V14n40 - Junior Jail

vol. 14 no. 40

FREE

June 8 - 14, 2016 | daily news at jfp.ms

Yarber, Council At Odds Summers, Jr., pp 7-8

Ali’s Legacy McInnis, p 12

Pizza, Barbecue, Oh My! Matthews, p 24

JUNIOR

JAIL

Surviving Mississippi’s Juvenile Justice System Dreher, Miller pp 15 - 22

JFP ONE-ON-ONE

with Mayor Tony Yarber Open to the Public

Monday, June 20 Millsaps College, Gertrude C. Ford Academic Complex 5:45 p.m. seating; Discussion 6 - 7pm

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

(discussion will be filmed so early arrival is encouraged) Join us for complimentary wine, beer, soft drinks and light snacks after the discussion.

2

Jackson Free Press Editor-in-Chief Donna Ladd sits down with Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber for a one-on-one discussion seeking solutions to violence and crime in underserved communities. This discussion will go deep into the issues Donna has explored in her recent reporting for the JFP. (jfp.ms/preventingviolence)

Imani Khayyam

JACKSONIAN Kelsey Kitch

M

ississippi may be getting a bad rap right now, but that doesn’t stop people like Kelsey Kitch from doing everything they can to promote the state.

Kitch, 24, is a digital media coordinator at Visit Mississippi. The Gulfport native moved to Clinton six and a half years ago to attend Mississippi College and then to Jackson during her senior year in 2013. She received a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2014.

“(This area) is different from the coast, but this is where I’ve become an adult, I guess, so it’s kind of become my city,” she says.

Kitch says she took a lot of writing courses in her first year at MC but ultimately decided to get a communications degree because she felt it would be more marketable than an English degree, and she likes writing non-fiction.

“(Writing) helps you think out why you think things,” she says. “It forces you to think through an issue or a topic.”

After graduation, Kitch started as a public-relations strategist at The Cirlot Agency. She worked there for about a year and a half before starting her position at Visit Mississippi.

“I wanted to hone in and be a little more specific with my skills and focus on the digital realm,” she says. “(Visit Mississippi) is more centralized. … Now, I just focus on marketing Mississippi as a destination. It’s a little easier to keep focused on what your task is at hand, and there’s a lot to market and promote.”

contents

Even through the current political environment, she says that Mississippi is still a great state and a wonderful place to visit.

“There are a lot of great people here, and we have a lot of great stuff to come and see,” she says. “We’re aware of the legislation and things that are happening, but we’re still trying to promote the best parts of Mississippi and the people and how great our state is, and kind of showing some of the unknown or showcasing the people and diversity in different ways.”

As a digital media coordinator, Kitch handles a variety of tasks in relation to social media, blogging, digital advertising and photography when she travels to different communities around the state. Before her job at the organization, she says she hadn’t had much of a chance to explore north Mississippi. She says it’s been fun to learn more about places such as the Delta, Oxford and Corinth, and help communities promote themselves.

Her favorite place she has visited is Water Valley. She likes to crochet, and the city has a textile shop, YaloRUN Textiles, where people can attend quilting workshops and dye their own yarn and fabric. She also named Yalobusha Brewing Company and The B.T.C. Old Fashioned Grocery as reasons she likes the city.

When she’s not working or crocheting, she enjoys traveling and helping out with the nonprofit Big House Books, which sends books to prisoners in Mississippi.

—Amber Helsel

cover photo of Alonté Davis Anderson

by Imani Khayyam

10 Bilingual Inclusion

The Mississippi School for the Deaf prepares its students for the hearing world in a deaf-inclusive environment.

23 A Call for Wedding Dresses

Lashanda Brumfield, who owns Sassy Classy Curvy Bridal Outlet, says through her work as a wedding coordinator, she discovered that she had a passion for helping brides pick out their dresses.

27 In an ‘Artistic Depression’ “The thing that most rings true about Kincaid throughout ‘Artistic Depression’ is that he clearly created a piece of work that he’s passionate about, and it shows.”

—Micah Smith, “‘Artistic Depression’ Impresses”

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

4 ............................. Editor’s Note 6 ............................................ Talks 12 ................................. editorial 13 ..................................... opinion 15 ............................. Cover Story 23 ..................................... HITCHED 24 .......................................... food 25 ........................................ 8 Days 26 ....................................... Events 26 ...................................... sports 27 ........................................ music 27 ........................ music listings 29 ..................................... Puzzles 31 ........................................ astro 31 .............................. Classifieds

Sneakerboxx Photography; Imani Khayyam; Imani Khayyam

June 8 - 14, 2016 | Vol. 14 No. 40

3

editor’s note

by Maya Miller, Deputy News Editor

Stand With Victims of Sexual Violence

O

n the one day a week that I’m allowed to sleep past noon, I woke before dawn to a flurry of Facebook shares of one victim’s soulrattling letter to her attacker. With one eye closed, I squinted at my bright cell-phone screen as I read the opening line, “You don’t know me, but you’ve been inside me, and that’s why we’re here today,” and immediately dove into one of the darkest places I think I’ve been in a while.

The victim of the Stanford attack wrote almost 8,000 words pouring out all of her emotions, from rage to fear to hatred, to depression and anxiety, which she read to her attacker, Brock Turner, in court. I say his name and not his accolades because I feel that once you’re a rapist, a person who now has to spend his life as a sexual offender, a person who has assaulted someone, you are not allowed to shrug it off as something that just happened. A victim can’t remove the pain and the trauma, nor the emotional damage that now resides within them like a black void that consumes them every waking moment.

So why should the person who put them there be allowed to continue living as though they have done no wrong?

I lay in bed, reading her letter to Turner, and felt the tears streaming down my face into my ears as she recounted, in chilling detail, all that she can remember from that night and what happened after two graduate students caught him on top of her unconscious body behind a dumpster. Reading her letter, I felt a chasm forming in my chest, enough for me to put my phone down and remind myself to breathe. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath until my lungs began to scream at me for air.

I sat in the first rays of dawn and felt so much for this woman that I don’t know, this woman who only went to a party to spend time with her sister, a woman who

just happened to drink maybe a little too much alcohol, a woman who didn’t know that a young freshman was preying on her, a woman who had to stand in front of a man she did not know and prove to the judge, a prosecutor, her assailant’s family and the world that he is a rapist.

It’s painful and disheartening to know that there are people out there who are ready and willing to vilify her, to use her actions to discredit her, to make her own body a

there who are rapists but don’t think that they are because people have told them that it’s OK, that if she drank too much you can do what you want to her. That if she said yes once that means yes every time. That if you’re married, your spouse owes you this, and you are free to take it. There are people who allow rapists and abusers to use our bodies because they feel like it’s not a big deal if he repents or feels real bad about it.

There are even people who support women

As a young woman, I’m always aware that in any given day, my humanity can be stripped away by someone seeking to hurt me. weapon against her.

There are people who will say that he’s just a kid. She was drinking too much. She asked for it. Even the judge, in delivering Turner’s sentence, pointed out that a harsher sentence would “have a severe impact on him.” His own father, Dan, wrote his own letter and said that “That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.”

Turner could have served up to 14 years for his crime, but instead, he will only spend six months behind bars and get three years of probation. He gets six months for sexual assault, when this young woman will be affected for the rest of her life.

There’s a whole subset of people who believe that they’re morally right, but completely condone what he did or what other people have done. There are people out

who have been sexually assaulted or abused but completely disregard men who are victims too. These people, these ignorant, vomit-inducing sympathizers are one of the reasons victims don’t speak up about their assault and abuse, myself included.

I know what it’s like to not be able to share these horrible things that were done to me, to feel utterly worthless and used.

I’ve long gotten over the feeling of wanting to shed my skin and throw away my body, and I commend this young woman for looking her rapist in the face and telling him all of these things that many victims aren’t able to.

As a young woman, I’m always aware that in any given day, my humanity can be stripped away by someone seeking to hurt me. I’m careful about the people that I allow in my personal space, but even then, that’s

not enough if rapists aren’t held to stricter punishments and admonished collectively by society. Small things such as crude jokes and these exclusionary rules that say what does and doesn’t count as rape or assault feed into rape culture.

It took me almost being a senior in college to learn that if you feel violated in any way, then what happened was more than likely not OK. I’ve sat on the floor of my dorm room, more broken than I’d ever felt, with my best friend and college roommate as she prayed over me, and I’ve heard her story of being physically and verbally abused by her own high-school boyfriend. She experienced severe anxiety because of it.

I know too many instances of women being abused and assaulted and feeling like the system has thrown them to the side and silenced them. I’ve seen what happens when privilege buys you a way out (see Bill Cosby) for years, and these things feel like an attack on a person’s humanity, like someone saying “Oh, we recognize that you feel upset about what this person did to you, but it’s really not that big of a deal. Are you sure you aren’t just making this up? Well, why did this person think it was OK for them to do this—what were you wearing; were you drinking?”

The system has to be harder on those who use our bodies for their consumption to feel powerful. There must be stricter laws for sexual assault, and we must be willing to have conversations about rape, no matter how uncomfortable and painful they may be. And we must stand with victims, offer them support and tell them that we believe them. Too many people out there don’t, perpetuating a culture of violence without consequences and victims without justice.

Deputy News Editor Maya Miller is a Jackson State University graduate who writes about juvenile justice, mental health and people. Email her story ideas at maya@ jacksonfreepress.com.

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

contributors

4

Arielle Dreher

Sierra Mannie

Tim Summers Jr.

Danie Matthews

Amber Helsel

Micah Smith

Imani Khayyam

Kristin Brenemen

News Reporter Arielle Dreher is working on finding some new hobbies and adopting an otter from the Jackson Zoo. Email her story ideas at arielle@ jacksonfreepress.com. She cowrote the cover story on the juvenile-detenter center.

Education Reporting Fellow Sierra Mannie’s opinions of the Ancient Greeks can’t be trusted nearly as much as her opinions of Beyoncé. She wrote about the Mississippi School for the Deaf for this issue.

City Reporter Tim Summers Jr. enjoys loud live music, teaching his cat to fetch, long city council meetings and FOIA requests. Send him story ideas at tim@jacksonfreepress.com.

He wrote about Henley-Young and the mayor’s frustrations.

Freelance writer Danie Matthews is Mississippi College graduate. She’s a fan of conscious hip-hop, neo-soul and classic R&B, and hopes to one day become a full-time music writer. She wrote about Fondren Garage.

Assistant Editor Amber Helsel is a foodie-in-training and an artist. Her patronus charm is a cat. Email her story ideas at amber@jacksonfreepress. com. She wrote about Sassy Classy Curvy Bridal Outlet and directed the newsroom.

Music Editor Micah Smith is married to a great lady, has two dog-children named Kirby and Zelda, and plays in the band Empty Atlas. Send gig info to music@jacksonfreepress.com.

He reviewed Jackson rapper Ray Kincaid’s latest album.

Staff Photographer Imani Khayyam is an art lover and a native of Jackson. He loves to be behind the camera and capture the true essence of his subjects. He took the cover photo and many others.

Art Director Kristin Brenemen is an otaku with a penchant for dystopianism. She finally realized her goal of bringing the New Horizon Pluto flyby to life as a Punk Sailor Pluto! She designed much of the issue.

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“If we’re not promoting business that generates taxes and revenue and the ability for us to pay for services, like education, if we’re doing things to thwart revenue and taxes, what kind of sense does that make?”

Deaf and brilliant p 10

–Jackson developer Roy Decker on HB 1523’s impact on economic expansion in the state

Wednesday, June 1

Part of the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman goes back under lockdown only days after restrictions there had been lifted, due to contraband smuggling, assaults on staff members and security cameras being tampered with.

Henley-Young Must Release Kids After 21 Days; Some Disappearing?

by Tim Summers, Jr.

File photo / Trip Burns

Thursday, June 2

Mississippi State University announces that it will allow highly touted signee Jeffery Simmons to enroll in school and join the football team while facing misdemeanor assault charges for striking a woman during a fight in March. … A law enforcement official asays Prince died of an overdose of an opioid fentanyl.

Friday, June 3

Cleveland School District proposes combining its nearly all-black high school with a racially mixed school by the fall of 2017 to follow a federal court order in a longstanding desegregation case. …

Mayor Tony Yarber announces his campaign for another term for the first time publicly at the weekly Friday Forum at Koinonia Coffee House.

Saturday, June 4

Pope Francis scraps his proposed tribunal to prosecute bishops who covered up for pedophile priests and instead lays out legal procedures to remove them if the Vatican finds they were negligent.

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

Sunday, June 5

The Associated Press identifies more than 2,700 city police and county sheriff departments across the country that have not submitted a single hate-crime report for the FBI’s annual crime tally during the past six years.

6

Monday, June 6

Mississippi pastors, community leaders, activists and a Hattiesburg church file a federal lawsuit challenging House Bill 1523, the third legal challenge to the “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act.” …

Hillary Clinton captures commitments from the number of delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination.

Tuesday, June 7

State Auditor Stacey Pickering is called to active duty in the Mississippi Air National Guard in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Get breaking news at jfpdaily.com.

A consent-decree agreement in federal court between the Hinds County Board of Supervisors and several plaintiffs, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, mandates that the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center release juveniles after 21 days, a requirement Youth Court Judge William Skinner is fighting in court.

O

ut of three children released under the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center’s recent policy of not detaining young people after 21 days, one is missing, one is back in custody, and the third was released without treatment, Youth Court Judge William Skinner says.

Skinner cited these instances, along with the “irreparable harm” that could come to the children released, as evidence that the court should grant his motion to intervene against new requirements placed on how long his court could place a child into custody at Henley-Young. A

settlement agreement, referred to as the consent decree, between Hinds County and plaintiffs in a 2011 lawsuit over the conditions at the center, requires that the children are released after 21 days.

“One such child, namely C.M., was serving a 90-day commitment,” a court memorandum by Skinner states. “Said child was released to his sister. However, within five days of said child’s release from Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center, he was re-arrested and charged with auto burglary.” The minor was also harmed, the document states, “as a direct and

proximate result of his encounter with law enforcement.”

The second child listed in Skinner’s motion was J.M.M., who was released May 16 to the care and custody of the Mississippi Department of Human Services with a plan to transfer the child to treatment at Diamond Grove, a mentalhealth facility in Louisville, Miss. All did not go according to plan.

“However, within hours of said child’s release from Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center, said child fled the custody of the Mississippi De-

Fun, Sun & Special Sessions

by JFP Staff

N

ow that summer is in full swing, Mississippians are hitting the beaches, boating on the reservoir and just enjoying some sunny weather.

