V15n25 - The Facts About Immigration

vol. 15 no. 25

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Father, Son Targeted in Jackson Raid

Dreher, pp 6 - 8

Food + Beer: Perfect Pair Helsel, p 20

Mandisa: ‘Idol’ to JXN Smith, p 26

THE

FACTS ABOUT IMMIGRATION: A Former Border Czar Speaks Sebastian Rotella, pp 16 - 19

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JACKSONIAN Liz Broussard Imani Khayyam

A

fter moving halfway across the country to go to college in Iowa, then working for a year after graduation in Connecticut, Liz Broussard wanted to find somewhere to live with a sense of community.

“Some folks in FoodCorps just spoke so highly of Jackson, and told me that it is was the perfect place to meet people, to be involved and engaged in the community.”

Broussard says.

She graduated from Cornell College in 2012 with a specialized bachelor’s degree in food and the environment. Her passion for sustainable food and underserved communities comes from a combination of her collegiate academics and being in Iowa.

“People from home teased me that I was ‘going off into the corn fields,’” Broussard says about her move to the Hawkeye state. “But (while there), I began to understand what agriculture is starting to look like and what it has become over the last couple of decades. It’s realizing that when you’re eating Cheez-Its, you’re eating corn; there’s corn in your hair products.

“It just made me think a little more critically about what I was eating, and what people who didn’t have the same opportunities as me were eating.”

Following college, Broussard worked in Connecticut for a year for FoodCorps, a

contents

grantee of AmeriCorps and nonprofit that teaches kids about healthy food and where it comes from, before moving to Jackson as a FoodCorps Fellow in 2013. She served as a state coordinator and administrator and worked to support the 10 FoodCorps members throughout Mississippi.

After her fellowship was up, she decided to stay, and in 2015, she began working with the nonprofit Alignment Jackson, which brings community partners into Jackson Public Schools.

Six months ago, Broussard was offered the position of food justice project coordinator with the National Center for Appropriate Technology, which is a nonprofit that promotes sustainable living. NCAT is the state partner of FoodCorps, and through a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the organization is starting a new foodjustice project to increase people’s access to healthy, culturally appropriate food.

Broussard sees lots of potential in her new home, and if there is one thing that she could see happen, it is more farm-toschool programs. “I would love to see every student in Jackson Public Schools have access to fresh healthy food in their cafeterias every day and have a school garden on-site that they can learn how to work with and interact with,” Broussard says.

—Tyler Edwards

cover photo of immigration raid, Charles Reed, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via Associated Press

6 ............................ Talks 12 ................... editorial 13 ...................... opinion 16 ............ Cover Story 20 ........... food & Drink 22 ......................... 8 Days 24 ........................ Events

8 Budget Cuts Coming

The Legislature is working on a tight, tight budget; first looks show cuts to most state agencies coming.

20 Wiseacres in Jackson

Read about Wiseacre Brewing Co.’s recent beer dinner at Sal & Mookie’s New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint.

24 ....................... sports 25 ......................... books 26 .......................... music 27 ........ music listings 28 ...................... Puzzles 29 ......................... astro 29 ............... Classifieds

26 Mandisa: Becoming an ‘Overcomer’

“… It can be scary when you open up your mouth to say things that people won’t agree with, and certainly in our political landscape now, that is something that we all face.”

—Mandisa, “Mandisa: Becoming an ‘Overcomer’”

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

4 ............ Editor’s Note

courtesy CMA Media Promotions; Amber Helsel; Imani Khayyam

February 22 - 28, 2017 | Vol. 15 No. 25

3

editor’s note

by Amber Helsel, Managing Editor

‘Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor’

I

have a thing for chocolate, but not Hershey’s chocolate. I mean, I will eat a Hershey’s bar or Snickers, but what I really like is chocolate from other countries, and artisan chocolate. You can thank Toblerone, which is originally from Switzerland, for introducing me to such delights.

I frequent places such as Whole Foods Market and Fresh Market, scoping out the most interesting chocolate. Ninety percent of the time, I won’t buy it because (A) I don’t need it, and (B) it tends to be expensive. But when I do get my hands on some, I enjoy the hell out of it. I’ve had everything from chocolate with potato chips or Pop Rocks to chocolate with graham crackers and marshmallows, because who doesn’t love s’mores?

Time for a quick history lesson. Legend says that Aztec King Montezuma welcomed Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes with a banquet that included Aztec drinking chocolate. He was the first European to see chocolate being made, though the process wasn’t recorded until later.

Back then, chocolate recipes were different than they are today. The Aztec used ingredients such as chili pepper, vanilla and honey. Once the Spanish became aware of it, they modified the recipe, adding sugar from Caribbean plantations. After traders began bringing chocolate to Spain starting in 1570, the delicacy spread to Italy, Austria and then the rest of Europe.

Quakers, who primarily produced chocolate in England, and other colonists brought their chocolate-making knowledge to the New World. Around the 1700s, people began importing cacao beans from the Caribbean. Chocolate as we know it came about in the 1800s.

The delicacy has changed its face over

the years, going from an Aztec delicacy to how we know it today, but one thing hasn’t changed: If it wasn’t for American colonists (immigrants), we wouldn’t have chocolate, or at least, it wouldn’t be as widely known and enjoyed as it is today.

I’ve talked about this before, but we are a nation of many immigrants. Unless you’re Native American, you can likely trace your roots back somewhere across the seas or down in South and Central America. For many of us, our home in America stems

We are a nation of many immigrants. from European, as well as African men and women who were forced into slavery. If it weren’t for the many people of many nationalities that migrated to this country, including Asians and other cultures, the U.S. would definitely not be the same.

I mean, look at the Statue of Liberty.

She was a gift from France, so even Lady Liberty is technically an immigrant.

In her left hand, she holds a tablet with the date that our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence and the text of “The New Colossus” from Emma Lazarus: “Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows worldwide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

‘Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!’ cries she With silent lips. ‘Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!’”

It is a poem about immigrants, and it was one of the first things that people who entered the country through Ellis Island saw upon arrival to the U.S. So when the current president starts talking about building a wall between us and Mexico, he gives Lady Liberty and every ideal this country was built on the finger. When Trump says, “We’re bringing jobs back to America,” he doesn’t realize that he also means bringing jobs back to immigrants. That’s who we are, or at least most of us.

We are a tossed salad of different cultures, of different walks of life. And yet, for a country that was built on the backs of immigrants, we haven’t always been the kindest to others. The U.S. enslaved Africans; we put Japanese into internment camps during World War II; we denied entry to many Jewish people who were trying to escape the Holocaust, including young Anne Frank’s family. In the modern age, we discriminate

against many immigrants because they supposedly pose a threat to national security and job security, even though both of those threats are, for the most part, untrue.

People who sided with radical Islamic groups such as ISIS have perpetrated attacks such as the one on Pulse nightclub in Orlando, but the majority of Muslims around the world do not agree with terrorism. And some Mexican immigrants do the hard labor many Americans don’t want to do, and for low wages. All of the immigrants, both legal and undocumented—no, all of us— are just trying to survive. We’re trying to live the best life possible in the best way we know how. And many pay taxes, too.

Instead of threatening to build walls, shouldn’t we be making a bigger table? We live in one of the most populated countries in the world, so there’s enough room for more people. And if it wasn’t for immigrants, forced or not, we wouldn’t have half of what we have today.

We probably wouldn’t have rock ‘n’ roll if it wasn’t for African Americans because it originates from blues music, which draws its roots from African music traditions, and the work songs and spirituals that slaves would sing on plantations.

More cultures in America means that we get to experience more in life. We get to try new things and hear new ideas. We get to create an open dialogue that’s better and accomplishes more than an “us v. them” attitude. After all, the world can be a dark place, so we shouldn’t be bickering over who belongs and who doesn’t when there’s enough madness in the world as is.

Instead, why not try a little more sweet and a little less bitter? It’ll do wonders.

Email story ideas to managing editor amber@jacksonfreepress.com.

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

contributors

4

Sebastian Rotella

Arielle Dreher

Imani Khayyam

Micah Smith

Mary Osborne

Tyler Edwards

Zilpha Young

Kimberly Griffin

Sebastian Rotella is a senior reporter at ProPublica, a Peabody Award-winning investigative reporter and author of two novels. He interviewed Alan Bersin, which is this issue’s cover story. It first appeared in ProPublica.

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 wrote about a local immigration raid and the #MSLeg.

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 photos for the issue.

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 interviewed Grammy Awardwinning Christian artist Mandisa.

Sales and Marketing Assistant Mary Osborne is seeking out new ways to share all things good, all the time, because what the world needs now is love. Send your thoughts to mary@jacksonfreepress.com.

Events Editor Tyler Edwards loves film, TV and all things pop culture. He’s a Jackson native and will gladly debate the social politics of comic books.

Send events to events@jacksonfreepress.com. He compiled the event listings.

Zilpha Young is an ad designer by day and a painter, illustrator, seamstress and freelance designer by night. Check out her design portfolio at zilphacreates.com. She designed ads for the issue.

Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin is a fitness buff and foodie who loves chocolate and her mama. She’s also Michelle Obama’s super secret BFF, which explains the ongoing Secret Service detail.

thank you!!

They Came… They Saw… They RAN! Thank you to the parents, teachers and volunteers for investing your time and supporting our children as they learn about healthy lifestyle habits.

We look forward to seeing everyone in 2018! Keep on running!

www.getreadytorunms.com Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, A Mutual Insurance Company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® Registered Marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an Association of Independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.

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“At worst, it’s blatant racism, at best it’s corruption.”

— Roy Mitchell, executive director of the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program, discussing “welfare fraud prevention” bills still alive in the Legislature that only target the recipients.

Wednesday, February 15

Thursday, February 16

The Mississippi House passes a Department of Education appropriations bill that does not fund MAEP, signaling that the formula re-write has to happen before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2017.

Friday, February 17

Mississippi House Republican leaders appeal a court ruling in a dispute over an election that tied, went to a drawing of straws and was later flipped.

Saturday, February 18

Norma McCorvey, whose legal challenge under the pseudonym “Jane Roe” led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision that legalized abortion but who later became an outspoken opponent of the procedure, dies at the age of 69.

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

Sunday, February 19

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces launch a major air-and-ground offensive to retake western Mosul from Islamic State militants. … Thousands of protesters against Donald Trump rally outside Britain’s Parliament while lawmakers urge the government to rescind its recent offer to host an official state visit.

6

Monday, February 20

Thousands of demonstrators gather in major cities across the U.S. to challenge Donald Trump in a Presidents Day protest dubbed Not My President’s Day. … Donald Trump nominates Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his new national security adviser, replacing the ousted Michael Flynn.

Tuesday, February 21

Gov. Phil Bryant cuts the state’s budget for the third time in fiscal-year 2017, taking $7 million from the state’s rainy day fund and cutting 0.9 percent from most state agency budgets.

Get breaking news at jfpdaily.com.

After ICE Raid, Immigration Limbo in Mississippi

by Arielle Dreher

D

aniela was asleep early on Feb. 15 when she felt her father kiss her goodbye, as he did every morning.

It was around 6:30 or 7 a.m., a seemingly normal Wednesday morning— until it wasn’t. Just a few minutes later, her father came back, waking her: “Dani, immigration is here!”

Panicked and sleepy, the 21-year-old didn’t know what to do. By the time she got up and looked outside, her brother’s truck was parked haphazardly up in their front yard, a sign something was not right.

There were immigration officers in her father’s room asking to see his passport. Daniela began translating; her father does not speak English.

The officers asked to see her I.D., which was out in her car. They escorted her to her car, and she told them she was a DACA student, and then before she knew it, they brought her father out of the house in handcuffs. When the officers kept questioning her about her status, Daniela got scared, went inside and locked all the doors.

She still hadn’t seen her brother, and she assumes he was already in one of the several ICE vehicles with tinted windows.

Daniela barricaded herself in her closet, knowing she couldn’t run away. The agents were around the house, and eventu-

It Tax a Village

by Micah Smith

M

ississippi’s infrastructure isn’t great, but that’s old news to anyone whose tire has lost a battle with a pothole. The state government is currently pitching a bunch of new ideas on how to get funds as well as a bunch of tax breaks for other items, so we thought we’d offer our tax advice and ideas for taxation that we could all get on board with.

Arielle Dreher/photo of family photo

The City of Jackson signs a 10-year operations and management agreement with Veolia Water North AmericaSouth, LLC, to operate the area’s three wastewater-treatment plants.

Lawmakers prepare to cut state agency budgets. p 10

Immigration officers took a young woman’s brother (left) and father (right) from their home in Jackson on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

ally they came back inside. She still does not know how the immigration officers got into her house, but once they found her, they showed her a search warrant with her brother’s name on it.

They were looking for weapons. Did they have any? Daniela knew about the gun.

They had one for protection, she says. Her father got the gun only when they moved to Jackson last May because they didn’t feel safe in the neighborhood, she said later. Immigration officials searched the house for the weapon. Daniela crouched in her bedroom, calling friends and her mother who lives out of state. She had no idea if the im-

migration officials would take her, too.

She later said it seemed like she got some sort of pass because she told them about the gun, which they eventually found. Around 1:30 p.m., several men, maybe seven, streamed out from the back of the house. They got into two sedans and two SUVs, and rolled out of the driveway.

