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The city issued a press release today announcing that Mayor Frank Melton will begin a โ€œseries of overnight visitsโ€ with members of the community to โ€œsee first hand living conditions experienced by citizens in each neighborhood.โ€ Melton will share his first โ€œevening of fellowshipโ€ with the Austin family at Brotherhood Homes tonight at 6 p.m.

Previous Comments

Arrgg… Brian beat me to it! My headline was going to be: “Hide the Children – Melton’s Back!” Who the heck thinks of this stuff? Who with the Hinds Co. court system is going to ensure that no children will be present? Is he having parents with children sign a waiver saying it is “OK” with them if Melton is present around their children? Thus, Melton is again thumbing his nose at the law and legal system.


Are we all invited?


Ya’ll all feel free to come up with your own headlines. We’ll run a list of them in the paper. You can’t make this stuff up.


Does anyone else feel anything… just… squicky… about this?


I just hope someone is looking out for the man. He really needs people around him who care enough about him and his problems to tell him when he’s acting crazy.


I don’t have room for Recio and Wright, can Melton still come stay at my house? I think he’s been watching a little too much “Supernanny” on TV!


Those poor families.. won’t be able to get any sleep with Melton and his thugs hanging out all night – or just from the fear of being beaten and their homes tore down with sledgehammers.


Melton’s not coming to my house and if he trys I may have to exercise my rights under the newly enacted “castle doctrine.” I think a good headline for these overnight visits by Melton would be: “Thriller” but only if children are present. (Yes, I know, stupid Michael Jackson reference to Melton)


How about “Are you F’ing kidding me?!” “All Jackson’s problems are solved, Mayor now holding sleepovers” “Melton tops himslef on insane actions” “Just when you thought 2007 couldn’t be stranger than 2006”


Don’t hold back, AGamm. ๐Ÿ˜‰


think a good headline for these overnight visits by Melton would be: “Thriller” but only if children are present. (Yes, I know, stupid Michael Jackson reference to Melton) Shaun I think if he came to my house “Beat It” would be more appropriate! Or like this lastest idea of his to sleep over: “Bad”


“Melton’s Big Adventure” Well… might need to save this headline for when he is sent to the big house.


Well, if we are going to use Michael Jackson song titles, don’t miss the obvious one: “Off the Wall”….’cause Frank has totally fallen off of it. Could anyone but a crazy man come up with this stunt? It has gone from bad to unbelievable to surreal in Jackson.


I.. I just don’t.. Sigh…. Hm…. Three words: Mental.Heath Professional. Maybe Marshall Ramsey could do Melton in pj’s with the empty gun holsters on his side.


Just got in from the Sugar Bowl. are you people serious or are you guys writing a parody for a news story?


“Black & Nerdy”? Weird Al’s new hit?


Fish, I wish this was nothing more than an imaginary story, or one of Stiggers parodies. Maybe Melton is just lonely since he can’t have sleepovers with his “boyz” at 2 Carters Grove anymore. Personally, I’d have much preferred Ed McMahon knocking at my door over Frank Melton. Spread the Love, Frank, Spread the Love.


Spread the love, Frank: just… not… HERE. ๐Ÿ™‚


Melton previously tears up homes but not on the Roam in Homes!!!


Melton previously tears up homes now on the Roam in Homes!


My headliner is: “THE BUS STOPS HERE” I also have a song:(Sing it In the tune of “You’re Undecided Now) – OLD SCHOOL First you need a hug, I say you don’t; Then you need my bed I thought you won’t. You’re undecided now So, what are you going to do? On a more serious note, melton spent the night in the home of a 21 year old who must be clasified as a “vulnerable adult.” She lives in a roach infested apartment with exposed water heater and electrical wires. I don’t mean to get ugly this am but I am getting pretty fed up with women who pretend to be stupid and are willing to put their kids at risk for the sake of a little attention and a few bucks. Where is the public outcry? Where is the public outrage? Where are the judges and the Attorney General. This man is suppose to be on probation and children were taken away from his residence. Why in the hell would anyone allow a person with so much negative history allow for such a thing. This parent will someday show up on Opra saying that she didn’t know. I am here today to say that this community knows and we can not continue with that ostrich talent of burying our heads in the sand. Everyone and everything will suffer. We continue to see the proof of this.


Melton in the HOME; But you can’t be there if your’re GROWN.


I wonder if he will have one of those adult alarms like Michael Jackson did.


Over the holidays, I went to visit my Aunt. She had made a gingerbread house for her grandkids. I noticed that there was a big hole in one of the walls, and asked my cousin what happened to it. He said, “Melton thought it was a crackhouse.”


“8’s Enough?”


GLB, you are wrong for that. I can’t stop laughing!!!!!!!!!!!


