closely monitor the City of Jackson’s progress to reduce the corrosiveness of water. Corrosive water leads to leaching of lead in some older homes where plumbing contains lead pipes or lead solder.

“We believe these precautions should remain in place at least six months while the City of Jackson makes the necessary changes required to stabilize the alkalinity and pH levels in the system. These changes should ensure better optimization of corrosion in the Jackson Water System, which should lead to minimal leaching of lead in home plumbing,” said Director of Health Protection Jim Craig.

House Speaker Philip Gunn released a statement defending his position on the state flag, after all filed bills to change the state flag referred to the House Rules Committee died today. No Senate or House flag bill made it out of committee by today's deadline.

Gunn's statement is below, verbatim:

"For anyone to suggest I have surrendered or backed up on my position of changing the flag is simply not true," said Speaker of the House Philip Gunn. "I have not wavered in my viewpoint that we need a different flag to represent Mississippi. I have spoken with many House members both individually and collectively and have tried to convince them to adopt my view."

“I have explored every option from taking legislative action to change the flag to adopting two official flags, but we cannot get a consensus on how to address the issue,” he continued. "I will continue to stand by my view that changing the flag is the right thing to do. The flag is going to change. We can deal with it now or leave for future generations to address. I believe our state needs to address it now. I am disappointed that nothing took shape this year, but I will continue this effort."

Breaking news: This morning, the Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee passed the SB 2162 to the full Senate floor over the objections of Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, who accused the bill's proponents of trying to "control" the airport.

Here is the full report. Also, read this story from yesterday detailing why the bill could cause the FAA to close the airport and why it may present conflict-of-interest concerns for the state.

If [the state flag][1] is going to change, lawmakers from either the Senate or House Rules committee will have to pass a bill through in the next 24 hours.

Councilman Tyrone Hendrix posted this update to his Facebook page this morning, reposted here verbatim:

UPDATE ON ELEVATED LEAD LEVELS: On January 30th, I made a post concerning water samples that indicated lead levels were found at an "actionable" level within the City of Jackson. Since that time, the City of Jackson has re-tested homes that tested above 15 parts per billiion (ppb), has increased the sample size from 58 homes to 100 homes, is providing citizens with information to request free water testing kits (I will provide more information on this as soon as it is available), and is reviewing it's corrosion control measures. A map and results of sites where lead levels exceed actionable levels is near the bottom of this post

Since then, I have also authored an ordinance that will require the City of Jackson to test for both copper and lead at least once per year (currently, the City is only required to test for lead and copper once every 3 years). I have also requested that the Administration and Department of Public Works expand the scope of water testing to more homes in South Jackson--and particularly in Ward 6 due to:

1. The years homes were build in South Jackson;
2. The types of pipes used to transport water from the water plant to South Jackson homes; and
3. Small sampling sizes.

It is imperative that we expeditiously gather and analyze the data, identify problem areas, and act swiftly based on the data. Lastly, there is no "safe" level of lead in drinking water, and we must identify the source of elevated lead levels.

I will continue to keep you updated on developments, and will provide information for residents to request testing kits in the very near future. As always, if you have questions, concerns, or ideas please contact me via phone at 601-960-1089 or email [email protected]. Thank you! - Tyrone

*Map of Jackson Sites Where Lead Levels Exceeded Action Levels: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/…/map-jackson-sites-where-…/

The Southern Poverty Law Center has published a map of active hate groups in the United States, and in Mississippi, there are 19 groups, including several Ku Klux Klan factions. SPLC defines a hate group as having "beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics." Hate group activities include: criminal acts, marches, rallies, speeches, meetings, leafleting or publishing, SPLC's website says.

Nationally, there are 892 hate groups, by SPLC's definition, and since 1999, the number of hate groups in the country has almost doubled. There are 190 Ku Klux Klan groups in the U.S., SPLC data shows.

To view the map visit: https://www.splcenter.org/hate-map.

Chef Jesse Houston of Saltine restaurant in Fondren has been named a semifinalist by the James Beard Foundation for “Best Chef: South."

The City of Jackson has posted a new "We Are Jackson News" interview on its Youtube channel, with former councilman Marshand Crisler interviewing Capital Improvement Plan project coordinator Lacey Reddix.

Discussion in the video interview includes the true nature of the "$90 million" that the 1-cent tax represents, the streets that are scheduled for repaving and other projects that fall under the domain on the 1-cent tax Capital Improvement Plan funding.

The much-anticipated Senate bill that would change the governing authority of the Jackson airport has attracted most of the attention in the airport "takeover" fight between Republican lawmakers and Jackson city officials and citizens, but Rep. Mark Baker, R-Brandon, filed a second airport bill earlier this week in the House of Representatives.

