Jackson Free Press

Police Driver Acquitted of All Charges in Freddie Gray Death

A judge acquitted a police driver of all charges on Thursday in the death of 25-year-old arrestee Freddie Gray, whose broken neck on the way to the station set off …

Aaron Banks: New Kid on the Ward 6 Block

Although new Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks is a new kid on the City Hall block, he is not new to Jackson.

Charlotte Under State of Emergency in 2nd Night of Protests

Authorities in Charlotte tried to quell public anger Wednesday after a police officer shot a black man, but a dusk prayer vigil turned into a second night of violence, with …

Trump Vows to Bring Back Coal, Part of 'Clean Power' Rollback

WILLIAMSON, W.Va. (AP) — The hard-eyed view along the Tug Fork River in West Virginia coal country is that President-elect Donald Trump has something to prove: that he'll help bring …

Kids, Cops and Community Policing

In a nation that is noticing the high incidents of police killing, particularly of black men, public outcry from groups like #BlackLivesMatter and others insist upon police transparency and accountability …

In ‘Trying Times,’ Demand Safer Policing

The understanding that black (and brown) lives do matter even when it's someone doing something unpredictable in a poor neighborhood must break through all the noise.

After HB 1523, We Must Seek Higher Ground

It was at Good Hope Baptist Church in the early 1970s that I first heard God used to justify hatred of black people, of "homosexuals," of feminism, of anything that …

Does Uber Have a Dark Side?

The ride-sharing app, Uber, has plans to change the transportation game forever. The company included Jackson in those plans as it expanded into the city with its UberX program, beginning …

Reluctant Islamic State Fighters Choose Between Death, Jail

While foreigners from across the world have joined the Islamic State militant group, some find day-to-day life in Iraq or Syria much more austere and violent than they had expected. …

The Ideal Woman

No amount of fat-shaming or skinny-shaming or "thinspiration" can change the fact that all women are different and none, really, has the "ideal body." While makeup, clothes and perfect hair …

Putin Signs Treaty, Adds Crimea to Map of Russia

With a sweep of his pen, President Vladimir Putin added Crimea to the map of Russia on Tuesday, describing the move as correcting past injustice and responding to what he …

Proud to Be the Boss

As a woman who became my own boss in no small part due to the sexism I encountered while working for other people, I know what lies ahead for many …

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Loving Beyond Fear

The twisting of religion to promote and excuse hate, separation and violence over love, togetherness and safety turned me off from organized faith for a long time, and I still …

MDOC, Private Prisons on Trial

Located in Leake County, Walnut Grove opened in 2001 for children convicted as adults in criminal court, and has been the subject of nearly ongoing scrutiny for civil-rights violations.

Of Bill Cosby, Frank Melton and Public Moralizing

You'd think that Bill Cosby's targets would have had more power than Frank Melton's troubled "boys," as he called them, but women of any race have never had credibility when …

Budget Cuts or Scare Tactics?

Representatives for state workers are decrying proposed budget cuts to state agencies that House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. Herb Frierson, R-Poplarville, asked for last week.

From Affleck to Baltimore: Sh*t Our Ancestors Did

Forget a "sagging feeling"—it's a gut-punch to discover you descend from a slave owner or plantation overseer, especially when your relatives have laughed off such a notion your whole life, …

Soccer Officials Arrested in Zurich; World Cup Votes Probed

Swiss prosecutors opened criminal proceedings into FIFA's awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, only hours after seven soccer officials were arrested Wednesday pending extradition to the U.S. in …

One Editor Convicted, One Cleared in UK Scandal

It was a simple trick—punching in passcodes to listen to messages left on other people's phones. For years the illegal technique, known as phone hacking, helped Britain's News of the …

Police: Father Confessed to Killing His 5 Children

The five children of Timothy Ray Jones Jr. had been dead for days by the time he led investigators to the spot where they had been dumped among dead trees …