Daniela burst out of the front door a few minutes later. A lawyer from the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance and a gaggle of reporters greeted Daniela, who was clearly scared and seemed in a state of shock. Bill Chandler, the executive director of MIRA, said his organization was

Do Tax: • Tribal tattoos unless the person is from a tribe.

Do Not Tax: • Any product ending in “-tron 5000.”

• The use of hashtags in physical conversations.

• Movies starring dogs that can play sports.

• Gas for anyone traveling across state lines to see Dave Matthews Band.

• Coffee. Please, just don’t.

• Air horns in music. Look, you had a good run.

• Gift cards that have been in your wallet for more than two years.

• Fireworks that lack dangerous-sounding names.

• Tea. We’ve got your back, 1770s Boston.

“Would you agree with me that the money involved in Medicaid fraud is overwhelmingly with the providers and not with the patients? That’s where the real money is?”

-Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson if SB 2330 addressed fraud for Medicaid service providers, not just recipients

“I’d really like for us to beat Alabama on this one.”

-State Treasurer Lynn Fitch discussing how Mississippi and Alabama are the last two states without laws to address the gender-pay gap

Lawmakers Use Template to Target Welfare Fraud, But Ignore Provider End

by Arielle Dreher

L

familiar with Daniela and her family, which is why they knew to be there.

Daniela had the search warrant ICE officials gave her, and her passport was on the entry-room table.

Safe for Now

Daniela is a tax-paying worker and former student on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals plan, known as DACA, which the Department of Homeland Security back in 2012 during the Obama administration. The program allowed children of undocumented immigrants, who are technically undocumented themselves, to request deferred action on their removal from the country as well as become eligible to work in the country.

The young woman came to the

United States when she was 7, and never returned to Argentina. The family settled in Morton, Miss., where Daniela graduated from high school. She applied and was granted DACA twice, and her current application for renewal is still in process.

With her father and brother gone, Daniela had no idea what she would do.

The three of them lived in a house in west Jackson, where they moved in May from Morton, after her parents divorced, Daniela said. Her mother lives out of state.

Inside the house that day, Daniela’s father’s room was a mess with clothes bunched on the floor, a huge shelving unit pulled from the closet, clothes and other household items strewn across the floor.

“It’s weird seeing his room like this, he is such a neat person,” Daniela said, looking

at the ICE officials’ handiwork.

Old photos of the family, tacked onto a large vanity, looked down on the mess of her father’s room, and afternoon light streamed in through blinds. Daniela’s room, just a few paces from her father’s, was neat. She had written a message on her vanity mirror to her mother, and she repeatedly told her friend on the phone to tell her mother that she loved her, thinking she would be taken away, too.

Daniela thought they would take her, and seemed both relieved and confused as to why they didn’t on Feb. 15. She is still in the state, now represented by Abigail Peterson, with Elmore and Peterson attorneys.

No Word from Father, Brother

Daniela thinks ICE came to their

house because of her brother Alan’s past.

She said a woman brought charges against him for kidnapping and rape years ago.

Alan was sent to jail and then released when they figured out she was lying, Daniela said, and the girl who lied moved out of state.

“We never saw her again so because of that, the record was not wiped away,” Daniela said. “But he wasn’t guilty, so he got to walk and she left, and that’s what follows him everywhere.”

Alan’s case in the U.S. District Court is sealed, so it is not clear whether or not officials used those charges to justify the search warrant. Daniela said her brother was not guilty of anything and that the woman had lied. Her brother framed houses and more RAID see page 8

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

courtesy MS Legislature

fication. Brown told the Jackson Free Press that the bill does awmakers seem serious about addressing welfare re- nearly identical to Harkins’ bill.

A similar bill from the House, called the Medicaid and not change any federal regulations and is an attempt to get form this year, potentially making it both harder to get benefits and then to stay on the rolls once a recipi- Human Services Transparency and Fraud Prevention Act,” waste and fraud out of the state’s system.

“The main thing is to take care of those that are most ent has a job. But critics say they are not targeting the uses some of the model bill’s language with added sections dealing with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families needy in our state because if we keep running deficits (with mismanagement of dollars where it actually occurs. the Medicaid budget), they’re going to start cut In both the House and the Senate, lawting coverage … if we don’t get the fraud and makers passed versions of the Mississippi Welwaste out of there, then those that are truly needy fare Fraud Prevention Act, intended to tighten will start getting cut,” Brown told the Jackson security and scrutiny of eligibility applications Free Press. for welfare benefits, namely Medicaid and the

Horton says more than half the fraud in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and United States is due to eligibility issues, which Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. explains why the legislation suggests enhanced The legislation would require frequent monitorscreening for welfare beneficiaries. It suggests ing to ensure that those who disqualify—say after that the applicant must provide the following ingetting a job—are taken off the rolls. formation to determine their eligibility: income,

Sen. Josh Harkins, R-Flowood, authored employment status, immigration status, resithe Mississippi Welfare Fraud Prevention Act in dency, enrollment in other public assistance prothe Senate, which is almost identical to old model grams in Mississippi and other states, financial legislation from the Foundation for Government resources, incarceration status and death records.

Accountability, a nonprofit think tank focused

The Division of Medicaid already collects on welfare reform and “stopping the scam.”

Rep. Chris Brown, R-Nettleton (left), and Rep. Josh Harkins,

Nicholas Horton, senior research fellow at most of this information already, however, and R-Flowood (right), have authored bills to enhance the state’s fraud Senate Bill 2330 would require applicants to be the foundation, said the organization wants to prevention for those on Medicaid, SNAP or TANF benefits or authenticated through a “knowledge-based quiz ensure “limited taxpayer resources are available looking to apply. consisting of financial and/or personal questions” for the most vulnerable.” The foundation works in about 35 states directly, and while it has no point-policy and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs. Rep. to ensure that the person is who he or she says. people in Mississippi, the model legislation for an older ver- Chris Brown, R-Nettleton, says his bill, House Bill 1090, more FRAUD, see page 8 sion of the group’s Welfare Fraud Prevention Act is almost took the best practices from several states for enhanced veri-

7

TALK | state

FRAUD from page 7

Horton points to states like Arkansas, where after an audit, tens of thousands of people were kicked off the welfare rolls for being ineligible. The Foundation for Government Accountability’s “Stop the Scam” report says that 24 percent of those Arkansas residents on Medicaid did not have the proper documentation to establish eligibility.

Racism and Corruption?

The question is whether or not Mississippi has a fraud problem. The answer to that question differs depending on whom you talk to. The current numbers indicate that the state does not have a fraud problem, but those promoting welfare reform believe the current reporting systems are not adequate enough to detect the actual fraud. The Division of Medicaid’s Office of Program Integrity investigated 120 cases in 2016, referring only 12 of those to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. That number is a decrease from the previous fiscal year when the office investigated 248 cases, resulting in 15 sent to the fraud unit.

Roy Mitchell, the executive director of the Mississippi

8

worked in construction.

Daniela said her father, who paints houses for a living, had no criminal history.

He was on a U-Visa, which is for non-immigrants who are victims of crimes. Daniela said her father was harassed at a previous job, and was in his re-application for the visa. As a DACA recipient, Daniela is not eligible for scholarships or federal student aid for college, so most of her father’s paycheck went toward her schooling, she said.

She most recently studied journalism at the University of Southern Mississippi. She had to take this semester off because they couldn’t keep up with the bills. She said she is considering teaching math and wants to go to Mississippi University for Women.

Mississippi has no official immigration detention facilities, so when ICE officials pick up Mississippians, they are eventually sent to a facility in Alabama or Louisiana, ICE spokesman Tom Byrd said. “(ICE) Fugitive Operations teams arrest criminal aliens and other individuals who are in violation of our nation’s immigration laws,” he wrote in an email to the Jackson Free Press.

“ICE conducts targeted immigration enforcement in compliance with federal law and agency policy. ICE does not conduct sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately.”

In a further interview, Byrd said all individuals in ICE custody are afforded due process, and they will go before an immigration judge to make their case. Byrd

could not confirm where Alan or Daniel currently are due to privacy issues, he said.

Sometimes, they are held in county jails, but to get to an immigration judge, they would likely go to one of the ICE Louisiana facilities, Byrd said.

If you commit a crime as an undocumented immigrant, the process becomes much more complicated. Byrd said outstanding criminal charges, whether federal, state or local, will also change how the process works for those detained. Peterson, Arielle Dreher

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

RAID from page 7

Health Advocacy Program, says the real fraud is on the other side of Medicaid: with the providers. He said the problem with the proposed legislation is that it targets recipients.

“At worst, it’s blatant racism, at best it’s corruption,” he told the Jackson Free Press.

Mitchell says increasing scrutiny of those eligible for Medicaid will mean likely kicking people off the rolls, even if it is due to an administrative error in an application.

“I’m very concerned about the due-process implications of this for recipients,” Mitchell said. He said the bills do not make sense when lawmakers have repeatedly griped about Medicaid’s budget constantly increasing, these bills would add potential expense to contract with a third-party vendor as well as add another level of bureaucracy. Mississippi’s Division of Medicaid partners with AdvanceMed to get monthly reports on data, its annual report says.

When the Senate took up Senate Bill 2330, Medicaid Committee Chairman Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, presented the bill. He said that while the Division of Medicaid has its own system to determine eligibility, “I think we can all agree that it’s not efficient and doesn’t operate at an optimum level,” he told the Senate.

Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, questioned the part of the bill that requires the state’s Division of Medicaid, De-

Alan’s truck was parked on the grass, a sign to Daniela that something was wrong on Feb. 15.

who represents Daniela, says her client had not heard from her father by press time.

Trump and DACA

Before November when the U.S. elected Donald Trump as president of the U.S., immigration officials had a sort of preference system in place when it came to deporting undocumented immigrants. The Obama administration prioritized those who had committed crimes, were caught near the border and those arriving after

partment of Human Services and the Office of Employment Security to hire a third-party vendor to develop an enhanced system of verification. Blount asked why the bill does not address fraud on the provider side instead of just targeting the welfare recipient.

“Would you agree with me that the money involved in Medicaid fraud is overwhelmingly with the providers and not with the patients? That’s where the real money is?”

Blount asked Wiggins.

“I would agree that there is fraud on both of those levels, to your point,” Wiggins responded.

“… A version of this bill passed in other states—and states, I believe, are the laboratories of democracy. He pointed to states like Arkansas and Ohio, “where they found upwards of 100,000 people collecting Medicaid benefits that they weren’t entitled to.”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being proactive to cut down on fraud in our system,” Wiggins said.

House Bill 1090 contains an amendment that would hold Medicaid providers accountable as well for reporting fraudulent numbers of Medicaid recipients they treat or ser-

2014, an August 2016 NPR report says.

Deportations spiked at more than 400,000 by 2012, but then those numbers dropped in the last several years.

With Donald Trump’s election and Jan. 25 executive order, the pendulum is set to swing in the opposite direction. The new president’s order goes beyond the muchdebated wall he plans to build.

“The Secretary shall immediately take all appropriate actions to ensure the detention of aliens apprehended for violations of immigration law pending the outcome of their removal proceedings or their removal from the country to the extent permitted by law,” Trump’s order reads.

This means the end of “catch and release” policies for undocumented immigrants and the possibility of the federal government and taxpayers paying for additional detention facilities to house undocumented immigrants. Trump’s order cites drug and human-trafficking concerns as reasons to secure the border, but he fails to prioritize undocumented immigrants or mention DACA, putting a group of undocumented immigrants potentially in jeopardy.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen with DACA, one of the concerns is that because of the change in priorities, it seems as though you would be eliminating any type of preference system,” Peterson told the Jackson Free Press.

DACA recipients are mainly millennials working or going to school in the country. To be eligible, recipients had to be under age 31 in 2012 and to have come to the U.S. before they turned 16 years old. Leg-

more FRAUD see page 10

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Most viral stories at jfp.ms: 1. “From Council Schools to Today’s Fight for Public Ed” by Robert Luckett 2. “Murder in the City: Deep Causes, Harmful Biases, Unexpected Solutions to Gun Violence” by Donna Ladd 3. “Governor Name-checks Jackson in HB 1523 Brief, Dismisses LGBT Worries as ‘Parade of Horribles’” by Arielle Dreher 4. “Donnell Lewis” by Katie Gill 5. “The Poverty-Crime Connection”

by Lacey McLaughlin

Most viral events at jfpevents.com:

1. “A Christmas Story, The Musical,” Dec. 2-18 2. 1 Million Cups, each Wednesday 3. LoveBomb Go Go, Feb. 23 4. Mississippi Light Festival, Feb. 24 5. Jackson Music Festival, Feb. 24 Find more events at jfpevents.com.

islation pending in the U.S. Senate could protect DACA recipients and prevent them from deportation at least through the expiration date of their status.

Daniela is one of many DACA recipients in Mississippi in limbo currently, and not all of them will have access to legal representation. Peterson says Daniela’s plans will depend a lot on what happens to her brother and father, but that she deserves to stay in America.

“She pays her taxes … and is working a full-time job and went to school,” Peterson told the Jackson Free Press.

Last names of the family have been omitted for privacy and security reasons.

February 23, 5 p.m.

March 1, 7:30 p.m.

Lemuria/Visiting Writers Series: George Saunders

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Gertrude C. Ford Academic Complex, Room 215 | Admission: Free

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9

TALK | state

The Squeeze: A First Look at Upcoming Budget Cuts

by Arielle Dreher

B

“This (means) delays on prosecutions, delays for constituents who need death certificates, and we can’t go out and employ enough people to get autopsies done,” Bryan said speaking on the bill last week.

