Jackson Free Press

America, We Sink or Swim Together

As Houston and surrounding cities drowned, Trump was pushing the bigotry that fueled his rise to power. Meantime, America was proving our inherent greatness, despite the incessant efforts by certain …

DOSSIER: Of Corporate Media and Insulting Shenanigans

What a week. The last 10 days saw not only the official demise of the Mississippi Democratic Party, at least the way it's run and strategized now, but it was …

EDITOR'S NOTE: Systemic Racism Created Jackson’s Violence; More Policing Cannot Stop It

"You don't destroy hope and safety of generations of young people with threats of being burned at a stake for flirting, with the state's largest newspaper announcing it in advance …

Lumumba Added to 'Smart Crime Initiative' Despite Policing Decisions at Home

Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba is joining 15 mayors from cities in the U.S. in a Mayors for Smart Crime Initiative, the Center for American Progress, announced today.

Making of a Landslide: Chokwe A. Lumumba and a Changing Jackson

Primary night wasn't supposed to end that way. Chokwe Antar Lumumba could not possibly beat nine Democratic opponents outright and avoid a run-off. Here's why he did.

Green Space

If you want to see how differently various people approach the idea of planning for Jackson's future, listen to a discussion of parks and green space.

• 2 comments

EDITOR'S NOTE: Right, Left Must Work Together for Criminal Reforms

It is time that criminal-justice reform be on every candidate's agenda in Mississippi, regardless of party. The goal should be to lower mass incarceration, especially for drug and victimless crimes—which …

Yep, JPS Takeover Is a Conspiracy. Prove Me Wrong.

The predictability of all this takeover hoohaa isn't lost on anyone who comprehends Mississippi's history of racial dynamics, white flight and victim-blaming.

Mayor Lumumba on Murders: Police Cannot 'Enter the Minds and Stop These People'

Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba sent out a statement addressing several murders that roiled the capital city over the weekend—from a preacher killed in the Washington Addition to a teenager killed …

EDITORIAL: Mayor Must Repair City's Transparency Related to Policing, Crime

After asking for more than a year, the Jackson Free Press finally received the names and current status of Jackson police officers who shot people in the capital city since …

A Violence Talk That Might Have Been

It felt more like a bait-and-switch. But maybe the City Hall gathering was a start of a new way of thinking about crime prevention in the capital city.

DOSSIER: Chuck Todd’s ‘Naive’ Screw-up Is Warning for Mississippi Reporting, Too

If you were caught up in the spirit of the holiday, as I was on Christmas Eve, you might have missed one of the most disturbing interviews ever with a …

EDITOR'S NOTE: Life in the Shadows of Neshoba County’s Confederate Statue

As a Neshoba County kid, I grew up in the shadows of the Confederate statue that loomed in front of the courthouse.

The Dark Side of the Hinds Justice System

It will be a tough slog, but we need confidence and accountability in the Hinds criminal-justice system again.

DJP ‘Whistleblower’ Indicted for Five Felonies for Allegedly Forging Checks

The former Downtown Jackson Partners secretary who blew the proverbial whistle on her boss, Ben Allen, may end up guilty of more felonies than her former employer for "intentionally" methodically …

Carlos Moore to Sue on Behalf of Teen Killed Outside Performance Oil

Carlos Moore, a Grenada, Miss., attorney known for trying to sue the State of Mississippi over the Confederate canton in the state flag, said on Facebook today that he will …

DOSSIER: GOP's Red-baiting Mailer Template, Campaign Lies, Bryant Miffed

Republicans are already sending out glossy mailers warming up the crowd in Mississippi and other southern states to the necessity of electing Trump apologists and enablers—that is pretty much what …

EDITOR'S NOTE: Goodbye, Bozo—My Friend Cedric Willis Gone Too Soon

Cedric Willis had to claw his way to freedom while living in hell. Then he returned to a community that, until to the present, has never collectively decided to tackle …

Lumumba's New Robocall Pleads with Jacksonians: No Large Cookouts, Block Parties

"I ask everyone to resist attending any large gatherings such as cookouts or block parties this holiday weekend. We want you to enjoy yourselves, but we are not out of …

UPDATED: Darnell Turner May Serve 45 Years for 'Heinous Crimes'; Feds Earlier Tied Him to DA

A Hinds County jury yesterday convicted Darnell Turner, who also goes by Donald Dixon, in three separate counts related to a 2014 domestic incident—aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated domestic …