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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

To view breaking stories about the arrest of Frank Melton, please see the JFP’s breaking-news NoiseBlog. Those Melton entries will be archived here at a later day, so please booklink the MeltonBlog as well for future use.

Previous Comments

Hands Off Honorable Frank Melton Melton is not a criminal, Arrest criminals

#126249 | Author: bjluchion | Date: Mar 10 2007

The question is whether or not Mr. Melton is above the law. A few of us believe that Mr. Melton should not be excused from the everyday demands of the law. Sure his heart is in the right place, but this warm, fuzzy goodness can’t excuse his flippant attitude toward the populace. The Mayor of Jackson isn’t a dictator and must not behave as one. Good intentions are not enough.

#126250 | Author: tombarnes | Date: Mar 10 2007

Well, he is a criminal if he commits a crime. He’s already pled to three crimes. Therefore … You don’t fight crime by becoming a criminal.

#126251 | Author: DonnaLadd | Date: Mar 10 2007

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.

Founding Editor Donna Ladd is a writer, journalist and editor from Philadelphia, Miss., a graduate of Mississippi State University and later the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she was an alumni award recipient in 2021. She writes about racism/whiteness, poverty, gender, violence, journalism and the criminal justice system. She contributes long-form features and essays to The Guardian when she has time, and was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press. She co-founded the statewide nonprofit Mississippi Free Press with Kimberly Griffin in March 2020, and the Mississippi Business Journal named her one of the state's top CEOs in 2024. Read more at donnaladd.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @donnerkay and email her at donna@mississippifreepress.org.