Jackson Free Press

House Speaker Philip Gunn released a statement defending his position on the state flag, after all filed bills to change the state flag referred to the House Rules Committee died today. No Senate or House flag bill made it out of committee by today's deadline.

Gunn's statement is below, verbatim:

"For anyone to suggest I have surrendered or backed up on my position of changing the flag is simply not true," said Speaker of the House Philip Gunn. "I have not wavered in my viewpoint that we need a different flag to represent Mississippi. I have spoken with many House members both individually and collectively and have tried to convince them to adopt my view."

“I have explored every option from taking legislative action to change the flag to adopting two official flags, but we cannot get a consensus on how to address the issue,” he continued. "I will continue to stand by my view that changing the flag is the right thing to do. The flag is going to change. We can deal with it now or leave for future generations to address. I believe our state needs to address it now. I am disappointed that nothing took shape this year, but I will continue this effort."

Breaking news: This morning, the Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee passed the SB 2162 to the full Senate floor over the objections of Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, who accused the bill's proponents of trying to "control" the airport.

Here is the full report. Also, read this story from yesterday detailing why the bill could cause the FAA to close the airport and why it may present conflict-of-interest concerns for the state.

If [the state flag][1] is going to change, lawmakers from either the Senate or House Rules committee will have to pass a bill through in the next 24 hours.

Councilman Tyrone Hendrix posted this update to his Facebook page this morning, reposted here verbatim:

UPDATE ON ELEVATED LEAD LEVELS: On January 30th, I made a post concerning water samples that indicated lead levels were found at an "actionable" level within the City of Jackson. Since that time, the City of Jackson has re-tested homes that tested above 15 parts per billiion (ppb), has increased the sample size from 58 homes to 100 homes, is providing citizens with information to request free water testing kits (I will provide more information on this as soon as it is available), and is reviewing it's corrosion control measures. A map and results of sites where lead levels exceed actionable levels is near the bottom of this post

Since then, I have also authored an ordinance that will require the City of Jackson to test for both copper and lead at least once per year (currently, the City is only required to test for lead and copper once every 3 years). I have also requested that the Administration and Department of Public Works expand the scope of water testing to more homes in South Jackson--and particularly in Ward 6 due to:

1. The years homes were build in South Jackson;
2. The types of pipes used to transport water from the water plant to South Jackson homes; and
3. Small sampling sizes.

It is imperative that we expeditiously gather and analyze the data, identify problem areas, and act swiftly based on the data. Lastly, there is no "safe" level of lead in drinking water, and we must identify the source of elevated lead levels.

I will continue to keep you updated on developments, and will provide information for residents to request testing kits in the very near future. As always, if you have questions, concerns, or ideas please contact me via phone at 601-960-1089 or email [email protected]. Thank you! - Tyrone

*Map of Jackson Sites Where Lead Levels Exceeded Action Levels: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/…/map-jackson-sites-where-…/

The local hip-hop community has been singing the praises of "Gullah Gullah Island," the latest single from Jackson rapper Silas Stapleton, who performs as SilaS, since it began making the rounds last November. Now, having garnered attention from major national music publication Vibe, SilaS fans can expect a second wind for the song's popularity.

"Gullah Gullah Island" takes inspiration from the 1990s Nickelodeon children's show of the same name, and like the TV program, the track presents a vision of an imaginary island where black families are free to celebrate their heritage and free from systemic racism and the myriad issues that African Americans face in modern America.

Vibe's article came only a day after SilaS released his full 13-track album, "The Day I Died," which is currently available for purchase at dear-silas.com. The official release party and concert for the album is Friday, March 11, at Martin's Restaurant & Bar (214 S. State St.). For more information, find the event on Facebook.

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2016/feb/18/24627/

The Southern Poverty Law Center has published a map of active hate groups in the United States, and in Mississippi, there are 19 groups, including several Ku Klux Klan factions. SPLC defines a hate group as having "beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics." Hate group activities include: criminal acts, marches, rallies, speeches, meetings, leafleting or publishing, SPLC's website says.

Nationally, there are 892 hate groups, by SPLC's definition, and since 1999, the number of hate groups in the country has almost doubled. There are 190 Ku Klux Klan groups in the U.S., SPLC data shows.