Perhaps that’s why Gov. Phil Bryant isn’t keen on calling a special session to make changes to the state budget. Here are a few ways he might be using his summertime instead.

• Filming his new outdoor reality show, “No Phil-ter.”

• Polishing his Religious Freedom Award.

• Solving the reservoir’s alligator problem with his bare hands.

• Writing a thriller about debonair politician-spy Bill Fryant.

• Whittling a 1:5 scale replica of the state capitol.

• Checking bathrooms for transgender people.

• Finally finishing “Eat, Pray, Love.”

• Reading the latest issue of THE JFP.

“We must look for other opportunities for individuals like this to turn their life around. This is crime prevention in its purest form.”

“At the end of the day, I hear what the mayor said, and I feel his frustration, but it is our job as the council to make the financial decisions that make the most sense for the City of Jackson.”

–Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance on the City of Jackson’s Fresh Start Initiative for those who have been incarcerated

–Ward 6 Councilman Tyrone Hendrix on the council’s unanimous vote to turn down an agreement with Los Angeles-based AECOM

Yarber Running into Council Wall on Contracts

by Tim Summers Jr.

partment of Human Services, and (as of this filing) … said minor is still missing.” Another child, listed only as D.B., was also released, except without the benefit of the court-ordered treatment from Diamond Grove.

Ninety days is the longest time a young person may be in detention under state statute, but since 2012, HenleyYoung can only legally hold young people for 21 days. Skinner and those plaintiffs in that lawsuit, which include the Southern Poverty Law Center and Disability Rights Mississippi, have exchanged memoranda over the time limit, with a hearing scheduled later this month in federal court.

William Bardwell, an SPLC attorney, said in a June 6 phone interview that a large part of the issue is whether or not the court should have to release the children but the lock-up approach to juvenile justice.

“I think a huge part of this is oversentencing kids,” Bardwell said. “Ninety days is not supposed to be a standard sentence. Ninety days is the lengthiest sentence that the youth court can give under Mississippi law.”

Mayor Tony Yarber and Jackson City Council members frequently disagree about key decisions on infrastructure and other city contracts, and the mayor is frustrated about it.

was for an agreement with Los Angeles-based AECOM to manage the Environmental Protection Agency-mandated consent-decree projects over the next several years for a total cost to the City of $2.5 million. The Rules

Skinner, though, is adamant that releasing the children after only 21 days could be premature.

“In the event that personnel with the Henley-Young Juvenile Detention Center is allowed to continue releasing children, without said children receiving the rehabilitative services necessary, these children will fall prey to not only their own devices, but find themselves in positions where the harm inflicted upon them and the community will be irreparable,” he wrote.

Irreparable Harm

The amended consent decree outlined a multi-part plan for addressing conditions within Henley-Young.

These included how the children, age 10 through 17, are brought into the facility, how they are treated for mental and physical ailments, and even whether or not they are provided with their own hygiene products.

Agreed to on March 3 of this year and extended until 2018, the amended consent decree states that “the parties also agree that Henley-Young is a short-term facility not designed to hold residents for

Committee, headed up by Ward 6 Councilman Tyrone Hendrix, unanimously voted against the agreement during a June 6 meeting.

The mayor reiterated his earlier comments after the committee meeting. “It’s always about the contracts,” Yarber told the Jackson Free Press after the Monday’s committee meeting. “It’s never about the people.”

Hendrix disagreed during a phone interview later, citing his hesitance to place another obligation on the taxpayer during lean times for the city.

“At the end of the day, I hear what the mayor said, and I feel his frustration, but it is our job as the council to make the financial decisions that make the most sense for the City of Jackson,” Hendrix said.

With recent revelations that the City has dipped deep into its emergency reserve funds, leaving a little more than a million dollars for unforeseen expenditures, Hendrix said that agreeing to the contract without assurances that the money was there to pay for it did not sit well with him.

“When we look at the price tag of two and a half million dollars, and we don’t know how much money is in the account that is going to pay for this particular service that we are going to vote on and approve, that’s a reason for pause,” Hendrix said.

longer than 21 days.” The consent decree requires that the detention facility only hold a maximum daily population of 32 residents at any time, a sharp contrast to the 84 children held there before the 2012 consent decree.

Skinner, who has been the youth judge since 2006, was not included in the suit, or the amended consent decree. He and the other parties have continued to trade barbs through alternating motions, and now all will have to appear at a hearing on June 27.

The other point of contention is over who exactly is in charge of Henley-Young.

Skinner, on the one hand, states his belief in several court documents as well as in a memorandum to Federal District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III that the Hinds County Board of Supervisors “has usurped this Court’s authority as provided by applicable statute as it relates to the detention and release of youth in Hinds County.”

This is crucial because during a Nov. 3, 2014, meeting of the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, the group put forth a resolution requiring the release of young people in compliance with the consent

more Wall, see page 8

decree. Yet, in his objections, Skinner referred to an opinion from Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood from July 2007 that stated that “the Youth Court Judge has the legal responsibility for administering the youth detention facility.”

“It is clear that the Board has total control and authority over the detention center,” Hinds County Board of Supervisors President Darrel McQuirter said in an interview June 7.

“Once a facility reaches its maximum capacity, you can’t add more people.”

Bardwell maintains that it is simply not about how long the children should be in detention, but how the court approaches sentencing.

“The Youth Court shouldn’t be in the business of sentencing children to the maximum possible sentence every time it gets the chance,” Bardwell said.

Judge William Skinner did not return phone calls by press time.

Email city reporter Tim Summers Jr. at tim@jacksonfreepress.com.

Read more about juvenile detention at jfp.ms/preventingviolence.

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

Consent Decree and Sludge

The city council’s most recent contract rejection

Imani Khayyam

D

uring a June 3 gathering at Koinonia Coffee House, Mayor Tony Yarber lamented the lack of progress the City has made on infrastructure issues and blamed it on poor confidence based on past experiences with large companies, as well as political differences.

“At the end of the day, a lot of our issues have to do with a lot of different things: politics, money, disinvestment and neglect,” Yarber said of past contracts with companies, including Siemens. “And nobody in their right mind wants to see this City in a position where we cannot be self-sustaining, where we cannot be in a position where we can move and thrive.”

MAC & Associates, one of Siemens’ contractors in its $90-million contract with the City, is now suing that company, and Yarber said that has stained the impression the council has about large and out-of-town companies.

“The Siemens contract has put the City in a situation where we have not seen the kinds of results that we thought we would have seen if it had been implemented appropriately,” Yarber said, mentioning citizens’ complaints about high water bills and difficulty finding relief for lost service.

7

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At Koinonia, the mayor also mentioned a contract the council rejected last week with BFI Waste Services, LLC, now owned by the larger and out-of-town Republic Services.

“You couple all of that with a water treatment plant, the O.B. Curtis plant, that needs to have sludge taken away from that plant that the city council voted against this past Tuesday so we can’t remove sludge, so we can’t continue to treat the water at that plant,” Yarber said June 3.

Ward 4 Councilman De’Keither Stamps led the charge to block the contract, which succeeded, after learning that the City would not be dumping the sludge waste onto farmland in the surrounding county, but instead in a city dump. He called the byproduct “free fertilizer.”

Outgoing Director of Public Works Kishia Powell told the council that the sludge would be deposited in a city-owned landfill, not used to grow crops. Nevertheless, Stamps introduced an amendment into the agreement to ensure that the waste, if the sludge was ever to be dumped on farmland, would be sent to at least 40percent black-owned farms.

“You couple that with us trying to replace water lines in Wards 2 and 3, but the city council voted against it because the engineer wasn’t from Jackson, but then they approved the engineer that was from Ridgeland,” Yarber said.

Michael Baker and Infinity

The mayor was referring to three different and separate projects, two of which failed due to council members’ vocal opposition to the companies’ lack of local presence, and one local company’s contract that passed without any resistance at all.

The contract between the City and Michael Baker International Inc. for the Mayes Street Bridge replacement passed quickly with little to no resistance in under a minute unanimously. The bridge itself was constructed, agenda documents state, in 1969, and the project will replace the concrete structure, funded out of the 1 percent tax, for a total of $877,507.41.

“I know that Michael Baker has been here for a number of years, but they are still located in Jackson?” Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon asked.

The managing engineer of the project, Charles Williams, told the council that the company had an office in Ridgeland. “I guess that’s close enough,” Barrett-Simon said. “They will employ Jackson people.”

The council rejected the other two

contracts, one with Infinity Engineering Consultants and the other with Stuart Consulting Group, after inquiries about where they were based.

Infinity Engineering Consultants, out of New Orleans, was slated for approval of a contract to begin the work necessary to replace the waterline on Hanging Moss Road for a total cost of $147,000.

“And we couldn’t find anybody here that could do that work?” Barrett-Simon asked.

Williams explained that the company submitted its own statement of qualifications, or SOQ, along with 50 other com-

“And we couldn’t find anybody here that could do the work?”

Barrett-Simon asked. panies, for 1-percent sales-tax projects, and that the company would need to get some work here before they could build an office in Jackson.

“Well, we have other companies that have established offices here before getting any work, and we also have engineering companies here that are invested in this community. They live, work, play … they have their lives here,” Barrett-Simon said.

“I just don’t understand when we have companies that are hurting in this city, although this is not a big engineering contract, that we have to go to New Orleans to get it.”

The mayor tried to steer the conversation back to quality of work over the price or the location of the company’s home office.

“You have 50 people that submit an

Most viral stories at jfp.ms:

1. “Legislator: Mississippi Superintendents ‘Crossed the Line’ in Support of 42” by Sierra Mannie 2. “Human Trafficking: Unseen and Unaddressed” by Arielle Dreher 3. “UPDATED: Kishia Powell: Did Not Come to Jackson ‘to Be a Figurehead,’ New Atlanta Watershed Director” by Tim Summers Jr. 4. “Yarber ‘Running Hard’ Again in 2017, Lee Says He Isn’t Running” by Tim Summers Jr. 5. “Gov. Bryant Receives Religious Freedom Award After HB1523” by Arielle Dreher

SOQ (statement of qualifications), and there are going to be 10 or 12 people selected from there,” Yarber said during the meeting. “What we want to be able to do is, of course, find the best folks from the City, but you also want to find the best folks (who) can find or turn out the best service for the City.”

“I don’t want to have the impression be that Jackson folks have been overlooked,” Yarber said.

“It’s tough for me on this particular item because they are not based in Jackson,” Ward 4 Tyrone Hendrix said at the May 31 regular city council meeting.

“They aren’t based in Jackson, and the work has to get done, and we don’t want to hold up the work. But at the same time, I think we have shown a commitment even approving things on the claims docket that we as a council support and must continue to support our Jackson businesses. So it is going to be a tough one.”

Barrett-Simon said that the council could easily choose a Jackson-based business instead of Infinity. “It is not an eitheror situation,” she said.

Yet, after the council rejected the contract with the out-of-town Stuart Consulting, based in south Mississippi and Louisiana, for the improvements to the drainage system from Woodrow Wilson to Erie Street, one of the council members had a moment of hesitation about the group’s approach to multi-state business.

“I have talked to a lot of local businesses, and they are in businesses in other cities,” Ward 5 Councilman Charles Tillman said, citing Shreveport, La., and Houston, Texas. “Big firms operate in multiple markets or states, and if (you) look at Coke, they are all over the world. Our favorite contracting business, Siemens, is all over the world, including Jackson.”

“So if I was in business I would like to do work in Alabama, other local cities in Mississippi and Memphis and other markets. I think it is something that we have to open up our horizon and visualize how big business operates especially engineering and these other big firms,” Tillman said.

Email city reporter Tim Summers, Jr. at tim@ jackson”reepress.com. More local news at jfp.ms/localnews.

Join the conversation at jfp.ms

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TALK | LGBT

HB 1523: Bad for the Business Sector

by Arielle Dreher

taurant Association worked quickly after the passage of House Bill 1523 to create the “Everyone’s Welcome Here!” campaign, which created a directory of restaurants across the state that are committed to serving all guests. The list is available at www. msra.org/welcomelist.html.

‘Suffers from Vagueness’

Jackson-based attorney Will Manuel

could fit the definition of “any other party,” and thus could use House Bill 1523 as a defense for firing someone due to a “sincerely held religious belief … that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman.”

“Because now you permit every business, as far as an employer, to say, ‘I’m going to use 1523 as an affirmative defense to defend against any wrongful termination Imani Khayyam

Jackson developer Roy Decker had a potential investor leave after the 2016 Legislative session and House Bill 1523 was signed into law.

represents companies in employment discrimination cases, and he says that House Bill 1523 “suffers from really bad vagueness issues.” Manuel says the bill has phrases that make it hard to determine how a court will interpret it.

One section of the bill—Section 5—allows any person (or business) who feels his or her religious belief has been violated to use House Bill 1523 “as defense in any judicial or administrative proceeding without regard to whether the proceeding is brought by or in the name of the state government, any private person or any other party.”

The last part of that clause, Manuel says, opens up the question of the bill actually being “limited legislation.” A business

acts,’” Manuel said. “And I don’t know how the court’s going to hold that up.”

Mississippi is an “employment at will” state, which means that as long as an employer does not discriminate based on a protected class in Title VII or other federal employment regulations, they are allowed to hire and fire employees at will. Mississippi is one of three states in the nation that does not even have state employer discrimination statutes, Mississippi Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Director Wilma Scott says. That means any person in Mississippi filing suit against their employer for discriminatory reasons has to make a claim with the EEOC.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of

1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. Sexual orientation and gender identity are not included under Title VII technically, but since 2012, the EEOC adopted the view that “coverage of lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender individuals under Title VII’s sex discrimination provisions, as they may apply as a top Commission enforcement priority.”

Might be ‘Sex’ Discrimination

Scott said her office cannot take and litigate every complaint or case that gets sent to the Mississippi EEOC office, but if they find a violation, a person would get a notice of rights that allows them to take their case to federal court, within six months, if they have the wherewithal to hire their own representation.

Harriett Oppenheim, an attorney in the Jackson EEOC office, says federal law trumps state law and that while Title VII does not specifically list sexual orientation, a lot of workplace discrimination based on it could be classified as a “sex” discrimination.

“Often times, people who are gay or transgender are often discriminated against for their sex, due to social norms to act like a man or act like a woman, and that’s a violation,” she told the Jackson Free Press.

Oppenheim says discrimination is often based on stereotypes like “oh, he acts like a woman, he must be gay” But, if employers think they know an employee’s sexual orientation or gender identity based on stereotypes, that’s a violation of Title VII, she said.

