| JFP Mobile | Jackson, Mississippi

Only Black People Prosecuted Under Mississippi Gang Law Since 2010

In the lead-up to this year's legislative session in Mississippi, supporters of a tougher gang law in the state talked a lot about the need to arrest white people. But in an ironic twist, the Jackson Free Press has learned that everyone arrested under the existing gang law from 2010 through 2017 were African American.

EDITORIAL: Mayor, JPD, Get on Same Page About Officer Shootings

When it comes to police transparency, Jackson is on a volatile tectonic plate that could cause tremors at any moment. Especially when City officials are the ones off-kilter and inconsistent.

Celebrating the Life of a Man JPD Killed

In Jackson, no one has taken to the streets for any of the last seven officer-involved shootings since Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba took office in July 2017 with none of the officers involved identified to date.

Michael Farris Smith

Author Michael Farris Smith's latest thriller, "The Fighter," hit shelves on March 20. He began working on the novel shortly after finishing his critically acclaimed third book, 2017's "Desperation Road."

EDITORIAL: Public Officials, Get Facts Straight on Project EJECT

There are two sides to the proverbial Project EJECT coin: what the public hears and what actually happens.

Oh, the Places You'll Go: Project EJECT Expels Gun Offenders to Faraway Prisons

U.S. Attorney Michael Hurst has charged 35 people since he first announced the anti-crime initiative Project EJECT in late 2017.

EDITOR'S NOTE: All Those Crazy Jackson Ideas

When Mississippi Arts Commission Executive Director Malcolm White first moved to Jackson in 1979, he said it was a fairly straight-laced city where people went to work, church, school and raised their kids, but they would go out of town to do anything fun. He didn't like that, so he set out to change it.

Inside JPD’s Use-of-Force Policy: Public Trust vs. Officer Safety

Lately Tetrina Blalock has been reconnecting with family members she has not seen in a while. Losing her cousin brought them together.

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

UPDATED:After 7 Shootings, JPD Still Shields Officers

Lee Edward Bonner, 37, died after a Jackson police officer shot him on Feb. 21 in west Jackson. His family says it was "an overkill," while the City released scant information painting Bonner as the instigator of a shoot-out during a drug investigation gone awry.

Number of JPD Officer-Involved Shootings Keeps Growing

With two deadly officer-involved shootings in the first two months of 2018, public scrutiny has grown over the Jackson Police Department's use-of-force policy and its decision to withhold officers' names until they complete an internal investigation, a criminal investigation and a Hinds County grand jury returns an indictment—a process that can take at least a year.

OPINION: Art and Politics in Mississippi

This is a state justly proud of its contributions to the nation's musical, literary and artistic heritage.

Sampling Jackson

Kreskin Torres pulls up a photo of a dish at 1693 Red Zone Grill on his phone: grilled fish and shrimp in a crawfish sauce on a bed of Cajun rice. "You see what I had to deal with?" Torres jokes.

Bill: Let People Sue Over Gun-Carry Bans on Public Property

Mississippi residents with a certain type of gun license could sue governments under a bill passed Wednesday by the House.

Funding the ‘School Choice’ Lobby

In just one year, the Mississippi Legislature has gone from slightly tweaking its voucher program for students with dyslexia to a push to allow any public-school student to apply for a taxpayer-funded voucher to use at a private school.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Show Love for the Local

Each year, on the week of Feb. 14, we party like it's every couple's wedding or dating anniversary on the exact same day. Before February even rolled around, I started getting emails from Amazon and all other manner of online market touting sales on a special something for my special someone.

Best of Jackson 2018: People

We here at the Jackson Free Press like to keep our focus on local: local people, local business, local food--you get the idea. There's nothing to us more local than Best of Jackson. We're officially in our 16th award season. Here is who you voted as the best local people, places, food and more.

Hinds County Sheriff Victor Mason to Employees: 'Get out of My Way'

Hinds County Sheriff Victor Mason wrote a memo to his employees Thursday basically saying they need to get on board with his leadership or "get out of my way." In a departmental memo dated Jan. 18, 2018, Mason called out "dissenters" in his office, while praising his own leadership to date.

Free Admission to 2 Museums in Honor of MLK Day Through Tuesday

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the second annual National Day of Racial Healing, Mississippians can enjoy the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History on Monday, Jan. 15, and Tuesday, Jan. 16, free of charge.

Southern States Join to Promote Civil Rights Tourism

Southern states that once fought to maintain racial segregation are now banding together to promote civil rights tourism at sites including the building where the Confederacy was born and the motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died.

All results / Stories

Sort By

Date

Authors