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Lumumba says he has asked without success for 'millions upon millions' for JPD

Jackson mayor urges taking 'expansive view' of what public safety looks like
Scott Simmons
Weekend Anchor/Reporter
Angela Williams
Digital Media Manager
Lumumba says he has asked without success for 'millions upon millions' for JPD

Jackson mayor urges taking 'expansive view' of what public safety looks like

WE HAVE THE MAYOR WASTED LITTLE TIME RESPONDING TO CRITICISM FROM THE STATE AND THE GOVERNOR ABOUT THE CITY’S NEED FOR MORE POLICE AND CMERI FIGHTING EFFORTS. HE SAYS WHEN HE WAS TALKING ABOUT JACKSON BEING SAFE. HE SAID HE WAS TALKING ABOUT MASS GATHERINGS IN JACKSON AS A WHOLE. I POINTED TO THE FACT THAT WE HAD NO CONTROL OVER WHAT HAPPENED AT THE STATE FAIRGROUNDS. ATTH BY AND LARGE, WE FEEL THAT THAT IS MORE THE EXCEPTION THAN THE RULE IN THE CITY OF JACKSON. AND WE ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHED MANY, MANY LARGE GATHERINGS IN ETH CITY OF JACKSON. AND WE THINK THAT WE CAN SAFELY DO SO. THE JACKSON MAYOR FIRING BACK AFTER A MASS SHOOTING INCIDENT AT THE STATE FAIRGROUND. AND TAKINGIM A AT CRITICISM FROM THE GOVERNOR ABOUT JACKSON’S NEED FOR MORPOE LICE OFFICERS. HE ALSO STEDAT AT THE STATE AND CITY COUNCIL HAVE REPEATEDLY TURNED DOWN HIS REQUEST FOR MORE POLICE OFFICERS FUNDING AND EQUIPMENT. WE’VE ALSO, IN SPITE OF ASKING FOR MONEY YEAR AFTER YEAR, TO HELP SUPPORT OUR EFFTSOR OF FIGHNGTI CRIME, WE FIRST ASKED FOR IT AS IT PERTAINS TO CAMERAS, REAL TIMERIME C CENTER. NOW WE SEE THAT THETA STE IS TRYING TO DO IT, THE FAIRGROUNDS TRNGYI TO CREATE THEIR OWN REAL TIME CMERI CENTER. WHAT AN INGENIOUS EAID WE CERTAINLY LIKE IT, BUT WE WERE TURNED DOWN FOR THAT. THE CITY HAS 52 HOMICIDES AS OF MONDAY AFTERNOON AND IS NOW LOOKING AT THE POSSIBILITY OF A NEW TEEN CURFEW AND A FACILITY TOOT N ONLY HOLD THEM, BUT COUNSEL THEM. THE MAYOR SAYS THE CITY WILL CONTINUE ITS ROLLING ROADBLOCK, CHECKS AND ATTEMPTS TO HIRE POLICE OFFICERS FOR THE CITY’S VIOLENCE. PROBLEM IS NOT AN EASY FIX. WHEN SOMEONEEC DIDES TO KILL THR EILOVED ONES IN THEIR HOUSE, ETH ROADBLOCK CAN’T STOP THEM. RIGHT? I THINK THAT THAT ONE THING WE SHOULD ALL BE ABLE TO AGREE ON IS THAT FOR WHATEREV REASON, THERE’ANS OVERSATURATION OF GUNS IN OUR COMMUNYIT AND THEY ARE IN THE HANDS OF ETH WRONG PEOPLE. THE STATE AND LAWMAKERS DID APPROVE A BIG INVESTMENT IN MORE JUDGES. ECSPIAL PROSECUTORS AND CAPITOL POLICE OFFICERS HERE IN THE CAPITAL CITY. THE MAYOR SAYS THE CITY IS STILL IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO WORK OUT THE DETAILS. THE TAKE CONTROL OF A MISDEMEANOR FACILITY HERE IN THE CITY OF JACKSO
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Lumumba says he has asked without success for 'millions upon millions' for JPD

Jackson mayor urges taking 'expansive view' of what public safety looks like
Scott Simmons
Weekend Anchor/Reporter
Angela Williams
Digital Media Manager
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said his administration has offered a number of ways to combat crime in Jackson, and he will keep doing so.Lumumba said he's proposed raises for Jackson police officers to help with recruiting. He's asked for more money for violence interruption programs."We've asked for millions upon millions of dollars and the city of Jackson's police department has not received any of it," Lumumba said. "Did we stop there? No. We went to the National League of Cities, who has no responsibility like the state does to our residents, has given us nearly $1 million in order to stand up programming to interrupt the cycle amongst the demographic we're seeing the greatest and sharpest rise in violence in our community and that's amongst some of our younger residents. We want to interrupt that."The mayor said he is exploring a teen curfew and a facility to not only hold young people, but work with them. The mayor said the city is also offering a film camp and a summer job program to give young people an alternative."I think that we have to have an expansive view as to what public safety looks like. Yes, as I said, we do need to pay officers, right? I told you what our solution was for that, but also need to engage young people," Lumumba said. "Give them events to go to. An idle mind is the devil's workshop. If you don't have anything for a young person to do, if you're not organizing the block, then somebody's going to organize the block for you."Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed several state allocations of cash recently, saying the city of Jackson should spend more money on crime-fighting and water, rather than a planetarium and golf courses. The state did fund several new prosecutors and an extra judge for the Hinds County Judicial District.The mayor was also asked during Monday's media briefing what he thought about the Jackson City Council voting against funding fireworks for the Juneteenth celebration. "I think it's also important that we look at the statement that we're making in a city that is 85% Black, in a nation that just declared Juneteenth as a national holiday, for us to fail to celebrate Juneteenth. That is problematic," Lumumba said.
JACKSON, Miss. —

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said his administration has offered a number of ways to combat crime in Jackson, and he will keep doing so.

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Lumumba said he's proposed raises for Jackson police officers to help with recruiting. He's asked for more money for violence interruption programs.

"We've asked for millions upon millions of dollars and the city of Jackson's police department has not received any of it," Lumumba said. "Did we stop there? No. We went to the National League of Cities, who has no responsibility like the state does to our residents, has given us nearly $1 million in order to stand up programming to interrupt the cycle amongst the demographic we're seeing the greatest and sharpest rise in violence in our community and that's amongst some of our younger residents. We want to interrupt that."

The mayor said he is exploring a teen curfew and a facility to not only hold young people, but work with them. The mayor said the city is also offering a film camp and a summer job program to give young people an alternative.

"I think that we have to have an expansive view as to what public safety looks like. Yes, as I said, we do need to pay officers, right? I told you what our solution was for that, but also need to engage young people," Lumumba said. "Give them events to go to. An idle mind is the devil's workshop. If you don't have anything for a young person to do, if you're not organizing the block, then somebody's going to organize the block for you."

Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed several state allocations of cash recently, saying the city of Jackson should spend more money on crime-fighting and water, rather than a planetarium and golf courses. The state did fund several new prosecutors and an extra judge for the Hinds County Judicial District.

The mayor was also asked during Monday's media briefing what he thought about the Jackson City Council voting against funding fireworks for the Juneteenth celebration.

"I think it's also important that we look at the statement that we're making in a city that is 85% Black, in a nation that just declared Juneteenth as a national holiday, for us to fail to celebrate Juneteenth. That is problematic," Lumumba said.