Several cases are pending in federal district courts around the country with similar circumstances of discriminations against employees who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

Manuel said several of his clients have asked him how House Bill 1523 affects them. He is not advising clients to use it as a defense when making hiring and firing decisions because he believes that House Bill 1523 is unconstitutional on its face because it offers protection for only three specific religious beliefs.

“The problem with the bill overall is I think it’s facially unconstitutional because it only protects certain types of religious thought,” Manuel told the Jackson Free Press.

Three legal challenges to House Bill 1523 are pending in federal court now, and the bill is set to become law July 1.

For more HB 1523 coverage visit jfp.ms/lgbt. Email Arielle Dreher at arielle@ jacksonfreepress.com.

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

R

oy Decker felt the financial consequences of House Bill 1523. Decker, a Jackson developer and architect, says a potential investor pulled out of a project earlier this year, largely because of the new Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination law.

Decker said the investor’s name was confidential, but that he or she had previously been a pro-Mississippi businessperson whom Duvall-Decker had worked with before. They were frustrated by the bill and the general climate of the state, Decker said.

Lots of business people, Decker says, are concerned about the impact of the bill on economic development and growth in the state. “If we’re not promoting business that generates taxes and revenue and the ability for us to pay for services, like education, if we’re doing things to thwart revenue and taxes, what kind of sense does that make?” he said in an interview.

Duvall-Decker is not the only business that has taken a hit. Linda Hornsby, executive director of the Mississippi Hotel and Lodging Association, said some of the association’s 350 members have lost business due to House Bill 1523.

“We have received reports of lost or cancelled business because of it (HB 1523),” Hornsby told the Jackson Free Press.

Back in April, the Mississippi Tourism Association reported immediate cancellations as a result of House Bill 1523. “Our members statewide are reporting calls, emails and social media posts from people cancelling or postponing trips to Mississippi due to national media reporting on this new law,” the association said in an April 7 statement. “Many of these tourists are known to our members personally because they are repeat guests that have visited our state before, loved it, and have become regular visitors.”

The association represents museums, cities, counties, media organizations and other agencies around the state that contribute to the state’s tourism industry.

In April, actress Sharon Stone moved the location of her film “The Principal,” WLBT reported, due to the religious accommodations law. “I will not work in any state that holds or is actively creating laws to legally support discrimination against American citizens whether due to their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation, nor where those laws are passed or approved by the government of said state,” Stone wrote in a statement to Mississippi Film Studios President Rick Moore.

Stone and the producers chose another location for the $300,000 production, WLBT reported.

The Mississippi Hospitality and Res-

9

TALK | education

How Deaf Kids Learn in Mississippi

by Sierra Mannie

T

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

How Students Learn

MSD sprawls across 88 acres of land in north Jackson. Dr. Sandra Edwards, superintendent and a former principal and teacher at the school says.

Edwards’ hands somersault into shapes as she speaks, her words and hands moving together to communicate what she calls “conceptually correct” English, as it’s impossible to speak English and sign ASL at the same time.

It is school policy to sign as you speak to hearing people so that deaf students can learn and participate in the conversation if 10 they choose, Edwards says.

As a CODA, or child of a deaf adult—her father who was a 1961 graduate of MSD—Edwards learned ASL before she knew English. “I signed before I spoke,” she said.

MSD is a bilingual school, meaning that students are taught English and ASL. Some students know Spanish and Mandarin Chinese—and Mexican and Chinese Sign Language, among other languages, Edwards says.

“There are lots of myths related to bilingual education. One is that ASL is not a language, that it is almost a broken

about community helpers, for example, then you’re going to hear what sirens sound like (for students with some hearing ability) and speak the names of different helpers; fireman, policeman, doctor, nurse (and) ambulance, all those words are done through spoken English and sound in the oracy lab,” Edwards explained.

“Then you go into the signancy lab, and you’re doing the same lesson, but in ASL—the signs, and how to identify the colors (associated with each),” she continued. “We want them to have everything in their toolkit. We don’t want them to imani khayyam

wo days before graduation at the Mississippi School for the Deaf, the 10 seniors are on their class trip to Dallas, and the elementary school is having its awards day program. The rest of the student body does what any other school does in the festive penultimate days of an academically rigorous school year: winds down.

In Mrs. Peterson’s classroom, an educational film about big cats splashes across the projector screen. The captions at the bottom of the screen describe the demise of an antelope in the jaws of a cheetah.

The Mississippi School for the Deaf is the only school in the state that exists primarily to serve deaf children. To do it well isn’t cheap.

The school has both commuter and residential students, and though boarding there is not a requirement, 80 percent of students, some as young as four, may use the dorm services at some point during the school year, so the school must operate 24 hours, six days a week. Children eat three meals and two snacks a day, and are supervised by a host of adults who perform distinct but critical roles: not only teachers, but also full-time audiologists, nurses, as well as residential parents who supervise students living in dorms from 3:30 p.m. until 8 the next morning. Students do not pay tuition to attend MSD.

Yet, like schools across the rest of the state, MSD is facing budget cuts this year.

The school’s 2016-17 $9,618,184 budget, which is shared with the Mississippi School for the Blind, is roughly $330,000 less than last year’s budget.

The cuts endanger the school’s unique mission of equipping its students with the language skills and self-advocacy that enriches their Deaf identity, the school’s administrators and teachers say.

These skills are necessary in the larger hearing world that might fail to provide adequately for them, as well as discriminate against them.

Dr. Sandra Edwards, superintendent at the Mississippi School for the Deaf, is a CODA, or “child of a deaf adult.” She says she knew American Sign Language, or ASL, before she spoke out loud.

English, or is just putting signs on your hands in English word order, but that’s not the case,” Edwards said. “The actual word order of ASL is not the same as the grammatical structure of English, so they’re two different languages.”

At MSD, students participate in oracy and signancy labs, where they develop spoken English and ASL skills, respectively. They’re “mirror labs,” meaning the curriculum matches in each room.

“If you go into the oracy lab to learn

have just ASL or just English or just reading or just writing.”

Though MSD’s bilingual approach has been successful, stigmas against ASL have persisted for centuries, when people dismissed the language as inferior to vocalization and encouraged lip-reading, and speech, if possible, for students to function in the hearing world.

“Most people think language equals speech,” said Dr. Tom Humphries, associate professor of communications

at University of California, San Diego.

Humphries says this attitude toward language didn’t see challenge until the 1980s, but that even today, people believe oral speech is the primary way for a child to develop language­—despite, he says, 40 years of linguistic study demonstrating how signed languages are languages acquired by children in the same way as spoken ones.

“That’s how it impacts education— many educators and their trainers don’t believe and have never really explored how signed languages have value in teaching and learning. So the situation you have in this country is that there are strong vested interests (financial and professional) in perpetuating this belief that signed languages are not helpful in education, Humphries said.

Doctors, audiologists and speech therapists, particularly, are vested in excluding signed languages from the lives of deaf children, let alone from their education, he said. “It’s no wonder, then, that parents who have a deaf child and reach out encounter these attitudes and are told, sometimes quite strongly, that they must not sign or educate their children in sign.

And parents are all too receptive to this because they want their children to be restored or grow up as much like them as possible.”

Since a 1997 law passed, all Mississippi newborns receive a universal hearing screening; the Mississippi Department of Health says between 70 to 90 babies are born in the state each year with hearing loss, or develop it soon after birth. MSD serves those children, too, with its SKI*HI early intervention program, which includes 125 students.

Parents of deaf babies and toddlers, birth to 4, all over the state receive athome educational services from auditory specialists who help equip parents, most able to hear themselves but with no practice in sign language, with the tools to help their young children acquire language at an early age.

The rest of MSD’s 238 children are K-12 students. From 2010 to 2012, the average age of enrollment at the school was 14, Edwards said, but now the increase from the birth to 4 program means that the average is lower. She says that being language-deprived for so long can be extremely emotionally taxing for children that old at her school.

“I tell them, ‘It is OK for you to be angry,’” teacher Gale Hartling says about her language-deprived students in her classrooms when their frustrations come

TALK | education

The elementary-school floor is covered with thick black wax. Superintendent Dr. Sandra Edwards says she would like to see it replaced with carpet.

people doubt their intelligence and competence or fail to make accommodations for them. They say this discrimination can exclude them from job markets and even threaten their safety.

The Mississippi faction of the Deaf

Grassroots Movement, founded to end job and education discrimination against deaf people, took to the Capitol building in Jackson in April to speak out against police brutality and economic inequalities for deaf individuals.

Deaf community members said they’d lost their jobs, seen harassment and physical violence from police officers, and protested the lack of translation services in emergency situations.

Jim Bishop, a Deaf Mississippi native and Deaf rights advocate, says that Deaf people are just as capable as anyone else to work in white-collar jobs.

He is confident in the ability of deaf individuals to offer as much to the workplace as any hearing person. There’s nothing wrong with them—they just can’t hear. “You don’t need to be able to hear to work,� he said.

Still, it takes money to be able to prepare students for the hearing world, and having the best school environment possible helps achieve that goal. Edwards says she would like to tear down one outdated building on campus, and replace the heavy black wax floor in the elementary school building with carpeting. But like all schools, Edwards says, they take the cuts as they come and work to the best of their ability to help students thrive.

Sierra Mannie is an education reporting fellow for the Jackson Free Press and The Hechinger Report. Read more at jfp.ms/ education.

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Ă•Â˜iĂŠnʇʣ{ĂŠ]ĂŠĂ“Ă¤ÂŁĂˆĂŠĂŠUĂŠĂŠÂ?vÂŤÂ°Â“Ăƒ

Deaf Identity Communication is not the only important skill taught at MSD. The school stresses the need for students to be able to advocate for themselves.

Edwards says it’s easier to do this the earlier children arrive at the school; from there, they can start to build their own Deaf identity. Half the faculty, including principal Dr. Bradley PorchÊ, is deaf, while 100 percent of the student body is deaf. Edwards says some of the older students are surprised to see and communicate with so many people like them; when they come from another school, often they were the only deaf student.

Edwards says the deaf adults at the school inspire her students. “They see my staff, and they think, ‘Oh, I can be teacher. I can have a PhD, too,’� she said.

But preparing their students for the less deaf-inclusive hearing world is a priority at the MSD, too. Deaf advocates say deaf people can be targets of audism, discrimination against deaf people, when

IMANI KHAYYAM

to a head. Language deprivation has devastating effects on children, but Hartling says that sign language and teaching are the easy parts of her job; it’s not “fixing� students, it’s teaching them. “They’re not broken,� she said.

11

The Greatest of All Time

D

uring my childhood, Muhammad Ali was the ultimate symbol of blackness, which was a combination of intelligence, socio-political activism and style.

I find it amazing that I’m old enough to remember when black people were amazed and happy to see a black face on television, which meant that they were often nervous about how that person would be portrayed or how that person would present himself or herself. Ali, however, was one of those people who defied and refuted the centuries of lies about African humanity, intellect and morality. He was more than a boxer; yet, he was the greatest boxer of all time.

Think about that. He was the greatest of his profession, a profession that, for years, was the symbol of American manhood, but his presence and essence of manhood transcended it, as he became one of the most powerful acting agents in the Black Liberation Movement. He had the audacity in 1964 to announce to the world that he was smarter and prettier than anyone. At a time when African people were routinely vilified for their physical features and intellectual ability, Ali stood before the world and declared that he was black, beautiful and proud.

Additionally, as a man who was the personification of manliness, he showed the world that manhood was also mental astuteness and empathy for others. Ali, like my father and uncles, affirmed that manhood was not about physically dominating others, but that manhood was about caring for and protecting those who cannot protect themselves. As such, he was powerful because he taught us how to fight for others while we are fighting for ourselves.

Finally, Ali taught me about humility and diligence. For those who don’t know the story, Ali was stripped of his title after he refused to be inducted into the armed forces. He spent the next three years lobbying for his right to box.

All the while, he proclaimed, rightfully so, that boxing did not have a real champion because he didn’t lose his title in the ring. When Frazier became the champ, Ali made sure that the world considered Frazier a “fake champ.” Some, mostly the African American community, agreed, while many, mostly the white community, disagreed. Continuing to fight for his legal right while proclaiming Frazier to be a fraudulent champ, Ali was finally able to fight again.

Then, after all that fighting and talking outside the ring, Ali lost to Frazier. Much of black America was devastated. Noted television journalist Bryant Gumbel stated that he cried his eyes out when Ali lost to Frazier.

Gumbel added, “When Ali lost, it was like those of us fighting for black rights had lost.” That’s one hell of a weight for one man to carry.

As a child, I wondered, “How could he go before all those reporters and give an interview after losing?” As we said in the country, I would have been too “shame-faced” losing after having talked all that noise. Yet, Ali, like a man, stood before America and the world and answered every question.

Watching footage of that interview, I was amazed that he could remain so poised and confident after suffering the greatest defeat of his career. When I asked my father how Ali could sit there and talk to those people who were happy that he had lost, my father stated, “because he’s a man, son—a man like your granddaddy and a man like your uncles.”

My father paused, and then continued, “Real men, son, don’t run from anything. We do the best that we can, we accept and admit our failures and mistakes, and we work to do better. That’s all a man can do.”

That’s the ultimate lesson that Ali taught me. Stand for that in which I believe, fight as diligently as I can for it, accept and admit my mistakes, and make it my life’s journey to learn from my mistakes and failures so that I can become better today than I was yesterday. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee: The hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see.” That famous Ali rhyme inspired me never to stop moving and progressing no matter how much life tried to knock me out. R.I.P. to The Greatest of All Time.

C. Liegh McInnis is the author of seven books, the former editor of Black Magnolias Literary Journal and an instructor of English at Jackson State University.

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.’

12

City Council and Mayor: Get on Same Page

W

e can see it from both sides—Mayor Tony Yarber, after running on a platform of transparency, has dipped deep in to the rainy day fund and then brought it up after the fact. And while the entire Siemens contract and water snafu isn’t completely his fault, it hasn’t exactly been managed with great alacrity.

At the same time, Yarber has a valid concern with the Jackson City Council, which is blocking some very important contracts that have legal timelines associated with them. Whether the decisions are “political” or the council is afraid to spend money, these may not be the swords to fall on. The sludge needs to get out of the water treatment facility; the EPA consent decreed work on water and wastewater needs to move forward.

As we explore this week in reporter Tim Summer’s piece (see page 7), the foundation of these problems is distrust of contractors both outside and inside the city limits. The $90-million Siemens “performance” contract has netted the city very little upside, and we’re still digging out of the poor implementation; the possibility of being fleeced again may be on all of our politicians’ minds.