Republican Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-

Sen. Buck Clarke, R-Hollandale, told the Senate that if some budgets are to be increased, others will have to be cut even more in a tight budget year.

Pascagoula, expressed concerns over the cut because the crime lab is “a core function of government,” he said. The Senate Appropriations chairman, Sen. Buck Clarke, RHollandale, reiterated what he said all last week—that this year will be a tight budget year and an increase in one agency’s budget will mean a cut somewhere else.

“If we’re going to plus anybody up, we’ll have to cut somebody—somebody else takes a cut, that’s where we are right now,” Clarke said.

Dems Blame Tax Cuts

Democrats on both the House and

FRAUD from page 8 vices they provide, while the Senate version does not. The bill will likely go to conference if both sides of the statehouse keep the others’ version alive.

Mitchell said provider-level fraud occurs when hospitals or clinics bill the Division of Medicaid for patients that do not exist or for inappropriate services to get more money. Additionally, Mitchell says, welfare and Medicaid are not the same thing.

“There’s this notion that Medicaid is equated with welfare and the recipients are undeserving, while our Med10 icaid program is vilified as being this huge expense in the February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

the Senate side pointed to tax cuts in the past several years as the underlying reason for the state’s shrinking funds. Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, spoke against the appropriations bill for the Department of Health that essentially cuts their funding in Imani Khayyam

udget cuts are coming, and lawmakers are beginning to discuss the finagling of state dollars for the fiscal year that starts in July. Last week, the Mississippi Senate and the House approved first drafts of their budget bills, which include cuts for most state agencies, including the Departments of Corrections, Health and Mental Health, and virtually every other state agency. The only exceptions are a handful of niche budgets like general education and vocational and technical education funds and some Department of Finance and Administration funds.

The proposed budget cuts come in the midst of yet another budget cut to the current state budget that Gov. Phil Bryant announced on Feb. 21. The governor cut $43 million from most state agencies (about a 0.9 percent cut) as well as diverted $7 million from the state’s rainy day fund to patch up the holes.

The Mississippi National Guard could be cut by half a million dollars if the current version of its appropriation bill becomes law. Senators expressed concern at the cut, saying the Guard has made the best of every dollar the state has given them. Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch, pointed out that cutting more than $500,000 means much less funding for the group that benefits from a three-to-one federal match.

“We cannot afford to have this cut made to this level to this program—we just cannot,” Parker said on Feb. 15.

The state’s crime lab is also up for a cut, despite underfunding in the past, something that both Democrats and Republicans voiced concerns about. Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, said underfunding for the Department of Public Safety meant a delay in services, like autopsies.

half, after trauma care funds are extracted.

“I didn’t vote for a dang one of those tax cuts y’all voted for. I know that’s what you’re all about, but I’m going to blame you for it too when my county health departments close,” Holland said.

The House passed a Department of Health budget that will safeguard traumacare funding but reduce the rest of the department’s funds by almost 50 percent.

Health and Human Services Chairman Rep. Sam Mims, R-McComb, said the Department of Health agency directors were not pleased with the budget, but he committed to keep the budget on his radar

state budget,” Mitchell said. “(But) it’s an economic driver because of the multiplier, we get a three-to-one match on the Medicaid program.”

“We get more money back from the federal government than any other state …,” Mitchell added. “Medicaid is not a problem, it’s a solution.”

Addressing Needs or Creating Problems

The Division of Medicaid has a system in place to address eligibility and fraud. In fact, the requirements addressed in both Senate Bill 2330 and House Bill 1090 do not cover all the things that the division checks currently, its policy manual shows. Those applying for Medicaid benefits must give their Social Security numbers, relationship status, age, and reveal other benefits they or their children and im-

as the bill moved forward to try to allocate additional funds if they become available.

“We are in challenging times with our state budget, and so we have to make some very difficult choices,” Mims told the House last week.

On the Senate side, Democrats also pointed to tax cuts as the reason the state’s coffers are running low.

“In regards to this budget in general, I don’t particularly have an axe to grind with what the appropriations committee did with what they have, but the point is we have a budget that is below what is necessary,” Sen. Bryan said on the floor last week.

“And the budget is below where it’s necessary not because of anything going on with the economy but because of the unconscionable tax cuts and tax credits we’ve been handing out.”

The state’s economist, Darrin Webb, told the Joint Legislative Budget Committee that while the state’s economy was growing, tax collections were not. The state is behind on revenue Webb said because of slow income tax growth, a slowing oil industry and not benefiting from inflation unlike other states.

With tight budgets, lawmakers are forced to prioritize what they care to fund the most. So far, that appears to be the state’s veterans. In a surprising move last week, the Senate diverted $1.5 million to the state’s Veterans Affairs Board out of the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television’s budget, which runs the state’s public radio and broadcasting channels.

The agency did not respond to the Jackson Free Press by press time.

Email state reporter Arielle Dreher at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com and follow her on Twitter at @arielle_amara.

mediate family receive. Additionally, the division checks up on recipients on an annual basis to ensure that they are still eligible for Medicaid.

Horton said annually is not frequent enough.

“Life changes more than once a year,” he said.

The proposed bills would require state agencies that administer welfare benefits to have real-time monitoring of welfare recipients that would detect those life changes.

Mitchell said the bill is based on anecdotal evidence from other states with little proof that Mississippi has a fraud problem.

“We’ve come up with a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist,” he said.

Read more state news at jfp.ms/state. Email state reporter Arielle Dreher at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com.

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11

Love Is All You Need

A

t the risk of sounding super corny, allow me to remind the readers of this: Love is all you need. Really. It’s a statement we’ve heard all our lives no matter how old you are, where you come from, your background. We’ve all heard it. I used to think it was a cute little thing to say. Now, though, I realize that not only is love all we need—it’s all we have.

Take a good look around the world today. Many people present hate in the face of love daily. We spend a lot of time trying to correct hatred in this country. I personally believe we are in a place now where hatred is governing us. It’s not even mild. The hatred is bold and stubborn, daring even.

To stand against it can cost you your life, your livelihood, your existence in the long run.

I’d love to blame all that’s happening in this country (and abroad) on the current president. But let us be real clear: This hate has been sifting through the rim of life for as far back as many of us can remember. In fact, one could argue that in the black community, it has always been there.

Barack Obama had the unfathomable notion to be fair and just to all—and lo and behold, that actually included black folk. We were given eight years of Pepcid to the hate ulcer that has consistently festered in the black community. Guess what, though. We’re still black. As black as we were before President Obama took office, and to many, we are blacker now that he’s gone. And our blackness coupled with all the reasonable efforts that Obama made just does not sit well with those who are guided by hate.

So the barrel of that hate gun rises again, and it intends to knock us “fairness seekers” down a peg or two.

Recently, I have noticed it’s difficult to even have conversations with people about anything political. Sure, there’s always a certain sense of uncertainty when you don’t know by looking at a person, or at least observing them for a while, how to broach the subject of politics. It’s not so clear these days. But I’ve never enjoyed political debates because my existence is too free to get that involved in how others see things. I just try to be as clear as I can. Many of my friends pride themselves on knowing the goings-on in Washington or, hell, even at the state capitol. But I notice that even their conversations aren’t going well these days.

Hate-filled people seem to be ready to make themselves seen. I think they grew tired of watching all people be treated like equals for eight years.

So now, if you’re gay, black, female or immigrant, get ready because they want us to know that we had our chance. The boldness is everywhere you look: gas stations, television, social media, libraries, restaurants, and, of course, on the job. The desire to hide behind politeness and pleasantries is long gone. So then those of us who aren’t interested in playing the game or participating in hate are left wondering how to make a positive contribution to what greatness really should look like. How do we make that greatness happen again? How does one person or one group combat hate?

We still try. We still hope. We have compassion and love for each other, regardless of where we are or where we come from; whether we go to church or mosque; whether we are born here or escaped here for a better life. We still believe that there has to be something better than hate to guide us. Love has brought us through before, and I believe it can again.

It was love for each other that got us the great eight years of President Obama. We came together then, and we can again. Even if love is all we have, it is also all we need.

Funmi “Queen” Franklin is a word lover, poet, a truth yeller and community activist. She is the founder of an organization that promotes self love, 12 awareness and sisterhood. Plus, she has a wicked addiction to Lemonheads.

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

We still hope.

Lawmakers: Stay Off the Trump Immigrant Road

W

ith a president hell-bent on securing borders and going after undocumented immigrants in the name of drug wars and criminal activity, it is a scary time to not technically be legal.

There are immigrants living in communities across the U.S. and yes, in Mississippi, who might have documentation that allows them to work, go to school and be tax-paying citizens.

The reality, however, is that not all documentation means you are here “legally” by Donald Trump’s definition. Myriad documentation options allow children of undocumented immigrants to attend school and college. Visas also protect undocumented victims of human trafficking or harassment.

The “they’re not citizens” argument largely relies on the argument that immigrants without papers usually aren’t paying taxes due to their lack of documentation. This is true in some cases, but under the Obama administration, options like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program allowed certain undocumented immigrants to study and work in the U.S. without a fear of deportation, which also means paying taxes. Daniela (see page 6) is one of those DACA students. Many people have lived as Mississippians longer than in their country of origin.

They are Americans, and they want to be.

President Donald Trump has made his approach clear: taxpayer-funded walls and detention facilities for illegal immigrants. This strategy

will hurt taxpayers—some of those being undocumented immigrants cleared to work—as well as local economies. Our neighbor state Alabama tried to crack down on illegal immigrant workers in its agriculture sector in 2011. The idea of the law was to open up jobs to unemployed Alabama residents who were also American citizens, but when the law scared immigrant workers from those fields, jobless American citizens lacked the stamina or just the willingness to do the work, the Associated Press found. Crops rotted as a result.

Senate Bill 2710 prevents any city, county, college or state agency from declaring itself to be a sanctuary for illegal immigrants. The bill, targeted at Jackson, which is the only city in the state with such an ordinance, is only political in nature at this point, and ironically, Trump is proving that such a state law doesn’t need to exist at all because federal law will trump local as well as state control of law-enforcement resources.

Trump’s immigration policy, although wildly vague and unclear, is perhaps most terrifying because it trumps a hierarchy of immigration crackdowns—even in Mississippi. (Obama primarily focused deportations on criminal illegal immigrants.) Mississippi lawmakers do not need to fuel the political fires of Trump’s fanatical and often false immigration claims, and their track records will look better if they don’t go down such a bigoted, vicious road. Targeting immigrants may be an easy vote-getter in the short term, but that does not make it right or just.

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.

Ingrid Cruz

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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 2017 Jackson Free Press Inc. All Rights Reserved

Of Racial Profiling and Scarlet Letters

I

moved to Mississippi in 2010 because the job market was tough in California.

My parents were here and said there are plenty of job opportunities for collegeeducated bilingual professionals in Tupelo and surrounding areas, so I went. My green card was set to expire in 2011, so I applied for U.S. citizenship in late 2010.

During my first interview, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services asked me to get a Mississippi state license to continue with the process.

The Department of Public Safety gave me a license with bright red letters that read NON-US CITIZEN. My parents thought this was strange because they also had green cards but were given regular driver’s licenses. Knowledge of Mississippi’s racist past also made me feel this was just one way the state makes it easier for police to criminalize drivers of color.

Thankfully, nothing major happened to me while I drove with this license, but I did get a few strange looks from cops who were conducting DUI checkpoints and from nosy cashiers who asked for an ID when I needed to use my debit card. I was a scarlet-letter driver in a state with a history of criminalizing people of color. The Department of Public Safety made this official.

Some nights after going out, I would be stuck in roadblocks where cops were checking for drunk drivers or people under the influence. My goal with every police encounter was to minimize interaction. I remember driving from Oxford to Tupelo one night, and three roadblocks were on Highway 6. Thankfully, the cops I dealt with didn’t try to pull a fast one as they checked my license and registration.

Every time nothing happened during a roadblock or interaction with the police, I would be relieved that I received what I now call “ordinary racial profiling,” the passive-aggressive kind that doesn’t lead to death, unjust arrest, or deportation as long as you stay calm and lucky. Several of my undocumented friends and relatives dealt with more, though. Even during the Obama era, deportations were high at a record 2.4 million between 2009 and 2014.

Undocumented immigrants often get into trouble at roadblocks even if they have

ALL STADIUM SEATING committed no crimes.

During my citizenship appointments, I was told that after my ceremony I would have to get a new Social Security card and a regular driver’s license, and I was advised to get a U.S. passport in case I decided to visit relatives in El Salvador.

For a lot of immigrants—especially immigrants of color—part of the relief of becoming a citizen is that you won’t get scarlet-letter documents that are different from everyone else’s. You also get to vote for local, state and federal officials. Becoming a U.S. citizen is seen as the end. In the struggle for racial justice, the end of this story should be the beginning of a new one.

There is no magic potion that stops a racist from being racist just because you’re legally in the U.S. If that were the case, the Civil Rights Movement wouldn’t have been necessary. Now I had to face the everyday racial profiling that every African American in the U.S. can attest to. When I got my new license after becoming a citizen, I realized the scarlet letter would always be there. Though Americans are starting to see the resurgence of conservative white-supremacist lawmakers during the Trump era, Mississippians know the perils of white supremacy too well.