The House bill would dissolve the "municipal airport authority located in a municipality with a population of 173,514 according the 2010 federal decennial census" by June 2017. The only city in the state with that population is Jackson. Rep. Baker's bill goes on to describe a nine-member commission that would replace the municipal airport authority. The new "municipal-regional airport authority" would be made up of a representatives from 9 municipalities.

Rep. Baker's bill does not name municipalities; instead it uses 2010 Census figures to describe each separate municipality that would get representation on his proposed commission. Using 2010 Census numbers, the"municipal-regional airport authority" would be made up of one representative each from Jackson, Madison, Ridgeland, Flowood, Pearl and Brandon. There would be one Hinds County Board of Supervisors commissioner and two Rankin County Board of Supervisors commissioners if Baker's bill passes.

The bill was referred to the House Judiciary A Committee (which Rep. Baker chairs) and the House Ports, Harbors and Airports Committee.

"Church protection" would come with firearms if a House bill passes through the Legislature this session. Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, introduced the "Mississippi Church Protection Act" this week which would give churches legislative permission to create a "security program" that would designate certain members to carry weapons at church.

The bill would establish requirements for members of a church's security program. Members of a security program would be required to have firearms permits and go through an "instructional course in the safe handling and use of firearms." Any member of a church's security program would be immune from civil liability for any action taken while serving on the program.

The bill, HB786, was referred to the House Judiciary B Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Gipson.

So, what's going on with Columbus police? The Guardian has a report that police there have filed two different police reports for killing of Ball, who was African American. The Guardian reports:

*Since 26-year-old Ricky Ball was shot and killed by police in October, the black community in Columbus, Mississippi, has grappled with questions that don’t have clear answers.

Why did police shoot Ball that night? Why did a string of police officials resign in the months that followed? And why did police claim Ball stole a gun from a police officer’s home only after his death? Attempts to obtain police documents about the case have raised a new question: why did police release two different versions of events from the shooting?

Documents obtained by the Guardian show police altered a document labeled “uniform incident report” in Ball’s death. An initial version published by the Commercial Dispatch said an officer “tased” Ball before he fled. A new version of the incident report released to the Guardian does not include any mention of Taser use.

“One of these two reports is not true,” said Philip Broadhead, director of the criminal appeals clinic at the University of Mississippi law school. Broadhead said he’s never seen an incident report altered the way the document was in this case. “For police officers to offer up this type of information in the form of an incident report as sworn law officers … It’s a violation of their oath.”*

Also, an officer fired for the shooting filed a federal lawsuit over his firing yesterday. Read more here.

Mayor Tony Yarber announced his support of reducing the number of people with mental illnesses in county jails on Tuesday. Yarber presented a resolution in his role of Mayor of the City of Jackson at a rally that the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, held at the Capitol on Tuesday.

"It is extremely important that we say out loud that we recognize and understand the seriousness of mental illness," Yarber said. "Particularly what our role is at the city of Jackson whether it has to do with interfacing of the police department with those in community who are afflicted with mental illness or making sure health policies are in place (so) that we are dealing with this issue."

NAMI estimates that 2 million people suffer from mental illnesses nationally. NAMI held the rally at the Capitol to bring awareness to the incarceration of people with mental illnesses. The organization, which is partially funded by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, is asking the state to step up its efforts to divert those with mental illnesses from jail and into treatment instead.

Yarber said that mental illness rates are much higher in jails than in the general public, and he said he is committed to "Stepping Up" to share lessons learned across counties and the state to work on making sure those suffering from mental illness in the community get the treatment and services they need instead of going to jail.

With only four council members present tonight, the bill passed 3-to-1, with Councilman De'Keither Stamps voted against it. Follow @jxnfreepress on Twitter for updates and read reporter Arielle Dreher's earlier story on the controversy for background on the controversy.

Story developing ...

David Banner, a Mississippi hip-hop artist, music producer and film actor, who got his start in here in Jackson, is bringing his "GodBox" lecture series to Jackson in March. Brad "Kamikaze" Franklin, who books events for the City of Jackson, announced the performance today on his Facebook page. Banner and Franklin started out as a hip-hop duo in the late 1990s.

Here is Franklin's post, verbatim:

Jackson! Gonna give you a heads up. The City of Jackson is about to bring you more ‪#‎dopeness‬ Tomorrow we will be announcing that on March 8th David Banner will be bringing his GodBox Lecture Series to Thalia Mara Hall. Tickets go on sale Thursday. And....The City of Jackson and XperienceJXN will join forces to bring you FLOETRY! Live May 14. Tickets go on sale tomorrow! More info tomorrow Welcome to the Entertainment Capital of MS!

Read a 2003 interview I did with David Banner, much earlier in both our careers.

Moe’s Southwest Grill, a fast casual Mexican restaurant chain with more than 600 locations around the United States, will soon be returning to Jackson.

Councilman Tyrone Hendrix is calling together some heavy hitters to discuss strategies for dealing with crime in South Jackson, this Thursday, February 11, 2016, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will take place in the cafeteria of Wingfield High School (1985 Scanlon Drive).