The current state of water bills is just one more excuse—added to infrastructure woes, lead scares and the smack in the face most folks get once a year with their Hinds car tags—that mobile professionals give for moving outside the city limits. And we

don’t need more of those excuses; we need fewer.

To tackle these problems, we need to get beyond distrust. The way to get beyond that is verification. And the best way to verify that tax dollars are being spent in the city’s best interest is for the mayor and council to work together on a very open, transparent method for determining who should get the contracts and how they’re going to report back that the work is getting done on time and on budget.

We’re less than a year out from the mayoral election, and that worries us at the JFP, because the grandstanding may already be beginning. But right now, Jackson is in a precarious position; bond ratings are falling, rainy day funds are depleted, and key administration officials are leaving.

It also doesn’t help that the Legislature seems hell-bent on hurting Jackson more, and, of course, can’t seem to keep its own economic head above water, given recent indicators that Mississippi’s economy is now the worst in the country.

The mayor and council have a tough task ahead of them—they’re going to have to put aside politics as much as possible and govern the city very closely over the next six months. And citizens must telegraph that we will only endorse and vote for leaders who avoid obstructionism and lean into collaboration for the good of the community.

Start the campaigns in 2017; for now, the city needs its leaders to work together, manage these projects and get critical stuff done.

Email letters and opinion to letters@jacksonfreepress.com, fax to 601-510-9019 or mail to 125 South Congress St., Suite 1324, Jackson, Mississippi 39201. Include daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for length and clarity, as well as factchecked.

CORRECTION: In the story “‘Wired’ & Inspired,” which appeared in Vol. 14, No. 39, we incorrectly listed Scott Bradfield as the creator of “MPB All Access: Sound Check.” Former MPB videographer Jeremy Burson created the series. The JFP apologizes for this error.

Yoknyam Dabale

Editor-in-Chief Donna Ladd Publisher Todd Stauffer EDITORIAL Assistant Editor Amber Helsel Deputy News Editor Maya Miller Reporters Arielle Dreher,Tim Summers Jr. Education Reporting Fellow Sierra Mannie JFP Daily Editor Dustin Cardon Music Editor Micah Smith Events Listings Editor Latasha Willis Editorial Assistant Adria Walker Writers Bryan Flynn, Genevieve Legacy, Danie Matthews, LaTonya Miller, Greg Pigott, Julie Skipper Editorial Interns Morgan Gallon, Onelia Hawa, Tiffanie, Heron, Shannon Olsen, Christopher Peace, De’Aris Rhymes, Amber Taylor, Da’niecia Washington, Zaccheus White Consulting Editor JoAnne Prichard Morris ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY Art Director Kristin Brenemen Advertising Designer Zilpha Young Staff Photographer Imani Khayyam ADVERTISING SALES Advertising Director Kimberly Griffin Sales and Marketing Consultant Myron Cathey Sales Assistant Mary Osborne BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS Distribution Manager Richard Laswell Distribution Raymond Carmeans, Clint Dear, Michael McDonald, Ruby Parks Assistant to the CEO Inga-Lill Sjostrom Operations Consultant David Joseph ONLINE Web Editor Dustin Cardon Web Designer Montroe Headd

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The Jackson Free Press welcomes thoughtful opinions. The views expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily those of the publisher or management of Jackson Free Press Inc. © Copyright 2016 Jackson Free Press Inc. All Rights Reserved

I

came to the U.S. in my early 20s for college from my village in Middle Belt, Nigeria. Prior to that, I was an international student in neighboring West African countries Liberia and Sierra Leone.

One of the many things I appreciate about my upbringing is my parents’ willingness to let their children explore life. The two things expected of us were to succeed in whatever we did and contribute in building our community.

When my partner and I told folks that we were moving to Mississippi, many of them asked, “Of all places, why Mississippi?” They expressed concern for our safety, citing lynching stories and depressing poverty statistics. As a granddaughter of a diviner, I wondered whether the concerns were premonitions. Nonetheless, we went ahead with our plan.

Most of my education has been at private white institutions. I saw going to Mississippi and working at an HBCU as an opportunity to give back to the African American community because their struggle for human and civil rights cleared the path for many immigrants in the U.S.

Upon arrival at the Jackson bus station, I was surrounded by many shades of beautiful chocolate faces. I felt a sense of akwaaba (welcome), as though I had arrived in Accra, Ghana. But as the proverbial wisdom of my ancestors, the Yotti/ Bali (Chamba) teaches us, “A rolling stone gathers no moss” (time brings clarity).

Over a period of several months, this positive feeling became tempered with a sense of disappointment. Life is tough in Mississippi, and poverty is extreme. The flight of (white) wealth from the capital city is evident. Employment opportunities and investments in Jackson are severely limited.

Downtown Jackson only has a few businesses but, like many black communities, it has an over-abundance of churches.

My neighborhood in west Jackson was a food desert. To buy fresh vegetables, we had to travel to white neighboring cities or wait to visit the farmers market on weekends. These realities explain why many African Americans, especially those in the South, struggle with obesity and related health issues. Many Jackson residents buy bottled water because the city pipes have not been properly maintained for decades. It is not uncommon to walk through west Jackson and see water flowing out of pipes for weeks. Our community was overwhelmed with dilapidated homes. Roads are overrun with potholes and uncleaned gutters.

Despite the challenges of poverty and

bad infrastructure, Jacksonians retain a remarkable vibrancy. As a Nigerian woman, I was especially impressed with the black community’s efforts to honor their African heritage. Mississippi sometimes reminds me of home. A women’s group based in Jackson organizes an annual Kwanzaa event to celebrate their cultural roots.

Some Mississippians still grow their food, just as we do in my village. I once took an hour-long ride to my neighbor’s 90 acres of land, where his parents farmed several crops. On public buses, strangers greet you as though you knew each other. In the summer evenings, neighbors sit shirtless on their verandas and chat until mosquitoes start to bite, just like in my village.

People are willing to go an extra mile to help each other. When we were looking for a house to rent, my partner’s colleague took a few days after work to help. In my African Traditional Religions course at Jackson State University, students were eager to share stories about relatives who practice Vodou (Voodoo) or “roots,” even though they identify as Christians. On the other hand, some Mississippians have internalized anti-African sentiments. I was reported by a student and subsequently scolded by my supervisor for introducing myself as an Africanist (i.e. pro-Africa).

Notwithstanding my complicated experiences in Mississippi, I saw hopeful signs of potential for progress. Organizations like Cooperation Jackson and the Malcolm X Grassroots Organization are advocating for policies that would benefit underserved communities. The Perkins Foundation trains young leaders in Jackson. To address the lack of summer art education for children in rural Gloster, Miss., Ms. Margaret and Quincy Troupe use their celebrity connections with Terry McMillan, Rachel Griffiths, Danny Glover and others to fill this gap. We attended Ms. Troupe’s annual event and were inspired.

And Anderson United Methodist, the home church of the late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, encourages revolutionary thinking, provides a platform for local artists and contributes scholarships for African students to study at Africa University in Zimbabwe.

As we empathize with the poor overseas, let us not forget places like Mississippi, where blacks are struggling against daunting barriers here in the U.S.

Yoknyam Dabale is a pan-Africanist, environmentalist, gender and human-rights advocate, and lecturer at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill.

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Mississippi: America’s Third World?

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Junior

Jail

Surviving Mississippi’s Juvenile Justice System to the juvenile detention center, and though he spent a combined total of three weeks there, he still remembers each trip vividly and having the same thought each time: “If God lets me go home, I’ll do right.”

tention center. His high-school awards are stacked on the coffee table, and in the corner rests piles of beauty tools and hair products.

His mother, who did not want to be named for this story, just graduated from

Retired Youth Court Judge John Hudson serves as Mississippi’s jurist in residence and assists youth courts around the state.

Seeking Independence

It is pouring down rain outside as Anderson stretches out in his mother’s living room in west Jackson on a recent Friday afternoon. He sits, with his legs sprawled out in front of him, twisting his dreadlocks around his pointer finger. Anderson, now 21, is pensive and precise with his words as he tells the story of his experiences at the de-

Administrative Office of the Courts

A

lonté Davis Anderson, then 17, was riding his bike through his quiet west Jackson neighborhood one afternoon in November 2010. He had skipped school that day because he wasn’t feeling well, and after his mother sent him to the corner store, he stopped for a quick smoke break.

Just a few minutes earlier, his neighbor’s home had been broken into, and as police responded to the call, they noticed him riding down the street. The Jackson cop car passed him, and then turned around and approached him.

“Where you been?” one of the Jackson police officer asked him.

“Nowhere,” he responded. “I’m finna go home.”

“OK, get in the car.”

Luckily, his neighbor got a clear look at the break-in suspects before they bolted, and though Anderson was two inches shorter and nearly 20 pounds lighter than the stats she’d listed on the police report, he was still taken into custody. He was taken in for questioning on suspicion of house burglary, an offense that could have easily landed him at the Raymond Detention Facility.

The neighbor came to his defense almost immediately, visiting his mother and going up to the jail, but Anderson still spent three days at the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center—terrified that this time he might not get out as easy as the previous two times he been in there.

This would be the last of his three trips

cosmetology school.

“The first time I went, I was like, ‘I’m in jail,’” Anderson said, rubbing his arm as he stared out the window. There was finally a gap in the rain. “I didn’t consider it the detention center, ’cause I didn’t know what to expect, but when I got there, I think I’m kinda resilient, so it really didn’t faze me.”

When Anderson was 16, like most

teenagers, he sought independence and barely tolerated any scolding from his mother. The oldest of four, he shied away from chores such as cleaning his room and washing the dishes. One day, after a small argument with his mother, Anderson had enough and decided to leave it all behind and left for a couple of days.

Once he returned home, he and his mother had another argument and by the time they were done, the police were at his door, Anderson said. He then spent three days at Henley-Young in south Jackson.

The first time Anderson got to Henley-Young, he had to take a computerized mental-health exam that asked him questions like “Have you ever seen someone die?” “Do you smoke cigarettes?” “How many times a day do you go to school?”

“How many times a week do you go to school?” “Are you suicidal?”

After the computer test, nurses asked him probing questions about drug usage, personal medications, allergies and ailments.

Anderson said a drug test is mandatory every time a minor goes to the detention center.

Then he had to put on an orange jumpsuit, with “Juvenile” emblazoned in large black letters across the back.

Anderson said that being in HenleyYoung motivated him to never go back because he was so used to being independent.

He recalls being hungry a lot inside HenleyYoung and disliked not being able to do simple things like grab food from his fridge.

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

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JUNIOR JAIL from page 15 Instead he had to ask the guards for permission to do anything, which made him feel like a grown criminal, he said.

The daily schedule stuck as close to a normal school schedule as possible, with breakfast hour, class time, then a short recreational period after lunch.

Afterward, the kids were taken back to their pods where they would sit and entertain themselves until dinner. They usually ate in their cells and were allowed to enjoy a movie and a light snack before bed. Bedtime was usually around 10.

This was in 2010, however, and Hinds County was sued for the treatment of youth in Henley-Young the following year in summer 2011. The detention center has been under a settlement agreement since March 28, 2012, pending improvement on conditions in the facility from staffing to mental health care.

The initial lawsuit from 2011 detailed scenarios of maltreatment inside HenleyYoung Juvenile Justice Center.

“Henley-Young staff torment youth— including those living with mental illness— with taunts and threats that constitute verbal abuse,” the 2011 complaint says.

Things are improving and better than they were in 2012, however, court monitor Leonard Dixon says. Dixon, who is based in Missouri, comes to Henley-Young regularly

and submits annual reports to the court in the case. One of the biggest improvements Henley-Young has seen recently is an increase in staffing and a stable administration, Dixon says.

“I think they have a better understanding of where we are trying to go, and I think having the right person in charge now (Johnnie McDaniels), you also have the support of the board of supervisors and the county administrator—everybody is together now,” Dixon told the Jackson Free Press.

While Henley-Young has made improvements (13 of the specific provisions from the 2012 settlement agreement have been resolved), Dixon’s January 2016 report shows that the detention center is “non-compliant” with 26 of the 71 provisions he measured.

Henley-Young did not have mental health or substance-abuse treatment plans for youth as of January 2016, the court monitor’s report says.

Dixon says Henley-Young’s progress is better than other detention centers he has worked with, and that changing the culture takes time.

“A lot of places I’ve worked with haven’t moved as far, and it’s not one of these things that it’s done overnight because if that’s the case, you wouldn’t have to be there for a while,” he told the Jackson Free Press.

A Separate Labyrinth

It’s easy to see a mugshot of a young person, apprehended and maybe locked out for doing something wrong, and think we are safer while imagining a brighter future where crime and blight do not intrude into daily life.

But many juvenile “offenders” are routinely sent into a separate labyrinth from adult offenders in the justice system, one with its own complex problems, remedies and slowly changing standards.

In Mississippi, if a child commits a “status offense,” like habitual disobedience to a parent, running away or truancy: something that would not be considered a crime if committed by an adult, he is sent to youth court. If a child commits an act that would be designated as a crime if she were an adult, she is also sent to youth court, for what would be considered a delinquent act.

Children can still be tried as adults and be sent to circuit court instead of youth court, however, if they commit acts punishable under state or federal law by life imprisonment or death (like murder or armed robbery) or for use of a concealed deadly weapon, shotgun or rifle, which is a felony.

The system is inconsistent, though, and provides anything but equal protection or punishment of young offenders. All counties have youth court, but not all youth

courts in the state have access to the same detention alternatives, unless they want to pay for those alternatives, in which case they send kids to other counties’ detention centers. Some counties in the state have several alternatives to detention, while others have few options.

Anderson says he didn’t have any option other than going straight to HenleyYoung. His first trip to the detention center lasted three days, while the second (for disturbing the family peace) lasted a week and a half. His third experience was unique and could have ended a myriad of ways.

Under Mississippi law, the initial delinquency youth-court hearing process can take no longer than 90 days from when the youth court prosecutor files the petition in a child’s case.

Youth court is a bit different than circuit court. There is no jury in youth court, and the child has legal representation. The youth-court prosecutor represents the state.

A child can be let off at almost any point in the process, if a judge determines that the child is not “delinquent.”