The Senate passed a “Blue, Red and Med Lives Matter” bill that enhances penalties for any felony or misdemeanor against a law enforcement officer, firefighter or emergency medical personnel, adding law enforcement officers as a protected class under state law. In the House, Rep. Chris Bell spoke passionately about his experiences with racial profiling when opposing its “Back the Badge” legislation.

When I heard about these laws, I thought about Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner and the many African Americans who were killed because police felt that their skin color was a scarlet letter in the fabric of America. Their stolen lives are reminders that the law already favors the authorities. Bills to prove that “Blue, Red and Med Lives Matter” are unneeded.

Ingrid Cruz is a full-time freelance writer who also enjoys the torture of writing screenplays. She enjoys coffee, cats and film.

Follow her work and sarcastic remarks on Twitter and Instagram at @ingridiswriting.

There’s no magic potion that stops a racist from being racist.

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The

Facts About Immigration: A Former Border Czar Speaks

by Sebastian Rotella

16

ProPublica: In the presidential campaign last year and in political discourse in general, the U.S.-Mexico border has consistently been depicted as

out of control. How does that compare to the turf you have come to know during the past 25 years?

Bersin: When I began as U.S. attorney in San Diego during the Clinton administration in 1993, the border was in fact out of control. Illegal immigration was rampant. The federal government’s reaction, and the efforts of three administrations, gradually changed that. Over that period, the government was spending up to $18 billion a year geared to

strengthening the border. We went from 3,000 Border Patrol agents to 22,000 agents today, more than 18,000 of them on the southwest border. There were massive investments in technology, air reconnaissance, sensors. This completely altered the border.

In 1993 and 1994, the Justice Department launched two operations: Hold the Line in El Paso and Gatekeeper in San Diego, the areas where almost all of the illegal crossing was concentrated because it was so easy to cross. The

Border Patrol was able to get control of those flows. The strategy had two goals: putting more agents on the line to apprehend people and create a deterrent to crossing, and spreading the traffic out. A critical dimension was the construction of fences and barriers and walls along 700 miles of the 1,900 miles of the border. The type of barrier depended on the terrain. There is triple fencing in San Diego, and significant barriers in places like Nogales and Yuma, Arizona and El Paso and Brownsville, Texas. The idea was to R L Nave / File PhOTO

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

I

t is hard to find anyone in Washington who knows border issues better than Alan Bersin. His unique perspective combines years of frontline law-enforcement experience with academic knowledge and intellectual interest in the historical, economic and social forces that are at work at the borders of the United States, especially the U.S.-Mexico line.

Bersin became U.S. attorney in San Diego in 1993 and subsequently spent almost five years as President Clinton’s “border czar,” overseeing a border-wide crackdown on illegal immigration and drug smuggling.

During the Obama administration, he served in several key posts in the Department of Homeland Security, including as acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, the force of 58,000 employees that includes the U.S. Border Patrol as well as CBP officers guarding air, land and sea ports of entry.

He later served as assistant secretary for international affairs and chief diplomatic officer at DHS, a job he left last month.

ProPublica sat down to talk with him about the history, politics, rhetoric and reality surrounding the border issues that are driving a fierce national debate during the first weeks of the Trump administration.

The Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance has led the charge against laws targeting the undocumented here for years.

AP/The_Journal_Chris_Jackson

Former U.S. “Border Czar” Alan Bersin says “a Berlin-like wall stretching from San Diego (Calif.) to Brownsville (Texas) is not necessary. And the costs would be prohibitive.” A 50-foot wall will just lead to 51-foot ladders, he says.

our immigration court system to process asylum claims in a timely fashion.

So the key to responding to the increase in Central American minors and families is less at the border than in the immigration bureaucracy?

Yes. The difficulty is twofold. First, the law change during the Bush administration gave the Department of Health and Human Services a central role in relocating Central American minors in the United States. (HHS has an Office of Refugee Resettlement that is responsible for sheltering and processing migrant children and teenagers.) HHS has implemented this law by reuniting children with their families, many of whom had entered illegally. This has unintentionally made HHS the last link in the smuggling chain from Central America and created a legal incentive for the continued illegal migration of minors.

The second issue is the longtime lack of funding and resources for the immigration court system. Migrants come up and no longer seek to evade the Border Patrol, but are actually left at the border by their smugglers. And they seek out Border Patrol agents or Customs and Border Protection officials to surrender to them and request political asylum.

That’s the way in which they get entry into a system that will eventually release

them into the country.

Not because the system was designed that way, but because that is the practical result of an immigration court system that was never resourced by Congress. Notwithstanding the requests of the Obama administration, it was still not funded by Congress to be able to provide timely hearings and adjudication of immigration benefits.

If there were a rapid method of adjudicating claims, we wouldn’t see what has occurred on the scale on which it has — people paroled into the country with hearings set for two, three, four years in the future. Often, they don’t show up for their hearings. And often, during the time they are in the country waiting for the immigration hearing, they are having children and developing community ties. They generate real reasons to claim a right to remain, even though they’ve never been given a legal status.

The bipartisan failure to build an effective immigration court system continues. It’s part and parcel of the general observation that the immigration system is broken.

The opening salvo in President Trump’s campaign last year, one that came to define this presidency in many ways, was a promise to build a wall on the border and make Mexico pay

for it. What do you think of that idea?

I think there’s no question that the barriers, the fences and in certain urban areas, the walls, have had an important effect in terms of increasing the manageability and the security of the border. But in fact as (Secretary of Homeland Security) General (John) Kelly acknowledged at his confirmation hearing, walls and barriers alone are insufficient to insure security.

As (former Homeland Security) Secretary (Janet) Napolitano pointed out, if you build a 50-foot wall, you’ll soon be confronted with a 51-foot ladder. You need a strategy that involves layered defense: deployed patrols, sophisticated sensor equipment, and surveillance from the air. That is what has had a positive impact over the last generation.

The judgment we have to make is whether a physical wall costing billions of dollars, or a further investment in Border Patrol agents costing hundreds of millions of dollars, will achieve the result we seek. Is the objective worth the costs?

Most people who live at the border or are familiar with the border know that a Berlin-like wall stretching from San Diego to Brownsville is not necessary. And the costs would be prohibitive.

And there are places on the border, such as the Arizona desert or the open terrain

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

restore the rule of law, to bring order to a chaotic situation.

The results became more and more apparent. Crime rates went down in the border region. Today, the number of migrants crossing is at a 30-year low. That’s because of years of bipartisan work on this issue. Has it achieved a complete sealing of the border? No. But it has achieved equilibrium and more effective management.

During the last 10 years we have also seen the beginning of joint border management with Mexico. In the course of 25 years, we have developed a constructive relationship with Mexico that was nonexistent before. During the last eight to 10 years there have been continued efforts that have resulted in a strategic alliance with the Mexicans and improved safety and security at the border.

A major contribution has come from the changing nature of migration.

People should remember that Mexican migration is now at a net negative. More Mexicans are leaving through deportation, and voluntary return, than are entering the U.S. legally and illegally.

In part, that’s a result of our efforts on border enforcement. But it’s also because Mexico now has the 13th largest economy in the world. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicts it will have a larger economy than Germany by 2042.

The Mexican people are increasingly middle class, and Mexico has substantially become a middle-class society. This is true despite the significant poverty, and the class and geographic inequality that have deep historical roots. Part of this process of change, as was the case in our own country, involves a difficult battle against organized crime. Nonetheless, Mexico has become a robust democracy with a robust press and an active legislature. It has gone from being a sending country for migrants to a transit country, and increasingly a receiving country for migrants in its own right.

Not only are the numbers of migrants entering the U.S. at the lowest levels in a generation, but they are now largely Central American. Four out of five border-crossers detained in South Texas are Guatemalan, Honduran or Salvadoran. They are driven by violence and poverty in their home countries and the desire for family reunification.

Indeed, many of the illegal crossers who have entered the country in the last two years after being detained have actually been either unaccompanied minors or families who request political asylum.

The ability of smugglers to attract large numbers of families and unaccompanied minors is a function of the inability of

more IMMIGRATION, see page 18 17

IMMIGRATION from page 17 not a genuinely cooperative relationship.

As a result of the U.S.-Mexico War in the 19th century, and the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, half of what was Mexico was severed and became much of the western part of the United States.

To add insult to injury, most Americans never knew that, and most Mexicans have never forgotten it.

The nationalism and the protectionism that was built into the Mexican Revolution in 1910 and that characterized the Mexican attitude to the United States for much of the 20th century were difficult to overcome. But that actually has occurred. And the cooperation and the trust and the confidence that have been built is not something that should be abandoned without great consideration for the potentially grave consequences to the United States.

The relationship is much stronger than people think. But it takes a great deal of care and cultivation. For example: The work the Mexicans are doing in terms of migration control on Mexico’s southern border is crucial to our own border security. Mexican enforcement efforts have become critical to moderating and mitigating the flow of Central

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

trade with Mexico. Ten border states—six in Mexico and four in the United States— combined have the third or fourth largest economy in the world. Twenty-nine U.S. states depend on Mexico as their primary export market. All of this is a function of the vibrant cross-border economic links that now exist between our two countries.

We do nearly $700 billion a year in trade.

Research by the University of California indicates that, absent this trading level between the two countries, the United States would have lost more jobs during the 2008 recession than it did.

We need to realize that the economic situation between Mexico and the United States is not just one in which we trade with one another. We make things together. We have shared production platforms. Crossborder trade is part of a single production process, and while apparently the Trump administration will seek to re-examine elements of that production platform, it is what it is and won’t be easily dismantled.

It’s not just a Mexican phenomenon, it’s also a Canadian phenomenon. You have auto parts being manufactured in Ottawa or in Detroit that are assembled in plants in Guanajuato or Queretaro.

This is the way in which “Made in North America” operates today.

The cry of “Make America Great Again” reflects accurately that, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the sole superpower status of the United States is coming to an end. For the first time since the second World War, we are not the sole dominant economy in the world.

In large part this is because of the success of policies followed by the U.S. to create an environment, a peaceful period in history in which economies could grow and countries could benefit.

Over the years you’ve

While some in China developed strong and Europe and in this counprofessional and try think this embodies the personal relationships decline of America, in fact Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance Executive Director Bill Chandler is concerned about the with Mexican that is not the case. The poeffect of President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant policies on local undocumented workers. security officials tential of Mexico, Canada and diplomats. Are and the United States is enoryou concerned about the U.S.American migrants at Mexico’s south- curity program has been in place for at mous. We have a combined population of Mexico relationship as the result ern border with Guatemala. In the last least six years and is a huge asset. half a billion people; peaceful trade-friendof tensions with the Trump two years, the Mexicans have detained ly borders that are the envy of the world; administration? nearly 400,000 migrants whose intent As much as your focus has been the prospect of energy independence is

In the last generation we’ve moved was to come to the United States. The border enforcement and fighting within reach and will change the geopopast a U.S.-Mexico relationship that Mexicans return the detained Central crime, you are enthusiastic about litical situation of United States; we do a while friendly on the surface, and de- American migrants by bus or by air to North American integration. Why? trillion dollars in trade among the three militarized for the most part, really was

Six million jobs in the U.S. depend on the countries they come from. countries; more than 18,000 American 18

A specific example: the notorious train known as La Bestia (The Beast). It was a great risk to many Central American migrants, but a primary migratory route. They rode on top of freight trains across Mexico, literally to the U.S.Mexico border region, where they would get off and seek to be smuggled into the United States.

Migration aboard those trains, which was a feature of the U.S.-Mexican smuggling landscape for many years, has been for all intents and purposes been stopped by Mexican authorities. They prevent migrants from getting on the trains and riding illegally. This kind of cooperation was unthinkable 10 years ago and not even feasible five years ago.

A further example is the information sharing that takes place routinely between Mexico and the United States.

Every air traveler entering Mexico is vetted against U.S. databases. The air-passenger screening system Mexico has in place involves these checks against U.S. national security and criminal data bases.

There are plainclothes U.S. officers stationed at airports in Mexico working with Mexican immigration officials to protect the United States. This joint se-

Trip Burns/ File Photo

around the Big Bend in South Texas, where Mother Nature has created her own barrier that is not easily passable. Or if you do pass through it, you are easily detected. All of this will be debated over the next few years, since I believe DHS has acknowledged that it will take at least two years to work through the details of any wall with Congress. During that period many more facts will be brought to bear on that decision.

This is not to say that there aren’t places where you could actually strengthen the barrier dimension of the layered defense. But the image and the costs of a Berlin-like wall or a Great Wall of China is something that the American people have not accepted to date.

To the extent that President Trump means strengthened border security, I am fully in favor of the idea that the rule of the law, secure borders and public safety should prevail. Drugs should not enter illegally. Migration should take place in accordance with lawful norms and secure and safe procedures. And in fact we should be working more with the Mexicans to prevent the flow of guns going south into Mexico that have fueled so much of the violence there, and the smuggling of cash and the money laundering that transnational criminal organizations have instituted in North America, including in the United States.

The symbolic issue of the wall cuts two ways. To the extent that it is interpreted as an insult to Mexico, especially the demand for reimbursement, it could do irrevocable harm to cooperation with Mexico that dates from the Merida accords during the Bush administration in 2006.

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

R L Nave / File Photo

companies are involved in foreign direct data that has been gathered by our intel- trasts to the situation here in the United months and the years to come. investment in Mexico and Canada; an ligence services and military all over the States, where ISIS has had little success in And there’s a larger point here. increasing number of Mexican companies world, particularly in Afghanistan and doing the same. We have seen self-radical- Homeland security is inherently transare creating jobs in the United States.