GLB: but you should’ve added: “the reason why there are not more holes is because Melton never finishes what he starts”


What’s up with this? This Jane Byrne, ex-mayor of Chicago, Oprah Winfrey and Frank Melton task of hanging in the ghettoes for a moment just doesn’t do anything for me! After all, all of them did all they could to not have to live this way. And they’re working like hell to make sure they never fall this far back to really know what it feels like to be really poor again. Anyway, I suspect Frank needed a shot of motivation from something and too feel like he has something to fight for or against. What better place to get this from than po’ folks. Wouldn’t the time be better spent trying to figure out ingenious, creative and new ways to get the people out or improve the places they live? He will be too glad to return to 2 Carter’s Grove or wherever he lives. I hope he’s not trying to prove that anyone despite their circumstances and being alone and without help can become rich like him. Otherwise, I know of no better way to prove it than give away everything he has and make himself rich again without any of advantages the rich and well to do gave him. Indeed I believe Frank cares about children and the poor, but I don’t believe he has a single new or workable idea about how to help them. Or help himself I might add. He needs some brillant staffers with creative and new ideas.


It’s, uh, public relations, Rayโ€”but you know that. Or call it: “Public Relations for Dummies,” because it’s not going to work on anyone with half a brain.


I have no words…. This is just absolutely….yep, I have NO WORDS.


one of our Presidents did these home visits. Was it Clinton?


Yeah, Donna, you snapped me out of a fog. It’s absolutely about public relations. And probably beyond any generosity to others. The intent and purpose just might be personal in nature.


Mayor “Bahamas Pajamas…” overnight sleepwear!! http://www.acaciacatalog.com/product.asp?pn=50421&Bahamas+Pajamas+&bhcd2=1167934263


Cliff Cargill, go to your room and close the door. You have run out on this one or at least my GMother would say so. Those PJs cost $59.00/pair. I’m sure we can sleep cheaper than that. Has anyone checked Wal-Mart or Family Dollar?


Here is something cheaper: Click Here


Ha-ha… justjess we ARE talking about “HizHonor” here… Damn Fish! Those look like some crime fightin’ pj’s to me.


Mr Cargill: and if you look through the site you will find they even have accessories for them.


Here is the video from WAPT about Melton’s overnight visit. They go out of their way to say that Melton did not ride in the mobile command vehicle – which came along for the overnight visit! Wink, wink, I’m sure Shirley “ordered” that Melton have a full court press police escort for this venture. I guess we needed to have two cop cars and the mobile commander center so Melton could go spend the night at someones home? WTF is that? Also, children were present in the home. I’m sure the mother of 4 welcomed Melton; but, he is clearly flaunting the terms of his bond and wasting our money. I guess he never got close to the “people” while down at the YMCA on Farish all these years? Now he NEEDS to get out amoung the people to see how they live. Whatever! I got a question? What happened after the cameras stop rolling? Where did Melton sleep if this lady lived in a small apartment with 4 children?


I just think when it comes to pre-pubescent boys as far a Frank Melton is concerned (just like Michael Jackson) it doesn’t matter whether they are “black or white.” Let Frank have is “PJ” parties, I mean can this city get more messed up? Apparently we as citizens will sit idly by while this man makes a complete joke of our existnece as residents of this city.


Who is bringing the Jesus Juice?


Um…….can anyone say bond revocation hearing????? Frank Melton clearly violated his bond by spending the night in the presence of minors (and I assume he is planning to do it several more times). He should be held accountable. Any predictions or inside information on whether or not there will be a hearing?


Yup! Haul him into jail Malcolm – if it doesn’t hurt your re-election now that Melton’s boy is running too.


Cliff Cargil said… Maybe Marshall Ramsey could do Melton in pj’s with the empty gun holsters on his side. He came close! No empty holsters, but Marshall nailed it as usual! He’s the only good thing to come to the C-L in a long time.


And, Cliff, I know your last name has two L’s. Tell that to my fungers this morning. I’m sorry…


Now Shaun, Michael did have discriminating taste albeit bad taste since children were involved. As far as I know he never liked little black boys. All of his victims were off another persuasion. Had he liked little black boys he would have remained black. He certainly wouldn’t have become the white woman he is now according to many black comedians. No disrespect or ill intentions are meant toward white women by this. Terrible joke. Forgive me.


I think Michael wants to be white and prepubescent, not white and female. Ray, I’m sure you’ve heard the joke. A little boy asks his mother: Mama, is God black or white? She thinks about it a minute, then says God is both black and white. The next day he asks his mother: Mama, is God a boy or a girl? She thinks about it a minute, then says God is both a boy and a girl. The boy asks: Mama, is God Michael Jackson? Cheers, TH


Hadn’t heard it yet, Tom.

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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 Mississippiโ€™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.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.