Children placed in detention centers at intake have a right to a detention hearing within 48 hours of their intake (excluding weekends and holidays). At detention hearmore JUNIOR JAIL, see page 20

How the Juvenile Justice System Works WARNING

DIVERTED FROM THE SYSTEM

DIVERTED FROM THE SYSTEM

RELEASED UNTIL HEARING

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

INTAKE

18

YOUTH PICKED UP ON CHARGES

DETENTION ALTERNATIVE / ELECTRONIC MONITORING DETENTION FOLLOWED

BY HEARING

Risk Assessment Instrument: The state’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative task force is working on developing a pre-assessment tool that is supposed to objectively evaluate whether or not a kid needs to be held in a detention center before his or her hearing, in order to keep kids out of detention centers who do not need to be there.

PROBATION

NOT DELINQUENT ADJUDICATION

DELINQUENT

DISPOSITION

WORK SERVICE PROGRAM AOP

Delinquent: A judge can rule that a child is “delinquent” during the adjudication hearing, if he or she rules that the child committed an act that if committed by an adult would be designated as a crime under state or federal law.

Timing: An adjudicatory hearing must be held within 90 days of the youth court prosecutor filing the petition in a child’s case. If the child is in the detention center, the hearing should be held “as soon as possible” youth court rules state, and no later than 21 says after the child is first detained.

TRAINING SCHOOL DETENTION CENTER

Note: This is not a comprehensive overview of the juvenile justice system in the state. it’s a snapshot.

SOURCE: UNIFORM RULES OF YOUTH COURT PRACTICE FROM MS ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF COURTS, MS CODE, ANNIE E CASEY FOUNDATION

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JUNIOR JAIL from page 18

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

make them even more likely to commit a crime. [Or something like that] Over-using Detention

Juvenile detention usually leads to worse outcomes for youth in the future, exacerbated by the number of times and lengths of stays there. Young people placed in pretrial detention are much more likely to be charged, found delinquent and sent back to detention centers versus their peers who are kept at home before their court hearings, a 2012 University of Central Florida study found.

ber 2013 to the Legislature, and things have been slowly changing ever since. Jurist in Residence Judge John Hudson is overseeing the state’s youth courts and is one of the leaders in the state’s JDAI initiative.

A key JDAI initiative involves a pre-assessment tool that every youth court across the state could use to keep kids out of the detention center when they are first picked up at intake. It’s called the Risk Assessment Instrument, and right now the state’s JDAI task force is working to take the tool statewide. The risk-assessment tool is supposed to objectively evaluate whether or not a kid needs to be held in a detention center while

Alonté Davis Anderson, a rising junior at Tougaloo College, has been sent to Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center three times.

Armed with more data, the Annie E. Casey Foundation launched the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative—or JDAI—back in the 1990s, and it has expanded to 39 states since then. A University of California at Berkeley Law School analysis found that detention populations have fallen more in sites that use JDAI than states’ averages. Mississippi has been a JDAI site since 2008, but changes to the state’s juvenile-justice system take time.

Mississippi’s JDAI initiative consists of a statewide task force that meets quarterly with judges, mental-health providers, MDHS workers and detention officers throughout the state. The group has been working to implement alternative policies, practices and options for youth courts around the state.

There are five counties in the state considered JDAI sites: Adams, Harrison, Leflore, Ranking and Washington. Representatives from these counties meet regularly to discuss how their alternatives are working.

The JDAI task force and initiative were products of a 2012 law that authorized a group of public employees to develop a plan to change juvenile justice in Mississippi. The task force presented its findings in Novem-

Imani Khayyam

ings, judges look at the probable cause, or the likelihood, that a youth committed the offense they are charged for.

For Anderson, seeing his neighbor in his detention hearing changed his trajectory for the better—pulling an innocent minor out of the system. He said he was happy to see her in the courtroom because he thought he was going to have to stay in the detention center even longer.

“I thought they was going to try and say I did it,” Anderson said. “There was three people who broke into that house, and they only caught me or only picked me up—and I am not going to say ‘caught’ because I didn’t do it—because I was going to say, dang what are you going to do about the other two people, you all are just going to be satisfied with catching me?’”

Anderson’s neighbor eased his worries.

“She was there (and said), ‘That wasn’t the dude who broke into my house,’” Anderson said.

If Anderson’s neighbor was not there, and the judge thought that it was more likely than not that he did commit the crime, the judge would then determine whether or not he should still be held in the detention center. Regardless of whether he stayed or not, the youth court prosecutor would then file a petition.

After the youth-court prosecutor files a petition against the child, the judge will hold an adjudication hearing. It’s at this hearing that the child is formally charged and found “delinquent” or not.

If a youth admits to charges or is charged at the end of an adjudication hearing, he or she is declared a “delinquent” child not “guilty,” although the definitions are arguably the same.

A “delinquent” child, Mississippi law states, is a child who is 10 years old and has committed an act that would be designated as a crime if he was an adult. The judge makes the final decision as to whether or not the kids committed the alleged crimes.

If a child is found delinquent, then she goes to a disposition hearing, where judges can use a broad range of consequences to— in an ideal world—help alter and change the youth’s behavior and prevent him or her from offending again, thus keeping the child out of the system permanently.

Consequences range from counseling with probation to enrollment in Oakley Youth Development Center, the state’s training school. Some counties have access to the range of consequences: warning, probation, counseling, adolescent opportunity programs, Oakley Workforce Development and detention centers.

But with a loss of federal funding is looming this July, potentially leaving the juvenile-detention system in an even more challenging place, especially since sending 20 young people facilities like Henley-Young

waiting for his or her hearing, Hudson said.

The tool measures what the charge is, a young person’s history with the youth court, what the circumstances were surrounding the arrest or intake and any aggravating or mitigating circumstances in a child’s life.

The tool gives the child a score, and only if it’s above a certain point does he or she need to be detained.

“The purpose behind the RAI is that you put the right kids in the right detention centers for the right reasons,” Hudson said.

“It gives you some cover for your decisions and takes away from the gut reaction as well … you don’t want to put a kid in there because he’s pissed a judge off or pissed a police officer off.”

More than 300 counties across the country have implemented the tool, said Stephanie Vetter, a senior JDAI consultant working directly with the Mississippi JDAI task force. 93 percent of JDAI sites throughout the country show improvements in public safety outcomes, the 2014 JDAI progress report says.

“None of the places that have reduced their detention populations have seen an increase in crime. It allows people to make more objective decisions,” Vetter said.

Research and history show that the country has over-used detention, Vetter says, and research shows that youth who are detained or incarcerated have much higher rates for illicit drug and alcohol use, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health report from 2004 says.

“In all of the JDAI sites, not only do detention populations go down safely, their state training schools and prison placements also go down about the same percentage,” Vetter said. “Those populations are reduced by (about) 43 percent because we are funneling only the right kids into the system versus widening the net.”

Revolving Door Ahead?

Beyond the pre-screening tool, JDAI also seeks to offer alternatives for judges to monitor youth pre-adjudication like having electronic monitoring with house arrest (with an ankle bracelet), an evening reporting center or a short-term shelter.

Vetter says alternatives have to be in place because it doesn’t make sense to have a pre-screening tool that says “this child doesn’t need to go to the detention center to wait for his trial,” but then have no other place to send him.

“You have to have a detention alternative in order for this whole thing to work,” she said.

In Mississippi about five counties now are able to use some or one of these alternatives. JDAI also helps states save money.

Detention alternatives cost much less than housing a child at a detention center, because detention centers are around-theclock facilities where personnel have to monitor kids 24/7. Electronic monitoring with house arrest, however, costs $4 per day, JDAI research shows.

Adams County, where Judge Hudson used to preside as the youth-court judge, has electronic monitoring, which keeps kids out of detention centers before their adjudication. Judge Walt Brown, the new youth court judge there, says that even with the monitoring device as an option, AOP was the best option for youth, especially those with more serious offenses.

“When I had the children who were first-time felony offenders without violence and that sort of thing, AOP is the perfect place for those people to go,” Brown said.

“They were reporting four days a week—it kept them off the streets, and they had a lot more hands on one-on-one communication with counselors.”

AOPs are year-long, structured afterschool programs that pair youth with counselors who not only help them with homework and schoolwork but also provide behavioral and emotional therapy and counseling if needed. AOPs are designed to more JUNIOR JAIL, see page 22

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JUNIOR JAIL from page 20

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

Not Like Adult Prison

The Mississippi Legislature has been slow to pick up the proposed changes to the juvenile-justice system—until this year when the Legislature passed the Mississippi Juvenile Detention Facilities Licensing Act.

The act enacts and ramps up standards necessary for juvenile-detention centers in the state to operate and were based on recommendations from the governor’s task force on juvenile-detention alternatives.

Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, was the principal author of Senate Bill 2364.

Wiggins, who has worked as a youth court prosecutor, said the bill was necessary because not all juvenile-detention centers across the state are at best-practice standards.

“We’re dealing with kids in these situ-

to do when a kid is admitted) is now defined as an examination “to determine the child’s psychosocial needs and problems, including the type and extent of any mental health, substance abuse or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders and recommendations for treatment.”

Wiggins said the idea behind licensing detention centers is to bring consistency across the state’s centers and raise standards is to get to the kids early with “proper resources and standards so they don’t graduate to the adult system.”

“People (need) to understand that they’re not adults. I don’t want to sound like I’m going easy, I’m not, it’s just, you know, once you’re in the system, you’re not the same, and we need to recognize the resources that they need particularly in mental Imani Khayyam

be “pre-intervention” programs.

The threat of going to Oakley is the “hammer” judges use to enforce positive behavior and outcomes up the foodchain—before they have to send kids to the training school.

Several of the state’s AOPs, though, are closing down due to the lack of funding.

The federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families currently funds Mississippi’s AOPs, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last October that the use of TANF money for the AOPs violates the Social Security Act and “cannot be used to provide juvenile justice services.”

As a result, the state’s AOPs will lose federal funding July 1. The Mississippi Department of Human Services now administers TANF funds to the AOPs. The department said in a statement that “without funding for the programs we are left with little choice but to close all AOPs. MDHS, along with our partners at the court and AOPs, will continue to search for additional funding from other sources.”

On the whole, Mississippi’s juvenilejustice system was ahead of the curve at one point with the wide implementation of AOP programs across the state.

There are 18 AOPs statewide that serve multiple counties each.

Hudson said when it comes to juvenile-detention alternatives, AOPs were the alternative that so many youth-court judges relied on for years. Hudson said AOPs were like a diversion program before training school for kids that committed more serious crimes.

“AOP kids were the more serious kids that you thought you could maintain in the community, where if they didn’t do the AOP program, their next ticket were the training schools,” he told the Jackson Free Press.

With the closure of AOPs around the state, Hudson said judges will be forced to send kids one of two directions: to probation and counseling services that are less stringent than yearlong AOP programs or Oakley Youth Development Program, which held an average population of 67 kids in 2015, the MDHS annual report shows.

The average length of stay for a felony offense is 20 weeks. Only youth who have committed a felony can be admitted to Oakley, currently, and the recidivism rate is 22 percent.

Without AOPs, judges will have to send more kids to Oakley. More kids means kids will leave quicker and likely return, or as Hudson puts it: “the front door dictates the back door.”

“Keeping a child in Oakley costs a heck of a lot more than keeping a child in a community-based program, but now with AOPs going by the wayside, Oakley is going 22 to be under pressure,” Hudson said.

Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, authored the Mississippi Juvenile Detention Facilities Licensing Act, which passed in the 2016 legislative session.

ations from (ages) 9 up until 17, and they are different (than adults), not saying this to make up for what they’ve done, but their brains, bodies and maturity levels are different than adults so what you do for adults is not what you need to do for juveniles,” Wiggins told the Jackson Free Press.

“We want to make sure they are getting the proper oversight so that they don’t become offenders in the adult system. When I was a prosecutor in the youth court and then in the DA’s office, I saw some of the same people (kids) come up through the adult system. The centers need to understand that this isn’t like adult prison, they’re juveniles.”

The bill, which was signed into law in May, tightens requirements for the state’s juvenile-detention facilities by expanding and clarifying definitions in youth-court law. For example, the word “assessment” (something all juvenile-detention centers are supposed

health,” Wiggins said.

Wiggins, who is vice-chairman of the Senate Public Health Committee, said that mental health is an issue for adults in the state, and that by addressing those issues early in juveniles, hopefully we can stop or address those issues on the back end.

Senate Bill 2364 authorizes the state’s licensing agency to conduct mock reviews of all juvenile-detention facilities statewide starting Oct. 1.

Detention centers will have time to come into compliance, but the deadline for that process will be sometime next year. Detention centers will need to come into compliance or shut their doors.

With the new law taking effect and the state’s push to find alternatives to detention even before kids have a trial, a possible implication is that some juveniledetention centers might have to close sections in coming years, which Vetter says

can be pre-planned in order to move detention money to other alternatives.

“Mississippi will have to get busy developing a state-level strategy; it’s not a cookie-cutter approach, but the state does provide certain services to this population, (and) they have some responsibility,” Vetter said.

“And then locally, this is a tough piece, you’ve got to get your county commissioners behind the idea of reinvesting the money that’s been tied up in these facilities and getting them to plan ahead, in all of our JDAI sites, we’ve never had a staff laid off because everybody has been able to plan ahead.”

‘Almost Like Preparation’

Anderson is now a rising junior at Tougaloo College and said that he one day wants to be governor. He is studying sociology and has stayed out of trouble since his last trip to Henley-Young. “I’m more focused on things locally because I just feel like I’ve got to help my people and my city and my area first,” he said.

“Then, hopefully, they’ll be rejoicing about all the things I did for them, and then maybe I can spread out and be a senator or a congressman.”

He said that having an alternative to detention could have helped with the juvenile-detention rate, as well as his own personal perception of Henley-Young. He describes his views of the court system he experienced as “lackadaisical,” and said that he felt as though he was expected to know how the court system operated.

“They try to keep it as uncomfortable as they can so you don’t come back,” he said.

Anderson says his experience in the detention center felt like society’s way of preparing him and those with him for their futures in the juvenile-justice system.

“For me, I feel like it’s almost like preparation, it feels like (people think) these kids are bad, let’s prepare them, like junior high, like junior jail,” he said. “It’s just like they put you in your cell, they do the bare minimum that they are required to do by the state law, and they just release you with the hopes that you come back so they can continue making money so this business can thrive like any other business.”

“I feel like as long as jail is looked at as a business and ran as a business, nothing’s going to change.”

This is Part 1 in a new series on juvenile detention in Mississippi supported by a Solutions Journalism Network grant. It is also an installment in the JFP’s ongoing series on “Preventing Violence,” which is at jfp.ms/preventingviolence. Email Arielle Dreher at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com and Maya Miller at maya@jacksonfreepress.com.

FOOD p 24

Finding Her Calling

by Amber Helsel

Lashanda Brumfield opened Sassy Classy Curvy Bridal Outlet in January of this year.

deal,” as she says. After that, she began building her inventory.