To view the map visit: https://www.splcenter.org/hate-map.

Chef Jesse Houston of Saltine restaurant in Fondren has been named a semifinalist by the James Beard Foundation for “Best Chef: South."

Mississippi Solar LLC, a solar panel installation company, sent an "urgent alert" today to media and followers regarding House Bill 1139 and Senate Bill 2089 in the Mississippi legislature, which they say would gut the power of the Mississippi Public Service Commission, reverse recent moves toward net metering and widely deregulate the companies that offer electric power in Mississippi.

In one section of the House bill, the authority of the PSC to oversee rates set by these corporations (which have a monopoly granted by the states) appears to be completely overturned, as well as the ability of the PSC to regulate consumer benefits such as net metering and smart-grid investment:

A corporation * shall have the power to fix, adjust, charge, collect and pay reasonable rates for electric energy and other facilities, supplies, equipment, products, commodities, goods and services furnished by, offered by or furnished to the corporation. All rates of a corporation formed or operating under the provisions of this article shall be established by the corporation's board and shall not be regulated by the Mississippi Public Service Commission.

The commission also shall not regulate nor attempt to regulate corporations formed or operating under this article with respect to the subject matters of standards established by the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, including, but not limited to, those established at 16 USC Section 2621(d), and including, but not limited to, the following matters: cost of service; declining block, time-of-day, seasonal, and interruptible rates; load management techniques; integrated resource planning; conservation and demand management; energy efficiency; wholesale power purchases; net metering; fuel sources; fossil fuel generation efficiency; time-based metering and communications; interconnection for distributed generation; and smart grid investments and information.

The House bill was introduced by Republican Charles "Jim" Beckett, chair of the Public Utilities committee, whose 2015 campaign filings show nearly all of his campaign contributions were from corporations or PACs, many of which are subject to oversight from the PSC.

Rep. Beckett accepted $2000 from Entergy's PAC (and another $1000 in 2014), $1000 from Mississippi Power's PAC, $500 from the Electric Power Associations of Mississippi's PAC (pre-election in August); he also accepted money from Koch Companies Public Sector LLC, Cable PAC MCTA, Verizon and Comcast Corp., AT&T PAC, Chevron, North American Coal PAC, Atmos Energy Corp PAC and others.

Beckett began the year with $73,447 in the bank (including repaying a $10,000 loan on the same day he received it February of 2015, according to campaign filings) and ended it with $75,518, thanks in part to a post-victory $2500 donation from Electric Power Associations of Mississippi in December.

Seems they're already big fans.

[Note: The above was corrected; I originally thought the $10,000 repaid in February was loaned in the previous year. If you know of some clever political accounting reason to loan yourself money the same day you repay it, clue me in.]

Here's the text of Mississippi Solar LLC's …

The City of Jackson has posted a new "We Are Jackson News" interview on its Youtube channel, with former councilman Marshand Crisler interviewing Capital Improvement Plan project coordinator Lacey Reddix.

Discussion in the video interview includes the true nature of the "$90 million" that the 1-cent tax represents, the streets that are scheduled for repaving and other projects that fall under the domain on the 1-cent tax Capital Improvement Plan funding.

The much-anticipated Senate bill that would change the governing authority of the Jackson airport has attracted most of the attention in the airport "takeover" fight between Republican lawmakers and Jackson city officials and citizens, but Rep. Mark Baker, R-Brandon, filed a second airport bill earlier this week in the House of Representatives.

The House bill would dissolve the "municipal airport authority located in a municipality with a population of 173,514 according the 2010 federal decennial census" by June 2017. The only city in the state with that population is Jackson. Rep. Baker's bill goes on to describe a nine-member commission that would replace the municipal airport authority. The new "municipal-regional airport authority" would be made up of a representatives from 9 municipalities.

Rep. Baker's bill does not name municipalities; instead it uses 2010 Census figures to describe each separate municipality that would get representation on his proposed commission. Using 2010 Census numbers, the"municipal-regional airport authority" would be made up of one representative each from Jackson, Madison, Ridgeland, Flowood, Pearl and Brandon. There would be one Hinds County Board of Supervisors commissioner and two Rankin County Board of Supervisors commissioners if Baker's bill passes.

