JACKSON, Miss.—South Jackson residents are organizing over what they say has been a lack of municipal investment in their neighborhoods and a decline in their quality of life in recent years, they said during a July 18, 2024, meeting at the Peggy Calhoun Community Center on Willowwood Boulevard.
“Our leadership has failed us,” Earnest Ward, a long time resident and president of the Association of South Jackson Neighborhoods, said during the meeting.
About 50 residents attended the ASJN meeting, where Ward gave an impassioned speech urging them to be vocal about issues plaguing their neighborhoods.
Attorney Mike Brown said in a statement to the Mississippi Free Press on July 19, 2024, that The Michael R. Brown Law Offices, PLLC, sent the above letter to Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba on July 10, 2024. Letter courtesy of Michael R. Brown Law Offices ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jones-S-Ltr-to-Mayor-Chokwe-Lumumba-7.10.24_courtesy-of-Michael-R.-Brown-Law-Offices.jpg?fit=232%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jones-S-Ltr-to-Mayor-Chokwe-Lumumba-7.10.24_courtesy-of-Michael-R.-Brown-Law-Offices.jpg?fit=780%2C1010&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button” src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jones-S-Ltr-to-Mayor-Chokwe-Lumumba-7.10.24_courtesy-of-Michael-R.-Brown-Law-Offices.jpg?resize=780%2C1010&ssl=1″ alt class=”wp-image-44981″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jones-S-Ltr-to-Mayor-Chokwe-Lumumba-7.10.24_courtesy-of-Michael-R.-Brown-Law-Offices.jpg?resize=791%2C1024&ssl=1 791w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jones-S-Ltr-to-Mayor-Chokwe-Lumumba-7.10.24_courtesy-of-Michael-R.-Brown-Law-Offices.jpg?resize=232%2C300&ssl=1 232w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jones-S-Ltr-to-Mayor-Chokwe-Lumumba-7.10.24_courtesy-of-Michael-R.-Brown-Law-Offices.jpg?resize=768%2C994&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jones-S-Ltr-to-Mayor-Chokwe-Lumumba-7.10.24_courtesy-of-Michael-R.-Brown-Law-Offices.jpg?resize=400%2C518&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jones-S-Ltr-to-Mayor-Chokwe-Lumumba-7.10.24_courtesy-of-Michael-R.-Brown-Law-Offices.jpg?w=927&ssl=1 927w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jones-S-Ltr-to-Mayor-Chokwe-Lumumba-7.10.24_courtesy-of-Michael-R.-Brown-Law-Offices-791×1024.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w” sizes=”(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>Attorney Mike Brown said in a statement to the Mississippi Free Press on July 19, 2024, that The Michael R. Brown Law Offices, PLLC, sent the above letter to Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba on July 10, 2024. Letter courtesy of Michael R. Brown Law Offices
Tim Henderson, a 2024 candidate for the Jackson mayoral seat, was one of those in attendance.
Despite paying taxes, Ward said, residents do not believe they are receiving adequate municipal services. “We are not getting the quality of life we’re supposed to get. What y’all gonna do?” Ward asked the crowd gathered on a Thursday night. “Are you going to continue to stay silent?”
During the meeting, he cited a lack of investment from the 1% sales tax, lackluster code enforcement of city ordinances, a desire for increased police presence, and ongoing issues with water and sewer services as some of the problems.
While residents across the capital city have grappled with issues like crime, fires at abandoned properties, illegal dumping and decline in population, problems have been particularly persistent in some South Jackson
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