Brumfield opened the store in January of this year. The Pearl Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in February.

With the business growing, she says her main focus right now is learning the marketing side and how to do it on the budget of a small business. “It’s easy when a chain moves in, and they have all the thousands (of dollars) that they can invest in commercials and invest in this,” she says. She is focusing on the metro area but says that later she wants to start reaching out to the rest of the state and then neighboring states. “(Women) travel for a good deal,” she says.

Sassy Classy Curvy sells bridal gowns that are discontinued, which Brumfield says doesn’t mean they’re not brand new. They’re just dresses that have gone out of season, which the business sells for anywhere from 20 to 50 percent off the original price.

“That helps out with being in the South, in Mississippi, because … we want to look

good, and we want that gown, (but) a lot of people can’t afford it. You want to be distinctly different. Hopefully, I can meet some of those needs.”

Brumfield says that for her shop, brides can purchase gowns off the rack. She can also do search-and-orders for clients. She says that one benefit of an outlet is the quick turnaround time. If a dress is available, she can get it within a week or two. She says another benefit is that discontinued dresses give a bride the ability to set herself apart from others.

Some of the designers she sells are Allure Bridals, Justin Alexander, Designer Formal Dresses by Jovani, Mon Cheri Bridals, Eden Bridals and MODECA. The business also sells formal wear from designers such as Flash Prom and Paparazzi Prom by Mori Lee, as well as jewelry and veils.

Brides should enjoy the dress-finding experience, Brumfield says. “A lot of (brides) are like, ‘Oh, well, I’m just going to order offline,’” she says. “… It’s a wedding, so you should experience it. It’s an event in your life.”

But the most important piece of advice she says is to “never judge a gown by the bag,” she says. Some brides may not like the way a dress looks in the bag, but if they try it on, Brumfield says it may end up being the perfect one.

Sassy Classy Curvy Bridal Outlet (2145 Highway 80 E., Pearl, 601-4218644) is open Friday from 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is open by appointment only on Monday through Thursday. The business also has a referral program. If customers refer someone to the store, they will be entered into a quarterly drawing. For more information, find the business on Facebook.

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

IMANI KHAYYAM

I

t’s late in the afternoon, and Lashanda Brumfield is off work from her job as a recreational therapist at Brentwood Behavioral Healthcare.

But instead of going home, Brumfield instead goes to her bridal store, Sassy Classy Curvy Bridal Outlet, in Pearl. At the store, white dresses covered in plastic line the racks. The floors are copper, and the large space, which looks like a converted warehouse, has gold accents.

Brumfield, an Osyka, Miss., native, has been in the metro area since 2001.

Besides her position at Brentwood, Brumfield was also a wedding coordinator for 13 years. In that job, she says she’d sometimes attend bridal appointments and would often hear brides complain about aspects of dress shopping, such as the high cost and the often small sizes.

Through that, she discovered she had a passion for helping people pick out the right gown.

She first had the idea for the business about four or five years ago. She says she was watching The Learning Channel one Friday night and saw an episode of “I Found the Gown,” which focuses on VOWS Bridal Outlet in Watertown, Mass. “I jumped up, and I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do!’” she says. “I … researched the business to see how they did it, and found out there (were) none in the South. I’m like, ‘OK, why can’t we have this?’”

At that point, Brumfield says a bridal outlet was more of an idea than a possible reality.

Around the time that her brother, Benjamin Tate, was going through treatment for nonHodgkin lymphoma, she started taking business classes.

“You learn a lesson when people go through things like that, about how we put off so much stuff,” she says. “… He knew I had a passion for it, and he would tell me, ‘Why are you waiting? … What is it? Is it fear?’”

She says some of the classes would be on topics that resonated with her, so she started writing the business plan and doing more research. After Tate passed away in 2013, she decided to move forward with her plans.

Her idea was to give metro area and Mississippi brides a place to purchase a designer gown without paying a designer price. Through networking, she got a business loan and then decided to order a couple of out-of-season dresses to inspect them and make sure they were the “real

23

LIFE&STYLE | food&drink

Fondren Garage: A Little Bit of Everything

by Danie Matthews

A

t Fondren Garage, some people play vintage video games. Some sit outside and watch a movie. Some watch live entertainment, and some eat at the business’ two restaurants.

Fondren Garage always has a lot going on.

The business opened Memorial Day weekend and has already caught the attention of many locals.

The search to purchase the perfect space did not actively begin until last October, although owners Chip Matthews (no relation to the author) and Gary Clark had long desired to develop a restaurant in the historic Fondren district.

Both Matthews and Clark have more than 20 years of experience in entrepreneur-

outdoors, where they can enjoy their meal underneath the trees decorated with blue lights—hence the name.

Light-filled bottles hang from the roof eaves of Blind Pig Barbecue, which is located on the upper level. Its menu includes pulled pork, beef brisket, sausage, smoked hamburger and ribs (on weekends only). The restaurant also has pool tables and a bar area.

Matthews says he came up with its name years ago while working at a radio station.

“The station I used to work for had a blind pig as the logo,” he says. “At one time I wanted to open up The Blind Pig Saloon, so the name just stuck with me.”

In addition to its food offerings, Fondren Garage sells coffee and specialty drinks, imani khayyam

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

Fondren Garage, which serves pizza and barbecue and has many amenities, opened on Memorial Day at 3220 N. State St.

24

ship, specifically the restaurant industry, and have owned several local restaurant and bar venues in the Jackson metro area, including Club Fire, Tomahawk Steak Company and Mama Mia’s Pizza of Canton.

“We’ve been around for a while, and we just decided the Fondren would be ideal,” Matthews says. “We needed a building where people could come to eat, drink and play.”

The men recognized a need for this kind of entertainment in the area, which caters to young professionals. Matthews says this is what most interested them most about the neighborhood. “We wanted people to have a place to go when they get off work at night, or college and (medical)-school students to come dart over and just get a slice of pizza and have a beverage and chill,” he says.

The two-story garage building seats around 200 people and houses two restaurants: the Blue Tree Pizza Company and Blind Pig Barbecue. On the lower level, Blue Tree has fresh pizzas available by the slice or by the pie, salads and three kinds of lasagna: white, traditional and vegetarian. Customers also have the option to dine indoors or

such as cappuccinos. Matthews and Clark are also currently working with the Mississippi Food Truck Association to provide patrons with up to three food trucks, the most frequent being LurnyD’s Grille, during lunch time and at night to serve meals. Matthews says this helps with traffic flow during the restaurant’s busiest hours. “The food-truck idea all began because we had been associated with a lot of those guys since we started really,” he says. “They didn’t have a place to park and needed a commissary, and we have a giant lot and wanted to offer three or four different concepts during lunch time.”

The restaurant will host several themed nights throughout the year, including Disco Pizza Night, where customers can jam to their favorite disco hits and purchase pizza and beer pitchers at specialty prices.

Mainly, though, Matthews says he hopes Fondren Garage will have a positive effect on the local community, and people will simply come for an enjoyable time.

Fondren Garage (3220 N.State St., 601790-0612) is open Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to midnight. For more information, find the business on Facebook.

THURSDAY 6/9

SATURDAY 6/11

TUESDAY 6/14

The June Art Show is at Brown’s Fine Art and Framing.

100 Miles of Mayhem: A Century Ride is at The Bike Crossing in Ridgeland.

Donald C. Jackson signs copies of “Deeper Currents” at Lemuria Books.

BEST BETS JUNE 8 - 15, 2016

Kenneth Springer

WEDNESDAY 6/8

History Is Lunch is at noon at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.).

David Sansing speaks on the topic, “Footprints in the Soil, the Life and Legacy of Eugene Hilgard.” Free; call 601-576-6998. … Rheta Grimsley Johnson signs copies of “The Dogs Buried Over the Bridge: A Memoir in Dog Years” at 5 p.m. at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202). Reading at 5:30 p.m. $26.95 book; call 601-366-7619; email info@lemuriabooks.com; lemuriabooks.com.

THURSDAY 6/9

FRIDAY 6/10

MonDAY 6/13

SATURDAY 6/11

TuesDAY 6/14

Big Sleepy’s A/C Benefit Show is at 8 p.m. at Big Sleepy’s (208 W. Capitol St.). The concert is a fundraiser for the venue to purchase a new air-conditioning unit and music licensing fees. Dream Cult, Finding Peace in Gunshots, Alex Fraser and Lisbon Deaths perform. For all ages. Admission donation based; find the event on Facebook.

Pubbin’ for Rhinos is at 6:30 p.m. in Fondren. The

by Micah Smith pub crawl is a fundraiser for the American Association of Zoo Keepers’ rhino conservation efjacksonfreepress.com forts. The route includes Hops Fax: 601-510-9019 & Habanas, Pig & Pint, Saltine Daily updates at Oyster Bar and Fondren Public, jfpevents.com and the first beer at each location is free. Includes drink specials and t-shirts. $30; find the event on Facebook.

2016 All-American Youth Barrel Race is at 8 a.m. at Kirk Fordice Equine Center (1207 Mississippi St.). Contestants compete for cash prizes and a scholarship. Additional dates: June 15, 9 a.m., June 16, 9 a.m., June 17, 9 a.m., June 18, noon. Registration fees apply to compete, free for spectators; call 901-626-8994 or 901-626-8993; lanbarbarrelracing.com. … Pint Night is from 5 to 8 p.m. at Saltine Oyster Bar (622 Duling Ave.). A featured brewery takes over the taps, beer engine or randall for the night. Includes giveaways on the second Tuesday of each month. Beer for sale; call 601-982-2899; saltinerestaurant.com.

SunDAY 6/12

WednesDAY 6/15

events@

An Evening with Harry Connick Jr. is Thursday, June 9, at Thalia Mara Hall.

at 7:30 p.m. at Black Rose Theatre (103 Black St., Brandon). The play is a romantic comedy about two newlyweds who decide to play matchmaker for the wife’s mother. Reservations required. Additional dates: June 10-11, 7:30 p.m., June 12, 2 p.m., June 16-18, 7:30 p.m., June 19, 2 p.m. $10-$15; call 601-825-1293; blackrosetheatre.org.

Strengthening Reading and Writing Skills for College and Beyond is from 9 a.m. to noon at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.). The five-day workshop is for high school juniors and seniors. Participants practice analytical reading skills and write short pieces as an exercise. Registration required. $150; call 601-974-1130; millsaps.edu/conted.

Barnes & Noble Teen Book Festival is from 2 to 3 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Booksellers (Renaissance, 1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Suite 3009, Ridgeland). Includes trivia, a sneak peek of upcoming releases, games, a story development workshop and prizes. For ages 13 and up. Additional dates: June 10, 7-8 p.m., June 11, 11 a.m.2 p.m. Free; call 601-605-4028.

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

Courtesy Harry Connick Jr.

An Evening with Harry Connick Jr.: “That Would Be Me” is at 7:30 p.m. at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The pianist and vocalist is a New Orleans native. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. $49.50-$129.50; call 601-292-7121 or 877-987-6487; ardenland.net. … “Barefoot in the Park” is

The All-American Youth Barrel Race, which Allie Chouest (pictured) won last year, takes place Tuesday, June 14, at the Kirk Fordice Equine Center.

Mississippi disAbility MegaConference is from 3 to 7:30 p.m. at the Jackson Marriott (200 E. Amite St.). The conference is for people with disabilities and their families as well as professionals. The keynote speaker is comedian Zach Anner. Registration required. Additional dates: June 16, 7 a.m.-9:30 p.m., June 17, 7 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $25-$250; call 601-968-0600; msmegaconference.org.

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COMMUNITY Events at William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.) • History Is Lunch June 8, noon. David Sansing speaks on the topic, “Footprints in the Soil, the Life and Legacy of Eugene Hilgard.” Free; call 601-576-6998.

• History Is Lunch June 15, noon. Oren Renick discusses his book, “Smoke Over Mississippi.”

Free; call 601-576-6998.

HATHOR Honors Reception June 9, 6 p.m., at Municipal Art Gallery (839 N. State St.).

HATHOR, Inc. honors women who are public servants at the event. This year’s honorees include Ashley Drummer, Carlyn Hicks and Valencia Robinson. Refreshments included. $20 in advance, $25 at the door; call 960-1582; email hathor601@aol.com; eventbrite.com.

Strengthening Reading and Writing Skills for College and Beyond June 13, 9 a.m.-noon, at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.). The fiveday workshop is for high school juniors and seniors. Participants practice analytical reading skills and write short pieces as an exercise. Registration required. $150; call 601-974-1130; millsaps.edu/conted.

Events at Mississippi Girlchoir Office (1991 Lakeland Drive, Suite M) • Mississippi Girlchoir Auditions, Grades 3-6 June 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Auditions last 15 minutes and consist of vocalizations, rhythm sequences and singing common songs. Appointment required. $25 audition fee; call 601981-9863; email auditions@msgirlchoir.org; msgirlchoir.org.

• Mississippi Girlchoir Auditions, Grades 7-12 June 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Options include the Lyrics Choir for grades 7-9 and the Bel Canto Choir for grades 10-12.

Appointment required. $25 audition fee; call 601-981-9863; email auditions@ msgirlchoir.org; msgirlchoir.org.

SLATE

Mississippi Main Street Quarterly Training June 15-16, 8:30 a.m., at various Jackson locations. Sessions held at The Belhaven (1200 N. State St.) June 15 and the William Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.) June 16. Registration required. $100; email jeanniewaller@msmainstreet.com; msmainstreet.com.

FRIDAY, June 10 NBA (8-11 p.m., ABC): Game four of the NBA Finals could be the final NBA matchup until next season, as the Golden State Warriors are blowing out the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mississippi disAbility MegaConference June 15, 3-7:30 p.m., June 16, 7 a.m.-9:30 p.m., June 17, 7 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at Jackson Marriott (200 E. Amite St.). The conference is for people with disabilities and their families as well as professionals.

The keynote speaker is comedian, writer and TV host Zach Anner. Registration required. $25-$250; call 601-968-0600; msmegaconference.org.

SATURDAY, June 11 Soccer (6-8 p.m., FS1): Watch the final game in group stage as USA faces Paraguay in what could be a chance to advance or a meaningless game, as the US fails to escape the group.

Dream Night at the Zoo June 15, 5-7 p.m., at Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). The private event is for children with special needs and their families. Registration required. Free; call 3522580; ow.ly/10A9WQ.

SUNDAY, June 12 College baseball (11 a.m.-11 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU): The final day of Super Regionals will set the eight teams in the 2016 College World Series.