Iraq, as well as from foreign governments. ized individuals doing terrible things to be national today. There’s hardly anything

If we continue in this direction, we While no one can argue with strength- sure, but that’s a different phenomenon. adverse that happens in our homeland would see a North America emerge that ening these systems, this will always be a As for refugees, the record is also clear that doesn’t have a cause or effect that’s will be highly competitive worldgenerated abroad. Increasingly, we wide both as an economic unit, must rely on our allies and foreign but also in terms of security. Our governments to share information security in a global world must be and data to secure our country. looked at on a continental basis.

The extent to which we cooperate

That is not to say that Presiwith foreign governments is essendent Trump hasn’t identified the tial to the vetting that we’ve talked losers in those propositions: Peoabout. ple in our so-called Rust Belt have

One of the dimensions the lost out, and politics and society executive order requires is an ashave not been responsive either in sessment of that information sharproviding the kind of additional ing, and that is a positive developsupport they need or to retrain ment. I think the administration them for jobs that are being crewill find a considerable amount ated in the new economy. of information is already shared,

But we must recognize that although there is room for much this massive economic bloc that’s improvement with many counemerging in North America cantries. not be accomplished unilaterally.

We have to remember that It must be accomplished in partinformation sharing is restricted nership with Mexico and Canada. by legal barriers and cultural barAnd we have to work together to riers and by the notion that inIn 2010, then-Ward 2 Councilman Chokwe Lumumba introduced a city ordinance secure the continent in order to formation is power and therefore that prohibits police from inquiring about immigration status strictly for the sake of keep dangerous people and danshould be hoarded so if you share determining status. Here, Lumumba attended a pro-immigration rally. He is now deceased. gerous things out and strengthen information you can extract someperimeter security on a continenthing in exchange. In today’s digital basis. tal online world, those who don’t work in progress, they are already quite ef- in terms of the 18 to 24 months that are share information will be isolated and left Let’s talk about other aspects fective. Presumably our colleagues in the required to qualify a refugee for entry into behind. We need the data of other counof border enforcement. The big new Trump administration will find that the United States. There are a very strin- tries to connect the dots. question: What do you think of the to be the case. gent set of protocols and procedures ad- As a result of this reality, DHS has the recent presidential executive order

With respect to the so-called travel ministered by the United Nations High third largest number of people stationed and travel ban ban, we have an order that appears to have Commission on Refugees as well as the abroad among U.S. civilian agencies. We on people from sev predominantly been drafted at the White House without U.S. government. The notion that this can’t defend the country by looking at the Muslim countries and the impact the weeks of advance review that would was a wide-open gap in our security, and borderline as the first line of defense rathit could have? ordinarily exist in government agencies. this executive order was necessary to close er than as the last line of defense. We have

The stated reason for the suspension, We can already see the checks and bal- it, is just contrary to the facts. to secure the flow of goods and people by it’s not a ban, has been to provide an op- ances asserting themselves: The first was engaging with foreign entities. We assure portunity to do a review of the vetting and Secretary Kelly reversing the directive that Are you concerned about the our security by securing the flows as early screening procedures to be sure that the barred green-card holders from entering repercussions of the images as we can before they arrive and as far full resources—intelligence-wise and data- the United States. That was rolled back. of babies and old women and away from our borders as we can. wise—have been employed to prevent But the prior review by career profession- interpreters who’ve worked for the To do that, we have officials of CBP, dangerous people from coming into the als, which is a basic check against both er- U.S. military being turned away at the Secret Service, Citizenship and Imour borders? What is the potential country. ror and malice, did not occur here. migration Services, Homeland Security impact this debate could have at

I think this administration will come Investigations, TSA and the U.S. Coast home and abroad? to appreciate that there have been enor- In fact, the speed with which the Guard stationed all over the world workmous advances since 9/11 to build a very order was imposed suggested

There’s no question that there’s a risk. ing with their foreign counterparts. robust set of targeting procedures and there was an imminent danger The efforts that are being made to counter These relationships are primarily watch lists to screen travelers coming to and an urgent need to do violent extremism in our country require matters of trust and confidence. Classithe United States. The National Targeting something drastic. Do you see a intensive work with Muslim communities cally, what goes around comes around.

Center in Virginia run by Customs and basis in reality for that? in order to develop trust and confidence. We should be wary, particularly with Border Protection checks the background I think the record is to the contrary. I’m worried about the impact on these ef- our closest friends and allies, of breaking of every traveler who seeks to enter the The comparison to what’s going on in Eu- forts of today’s political rhetoric, whether down the trust and confidence that lie at country. rope is instructive in terms of the ability of or not it gets translated into actual policy the foundation of these relationships.

It works with airlines and foreign the Islamic State to put organized, trained by the administration. governments to stop high-risk persons and equipped terrorists to operate within These relationships depend on what This story first appeared at ProPublica. from traveling to the United States. It uses the Schengen region of Europe. That con- happens long term, over months and org. Comment at jfp.ms.

19

LIFE&STYLE | food&drink

A Bunch of Wiseacres

Terms to Know

Hops: flowers of the hop plant that provide flavor and stability in beer Malt: grain (often barley) that has sprouted and is mostly used in brewing and distilling

by Amber Helsel

Amber Helsel

At a Wiseacre Brewing Co. beer dinner on Jan. 30, guests tried Wiseacre beers such as Ananda IPA (far left), Adjective Animal double IPA (center left), Bird Upon a Hippo Belgian stout (center right) and Gotta Get Up to Get Down coffee milk stout (far right); and dishes such as beef and Italian sausage chili (center).

T

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

mint green onions and cabbage paired with Ananda IPA.

Glantz, said that pairing beer with food is both hard and easy because the food and beer should complement each other but not be overwhelming.

“A lot of experts will gladly say that pairing food with beer is more fun than pairing (food with wine) because beer has a much wider flavor complexity and spectrum that it ranges past,” Glantz said. “Also, beer has bubbles, and bubbles are the best. … Bubbles actually scrub your palate so that you’re ready for the next bite.”

She said that Indian pale ales (IPAs) are classically good with fried food because the bitterness from the hops cuts

Amber Helsel

he word “wiseacre” is slang for “smartass.” And it fits the origins of the Wireacre Brewing Co. in Memphis, Teen. Its journey began in 1997 in Boston, Mass., when brothers Davin and Kellan Bartosch stole their parents’ rental car and drove to Sam Adams Brewery in Boston. That was their first introduction to the world of brewing.

While Davin was in college at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, he received a home beer-brewing kit and began experimenting. Wiseacre Sales and Marketing Manager Ariana Glantz said he got kicked out of the dorms for brewing beer and then joined a fraternity, where his beermaking began to flourish. Glantz said that brewing came naturally to him because he is also a good cook and brewing beer and cooking can be similar.

In 2008, Davin enrolled at Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, and then as part of the World Brewing Academy, he went to Doemens Academy in Munich, Germany. He graduated from WBA in 2008 and then began working at Rock Bottom Brewery in Denver.

In 2007, Kellan got a job with a beer distributor. In 2010, he began working for Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Las Vegas.

The Bartosch brothers opened Wiseacre in Memphis in 2013. Wiseacre now has distribution throughout states including Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, as well as cities including New Orleans and Philadelphia, Pa.

Sal & Mookie’s New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint held a beer dinner on Jan. 30 featuring options from Wiseacre Brewing Co. in Memphis.

The dinner started out with Wiseacre’s Tarahumara dry-hopped ale as an introduction to the beers of the night.

The brewery created it for the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis as a “beer for running.” The company named it after the Tarahumara, or Rarámuri people, who were Native Americans of northwestern Mexico renowned for their long-distance running abilities.

Wiseacre made the beer from Golden Promise malt, which Scotch whisky is normally made from. The ale was brewed onto a pile of Amarillo hops, and then the brewery added two more rounds of the grains, which all added to a beer that is light with notes of citrus.

After a few minutes of tasting the beer, the first course came out: fried calamari tossed in a chili-garlic sauce with 20

Gotta Get Up to Get Down coffee milk stout paired with a tiramisu at Wiseacre Brewing Co.’s recent beer dinner in Jackson.

through some of the characteristics of the food. The salt and fat also tones down the bitterness of IPAs. She said the spice in the food also complements the hops in the beer, which brings out more of the spiciness of the food. The beer had a little bit of a maple flavor, along with aromas of grapefruit rind, mango and melon.

Next, guests tried Tiny Bomb American pilsner with BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar’s glazed chicken with

balsamic vinegar and honey with roasted potatoes and pine nuts. The beer, which Glantz says was meant to be a palate cleanser, was brewed with German Pilsner malt, Tennessee honey and hops from the U.S. The beer’s flavor, which had notes of honey and melon, also added some depth to the chicken dish, enhancing its sweetness.

The next beer pairing was the Adjective Animal double IPA with a butter lettuce salad with Spanish peanuts, mozzarella cheese and dried papaya with a bloodorange vinaigrette.

“Double IPAs are similar to IPAs,” Glantz said. “… (Double) doesn’t really mean anything, except for that’s it’s going to be higher in alcohol than a normal IPA. Double IPAs, though, do have a little bit more perceived sweetness, so this one here actually tastes a little bit sweeter than other IPAs, but it has got more hops, so it’s kind of counter-intuitive. We’re using more of an ingredient that makes beer bitter per se, but it’s going to give you a little more sweetness because we’re adding more malt. If you had a lot of hops, but not a lot of malt, that would be too much, and you wouldn’t be able to drink it.”

After the salad, the servers brought out a beef and Italian sausage chili paired with Bird Upon a Hippo Belgian stout. The stout has bittersweet chocolate from Memphis chocolatier Phillip Ashley imbued in it, and BRAVO! chef Dan Blumenthal used the beer in the chili, so the beer added more depth to the chili.

The last course was a chocolate tiramisu with Gotta Get Up to Get Down coffee milk stout. Glantz said the name comes from the idea of uppers and downers, as in coffee is an upper, and beer is a downer. Wiseacre brewed the beer with coffee from the Konga region of Ethiopia.

Glantz joked that it’s a really good morning beer because it looks and tastes like coffee.

“Milk is not actually used in the beer, but it’s something called lactose sugar. … It’s a sugar that unfermentable in beer. The yeast can’t eat it, so you’re left with this nice dairy sweetness (as) opposed to a sugary sweetness.”

For more information about Wiseacre, visit wiseacre brew.com.

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WEDNESDAY 2/22

THURSDAY 2/23

FRIDAY 2/24

Final Friday is in the Midtown Arts District.

The Gladys P. Norris Piano Festival is at Jackson State University.

Science Makers takes place at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science.

BEST BETS Feb. 22 MAR. 1, 2017 Imani Khayyam

WEDNESDAY 2/22

TeamJXN’s “Creative Placemaking” Luncheon is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Landmark Building (175 E. Capitol St.). Ben Stone of Smart Growth America discusses the role of arts and culture in community development, placemaking and transportation. $20 for members, $30 for non-members; call 601-336-2028; teamjxn.com. … History Is Lunch is from noon to 1 p.m. at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.).

Fred Smith discusses his book, “Trouble in Goshen: Plain Folk, Roosevelt, Jesus, and Marx in the Great Depression South.” Sales and signing follow. Free; mdah.ms.gov.

Chef Rashanna Newsome of The Manship Wood-Fired Kitchen is competing for the “Black Tie, Blue Jeans and Barbecue” Filmmakers’ Bash on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Mississippi Museum of Art.

THURSDAY 2/23

courtesy Fred Smith

“Stomp” is at 7:30 p.m. at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The eight-member troupe performs using matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps and more as percussion instruments. $30$100; call 601-960-1537; ticketmaster.com.

Cure Sickle Cell Foundation. Free; curesicklecell.org. …

The Mississippi Light Festival is from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.).

The festival features interactive performances, community competitions, 3D projections, educational and interactive workshops, and more. Free; call 917-932-6968; email anikk@anikkdesign.com; mslightcollaborative.com.

call 601-353-0603; ticketmaster.com. … The “Black Wall Street” film screening is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Afrikan Art Gallery (800 N. Farish St.). The film depicts a terrorist attack on a black community. Free; call 601-201-0871; Find it on Facebook.

SATURDAY 2/25

Wellness and Wine is from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at LifeHouse of Mississippi (745 North President St.). The event features exercise physiologist, author, educator and wellness expert Toni Branner as the guest speaker, and a sampling of wine and healthy hor d’oeurves. $20; email cynthiaanewland@gmail.com; eventbrite.com.

The Black Tie, Blue Jeans and Barbecue Filmmaker’s Bash from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380

by TYLER EDWARDS S. Lamar St.). Chefs including Nick Wallace, Rashanna Newsome, Kendrick Gordon, Grant jacksonfreepress.com Nooe, Mike Roemhild, Damian Fax: 601-510-9019 Shelby and Jeremy Enfinger comDaily updates at pete for the title of “master chef.” jfpevents.com $50, $100 VIP; call 601-9601515; eventbrite.com.

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

events@

Author Fred Smith is the guest speaker for History Is Lunch on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building.

