[Oppenheim] ‘Listen to Me!'
Last spring, as I sat in a Murrah High School classroom, surrounded by the brilliant young minds of the Civil Rights, Civil Liberties Club, I was struck by the contrast between these young people—who were deeply committed to contributing positively to their communities—and the myth some media outlets perpetuate about Jackson's youngsters.
[Balko] Flashbangs Under Fire
The New York Times reported last week that the New York City Police Department has halted the use of "flashbang" stun grenades. The department began phasing out the devices in 2003 after their deployment in a mistaken drug raid caused 52-year-old Alberta Spruill to suffer a fatal heart attack. The prior year, the department had used flash grenades 175 times.
[Mott] Year of the Tiger
My life has always been filled with challenges; it's the way I like it, always pushing the edges, coming around the curve sideways on two wheels, and hitting the brakes just in time to avoid catastrophe. That may be more than Donna wants to know about me, but then, we've been working together for going on four years, so I think she's got a clue. Chaos follows me around like the little dirt cloud follows Pig Pen in Charles' Schultz "Peanuts," always ready to engulf me.
Magnanimous Mississippi?
Gov. Haley Barbour has grown inordinately fond of hauling out the phrase, "not business as usual," just before he announces new budget cuts.
[Stiggers] Sweet Music of Hope
Boneqweesha Jones: "Hair Did University presents the Ghetto Science Team Job Counseling Sessions, where unemployed workers from the Ghetto Science community come to the Madame C.J. Walker Student Union for counseling and training twice a month.
[Kamikaze] Give a Damn
Remember Haiti. In whatever you do this week, respect the fragile nature of life. Remember Katrina. This week embrace the positive things around you. Recognize the blessings you've been given.
[Balko] How Many More Are Innocent?
Calculating the percentage of innocents now in prison is a tricky and controversial process. In hundreds of cases, courts have overturned convictions due to lack of evidence, recantation of eyewitness testimony, or police or prosecutorial misconduct, cases for which no DNA evidence was present to establish definitive guilt or innocence.
[McLaughlin] Lovers Unite
The people who go out of their way to make life better for others inspire me. With Valentine's Day approaching, we should celebrate our lovenot only for each other, but our love for our city. Let's strive to see the bigger picture, especially when pettiness comes between us. I've learned that it's our setbacks that make success and victory sweet.
Hands Off the Levee Board
We weren't surprised to learn that supporters of the Two Lakes Pearl development project are pushing the state Legislature to take more control of the local Levee Boardreconfiguring the appointees so that the board might finally support the controversial project that can't seem to get "yes" for an answer. The move isn't subtle.
[Stiggers] Tuning the Toyotillac
Mr. Announcement: "Live from the Clubb Chicken Wing Multi-Purpose Complex, G-SPAN (the Ghetto-Satellite Public Affairs Network) presents a brief press conference held by Big Deacon Jones, chairman of the deacon board, head mechanic and company spokesperson of Rev. Cletus' Car Sales Church.
[Wilkes] Why I'm a Feminist
Feminism. Why is this word considered so foul coming from the mouths of men? It seems like nine times out of 10 when I use this word in a conversation with another man, a thick blanket of awkwardness falls over us.
[Balko] Trial By Ordeal
A couple of centuries after the age of King Arthur, much of Europe began to engage in similarly ridiculous rituals to determine guilt in cases that lacked eyewitnesses or physical evidence. These rituals, called ordeals, were usually conducted in a church by high-ranking clergy
The Imperial Low Road
Adam Lynch of the Jackson Free Press broke the story last week that Jackson State University President Ronald Mason was floating a plan to merge the state's historically black colleges. The news caused a media frenzy and outrage among graduates of the state's three public HBCUs.
[Stiggers] What About The Milk?
Rev. I.M. Vegan: "Welcome to the Vegetarian Church's 'Save the Water and Food Supply in the Ghetto' National Conference."
