JFP Editor Donna Ladd writes about Mayor Frank Meltonโs shenanigans for Reason Magazine. The piece starts:
Last September, my newspaper reported that on August 26, 2006, Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Frank Melton had taken an entourage of police officers and teenagers (some with criminal records) to a duplex in a poor neighborhood. Stating that the duplex was home to drug dealers, Mayor Melton then directed the odd mix of cops and teenagers to destroy the house with sledgehammers.
Strange as it may seem, none of this surprised us. This is just our mayorืFrank,โ as the former television executive and ousted director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics insists that everyone call him. Most people, including a doting mainstream media, do.
Previous Comments
Mr. Frank Melton is a true American Hero. His direct approach caused no harm and if it did, it was far outweighed by good with his actions. I remember passing through Jackson coming home from the Army at Benning. That place was from a different planet. I reside in sunny california currently. Mr. Frank Melton may be the best thing that could happen to Jackson. His wife is a pediatrician. Through that, Frank probably hears his fair share of child abuse cases. I read that some of the teenagers involved had records of crimes in their past. What the heck does that have to do with anything. Mr. Melton is an excellent role model for a young man who wants to pro actively change a pretty bad place to begin with. There is so much red tape and wasted time and money to go through processes, what was the sense in doing what Frank did any other way? Frank is only one man, who cares tremendously for his city and especially for it’s families. Mr. Frank Melton is a special person who actually has the time and fortitude to do something to help his fellow citizens. Frank Melton for President, a true American Hero!
#143415 | Author: melton4president | Date: Feb 9 2009
Apparently, you don’t live in Jackson to know what all Frank Melton has done, and basically, he’s not all that he’s cracked up to be. The best thing to happen to Jackson? The crime has soared since he’s been in office and the streets are terrible, among other things. Also, what Frank Melton did was a crime! If you and I did it, we’d be arrested too. He is not above the law. If you like what he did, fine. That’s your opinion. But when the government comes knocking down your house because of the suspicion of drugs (and not having proved that you have it), then don’t come running to me.
#143422 | Author: golden eagle | Date: Feb 9 2009
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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 Mississippiโs 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.