FRIDAY 2/24

The “Got Coins?” Blood Donation Drive is from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Cure Sickle Cell Foundation (234 E. Capitol St.). Mississippi Blood Services offers an op22 portunity to donate loose change and blood to benefit the

SUNDAY 2/26

The Vintage White Wines Tasting is at 4 p.m. at BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar (Highland Village, 4500 Interstate 55 N., Suite 244). Participants try seven white wines ranging in age from eight to 10 years old. $50; call 601-982-8111; bravobuzz.com. … The TobyMac Hits Deep Tour is at 7:30 p.m. at Mississippi Coliseum (1207 Mississippi St.). TobyMac, Matt Maher, Mandisa, Mac Powell, Capital Kings and Hollyn perform. $15-$70;

MONDAY 2/27

TUESDAY 2/28

“Best of Enemies” is at 7:30 p.m. at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). The play tells is about the relationship between a Grand Cyclops of the KKK and an African American civil rights activist during the desegregation of Durham, N.C., schools in 1971. Additional dates: Feb. 29-March 4, 7:30 p.m., March 5, 2 p.m., March 7-11, 7:30 p.m., and March 12, 2 p.m. $28 admission, $22 for students; newstagetheatre.com.

WEDNESDAY 3/1

Eilen Jewell at 7:30 p.m. at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). The Idaho-native singer-songwriter performs. Holley Peel also performs. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. $10 in advance, $15 at the door; call 877-987-6487; ardenland.net.

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JFP-SPONSORED TeamJXN Luncheon—Creative Placemaking Feb. 22, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., at Landmark Building (175 E. Capitol St.). Ben Stone of Smart Growth America discusses exploring the role of arts and culture in community development, placemaking and transportation. $20 members, $30 non-members; teamjxn.com.

“Got Coins?” Blood Donation Drive Feb. 24, 2-7 p.m., at Cure Sickle Cell Foundation (234 E. Capitol St.). Mississippi Blood Services offers an opportunity to donate loose change and blood to benefit the Cure Sickle Cell Foundation. Free; call 601-918-3987; curesicklecell.org.

COMMUNITY Smart Party Feb. 23, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at Butler Snow Building (1020 Highland Colony Pkwy., Ridgeland). During the live and online fundraising event, each person uses their smart phone or other devices to interact with friends online, create awareness and raise funds for the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi. $50 per person; call 948-5711; womensfoundation.smartparty.org.

A Plea for Community Involvement Meeting Feb. 23, 5:30 p.m., at Jackson City Hall (219 S. President St.). Participants discuss crime in Jackson and features guest speaker John Colello, the deputy attorney general of Los Angeles. Free; call 601-960-1950.

Back in the Day: A Celebration of Black History Feb. 23, 6 p.m., at New Hope Baptist Church (5202 Watkins Drive). Speakers include retired General Augustus L. Collins, Sebronette Barnes-Aborom and Carl B. Mack. Free; call 601-981-8696; newhope-baptist.org.

Science Makers Feb. 24, 9 a.m., at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). Showcases interactive STEM activities and discussions to inspire curiosity about educational and scientific career opportunities. $6 adults, $4 youth; call 576-6000; mdwfp.com.

Crafting a Conversation: Presidential Leadership Feb. 24, 1 p.m., at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.). In Gertrude C. Ford Academic Complex, Room 215. “Presidential” podcast host Lillian Cunningham of the Washington Post explores leadership traits exhibited by past presidents. Free; millsaps.edu.

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

WisdomWork 2017 Winter Dream Conference Feb. 24, 7 p.m. Feb. 25 4 p.m., at St. James’ Episcopal Church (3921 Oak Ridge Drive).

Jungian analyst Kathleen Wiley explores various lenses of Jungian thought about dreams. $80; call 601-594-1961; email karenbonner@karenbonner.com; karenbonner.com.

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Events at Mississippi Trade Mart (1207 Mississippi St.) • 58th Annual Gem, Mineral, Fossil and Jewelry Show Feb. 25, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Feb. 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. More than 25 dealers sell gems, fossils, minerals, lapidary supplies, jewelry, beads and more. $6 for adults, $3 for students; email rock2lanes@gmail.com; missgems.org.

• Great Southern Gun & Knife Show Feb. 25, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Feb. 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Vendors showcase a variety of firearms and knives. $9 admission, $2 for ages 2-11, free for children under 6; call 865-671-4757; email gsgreserve@yahoo.com; find it on Facebook.

Butterflies by Grace Defined by Faith Teen and Parent Summit Feb. 25, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at Metrocenter Mall (1395 Metro Center Drive). The forum welcomes teens and parents to its annual summit during teen sexual assault month. Free; call 601-896-2509; bbgdf.org.

The Rotary Foundation Centennial Celebration Feb. 25, 6-9 p.m., at Country Club of Jackson (345 St. Andrews Drive). Guest learn about the work the Rotary Club and have the opportunity to give to the organization. Sponsorship levels vary; call 601-480-6402.

SLATE

FOOD & DRINK Black Tie, Blue Jeans and Barbecue Filmmaker’s Bash Feb. 25, 7-9 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). Local chefs compete for the title of “Master Chef.” $50, $100 VIP; eventbrite.com.

Vintage White Wines Tasting Feb. 26, 4 p.m., at BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar (Highland Village, 4500 Interstate 55 N. (Suite 244). Participants try seven white wines ranging in age from eight to 10 years old. $50; bravobuzz.com.

the best in sports over the next seven days

by Bryan Flynn

Even with football over, sports are starting to pick up. College basketball is at its high point, college baseball and softball have started, and professional basketball is heading toward the playoffs.

Thursday, Feb. 23

College basketball (6-8 p.m., SECN+): MSU women’s quest for a number-one seed continues at Kentucky. …

College basketball (7-9 p.m., SECN+): Rebels women drive toward the postseason at Missouri.

Friday, Feb. 24

College baseball (4-7 p.m., SECN+): MSU hosts Indiana State, and UM hosts UNC-Wilmington at the same time. … Softball (4-7 p.m., SECN+): MSU host North Florida if you want to start a third screen.

Saturday, Feb. 25

College basketball (2:30-4:30 p.m., SECN): Rebels men look to keep NIT hopes alive as they host Missouri. …

College basketball (3-5 p.m., ESPNU): MSU men try to keep improving on the road against Vanderbilt.

Sunday, Feb. 26

College basketball (4-6 p.m., SECN & ESPN2): Yet another night where you’ll need two screens time again, as

Children’s Benefit Gala Feb. 25, 6-11 p.m., at McClain Lodge (314 Clark Creek Road, Brandon). Includes heavy hors d’oeurves, drinks, desserts, live and silent auctions and Dr. Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster performs. $50 in advance, $60 at the door; call 601-706-9727; email financejarc@gmail.com; rankinja.org.

KIDS Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Feb. 26, 2-3:30 p.m., at Clinton Community Nature Center (617 Dunton Road, Clinton). Features an afternoon of tea (juice or water), games and Alice teaches an etiquette class. Children are encouraged to dress up as their favorite characters. $8 for members, $10 for non-members; call 601-926-1104; find it on Facebook.

the Rebels women try to upset Texas A&M, and the MSU women host Tennessee.

Monday, Feb. 27

College basketball (6-8 p.m., ESPN2): This could be the night that the UConn women’s winning streak ends, as they travel to play South Florida.

Tuesday, Feb. 28

College basketball (6-8 p.m., ESPNU): MSU men look to pull off an upset as they travel to face a ranked South Carolina team.

Wednesday, March 1

College basketball (7:30-10 p.m., SECN): Rebels men want to start March strong as they hit the road to take on Alabama.

If you need more sports, this Sunday also marks the return of NASCAR. The Daytona 500 is on FOX at 1 p.m., with pre-race coverage at noon.

Follow Bryan Flynn at jfpsports.com, @jfpsports

SPORTS & WELLNESS The Great Amazing Race Feb. 25, 2-4 p.m., at LeFleur’s Bluff State Park (2140 Riverside Drive).

Two-person teams race around a 1.5-mile crosscountry course completing a variety of tasks.

Check-in at 1:15 p.m. Proceeds benefit Saint Richard Catholic School. $48 race team entry fee; call 513-518-0528; greatamazingrace.com.

STAGE & SCREEN “Miss Courage: A Harriet Tubman-Inspired Story” Feb. 25, 6 p.m., at Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Museum (528 Bloom St.). Amia Edwards performs a play loosely based on Harriet Tubman’s life and how she led a movement to free hundreds of enslaved people. $15; call 601-675-2642.

“Black Wall Street” Film Screening Feb. 26, 3 p.m.-6 p.m., at Afrikan Art Gallery (800 N. Farish St.). The film depicts the destruction of a black community by a white terrorist. Free; call 601-201-0871; find it on Facebook.

“Best of Enemies” Feb. 28-4, March 8-12, 7:30 p.m., at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.).

The play is about the relationship between a Grand Cyclops of the KKK and an AfricanAmerican civil-rights activist. $28 regular; $22 students, $18 groups of 15 or more; call 601948-3533; newstagetheatre.com.

CONCERTS & FESTIVALS Gladys P. Norris Piano Festival Feb. 23, 9 a.m.noon, at Jackson State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.). The competition features young pianists in first through 12th grade from Mississippi and Tennessee. Free; eventbrite.com.

Events at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.) • LoveBomb Go-Go Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m. The Portland, Ore.-native marching band performs. $10 in advance, $15 at the door, $3 surcharge for patrons under 21; ardenland.net.

• Edwin Holt & Red Clay Roadhouse Feb. 25, 8 p.m. The acoustic-led blues act performs. $30 in advance, $35 at the door, $3 surcharge for patrons under 21; ardenland.net.

• Eilen Jewell March 1, 7:30 p.m. The Idahonative singer-songwriter performs. Holley Peel also performs. $10 in advance, $15 at the door; call 877-987-6487; ardenland.net.

Final Friday Feb. 24, 5 p.m., at Midtown Arts District. Includes studio tours, live entertainment, extended store hours, food and drink vendors, and more. Free; madeinmidtownjxn.com.

Trevor Lamont Feb. 25, 9 p.m., at Kemistry Sports Bar & Hookah Lounge (3716 Interstate 55 N. Frontage Road). The Lexington, Ky.native deejay performs. DJ Young Venom, DJ Cadillac and DJ Tam also perform. $10; call 601-713-1500; find it on Facebook.

LITERARY & SIGNINGS Events at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N. Suite #202) • “Lincoln in the Bardo” Feb. 23, 5 p.m.

George Saunders signs copies. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $28 book; lemuriabooks.com.

• “Cold Hot” Feb. 24, 5 p.m. Sergio Poroger signs copies. $50 book; lemuriabooks.com.

• “The Hate U Give” Feb. 28, 5 p.m. Angie Thomas signs copies. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $17.99 book; lemuriabooks.com.

EXHIBIT OPENINGS Mississippi Light Festival Feb. 24, 6-11 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.).

Features interactive performances, community competitions, 3D projections, educational and interactive workshops and professionals discuss why they chose to be in Mississippi. Free; call 917-932-6968; mslightcollaborative.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.

DIVERSIONS | books

Hurt & Healing in ‘Unspeakable Things’

by Micah Smith

“That was my first real writing experience outside of the professions of lawyering James Patterson

Mississippi author Jackie Warren Tatum’s first novel is titled “Unspeakable Things.”

and teaching, and it was a good experience, so I did freelancing with them,” she says.

“Then, at some point there, I decided to

write a memoir for my kids about their father, who is deceased.”

While Tatum says the memoir did not turn out the way that she had hoped, it did get her thinking about the fact that there were areas in her life that she needed to write about and reflect on.

She had kept a journal daily since the 1990s, which she says is crucial to writing, but she also realized that she wanted to try her hand at long-form writing.

“I started this novel, and I had tried to start novels over all this other writing, but I mean, I couldn’t get the horse saddled,” she says. “The horse wouldn’t even stand still for me to saddle it. And I would get really disgusted and think, ‘Why can’t I do this?’ Now looking back, I know the reason (is that) I hadn’t had the experience of the self-introspection that the journaling gave me, the moving inside of me that made me understand I was a writer, and writing the memoir— taking a chance at writing something bigger than an article.”

Over the course of about six years,

Tatum wrote “Unspeakable Things,” which she self-published on Dec. 7, 2016.

The novel follows widow Renee whose life shatters after she meets a mysterious and predatory stranger called Silver shortly after losing her husband.

“Unspeakable Things” is a crime thriller and drama at its core, but Tatum says the story is also one of loss, truth and self-discovery. Her life experiences and interactions with others greatly influenced the narrative, although the events are fictional.

“Because of my own history, writing this book was a healing experience, and I think all writing is, if we actually write,” Tatum says. “We can put words on a page, and that can be writing, but if we allow ourselves to (practice) the kind of self-involvement that can happen in writing, it’s not necessarily a day at the park. It’s hard work, and it’s very emotional.”

“Unspeakable Things” is available now at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 215). For more information, find Jackie Warren Tatum on Facebook.

NEXT WEEK: Spring Arts and Events Preview.

Call 601-362-6121 x11 for advertising info!

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

A

uthor Jackie Warren Tatum has always written, but her work was far from the field of crime fiction that readers will find in her debut novel, “Unspeakable Things” (Mill City Press, $16, 2016).

For much of her adult life, the Alabama native worked as an English teacher and then a lawyer in north Mississippi, where she moved after her late husband James Warren Jr. died from a heart attack at age 28. She opened her own law practice and became the first female member of the Tippah County Bar Association, eventually becoming a special assistant attorney general for Mississippi in the early 1990s.