“The time to take action is now,” said Hendrix in a press release. “We must work collectively and engage in an open conversation to take a community-oriented approach to take back our communities.”

The panel for the discussion includes Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance, District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith, Hinds County Sherriff Victor Mason, and Creston Hills Watch Group President Johns Sledge.

The meeting, which is open to the public, is said to focus on developing strategies to combat crime, engaging local leaders in an open conversation about community-oriented solutions to crime and empowering residents to improve the safety of their neighborhoods.

Citizens, business owners, neighborhood association leaders, clergy, educators and others are encouraged to attend. For more information call Hendrix's office at 601-960-1089 or email [email protected].

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2016/feb/09/24509/

The United Nations’ Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent visited Jackson in late January. Read a column by human-rights attorney Adofo Minka on the significance of their work. Here are the group's initial findings:

WASHINGTON D.C. (29 January 2016) - The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent thanks the Government of United States of America for its invitation to visit the country, from 19-29 January 2016, and for its cooperation. This visit is a follow up to the 2010 visit of the WGEPAD and includes other cities. We thank in particular the Department of State for arranging the visit and the local authorities who met with the Working Group during our visit to Washington D.C., Baltimore, Jackson-Mississippi, Chicago and New York City. We would like to give special thanks to the hundreds of civil society representative organizations, lawyers and individuals from the African American community for sharing their concerns and recommendations with our delegation. We also thank numerous human rights defenders and activists who reached out to us from other parts of the country that we could not visit.

The Working Group regrets that it did not receive access according to the terms of reference for special procedure mandate holders to visit Mississippi State Penitentiary Parchman. It also regrets that it was not possible to meet with all of the high level state and local level authorities requested.

The views expressed in this statement are of a preliminary nature, our findings and recommendations will be presented in our mission report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2016.

During the visit, the Working Group assessed the situation of African Americans and people of African descent and gathered information on the forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia and related intolerance that they face. We studied the official measures and mechanisms taken to prevent structural racial discrimination and protect victims of racism and hate crimes as well as responses to multiple forms of discrimination. The visit focused on both good practices and challenges faced in realising their human rights.

We welcome the work of the Civil Rights centers, in all Government departments, and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission that implement the Civil Rights legislation through investigation of complaints, litigation, issuance of guidance and remedies including compensation.

We also acknowledge the work of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division regarding access to justice, investigations of excessive use of force by the police and patterns of discrimination.

We welcome the recent steps taken by the Government to reform the criminal justice system and combat racial discrimination and disparities through the following initiatives:

• The Fair Sentencing Act.
• The Justice Department's "Smart on Crime" initiative.
• The report and recommendations of the Task Force on 21st Century Policing to strengthen community-police relationships across the country.
• The new Guidance for Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Regarding the Use of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, National Origin, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Or Gender Identity
• The Guidance for consideration …

Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber responded today to a bill proposed by Senator Josh Harkins of Rankin County designed to give the Governor control of a regional board that would oversee the Jackson airport; the airport is currently run by a board that is appointed by the mayor of Jackson and confirmed by the Jackson city council.

Out on the campaign trail, former Secretary of State and current presidential candidate Hillary Clinton mentioned Jackson in comments that included a discussion of the lead-contaminated water problems that Flint, Michigan is facing.

According to a piece today in Salon.com, Clinton jumped out in front of her rival Bernie Sanders in embracing Jackson's lead-contamination issues as campaign fodder.

"I was concerned to hear that tests of drinking water in Jackson, Mississippi, revealed elevated levels of lead in some homes," Clinton said.

Reflecting a subtext that Michigan GOP-led state government had taken over Flint's water system, creating the lead-contamination problem and responding slowly to calls to act, Clinton continued: "I’m heartened that Jackson city officials are taking the right steps to fix the problem, including repeated testing and openness with the results, so families can stay informed."

"As the emergency in Flint, Michigan, has made clear, cities and states must treat these situations with the utmost seriousness, and do everything in their power to ensure that families – especially children – have access to safe, clean drinking water. And we as a nation must make urgent investments to modernize our utilities and infrastructure, to keep families and communities safe and healthy," Salon quoted Clinton as saying.

Mayor Tony Yarber, in a statement quoted by WJTV, responded: "We appreciate the acknowledgment of the City’s proactive response and transparency in dealing with our water concerns. Secretary Clinton notes that this appears to be a home-dependent issue. The results are pending on the second round of testing, but we must reiterate that our City’s water system is in compliance and our drinking water is safe. We will continue to keep the public informed."

Yarber went on, perhaps in an effort to make sure a potential future president of the United States heard about Jackson's infrastructure funding woes: "Serious concern has been expressed about the $540 billion funding gap that exists for water infrastructure in this country. That concern needs to be followed with a serious federal funding plan that invests more money in grant programs, particularly for disadvantaged communities.”