KIDS

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

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Walk for Lupus June 11, 7 a.m.-10 a.m., at The Nature Park (4077 Flowood Drive, Flowood). The 5K walk is a fundraiser for the Lupus Foundation.

Includes a raffle for a basket of prizes. Free registration, donations welcome, $2 raffle ticket; call 601992-4440; email twomack04@yahoo.com.

“Barefoot in the Park” June 9-11, 7:30 p.m., June 12, 2 p.m., June 16-18, 7:30 p.m., June 19, 2 p.m., at Black Rose Theatre (103 Black St., Brandon). The play is a romantic comedy about two newlyweds who decide to play matchmaker for the wife’s mother. Reservations required. $10-$15; call 601-825-1293; blackrosetheatre.org.

100 Miles of Mayhem: A Century Ride June 11, 7 a.m.-3 p.m., at The Bike Crossing (115 W. Jackson St., Suite 1-D, Ridgeland). Cyclists ride through rural Madison County at distances of 25, 50, 62 or 100 miles. Includes a post-ride party with food and music, and door prizes. Proceeds benefit Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s stroke program. $45 until June 9, $55 June 9-11; call

by Bryan Flynn

Three teams from our state reached a regional. After the weekend, only Mississippi State University was still standing and will now advance to Super Regionals.

THURSDAY, June 9 College sports (7-10 p.m., ESPN2): The second season of BattleFrog College Championship begins with a team from the University of Mississippi competing in the obstacle challenge for the second year.

Events at Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Highland Drive) • Thomas & Friends: Explore the Rails Special Event June 11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Design cityscapes with household items, draw a map with sidewalk chalk, and use the Imagination Playground pieces to build towers and roads. Included with admission ($10, children under 12 months free); call 601-981-5469; mschildrensmuseum.org.

• Visiting Artist: Ginger Williams Cook June 12, 1:30-5:30 p.m. Cook is know for her nesting dolls and illustrations. Included with admission ($10, children under 12 months free); call 601-981-5469; mschildrensmuseum.org.

STAGE & SCREEN

the best in sports over the next seven days

Local on Demand Economy Workshop June 14, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership (201 S. President St.). Small business owners learn how to compete with national brands. Includes lunch and materials. RSVP. $15; call 601-948-7575; email dgreen@greaterjacksonpartnership.com; greaterjacksonpartnership.com.

Story Time on the Porch June 9, 3 p.m.-4 p.m., at Eudora Welty House and Museum (1119 Pinehurst Place). The summer reading a craft program is for children in pre-K to fourth grade. Free; call 601-353-7762.

SPORTS & WELLNESS

FOOD & DRINK Plant-based Potluck June 11, 1 p.m., at High Noon Cafe (Rainbow Plaza, 2807 Old Canton Road). Hosts include Mississippi Vegetarians, Rainbow Natural Grocery Cooperative and Dr. Leo Huddleston. Bring a plant-based dish to share. Takes place on the second Saturday of every month. Free; call 601-366-1513; follow Rainbow Natural Grocery Cooperative on Facebook.

Pubbin’ for Rhinos June 11, 6:30 p.m., in Fondren. The pub crawl is a fundraiser for the American Association of Zoo Keepers’ rhino conservation efforts. The route includes Hops & Habanas, Pig & Pint, Saltine Oyster Bar and Fondren Public, and the first beer at each location is free. Includes drink specials and t-shirts. $30; find the event on Facebook.

MONDAY, June 13 NBA (8-11 p.m., ABC): If Cleveland can slow down the Golden State buzz saw, the Cavaliers could force game five back home for the Warriors to finish the NBA Finals.

TUESDAY, June 14 Documentary (6-10 p.m., ESPN): FX showed its OJ Simpson trial TV series earlier this year; now, ESPN looks at the life of Simpson in “OJ: Made in America.”

WEDNESDAY, June 15 Soccer (1:30-4 p.m., ESPN): Host nation France takes on Albania in the second game of group play in Euro 2016, which began back on June 10.

The Bulldogs will host a Super Regional in Starkville from June 10-12.

For now, MSU awaits the winner of the Lafayette Regional.

Follow Bryan Flynn at jfpsports.com, @jfpsports and at facebook.com/jfpsports.

CONCERTS & FESTIVALS An Evening with Harry Connick, Jr.: That Would Be Me June 9, 7:30 p.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The pianist and vocalist is a New Orleans native. $49.5-$129.5; call 601-292-7121; ardenland.net.

Big Sleepy’s A/C Benefit Show June 10, 8 p.m., at Big Sleepy’s (208 W. Capitol St.). The concert is a fundraiser for the venue to purchase a new airconditioning unit and music licensing fees. Dream Cult, Finding Peace in Gunshots, Alex Fraser and Lisbon Deaths perform. For all ages. Admission donation based; find the event on Facebook.

An Evening with Chris Robinson Brotherhood June 15, 7:30 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). Chris Robinson, former lead singer for the Black Crowes, leads the rock band. $30 in advance, $35 at the door, $3 surcharge for under 21; call 601-292-7121; ardenland.net.

LITERARY & SIGNINGS Events at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202) • “The Dogs Buried Over the Bridge: A Memoir in Dog Years” June 8, 5 p.m. Rheta Grimsley Johnson signs books. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $26.95 book; call 366-7619; lemuriabooks.com.

• “Deeper Currents: The Sacraments of Hunting and Fishing” June 14, 5 p.m. Donald C. Jackson signs books. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $26 book; call 366-7619; lemuriabooks.com.

CREATIVE CLASSES Gunpla Workshop 2.0 June 11, 2 p.m., at Offbeat (151 Wesley Ave.). Learn and develop modelbuilding skills with kits based on vehicles from Bandai’s popular Gundam series. Attendees may bring their own model kit or purchase one from Offbeat. Free admission, kit prices vary; call 601376-9404; find the event on Facebook.

EXHIBIT OPENINGS 856-0049; email robert@thebikecrossing.com; 100milesofmayhem.racesonline.com.

Introduction to Archery June 11, 11 a.m., at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). Join conservation educator Corey Wright for an introduction to the skills and equipment used in archery. $4-$6; call 601-576-6000; mdwfp.com/museum.

WWE Live June 11, 7:30 p.m., at Mississippi Coliseum (1207 Mississippi St.). Wrestlers include Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Charlotte, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler and Ric Flair. $15-$95; call 800745-3000; wwe.com.

2016 All-American Youth Barrel Race June 14, 8 a.m.June 15, 9 a.m.June 16, 9 a.m.June 17, 9 a.m.June 18, noon, at Kirk Fordice Equine Center (1207 Mississippi St.). Contestants compete for cash prizes and a scholarship. Registration fees apply to compete, free for spectators; call 901-6268994 or 901-626-8993; lanbarbarrelracing.com.

June Art Show June 9, 5 p.m., at Brown’s Fine Art and Framing (630 Fondren Place). See works from Jackie Meena. Free; call 601-982-4844; brownsfineart.com.

BE THE CHANGE PFLAG Jackson Monthly Meeting June 14, 6:30-8 p.m., at Fondren Presbyterian Church (3220 Old Canton Road). Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) offers support and education to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people, and their families and friends. Free; call 601-842-2274; pflagjacksonms.wordpress.com.

Check jfpevents.com for updates and more listings, or to add your own events online. You can also email event details to events@jacksonfreepress.com to be added to the calendar. The deadline is noon the Wednesday prior to the week of publication.

‘Artistic Depression’ Impresses

JUNE 8 - Wednesday

by Micah Smith Sneakerboxx Photography

Jackson hip-hop artist Ray Kincaid released his latest album, “Artistic Depression,” in January 2016.

I

don’t often love albums that begin with movie quotes, and I really don’t often love albums that begin with quotes from movies I dislike. But there’s a first time for everything, and that’s the case with Jackson hip-hop artist Ray Kincaid’s album, “Artistic Depression,” released in January 2016.

The opener, “The Shameful Turn Up,” begins with a clip from the horrendous horror flick “Jason Lives: Friday the 13th, Part VI,” even borrowing a slice of the movie’s 1980s-cheese soundtrack before transitioning into a modern beat. It’s a great indicator of what to expect from “Artistic Depression,” which features plenty of pop-culture references, soulful backing tracks and Kincaid’s raspy vocals. While in some hands the repetition of those elements could get tiring, Kincaid uses them to create variety and give the album a cohesive sound.

Listening through “Artistic Depression” reminded me of Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” and not just because both rappers have a bit of gravel in their voice and use the adage, “The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice,” in a song. Where Kincaid and Lamar met in my mind was the influence of funk, soul and R&B on their music, something that was awesome to hear from a local artist. Kincaid makes it clear that he has an appreciation for musicality, implementing clever instrumentation, dynamics and outright changes in a song’s trajectory to make fully realized tracks.

While the album mostly features down-tempo tracks, the second song, “The Handshake,” is a strong candidate for a radio single. One memorable section completes the song’s chess/checkers motif with “kings” from black history, including Rodney King and Martin Luther King Jr. I could have done without guest artist Keem’s line about raping hip-hop, but I won’t fault Kincaid for that. When the song transfers to a soft, sweet-sounding verse, Kincaid uses the turn to juxtapose the first segment’s message of

Music listings are due noon Monday to be included in print and online listings: music@jacksonfreepress.com.

strength and pride as a black man with the second half’s feeling of pain from knowing that many things are stacked against people of color, and the result is praiseworthy.

The album introduces a weight-of-theworld intensity from its first moments, which become more tangible as it continues. The seventh track, “The Rope and Radio Theory,” deals with a frustrating duality in music: Artists want to write songs about real issues, but they also want to write hits that appeal to the masses. Kincaid continues that idea in the closer, “The Return,” which ends with a Devil-like character offering him women, wealth and fame if he signs on the dotted line and gives up his message. It’s certainly a powerful moment and makes for a great end to the album, but it does feel slightly less impactful due to four of the songs that played before it—“Vaginal Vigilante,” “The Queen,” “The Lust” and “The Addiction.”

For the sake of total honesty, I should say that I don’t generally like songs about sex, as they tend to be a bit one-dimensional, but even I know those four songs are wellwritten for what they are. They’re musically pleasing, as is most everything on “Artistic Depression,” and “The Queen” has one of the album’s most singable choruses. At the same time, when we’ve been dealing with issues like racial identity, it feels like a step backward to devote time to lines about not wearing a condom. However, I’m sure some listeners will gravitate more toward these songs, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

With “Artistic Depression,” Kincaid clearly created work that he’s passionate about. From callback lines referencing earlier songs to smart delivery choices, as with feigning exhaustion on “The Search of Good Vibes,” Kincaid wrote an honest-togoodness album that feels thought out and intentional. With the darker themes, it’s easy to focus on the second part of the title, but the more active word here is “artistic.”

Visit soundcloud.com/ayekincaid.

Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Fitzgerald’s - Steele Heart 7:30 p.m.

Hal & Mal’s - New Bourbon Street Jazz 6:30-9 p.m. free Kathryn’s - Larry Brewer & Doug Hurd 6:30 p.m. free Kemistry - Open Mic Night 8:30 p.m. 601-665-2073 Pelican Cove - Jonathan Alexander 6 p.m.

Shucker’s - Silverado 7:30 p.m. free

June 9 - Thursday Burgers & Blues - Shaun Patterson Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Fenian’s - Jonathan Alexander Fitzgerald’s - Sonny Brooks & Ron Etheridge 5 p.m.

Georgia Blue, Madison - Jason Turner Hal & Mal’s - D’Lo Trio 7-10 p.m. free Iron Horse Grill - Robin Blakely 6 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Greenfish 6:30 p.m. free Livingston Farmers Market - Sid Thompson & DoubleShotz 5-8 p.m.

Pelican Cove - Steele Heart 6 p.m.

Shucker’s - Road Hogs 7:30 p.m.

Sylvia’s - The Blues Man & Sunshine McGhee 9 p.m. free Thalia Mara Hall - Harry Connick Jr. 7:30 p.m. $49.50-$129.50 ardenland.net

Iron Horse Grill - Chris Gill 9 p.m.

Johnny T’s - Nellie Mack Project w/ Lady L 9 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Bill & Temperance 7 p.m. free M Bar - Flirt Fridays feat. DJ T. Lewis free Martin’s - The Quickening 10 p.m.

Ole Tavern - Todd Thompson & the Lucky Hand Band 10 p.m.

Pelican Cove - Road Hogs 7 p.m.

Reed Pierce’s, Byram - Chasin’ Dixie 9 p.m. free Shucker’s - Travelin’ Jane 5:30 p.m.; Faze 4 8 p.m. $5; Larry Brewer & Doug Hurd (deck) 10 p.m. free Table 100 - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Two Rivers, Canton - Sid Thompson & DoubleShotz 8:30-11:30 p.m.

June 11 - Saturday Big Sleepy’s - Andrew Bryant & Cody Cox 9 p.m.

Burgers & Blues - Jason Strong Cerami’s - Ron Sennett 6 p.m.

F. Jones Corner - Bailey Brothers midnight $10 Fenian’s - Davis Coen Band

June 10 - Friday Ameristar Bottleneck Blues Bar, Vicksburg - Mike Rob & the 601 Band 8 p.m.

Big Sleepy’s - A/C Benefit Show feat. Dream Cult, Finding Peace in Gunshots, Alex Fraser & Lisbon Deaths 8 p.m.

Burgers & Blues - Acoustic Crossroads Char - Ronnie Brown 6 p.m.

Duling Hall - “Amped & Wired” Taping feat. Muddy Magnolias & jj Thames 8 p.m. $10 ardenland.net F. Jones Corner - Press Play 601 midnight $10 Fenian’s - Vibe Doctors Fitzgerald’s - Don Evans & Marty Smith 5 p.m.; Johnny Crocker & Ronnie McGee 7:30 p.m.

Georgia Blue, Flowood - Jonathan Alexander Georgia Blue, Madison - Shaun Patterson Hal & Mal’s - Barry Leach 7-10 p.m. free The Hideaway - Drowning Pool w/ Skar Ritual, Dynamite Krank & Storage 24 8 p.m. $20 advance $60 VIP

Kathryn’s - Kern Pratt 6 p.m. free Pelican Cove - Carole & the Coolhands noon; Diesel 255 5 p.m.

Shucker’s - Acoustic Crossroads (deck) 3:30 p.m. free Sombra Mexican Kitchen - John Mora 11 a.m.

Table 100 - Raphael Semmes 11:30 a.m.

Wellington’s - Andy Hardwick 11 a.m.

June 13 - Monday Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Fitzgerald’s - Joseph LaSalla 7:30 p.m.