Tatum retired from the state attorney general’s office in late 2005 and began looking for the next step in her life. She took a course on creative nonfiction writing that Jackson Free Press Editor-in-chief Donna Ladd taught in 2006.

During that time, Tatum was also training for a half marathon that she would be running in San Diego, which became the basis for her first JFP story.

25

DIVERSIONS | music

WEDNESDAY

MODERN MEASURE

2/22

(1320 RECORDS) W/ PROJECT ASPECT FRIDAY

9 P.M. // 18+

2/24

ART & MUSIC SHOWCASE VOL. 2 FEAT. KTRL 10 P.M. // 18+

SATURDAY

2/25

GARRY BURNSIDE BAND 10 P.M.

OPEN MIC NIGHT $5 APPETIZERS (D O )

MONDAY

INE IN

2/27

NLY

UPCOMING SHOWS

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.msw

3/3 - The Stolen Faces (A Tribute to the Grateful Dead) 3/4 - Anthony Gomes 3/10 - Young Valley w/ Anne Freeman & the Garbage Sons 3/11 - Cory Branan (Bloodshot Records) 3/18 - Martin’s St. Paddy’s Blowout w/ Flow Tribe & more 3/20 - Joecephus and the George Jonestown Massacre 3/22 - Spoonfed Tribe 3/25 - Vibe Street

26

4/6 - Papadosio (Pattern Integrities Spring Tour) 4/28 - The Weeks Record Release Show 4/29 - Backup Planet & the Heavy Pets “The Heavy Planet Tour”

See Our New Menu

WWW.MARTINSLOUNGE.NET

214 S. STATE ST. DOWNTOWN JACKSON

601.354.9712

by Micah Smith

C

alifornia-native singer Mandisa has been a constant on Christian radio since the release of her debut album, “True Beauty,” in 2008, and her star has only risen in recent years.

She has received three Dove Award nominations for Female Vocalist of the Year and four Grammy Award nominations, with her most recent album, 2013’s “Overcomer,” winning the Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Album in 2014.

Many people will be familiar with Mandisa from her time on the fifth season of “American Idol” in 2006, but she sang on the national stage for several years before appearing on the once-beloved reality TV show.

In the early 2000s, Mandisa worked for the corporate offices of Christian bookstore chain Lifeway in Nashville, where Travis Cottrell, the worship leader for author and evangelist Beth Moore’s Living Proof Conferences, put together an employee worship team, which included Mandisa, for a revival.

A few months later, Cottrell called and asked if she would join the Living Proof worship team, and from 2001 to 2006, she toured with the conferences.

“When I left the stage from my last event with him, I went straight from an event we had in California to Hollywood Week for ‘American Idol,’ so it was definitely a kind of divine connection that had me on that path,” she says.

While Mandisa didn’t win “American Idol”—that honor went to Taylor Hicks—the show did create more opportunities for her music career, and not just because of her vocal abilities.

Throughout the season, viewers saw judge Simon Cowell repeatedly make jokes about the singer’s weight, and the cameras were also rolling when Mandisa told him that, because of her faith, she forgave him.

“When I said that at the moment, I didn’t know that was actually something God would use to open doors for me in Christian music,” Mandisa says.

“I wasn’t doing it for that purpose, but I look back on how everything came together, and I can see just a fingerprint of God over all of that.”

After her elimination from the show, Mandisa, like many past “Idol” stars, had

plenty of record labels approach her with offers, although her experience differed slightly from others.

While she says there is great diversity in the styles of contemporary Christian

depression after her friend Kisha Mitchell died from breast cancer.

Mandisa had written “Overcomer” about Mitchell and prayed for her recovery. When it didn’t come, she says she was Courtesy CMA Media Promotions

FLVSH BVNG!

Mandisa: Becoming an ‘Overcomer’

Grammy Award-winning singer Mandisa performs as part of the TobyMac Hits Deep Tour, which comes to the Mississippi Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 26.

music, that diversity doesn’t necessarily carry over into race. She is one of only a handful of women of color on popular Christian radio today, and as such, she says that some people expected her to sign with a black gospel label.

Instead, she signed with major Christian label Sparrow Records and the Capitol CMG Label Group, home of artists such as Chris Tomlin and David Crowder. Mandisa says the decision has given her a platform to discuss issues that her audience might not face otherwise such as the series of police shootings last year, which made her fear for her own young nephews.

“A lot of people may not understand something like that because they’ve never had to deal with it,” she says.

“… It can be scary when you open up your mouth to say things that people won’t agree with, and certainly in our political landscape now, that is something that we all face. But I just feel like it’s a responsibility and an opportunity for me to speak those things but to do it in love and do it with grace.”

One can still turn on local Christian radio and hear the title track from “Overcomer,” but Mandisa has gone about four years since releasing new music, which she says came from her struggling with

angry and withdrew for a time.

However, the singer says she realized that it was an important part of her life to share with others, as so many people have gone through the same difficult situation and need to see that there’s hope on the other side. That resulted in her upcoming album, “Out of the Dark,” which is scheduled for release May 19.

“With this album that I’m working on right now, because I began it while I was still very much in a pit, a lot of the songs speak to that,” she says. “There’s one song called ‘Prove Me Wrong’ that’s really honest. I don’t know. I don’t know that I’ve ever bared my soul in a song in that way.

But I’ve learned that God wants us to bring those disappointments and our anger and our fear to him.

“… My music is different in that I’ve been through some different things. I know what it is to be so low that you can’t see your way out of it, and I know what it is to be lifted out of that dark place.”

Mandisa performs as part of the TobyMac Hits Deep Tour at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 26, at the Mississippi Coliseum (1207 Mississippi St.). TobyMac, Matt Maher, Mac Powell, Capital Kings, Ryan Stevenson and Hollyn also perform. Admission prices range from $15 to $39. For more information, visit tobymac.com/tour.

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

Alumni House - Pearl Jamz 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Fitzgerald’s - Sonny Brooks & Don Grant 7:30 p.m.

Hal & Mal’s - New Bourbon Street Jazz Band free Kathryn’s - Jeff Maddox 6:30 p.m. free Martin’s - Modern Measure w/ Project Aspect 8 p.m.

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

FEB. 23 - THURSDAY Bonny Blair’s - Don Grant & Sonny Brooks 7:30-11:30 p.m. free Burgers & Blues - Doug Hurd Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Duling Hall - LoveBomb Go-Go w/ DJ Young Venom & Lisbon Deaths 7:30 p.m. $10 advance $15 door ardenland.net F. Jones Corner - Blues Challenge w/ Dexter Allen 10 p.m.

Fitzgerald’s - Barry Leach 7:30 p.m.

Georgia Blue, Flowood - Brian Jones Georgia Blue, Madison - Dan Confait Hal & Mal’s - D’Lo Trio free Iron Horse Grill - Ben Payton 6 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Road Hogs 6:30 p.m. free Shucker’s - Acoustic Crossroads 7:30 p.m. free Soul Wired - Blues & Barbecue feat. Iretta & Johnny 7 p.m. free Thad Cochran Center - Sounds of Hope feat. SING! Jackson Ensemble & Community Choir 6:30-9:30 p.m. free

FEB. 24 - FRIDAY Bonny Blair’s - Jason Stogner & Mike Patton 7-11 p.m. free Burgers & Blues - Jessie Howell 6 p.m.

Cerami’s - Linda Blackwell & James Bailey 6:30-9:30 p.m.

F. Jones Corner - The Blues Man 10 p.m. $1; Kern Pratt midnight $10 Fitzgerald’s - Gena & David Steele w/ Cucho Gonzalez 7:30 p.m.

Georgia Blue, Flowood - Shaun Patterson Georgia Blue, Madison - Brian Jones Hal & Mal’s - Bill & Temperance Iron Horse Grill - Diedra & the Ruff Pro Band 9 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Acoustic Crossroads 7 p.m. free Martin’s - FLVSH BVNG! Vol. 2 feat. KTRL, Taboo, Malignate & Phulti 10 p.m.

MS Coliseum - Keith Sweat, K-Ci & JoJo, 112 & Avant 8 p.m. $47$95.50 Reed Pierce’s, Byram - Snazz 9 p.m. free Shucker’s - Ron Etheridge 5:30 p.m. free; Spunk Monkees 8 p.m. $5; Josh Journeay 10 p.m. $5 Soulshine, Ridgeland - John Causey 7 p.m.

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

WonderLust - DJ Taboo 8 p.m.2 a.m.

FEB. 25 - SATURDAY Bonny Blair’s - Skip & Mike 7-11 p.m. free Burgers & Blues - Jason Stogner Duo 6 p.m.

Center Stage - New Editions Tribute Show feat. LAV, Eddie Williams Jr. & Eric Robinson 8 p.m. $10 Duling Hall - Edwin Holt & Red Clay Roadhouse 8 p.m. $30 advance $35 door ardenland.net F. Jones Corner - Big Money Mel & Small Change Wayne 10 p.m. $1; Smokestack Lightnin’ midnight $10

Shucker’s - Sofa Kings 3:30 p.m. free; Spunk Monkees 8 p.m. $5; Chad Perry 10 p.m. free Soul Wired - J-Coop Fly, Mind Poets, Rod McCoy, Dee Wile & more 9 p.m.

Soulshine, Flowood - Andrew Pates 7 p.m.

Soulshine, Ridgeland - Jonathan Alexander 7 p.m.

WonderLust - Drag Performance & Dance Party feat. DJ Taboo 8 p.m.-3 a.m. free before 10 p.m.

FEB. 26 - SUNDAY Anjou - David Keary 11:30 a.m.

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

CS’s - Fides, The Renders, Surfwax & Bad Magic 7 p.m. $7 Eme’s - Sunday Gospel Brunch 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Kathryn’s - The Sole Shakers 6 p.m. free MS Coliseum - TobyMac w/ Mandisa, Matt Maher, Mac Powell, Capital Kings & more 6:30 p.m. $15-$39 Shucker’s - Andrew Pates 3:30 p.m. free Table 100 - Jazz Brunch feat.

Raphael Semmes Trio 11 a.m.2 p.m.

FEB. 27 - MONDAY

Keith Sweat Fenian’s - Mark Taylor 9 p.m.

Georgia Blue, Flowood - Brian Jones Georgia Blue, Madison - Chad Wesley Hal & Mal’s - Leo Moreira free The Hideaway - Pop Fiction w/ Miles Flatt 9 p.m.

Iron Horse Grill - Bernard Jenkins 9 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Lucky Hand Blues Band 7 p.m. free Kowboy’s 43, Canton - Fannin Landin’ 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Kemistry - Trevor Lamont w/ DJ Young Venom, DJ Cadillac & DJ Tam 9 p.m. $10 Martin’s - Garry Burnside 10 p.m.

McClain Lodge - Children’s Benefit Gala feat. Doctor Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster 6 p.m.

Next Level Experience - 1Teezy 9 p.m. $10 Pelican Cove - Sid Thompson 6-10 p.m.

Reed Pierce’s, Byram - Snazz 9 p.m. free

Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Fitzgerald’s - Johnny Crocker 7:30 p.m.

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

Kathryn’s - Barry Leach 6:30 p.m. free Kemistry - Melancholy Mondays w/ leon grey 9 p.m.

FEB. 28 - TUESDAY

COMING UP

_________________________

WEDNESDAY 2/22

NEW BOURBON STREET JAZZ BAND

Restaurant - Free _________________________

Thursday, February 23

lance skiiiwalker + jay idk hybrid of new & old school hip hop and abstract soul

THURSDAY 2/23

D’LO TRIO Restaurant - Free

_________________________

FRIDAY 2/24

BILL AND TEMPERANCE

LOVEBOMB GO-GO dj young venom + lisbon deaths intergalactic marching freaks from outer space

Saturday, February 25

EDWIN HOLT & RED CLAY ROADHOUSE chad wesley band

Restaurant - Free

MARDI GRAS

PUB CRAWL

_________________________

“the orignal soulful string band”

Wednesday, March 1 EILEN JEWELL holley peel

crafting a unique style that mixes poetic ballads with swinging rockers

SATURDAY 2/25

LEO MORERIA

Friday, March 3 JAKE SLINKARD & CO

Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m.

Drago’s - Chris Gill’s Mardi Gras Boogie Band 6 p.m.

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

Kathryn’s - Andrew Pates 6:30 p.m. free Shucker’s - Will & Linda 5:309:30 p.m.; Acoustic Crossroads 6-11 p.m.

CENTRAL MS BLUES SOCIETY PRESENTS: Restaurant - 7 - 10pm $3 Members $5 Non-Members

with Special Guest Big Yayo & An Acoustic Experience

MARCH 1 - WEDNESDAY

TUESDAY 2/28

Thursday, Tuesday,February March 7 23

Church at Northshore - Drakeford 7 p.m. free Duling Hall - Eilen Jewell w/ Holley Peel 7:30 p.m. $10 advance $15 door ardenland.net Fitzgerald’s - Hunter Gibson & Rick Moreira 7:30 p.m.

Kathryn’s - Larry Brewer & Doug Hurd 6:30 p.m. free Pelican Cove - Chad Perry 6 p.m.