The bill was referred to the House Judiciary A Committee (which Rep. Baker chairs) and the House Ports, Harbors and Airports Committee.

"Church protection" would come with firearms if a House bill passes through the Legislature this session. Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, introduced the "Mississippi Church Protection Act" this week which would give churches legislative permission to create a "security program" that would designate certain members to carry weapons at church.

The bill would establish requirements for members of a church's security program. Members of a security program would be required to have firearms permits and go through an "instructional course in the safe handling and use of firearms." Any member of a church's security program would be immune from civil liability for any action taken while serving on the program.

The bill, HB786, was referred to the House Judiciary B Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Gipson.

So, what's going on with Columbus police? The Guardian has a report that police there have filed two different police reports for killing of Ball, who was African American. The Guardian reports:

*Since 26-year-old Ricky Ball was shot and killed by police in October, the black community in Columbus, Mississippi, has grappled with questions that don’t have clear answers.

Why did police shoot Ball that night? Why did a string of police officials resign in the months that followed? And why did police claim Ball stole a gun from a police officer’s home only after his death? Attempts to obtain police documents about the case have raised a new question: why did police release two different versions of events from the shooting?

Documents obtained by the Guardian show police altered a document labeled “uniform incident report” in Ball’s death. An initial version published by the Commercial Dispatch said an officer “tased” Ball before he fled. A new version of the incident report released to the Guardian does not include any mention of Taser use.

“One of these two reports is not true,” said Philip Broadhead, director of the criminal appeals clinic at the University of Mississippi law school. Broadhead said he’s never seen an incident report altered the way the document was in this case. “For police officers to offer up this type of information in the form of an incident report as sworn law officers … It’s a violation of their oath.”*

Also, an officer fired for the shooting filed a federal lawsuit over his firing yesterday. Read more here.

With only four council members present tonight, the bill passed 3-to-1, with Councilman De'Keither Stamps voted against it. Follow @jxnfreepress on Twitter for updates and read reporter Arielle Dreher's earlier story on the controversy for background on the controversy.

Story developing ...

David Banner, a Mississippi hip-hop artist, music producer and film actor, who got his start in here in Jackson, is bringing his "GodBox" lecture series to Jackson in March. Brad "Kamikaze" Franklin, who books events for the City of Jackson, announced the performance today on his Facebook page. Banner and Franklin started out as a hip-hop duo in the late 1990s.

Here is Franklin's post, verbatim:

Jackson! Gonna give you a heads up. The City of Jackson is about to bring you more ‪#‎dopeness‬ Tomorrow we will be announcing that on March 8th David Banner will be bringing his GodBox Lecture Series to Thalia Mara Hall. Tickets go on sale Thursday. And....The City of Jackson and XperienceJXN will join forces to bring you FLOETRY! Live May 14. Tickets go on sale tomorrow! More info tomorrow Welcome to the Entertainment Capital of MS!

Read a 2003 interview I did with David Banner, much earlier in both our careers.

Moe’s Southwest Grill, a fast casual Mexican restaurant chain with more than 600 locations around the United States, will soon be returning to Jackson.

Councilman Tyrone Hendrix is calling together some heavy hitters to discuss strategies for dealing with crime in South Jackson, this Thursday, February 11, 2016, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will take place in the cafeteria of Wingfield High School (1985 Scanlon Drive).

“The time to take action is now,” said Hendrix in a press release. “We must work collectively and engage in an open conversation to take a community-oriented approach to take back our communities.”

The panel for the discussion includes Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance, District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith, Hinds County Sherriff Victor Mason, and Creston Hills Watch Group President Johns Sledge.

The meeting, which is open to the public, is said to focus on developing strategies to combat crime, engaging local leaders in an open conversation about community-oriented solutions to crime and empowering residents to improve the safety of their neighborhoods.

Citizens, business owners, neighborhood association leaders, clergy, educators and others are encouraged to attend. For more information call Hendrix's office at 601-960-1089 or email [email protected].

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2016/feb/09/24509/

Mayor Tony Yarber of Jackson endorsed Hillary Clinton today, citing her awareness of the problems plaguing underserved cities.

