Ellington

The Jackson Free Press received an anonymous letter (PDF) apparently sent to a variety of media and local churches this week. The letter called on churches, in particular, to do more to help fight crime in Jackson. Over all, the letter makes a lot of sense. It starts:

It is with all sincerity that I write to you today for the welfare of our city. Make no mistake, Jackson is under attack and the war is on. It is all-out, no holds barred for the soul of our city and we can't just migrate to the suburbs and close our eyes. Cancer spreads and consumes until it destroys the entire host. I in a wealthy suburb of Jackson and my husband is a crack addict.

"She" then goes on to call on churches (in neighborhoods she's driven through) to actively do more to fight crack. There are good ideas in there, especially for taking charge of your streets and the "visitations" with people likely to be used:

The Pastors and Church Leaders - Get a map of the city and mark your boundaries for the streets you
will be in charge of.
• Send out walking teams through your area, door-to-door, and identify every resident of your
community, making special note of widows, the elderly, and the feeble-minded.
• Set up weekly visitation teams for those who could be used by crack dealers.
• Set up prayer teams for popular street corners to be manned on Friday and Saturdays.
• Hold weekly prayer walks throughout your neighborhood with believers trained in the art of prayer to
exercise the authority of the believer.
• TV News Media - Cover the stories and events with live broadcasts during the evening news each
week. Drug dealers don't want their face on TV.
• We can drive crack out and take back our city.

But here's the catch: Even though the letter over all is about fighting crime, there is a subtext to it of declaring that "Frank was right!" That's at the top of the two-page letter; it pops up in the middle and then toward the end:

Frank was right and we all sat back and watched him take the rap for it. I am sorry, I didn't know. But now I do and I am trying to do something about it.

Anyone else suspicious that this is the first piece of, er, unofficial campaign literature we're seeing from the mayor's camp? And it happens to come the week that Melton is staging a daily dog-and-pony show to get people upset at potential mayoral opponents for not approving his nonsensical and irresponsible plan for the city to pay for kids to work for private employers without even giving the businesses time to plan or interview those kids? And it comes right when even Melton's wealthy white supporters in North Jackson and the suburbs are jumping off his Titanic?

I have a hunch all this stuff is a big of maneuvering oozing out of the bat cave over at The Carter. Anyone else?

P.S. Note that the wealthy suburban woman isn't urging the churches to demand that we figure out who is supplying the drug dealers. If you really care about this as an issue to be overcome, isn't that exactly what you would do? And why the hell would you keep pausing to try to exonerate Melton?

Previous Comments

ID

131063

Comment

Interesting letter. However, I don't personally know of anything Frank was unusually right about. I can't name a single thing he clued us into. Crime is bad and churches can do so much more to help widows, children, people on drugs, poor people, helpless people and so on. But the new styled Reverns of today aren't about to trade cadilac and mercedes cruising, suit-wearing, styling and profiling, diamond showing or flashing, good restaurant eating, alligator shoe-wearing and lofty impressions of themselves in for a real job of helping the poor and healing the sick. They simply can't do that, chase the money and keep the air blowing in their fine homes, churches and cars. Frank has no chance at being re-elected unless Jesus wrote that letter as commanded by God who knows all and can fix all. This is not to say, Frank and some nut isn't playing a game.

Author

Walt

Date

2008-06-20T13:39:17-06:00

ID

131068

Comment

This is outrageous. It's like welcome to the city's version of a soap opera...Days of Our Lives - In Jackson! Anyone of us could write the next episode, I'm sure.

Author

Queen601

Date

2008-06-20T14:58:14-06:00

ID

131069

Comment

The letter hits on a very interesting topic, the church response to crime and blight. These tactics are tactics of an age gone past, even before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. This plan is doomed because the church leadership lacks the moral authority to do those things in these communites. Basically, these churches don't have the community outreach and relationships in these communties to make something like this work. Before they take to the streets, they need to do a critical examination of their mission and purpose. I think the church of the 21st Century, especially the Mega church, probably should focus on advocacy for these poor communites. If you go to a church in a poor community, check and see how many people in the church actually live in that community. Very few. Too often the church becomes an unwelcoming place for the poor and the oppressed. You may find the elderly in a community at a church, but the young poor people, the ones who are at critical mass in this situation, are no where to be found. These churches should work on advocacy, being the voice of the voiceless to the powers that be so that the context/environment can be changed. When the context is changed, then we will see better choices from these people. Right now, the church doesn't have much capacity to change the environement. They can offer hope in the form of a prayer and an uplifting word. True social change comes from organized direct action, which takes courageous, intellegent, and talented leadership, which is severely laking in most churches. Blackwatch!!!!!!!!

Author

Renaldo Bryant

Date

2008-06-20T15:07:20-06:00

ID

131071

Comment

Excellent commentary, Blackwatch. Such good writing skills and assessment of the situation without badmouthing the preachers in the comedic way I like to do it. I expect them to come looking for me someday!

Author

Walt

Date

2008-06-20T15:16:01-06:00

ID

131106

Comment

We've already hired a group of public officials to keep us safe. It is our duty as citizens to let our public officials know that if they can't reduce crime they'll all be out of a job after next election season. If this is Frank's idea of campaign literature I find it ironic - it only highlights his failure to complete the job we hired him to do. On another note, I find the idea of church's policing our neighborhoods terrifying. What happens if they are successful? Will they stop at enforcing the laws, or will they start policing our morality?

Author

Brad H.

Date

2008-06-24T05:55:09-06:00

ID

131108

Comment

First, I don't think that this came from Frank's office, because the letter was too well written. Secondly, I found it interesting that person targeted churches....I would tell them that the church starts with each of us - not a building. The needs are great and the financial and human resources are limited. This person has a great plan, but guess what, there are alot of churches in Jackson working that plan & doing street and community ministry. We like to point a finger of blame at the "church", but you simply cannot become so judgemental that you throw all churches into the same "do-nothing" bag. I challenge that individual to go out and find one of those churches that's working the plan, and help them and not waste time sending out anonymous letters that don't bear any fruit, but simply "tote water for the mayor."

Author

lanier77

Date

2008-06-24T07:49:46-06:00

ID

131112

Comment

First, I don't think that this came from Frank's office, because the letter was too well written. ROTFL!

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-06-24T10:07:35-06:00

ID

131121

Comment

P.S. Note that the wealthy suburban woman isn't urging the churches to demand that we figureout who is supplying the drug dealers. Just when is Mayor Melton going to follow through on his campain promise (or threat) to reveal and arrest all of the wealthy drug suppliers? I must have missed all of those stories of arrests of the REAL money men (or women) of the Jackson drug scene.

Author

robpitts

Date

2008-06-24T14:51:49-06:00

ID

131123

Comment

Touché, Rob. And right on.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-06-24T15:10:35-06:00

ID

131150

Comment

I saw Frank on television talking to children last night. He was brillant and the audience loved him. He said, what's up with this bullcrap about jobs for children being a matter of first impression without adequate time to study or ponder it. He went on to say, we deal with matters at the council all the time of first impression without more time to study and ponder before voting. If he keeps up this good work, and the children become of voting age in time, he'll win again.

Author

Walt

Date

2008-06-25T12:05:40-06:00

ID

131273

Comment

According to the Clarion Ledger teens start work on the mayor's job program.

Author

Walt

Date

2008-06-30T13:55:55-06:00