[Collier] And the Nominees Are
Natalie A. Collier
I own and proudly wear a T-shirt that declares, "I Love Black People." Once, when I was wearing it, a white guy told mewith an inquisitive inflection at the end of his statementדYou wouldn't like it if I wore a shirt that said 'White Power.' That's what you're doing.
[Stauffer] America's Team
So I'm a Saints fan. I love watching Brees when he's in the groove, and I love watching the interceptions and Bush pylon leaps ... and I still dream about that strip-six by Meacham. All that talent combined with determination to alter the narrative both for their franchise and for their city makes 2009 the year that the New Orleans Saints' wonderful story inspires folks around the world.
[Balko] Ruining Kids in Order to Save Them
That the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would even need to hear oral arguments in the case of Miller, et al. v. Skumanick last week is a pretty good indication that law enforcement officials in Wyoming County, Pa. have lost their collective minds.
[Kamikaze] Here's to the Big Dogs
The water crisis of last week is behind us, but the effects may remain for years to come. It proved to be a pivotal moment in this city's Renaissance. We should heed the truths revealed to us during those days of crisis as we move forward.
[Stiggers] Do the Hustle
Brotha Hustle: "At this time of the year, the only thing on poor people's mind is 'Tax Refund.' So, they grab their W2 statements and run to one of those well-known tax-preparation places.
A ‘Local' Business Plan
The annual Best of Jackson reader's choice awards began in the very first issue of the Jackson Free Press.
[Moore] A Love Story
We first met when I was only 3 years young. I had no idea of her deep yearning to simply be loved. Nor did I know the love I would have in my heart for her some day.
[Ladd] The Prosperity of Living
Here in Jackson something really special is happening. People are joining hands to face down the naysayers and forge a new future for our city. We're putting our pennies together and investing locally. None of us is perfect, but we know that we are very strong when we put aside differences and work together for the city and her people.
[Stauffer] Facts, Damn Facts and Opinions
The Jackson Free Press publisher explains why the newspaper does not support Two Lakes or the 1996 Levee Plan. Instead, we need to put politics aside and seek a basin-wide solution.
[Letter to the Editor] Cedar Point Dumping, Revisited
I took offense to a statement in your Most Intriguing Jacksonians 2009 article from your Dec. 31, 2009, issue. You stated that John McGowan relished taking on "environmentalists in lawsuits over his company's dumping chemicals into the Galveston Bay." That statement is actually a misstatement.
[Stiggers] It ‘BE' That Way
Big Willie 'Shakespeare' McBride: "Welcome to Hair Did University's Language Arts and Across Cultures Series, a subsidiary of the James Brown Say it Loud Ebonics Speech Academy.
Scaring the Scared
One way politicians get their constituents to vote against their best interests is to play into already existing fears. It's a time-honored, if not somewhat dishonest way of keeping people from even attempting to distinguish a politician's words from reality.
[Hutchinson] Where Was the World When Haiti Really Needed It?
The heartbreaking and pathetic scene that I and a group of American visitors witnessed at the small beach town in Northern Haiti still haunts me. We had no sooner arrived at the beach when a contingent of Haitian police and local officials frantically waved away a throng of the town's residents who had poured onto to the beach to hawk food, trinkets, carvings and tattered clothing items—but mostly to beg.
[Balko] That Other War
Drug War deaths show that the Verndun mentality continues to thrive in America's effort to protect its citizens from themselves. Law enforcement officials shrug off the deaths of innocents and use paramilitary-style units to bear on suspects in volatile and dangerous manners.
[McLaughlin] A Woman's Role
Over the weekend, I ended up at the last place I would have thought I'd spend a Sunday afternoon: the Premier Bridal Show at Jackson Convention Center. I filled in as a writer, and accompanied freelance photographer Meredith Norwood for the event's bridal fashion show.
Wouldn't It Be Nice?
Winter was at its nastiest since 1989 this past week in Jackson, according to Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. The freezing cold attacked water pipes, causing more than 100 water line ruptures.