Hal & Mal’s - Central MS Blues Society (rest) 7 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Barry Leach 6:30 p.m. free Martin’s - Fiend Without a Face w/ Spacewolf 8 p.m.

Pelican Cove - Aaron Coker 6 p.m.

June 14 - Tuesday Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Fenian’s - Open Mic Fitzgerald’s - Larry Brewer & Doug Hurd 7:30 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Andrew Pates 6:30 p.m. free Last Call Sports Grill - Top-Shelf Tuesdays feat. DJ Spoon 9 p.m.

Margarita’s - John Mora 6 p.m.

Pelican Cove - Stace & Cassie The Penguin - Jazz Tuesday

June 15 - Wednesday Dream Cult Georgia Blue, Flowood - Shaun Patterson Georgia Blue, Madison - Billy Mauldin Iron Horse Grill - Barry Leach Band 9 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Todd Thompson & the Lucky Hand Band 7 p.m. free M Bar - Saturday Night Live feat. DJ Shanomak free Martin’s - CBDB 10 p.m.

Ole Tavern - Canvas People 10 p.m.

Pelican Cove - 3 Hour Tour 2 p.m.; Acoustic Crossroads 7 p.m.

Reed Pierce’s, Byram - Lovin Ledbetter 9 p.m. free Shucker’s - Steele Heart (deck) 3:30 p.m. free; Faze 4 8 p.m. $5; Billy Mauldin (deck) 10 p.m. free Table 100 - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

June 12 - Sunday Char - Big Easy Three 11 a.m.; Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

The Hideaway - Mike & Marty’s Jam Session

Big Sleepy’s - Secret Stuff, Pictures of Vernon, The Renders & Empty Atlas 7 p.m. $5 advance $8 door all ages Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Duling Hall - Chris Robinson Brotherhood 7:30 p.m. $30 advance $35 door ardenland.net Fitzgerald’s - Andrew Pates & Jay Wadsworth 7:30 p.m.

Hal & Mal’s - Mark Roemer & Jamie Weems 6-8 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Jeff Maddox 6:30 p.m. free Kemistry - Open Mic Night 8:30 p.m. 601-665-2073 Pelican Cove - The JOB 6 p.m.

Shucker’s - Lovin Ledbetter 7:30 p.m. free

Send music listings to Micah Smith at music@ jacksonfreepress.com by noon Monday.

Music venue info at jfp.ms/musicvenues.

6/9 - Travis Tritt - The Civic Theater, New Orleans 6/9 - St. Lucia - Saturn, Birmingham 6/10 - The Band Perry - Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi 6/10 - I Am Terrified - Zydeco, Birmingham 6/10 - Erykah Badu & Ro James - Landers Center, Memphis 6/12 - Weezer & Panic! At the Disco - Champions Square, New Orleans 6/12 - Weird Al Yankovic - Legacy Arena, Birmingham 6/13 - Waxahatchee - Proud Larry’s, Oxford

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

MUSIC | live

Courtesy Dream Cult

DIVERSIONS | music

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Magritte) 49 Brazilian soccer legend (Key’s comedy partner) 50 Blasting stuff (Campsite shelter) 51 Curvy letter (PC bailout keys) 52 “Mustache Hat” artist Jean 54 Lend a larcenous hand 56 Go back, like the tide 59 Bill killers 63 “As I suspected!”

66 Person who’s ready when an insertion is made 68 Blend completely 70 Not contaminated 71 “CHiPs” star Estrada 72 Hip-hop artist Jermaine 73 Transmitted 74 Bumps on the back, maybe 75 Short-lived Ford

32 33 Dusseldorf neighbor 35 Philatelists’ prized possessions, perhaps 36 37 Eye afflictions 43 Mongolian invader 46 Derring-do 53 Actress Rosie 55 Flip of a hit single 56 Mike of “Fifty Shades of Black” 57 In a glum mood 58 Hoedown site

60 “To Venus and Back” singer Amos 61 “I’m ___, boss!”

62 Alarmed squeals 64 Put on the payroll 65 Angle of a branch 67 As of now 69 Water + dirt ©2016 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com)

For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800 655-6548. Reference puzzle #775.

Down

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1 Dizzy Gillespie’s genre 6 Many August babies, astrologically 10 At a great distance 14 “Captain Blood” star Flynn 15 Prefix for pus 16 Solitary 17 1912 Nobel Peace Prize winner Root 18 What the three circled areas represent 20 ___ Aviv, Israel 21 Submits, as a sweepstakes entry 23 Illuminated

24 Auto mechanic’s service 26 “___ Wiedersehen!”

28 Tiny drink (Miss class) 30 “A Boy Named ___” (Confident) 34 Taverns (Loses one’s lunch) 38 Spigot (Links hazard) 39 Slip-___ (Burden) 40 Baseball card info (Set in motion) 41 Hosp. workers (Howard and Jeremy, for two) 42 History (“Blue Ribbon” name) 44 Deep-___ (Slugfest) 45 “Yes ___!” (Andes native) 47 Casserole bit (“Guilty,” e.g.)

48 Riddle-me-___ (Belgian painter

BY MATT JONES Last Week’s Answers

“Kaidoku”

Each of the 26 letters of the alphabet is represented in this grid by a number between 1 and 26. Using letter frequency, word-pattern recognition, and the numbers as your guides, fill in the grid with well-known English words (HINT: since a Q is always followed by a U, try hunting down the Q first). Only lowercase, unhyphenated words are allowed in kaidoku, so you won’t see anything like STOCKHOLM or LONG-LOST in here (but you might see AFGHAN, since it has an uncapitalized meaning, too). Now stop wasting my precious time and SOLVE! psychosudoku@gmail.com

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June 8 - 14 , 2016 • jfp.ms

Across

1 Salad bar veggie 2 Detective novelist ___ Stanley Gardner 3 Vividness 4 Outburst with a wince 5 Eve of “The Brady Bunch” 6 Centers of focus 7 “Green” sci.

8 Soul singer Redding 9 Braga of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” 10 Every bit 11 Ignoramus 12 “Freeze” tag?

13 Time off 19 Cold-shoulders 22 “The Fox and the Crow” author 25 Swedish home of Scandinavia’s oldest university 27 Label for the diet-conscious 28 Remove, as paint 29 31 Ill-suited

Last Week’s Answers

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FATHER ‘S DAY June 19 Now Open on Sunday

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

In his poem “Interrupted Meditation,” Robert Hass blurts out the following exclamation: “I give you, here, now, a magic key. What does it open? This key I give you, what exactly does it open?” How would you answer this question, Gemini? What door or lock or heart or treasure box do you most need opened? Decide today. And please don’t name five things you need opened. Choose one, and one only. To do so will dissolve a mental block that has up until now kept you from finding the real magic key.

The following excerpt from Wendell Berry’s poem “Woods” captures the essence of your current situation: “I part the out-thrusting branches and come in beneath the blessed and the blessing trees. Though I am silent there is singing around me. Though I am dark there is vision around me. Though I am heavy there is flight around me.” Please remember this poem at least three times a day during the next two weeks. It’s important for you to know that no matter what murky or maudlin or mysterious mood you might be in, you are surrounded by vitality and generosity.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

A half-dead blast from the past is throttling the free flow of your imagination. Your best possible future will be postponed until you agree to deal more intimately with this crumbled dream, which you have never fully grieved or surrendered. So here’s my advice: Summon the bravest, smartest love you’re capable of, and lay your sad loss to rest with gentle ferocity. This may take a while, so be patient. Be inspired by the fact that your new supply of brave, smart love will be a crucial resource for the rest of your long life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

Five times every day, devout Muslims face their holiest city, Mecca, and say prayers to Allah. Even if you’re not Islamic, I recommend that you carry out your own unique version of this ritual. The next three weeks will be a favorable time to cultivate a closer relationship with the inspirational influence, the high ideal or the divine being that reigns supreme in your life. Here’s how you could do it: Identify a place that excites your imagination and provokes a sense of wonder. Five times a day for the next 21 days, bow in the direction of this treasured spot. Unleash songs, vows and celebratory expostulations that deepen your fierce and tender commitment to what you trust most and love best.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

“The road reaches every place, the short cut only one,” says aphorist James Richardson. In many cases, that’s not a problem. Who among us has unlimited time and energy?

Why leave all the options open? Short cuts can be valuable. It’s often smart to be ruthlessly efficient as we head toward our destination. But here’s a caveat: According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you’re now in a phase when taking shortcuts may be counterproductive.

To be as well-seasoned as you will need to be to reach your goal, you should probably take the scenic route.

The long way around may, in this instance, be the most efficient and effective.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

“Truth is like the flu,” says poet James Richardson. “I fight it off, but it changes in other bodies and returns in a form to which I am not immune.” In the coming days, Scorpio, I suspect you will experience that riddle first hand—and probably on more than one occasion.

Obvious secrets and wild understandings that you have fought against finding out will mutate in just the right way to sneak past your defenses. Unwelcome insights you’ve been trying to ignore will finally wiggle their way into your psyche. Don’t worry, though. These new arrivals will turn out to be good medicine.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

According to Guinness World records, the most consecutive hours spent riding on a roller coaster is 405 hours and 40 minutes. But I suspect that during the next 15 months, a Sagittarian daredevil may exceed this mark.

I have come to this conclusion because I believe your tribe will be especially adept and relatively comfortable

at handling steep rises and sudden dips at high speeds.

And that won’t be the only rough talent you’ll have in abundance. I’m guessing you could also set new personal bests in the categories of most frequent changes of mind, most heroic leaps of faith and fastest talking.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

Whether we like to admit it or not, all of us have acted like puppets. Bosses and teachers and loved ones can manipulate us even if they’re not in our presence. Our conditioned responses and programmed impulses may control our behavior in the present moment even though they were formed long ago. That’s the bad news. The good news is that now and then moments of lucidity blossom, revealing the puppet strings. We emerge from our unconsciousness and see that we’re under the spell of influential people to whom we have surrendered our power. This is one of those magic times for you, Capricorn.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

A few weeks ago, you undertook a new course of study in the art of fun and games. You realized you hadn’t been playing hard enough, and took measures to correct the problem. After refamiliarizing yourself with the mysteries of innocent joy, you raised the stakes. You began dabbling with more intensive forms of relief and release. Now you have the chance to go even further: to explore the mysteries of experimental delight. Exuberant escapades may become available to you. Amorous adventures could invite you to explore the frontiers of liberated love. Will you be brave and free enough to meet the challenge of such deeply meaningful gaiety? Meditate on this radical possibility: spiritually adept hedonism.

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Notices

Office Furniture Installers Part Time Office Furniture Installers wanted.

Experience in STEELCASE preferred. Contact Greg Mason at 601.473.4992 to apply.

Drivers needed J&d transit is hiring non-emergency transportation drivers. Must be at least 25 yrs old, Pass a drug screen, Have clean background, No more than 1 traffic ticket in past 3 yrsPlease come by 120 Southpointe Dr., Ste. D, Byram MS (601) 203-2136 Van Drivers Wanted in Jackson Local company is looking for drivers to transport railroad crews up to a 200 mile radius from Jackson. Must live within 20 miles of Jackson, be 21 years or older, valid driver’s license and a pre-employment drug screen is required. A company vehicle is provided, paid training, and benefits.

Compensation is $8.50 per hour. Apply online at www.renzenberger.com

IN THE CHANCERY COURT OF TENNESSEE FOR THE TWENTY-FIFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT, AT RIPLEY NO. 15343 COLTON WADE BROYLES and AMBER NICHOLE BROYLES vs.

MATTHEW AARON SMITH Colton Wade Broyles and Amber Nichole Broyles filed a petition seeking to terminate the parental rights of Matthew Aaron Smith to M.L.S., a minor born 26 September 2011, in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, alleging that the father of M.L.S. abandoned the child. Matthew Aaron Smith is ordered to respond to the Petition within thirty days of the final day of publication of this notice; a copy of the answer must be served upon Lewis Jenkins, Attorney, P.O. Box 220, Dyersburg, TN 38025-0220. A copy of the Petition may be obtained from the clerk of this Court. If Matthew Aaron Smith fails to respond as ordered, judgment by default will be entered for the relief demanded.

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD:

Post an ad at jfpclassifieds.com, call 601-362-6121, ext. 11 or fax to 601-510-9019.

Deadline: Mondays at Noon.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

Poet Sharon Dolin compares artists to sunflowers. They create “a tall flashy flower that then grows heavy with seeds whose small hard shells you must crack to get to the rich nut meat.” As I contemplate the current chapter of your unfolding story, I see you as being engaged in a similar process, even if you’re not literally an artist. To be exact, you’re at the point when you are producing a tall, flashy flower. The seeds have not yet begun to form, but they will soon. Later this year, the rich nut meat inside the small hard shells will be ready to pluck. For now, concentrate on generating your gorgeous, radiant flower.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

Mythologist Joseph Campbell analyzed fairy tales for clues about how the human psyche works. For example, he said that a fairy tale character who’s riding a horse is a representation of our relationship with our instinctual nature. If that character drops the reins and lets the horse gallop without guidance, he or she is symbolically surrendering control to the instincts. I bring this to your attention because I suspect you may soon be tempted to do just that—which wouldn’t be wise. In my opinion, you’ll be best served by going against the flow of what seems natural. Sublimation and transcendence will keep you much stronger than if you followed the line of least resistance. Homework: Visualize yourself, as you ride your horse, keeping a relaxed but firm grasp of the reins.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

I will provide you with two lists of words. One of these lists, but not both, will characterize the nature of your predominant experiences in the coming weeks. It will be mostly up to you which emerges as the winner. Now read the two lists, pick the one you like better, and instruct your subconscious mind to lead you in that direction. List 1: gluttony, bloating, overkill, padding, exorbitance. List 2: mother lode, wellspring, bumper crop, gold mine, cornucopia.

Homework: Psychologists say that a good way to eliminate a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. Do that! Testify at Freewillastrology.com

June 8 - 14, 2016 • jfp.ms

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

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The trail comes alive with color once you start looking for as many colors as you can ďŹ nd in an hour. There will be prizes for the person who ďŹ nds the most items from the trail that match the provided color chips.

For more Information on outdoor adventures, visit

Mississippi.SierraClub.Org

Mon - Sat 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. t 6 01.362.9553 .BZXPPE .BSU t +BDLTPO .4 t OBOEZTDBOEZ DPN

IN THE SILLERS BUIDLING

550 High Street, Jackson, Ms | 601-359-5513

Call Tamarah Mack 1.888.228.0944

or purchase online uniquecandlesonline.com