The United Nations’ Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent visited Jackson in late January. Read a column by human-rights attorney Adofo Minka on the significance of their work. Here are the group's initial findings:

WASHINGTON D.C. (29 January 2016) - The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent thanks the Government of United States of America for its invitation to visit the country, from 19-29 January 2016, and for its cooperation. This visit is a follow up to the 2010 visit of the WGEPAD and includes other cities. We thank in particular the Department of State for arranging the visit and the local authorities who met with the Working Group during our visit to Washington D.C., Baltimore, Jackson-Mississippi, Chicago and New York City. We would like to give special thanks to the hundreds of civil society representative organizations, lawyers and individuals from the African American community for sharing their concerns and recommendations with our delegation. We also thank numerous human rights defenders and activists who reached out to us from other parts of the country that we could not visit.

The Working Group regrets that it did not receive access according to the terms of reference for special procedure mandate holders to visit Mississippi State Penitentiary Parchman. It also regrets that it was not possible to meet with all of the high level state and local level authorities requested.

The views expressed in this statement are of a preliminary nature, our findings and recommendations will be presented in our mission report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2016.

During the visit, the Working Group assessed the situation of African Americans and people of African descent and gathered information on the forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia and related intolerance that they face. We studied the official measures and mechanisms taken to prevent structural racial discrimination and protect victims of racism and hate crimes as well as responses to multiple forms of discrimination. The visit focused on both good practices and challenges faced in realising their human rights.

We welcome the work of the Civil Rights centers, in all Government departments, and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission that implement the Civil Rights legislation through investigation of complaints, litigation, issuance of guidance and remedies including compensation.

We also acknowledge the work of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division regarding access to justice, investigations of excessive use of force by the police and patterns of discrimination.

We welcome the recent steps taken by the Government to reform the criminal justice system and combat racial discrimination and disparities through the following initiatives:

• The Fair Sentencing Act.
• The Justice Department's "Smart on Crime" initiative.
• The report and recommendations of the Task Force on 21st Century Policing to strengthen community-police relationships across the country.
• The new Guidance for Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Regarding the Use of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, National Origin, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Or Gender Identity
• The Guidance for consideration …

Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber responded today to a bill proposed by Senator Josh Harkins of Rankin County designed to give the Governor control of a regional board that would oversee the Jackson airport; the airport is currently run by a board that is appointed by the mayor of Jackson and confirmed by the Jackson city council.

Out on the campaign trail, former Secretary of State and current presidential candidate Hillary Clinton mentioned Jackson in comments that included a discussion of the lead-contaminated water problems that Flint, Michigan is facing.

According to a piece today in Salon.com, Clinton jumped out in front of her rival Bernie Sanders in embracing Jackson's lead-contamination issues as campaign fodder.

"I was concerned to hear that tests of drinking water in Jackson, Mississippi, revealed elevated levels of lead in some homes," Clinton said.

Reflecting a subtext that Michigan GOP-led state government had taken over Flint's water system, creating the lead-contamination problem and responding slowly to calls to act, Clinton continued: "I’m heartened that Jackson city officials are taking the right steps to fix the problem, including repeated testing and openness with the results, so families can stay informed."

"As the emergency in Flint, Michigan, has made clear, cities and states must treat these situations with the utmost seriousness, and do everything in their power to ensure that families – especially children – have access to safe, clean drinking water. And we as a nation must make urgent investments to modernize our utilities and infrastructure, to keep families and communities safe and healthy," Salon quoted Clinton as saying.

Mayor Tony Yarber, in a statement quoted by WJTV, responded: "We appreciate the acknowledgment of the City’s proactive response and transparency in dealing with our water concerns. Secretary Clinton notes that this appears to be a home-dependent issue. The results are pending on the second round of testing, but we must reiterate that our City’s water system is in compliance and our drinking water is safe. We will continue to keep the public informed."

Yarber went on, perhaps in an effort to make sure a potential future president of the United States heard about Jackson's infrastructure funding woes: "Serious concern has been expressed about the $540 billion funding gap that exists for water infrastructure in this country. That concern needs to be followed with a serious federal funding plan that invests more money in grant programs, particularly for disadvantaged communities.”