Politics

Causes, Solutions to Gun Violence in Jackson Emerge at MLK Day Forum

Disinvestment in Jackson communities, lax gun-control laws and a failing mental health system—all under the State's purview—all create conditions for violence. So do gentrification, white flight and black flight.

OPINION: Ugly Mississippi Prison Conditions Need Humanitarian Reforms

The era of mass incarceration involves both prison overcrowding and the nature of private prisons, a controversy to which the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman has also been linked.

State's Payments to CoreCivic for Housing Inmates at Private Prison May Exceed Legal Limits

Mississippi's emergency contract with a private prison corporation to house 375 inmates could exceed legal limits even more than previously known.

OPINION: Pelicia Hall and the Political Emptiness of 'Black Girl Magic'

Many believe "Black Girl Magic" improves on the silences in "black power" and is validly wielded against patriarchy. Columnist Adofo Minka argues that a closer look reveals it is an idea that serves those who seek to rule above society.

No Reconsideration for 15-Week Abortion Ban Ruling, 5th Circuit Tells Mississippi

A federal court decision that struck down Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban will stand for now.

OPINION: Southern Evangelical: Trump 'Fits the Scriptural Definition of a Fool'

"I can find very little in Trump's deeds as president that promote the message of the Gospel. I am afraid this hypocrisy will set the Evangelical movement back by decades."

Physicians Push Back on Medical Marijuana Opposition in Mississippi

A number of state Mississippi physicians are pushing back after the State Board of Health decried a push to legalize medical marijuana.

Gov. Tate Reeves Touts 'Loving Culture,' Need for Unity in Mississippi

Republican Tate Reeves is now the governor of Mississippi, presiding over a deeply red government and a legion of interests looking for pieces of the state government's full coffers.

OPINION: Probation for Profit; Little More Than a Scam

Profiting off probation has become big business in Mississippi, and it is costing us all in ways we don't even realize.

Mississippi U.S. Reps Face Challenges from the Left and the Right in 2020

A University of Mississippi law professor and self-described "Democratic socialist" is challenging her district's U.S. House representative, Republican Trent Kelly, in this year's election.

The 2020 Inauguration Speech of Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves

Gov. Tate Reeves took the oath of office today at the Mississippi Capitol beneath gloomy skies, surrounded by the state's new leadership. The governor's speech centered around unity, even as he called for the protection of the state's special "culture of love and kinship" against the force of "erosion that frays societies."

Mayor Lumumba: Violence Prevention Must Take Into Account Poverty and Gun Laws

Addressing reporters last Friday in the wake of high end-of-year homicide rates, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba highlighted his administration's efforts to curb violence in the city through a variety of mechanisms.

DOSSIER: Shame on WLBT for Dishonoring Past with Empty Crime Rhetoric

WLBT, the NBC affiliate of the Atlanta-based Gray Television, climbed fully on board with U.S. Attorney Hurst's false rhetoric that Jackson leaders and other locals are somehow "denying" gun violence in the capital city.

Lawmaker Who Called for Lynching of Confederate Statue Foes Elevated

In 2017, Mississippi House Rep. Karl Oliver wrote that Louisiana leaders ought to be "LYNCHED" for removing Confederate monuments. On Jan. 8, House Speaker Philip Gunn made him vice chair of the powerful appropriations committee.

Police Task Forces ‘Waste of Time’ for Violence Prevention?

Law-enforcement efforts to combat violent crime in Jackson in recent years have increasingly focused on the creation of multi-agency task forces, which identify high-crime regions or criminal activity, gather intelligence, and serve subpoenas, warrants and indictments related to those crimes.

Ellington