2/23 - Dan Andriano & Matt Pryor - House of Blues, New Orleans 2/24 - Jennifer Nettles - IP Casino, Resort & Spa, Biloxi 2/27 - Mystikal & Juvenile - Republic NOLA, New Orleans 3/1 - Jimmy Eat World - Iron City, Birmingham

Restaurant - Free _________________________

MONDAY 2/27

BLUE MONDAY

_________________________

PUB QUIZ

w/ Jimmy Quinn

Brew Pub - 7:30pm - $2 to Play

_________________________ OFFICIAL

HOUSE VODKA

Visit HalandMals.com for a full menu and concert schedule

601.948.0888 200 S. Commerce St. Downtown Jackson, MS

EP RELEASE empty atlas

“parallels” is a collection of songs that serve as anthems of youth and relation

Saturday, March 4 GRADY CHAMPION

SON VOLT johnny irion

mixes country roots with elliptical lyrics and plentiful hooks

JX//RX

COMPLETE SHOW LISTINGS & TICKETS

dulinghall.com

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

FEB. 22 - WEDNESDAY

COURTESY FACEBOOK

MUSIC | live

27

BY MATT JONES

53 Jacques or Jeanne, par exemple 55 Scuba spot 56 The “Y” in YSL 60 Sweater, say 62 Deck that all episodes of Hulu’s “Shut Eye” are named after 66 12.5% of a push-up undergarment?

70 Cat or goat type 71 Poker couple 72 Capital attachment?

73 What many gamblers claim to have 74 “___ Like the Wind” (Patrick Swayze song) 75 “Help wanted” sign?

39 Late “60 Minutes” reporter Morley 42 Bitterly cold 43 Watered-down 44 Like a litter of puppies 49 City where the Batmobile is driven 51 “The Jerk” actress Bernadette 52 “Bearing gifts, we traverse ___” 54 Use blades on blades 56 Affirmative votes 57 Crawling with creepers 58 Frittata needs 59 Chance

61 Destroys, as bubble wrap 63 MLB stat, incorrectly but commonly 64 “... ___ I’m told” 65 Bagpipers’ caps 67 One less than quattro 68 “Yeah” opposite 69 D20 or D8, in D&D games ©2017 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com)

Last Week’s Answers

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 #812.

Down

“Keep Dividing” —the pieces get smaller and smaller.

Across

1 “Better Call Saul” star Odenkirk 4 BLT spread 8 Keeps from happening 14 “The Simpsons” character with an 18-letter last name 15 Common freshwater bait fish 16 Outcast 17 50% of an ice cream dessert?

20 “The Zoo Story” dramatist 21 As of this time 22 Look to be 23 Spock’s dominant feature 26 Blow the socks off

28 One of many on a serialized TV show 32 Indiana-Illinois border river 37 James Bond novelist Fleming 38 Capitol Hill figures, slangily 40 Mythical monster that’s part woman, part serpent 41 25% of property to play in?

45 “David Copperfield” villain Heep 46 Stir-fry ingredient 47 Number that looks like itself repeated, when expressed in binary 48 Insect with two pairs of wings 50 Maintenance sign

1 ___ Men (“Who Let the Dogs Out” group) 2 Flashy gem 3 Flower bed planting 4 Titular TV attorney of the ‘90s-’00s 5 “Now I understand!”

6 Big guffaw 7 Just say yes 8 “Bridesmaids” producer Judd 9 “Batman Forever” star Kilmer 10 Cultural periods 11 Gain altitude 12 Withstand 13 Pillow cover 18 “Dogs” 19 Drops in the grass 24 Mature 25 Angry bull’s sound 27 Pedestrian path 28 Excite, as curiosity 29 Dern of “Jurassic Park” 30 Lighted sign at a radio station 31 Be rude in a crowd 33 Howl at the moon 34 Cremona violinmaking family name 35 It’ll make you pull over 36 “I ___ thought about it”

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

MUST

BE

THE

coffee February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

C U P S E S P R E S S O C A F E.C O M

28

Custom Doesn't Mean Costly |Layaway Available Located in LeFleur’s Gallery 4800 I 55 N, Jackson | 601.665.4642 | beckhamjewelry.com

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

What would your best mother do in a situation like this? Please note that I’m not asking, “What would your mother do?” I’m not suggesting you call on the counsel of your actual mother.

When I use the term “your best mother,” I’m referring to the archetype of your perfect mother.

Imagine a wise older woman who understands you telepathically, loves you unconditionally, and wants you to live your life according to your own inner necessity, not hers or anyone else’s.

Visualize her. Call on her. Seek her blessings.

My astrological radar suggests there’s a space-time anomaly looming just ahead of you. Is it a fun and exotic limbo where the rules are flexible and everything’s an experiment? That might be cool. Or is it more like an alien labyrinth where nothing is as it seems, you can hear howling in the distance, and you barely recognize yourself? That might be weird. What do you think? Is it worth the gamble?

If so, full speed ahead. If not, I suggest a course correction.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

Someone on reddit.com asked readers to respond to the question, “What is the most liberating thought you’ve ever had?” Among the replies were the following six: 1. “If new evidence presents itself, it’s okay to change my beliefs.” 2.

“I get to choose who’s in my life and who isn’t.” 3. “I am not my history.” 4. “You can’t change something that has already happened, so stop worrying about it.” 5. “I am not, nor will I ever be, conventionally beautiful.” 6. “I don’t have to respond to people when they say stupid sh** to me.” I hope these testimonies inspire you to come up with several of your own, Taurus. It’s a perfect time to formulate liberating intentions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

It has been a while since I told you that I love you. So I’m doing it now. I LOVE YOU. More than you could ever imagine. And that’s why I continue to offer these horoscopes to you free of charge, with no strings attached. That’s why I work so hard to be a playful therapist and an edgy mentor for you. That’s why I am so tenacious in my efforts to serve you as a feminist father figure and a kindly devil’s advocate and a sacred cheerleader. Again, I don’t expect anything in return from you. But if you would like to express your appreciation, you could do so by offering a similar type of well-crafted care to people in your own sphere. Now would be an excellent time to give such gifts.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

“I like the word ‘bewilderment’ because it has both ‘be’ and ‘wild’ in it,” says poet Peter Gizzi. I propose that you go even further, Cancerian: Express a fondness for the actual experience of bewilderment, as well as the word. In fact, be willing to not just tolerate, but actually embrace the fuzzy blessings of bewilderment. In the coming weeks, that’s your ticket to being wild in the healthiest (and wealthiest) ways. As you wander innocently through the perplexing mysteries that make themselves available, you’ll be inspired to escape formalities and needless rules that have kept you overly tame.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

Are you familiar with psychologist Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow? It’s the unflattering or uncomfortable part of you that you would prefer to ignore or suppress. It’s the source of behavior about which you later say, “I wasn’t acting like myself.” Jungians say that the shadow hounds you and wounds you to the degree that you refuse to deal with it. But if you negotiate with it, it leads you to beautiful surprises. It prods you to uncover riches you’ve hidden from yourself. I mention this, Leo, because any shadow work you do in the coming weeks could generate rather spectacular breakthroughs.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

You could make a vow like this: “Between now and April 15, I will be relentless in getting my needs met. I will harbor a steely resolve to call on every ploy necessary to ensure that my deepest requirements are not just gratified, but satiated to the max. I will be a dogged and ferocious seeker of absolute fulfillment.” If you want to swear an oath like that, Virgo, I understand. But I hope you will try a softer approach—more like the following: “Between now and

April 15, I will be imaginative and ingenious in getting my needs met. I will have fun calling on every trick necessary to ensure that my deepest requirements are playfully addressed. I will be a sweet seeker of unpredictable fulfillment.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

How would Buddha ask for a raise or promotion? How would Jesus tinker with his career plans as he took into consideration large-scale shifts in the economy?

How would Confucius try to infuse new approaches and ideas into the status quo of his work environment? Ruminate deeply on these matters, dear Libra.

Your yearning to be more satisfyingly employed may soon be rewarded—especially if you infuse your ambitions with holy insight. How would Joan of Arc break through the glass ceiling? How would Harriet Tubman deal with the inefficiencies caused by excess testosterone? How would Hildegard of Bingen seek more emotional richness on the job?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

I suspect you would benefit from acquiring a new bedroom name, my dear. But should I be the one to give it to you? I’m not sure. Maybe you could invite a practical dreamer you adore to provide you with this crazy sweet new moniker. If there is no such person to do the job (although given the current astrological omens, I bet there is), I’ll offer the following array of amorous aliases for you to choose from: Wild Face, Kiss Genius, Thrill Witch, Freaky Nectar, Boink Master, Lust Moxie, Pearly Thunder, Peach Licker, Painkiller, Silky Bliss, Slippery Diver, Swoon Craver.

DISH TV J&D Transit is hiring non-emergency drivers.

DISH TV - BEST DEAL EVER! Only $39.99/mo.

Must be 25 yo, clear MVR, background, and Plus $14.99/mo Internet (where avail.) FREE drug screen. Come to 120 Southpointe Dr, Streaming. FREE Install (up to 6 rooms.) FREE Byram MS or call 601-203-2136.

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You must be personable, outgoing, Meet Singles! persistent, and willing to learn. Commission-driven Meet singles right now! No paid operators, with a paid training period and access to just real people like you. Browse greetings, position potential $3,000-$5,000/mo and beyond! exchange messages and connect live. Try it benefits; Visit our Jobs Page to apply. free. Call now: 800-513-9842

Help Wanted

FOR SALE

1999 Ford F-150 News Reporter Lariat 4 Door Extended Cab 5.4Liter V8 The JFP is hiring a new city reporter to cover 4WD, Automatic transmission. $ 2200. local government, politics and criminal justice.

Call: 504-434-0548 Must have a great attitude and the energy to 1994 NEW HOLLAND dig out the “why” and the “how.” The desire to 3930 WITH QUICK TACH LOADER ,1800 hours write narrative and get far beyond the inverted pyramid is vital. Write donna@jacksonfreepress. 50 Hp $2100 Call me:7692063747 com with resume and three samples. No calls.

Teachers Wanted RePublic Schools is looking for dynamic, determined PUBLIC NOTICE teachers to join our Jackson middle schools. Must Notice of Initiation of the Section 106 Process – have an unwavering belief that all children can Public Participation in accordance with the FCC’s achieve at high levels and change the world. Must be Nationwide Programmatic Agreement. Kansas willing to obtain certification if not currently licensed.

City Southern Railroad proposes to construct an Competitive salary and full benefits. Visit http://www. approximately 145 ft. monopole at Lat: 32.329858 republiccharterschools.org/careers to apply N, Long: -89.729332 W, 234-260 Morton-Rankin Equipment Operators and Laborers Wanted County Line Rd, Morton, Rankin County, Mississippi Our company is looking for Equipment 39117. Parties interested in details regarding the Operators and Laborers for Overhead telecommunications tower or in providing comment Power line work. Utility Construction on the proposed undertaking relative to potential experience is preferred. Class A or B Drivers effects on historic properties should contact GSS, License is preferred. Work is located in the Inc., 1904 Industrial Blvd. #107, Colleyville, TX 76034 Vicksburg / Port Gibson area. Please go to (682) 651-0034 (GSS D17215-MS).

TeamPowerGroup.com to apply.

PUBLIC NOTICES

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD:

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

Deadline: Mondays at Noon.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

Soon I’ll be off on my first vacation in 18 months. At first glance it might seem odd for an astrologer like myself to have selected two Sagittarians to be my housesitters. Members of your sign are reputed to be among the least home-nurturing people in the zodiac.

But I’m confident that by the time I return, raccoons won’t be living in my kitchen, nor will my plants be dead or my snailmail stolen or my TV broken. The current astrological omens suggest that most of you centaurs, at least for the foreseeable future, will display an uncommon aptitude for the domestic arts.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

The near future will be mutable, whimsical and fluky.

It’ll be serendipitous, mercurial and extemporaneous.

You should expect happy accidents and lucky breaks.

Your ability to improvise will be quite valuable. Do you believe in lucky numbers? Even if you don’t, yours will be 333. Your sacred password will be “quirky plucky.”

The cartoon characters with whom you will have most in common are Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner. The place where you’re most likely to encounter a crucial teaching is a threshold or thrift shop. Your colors of destiny will be flecked and dappled. (P.S.: I suspect that an as-yet-undiscovered talisman of power is crammed in a drawer full of junk.)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

Treat your body like a sublime temple, please. And regard your imagination as a treasured sanctuary. Be very choosy about what you allow to enter in to both of those holy places. This strategy is always a wise idea, of course, but it’s especially so now when you are extra sensitive to the influences you absorb. It’s crucial that you express maximum discernment as you determine which foods, drinks, drugs, images, sounds and ideas are likely to foster your maximum well-being—and which aren’t. Be a masterful caretaker of your health and sanity.

Homework: Find a new person or institution you can eagerly and earnestly respect. Report on your triumph at freewillastrology.com.

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

BULLE TIN BOARD: Classifieds As low as $25!

Services NOW HIRING DRIVERS

29

PAID ADVERTISING SECTION. CALL 601-362-6121 X11 TO LIST YOUR BUSINESS

------------- H E A LT H C A R E / W E L L N E S S ---------------The Headache Center

Renaissance at Colony Park, Suite #7205, Ridgeland, (601)366-0855 Accurately diagnoses headache syndromes and tailors an individualized treatment plan for you that includes lifestyle modification and FDA-approved medical treatments.

-------------------- HOME SERVICES -------------------Solar Control

291 US-51 E4, Ridgeland, MS 39157 (601)707-5596 Mississippi’s only full-service 3M Authorized window film dealer.

Services include, residential, graffiti shield and automotive tinting.

Tri-county Tree Service

Questions don’t start til 7:30 so round up your team and head to the Pub! Best Pub Quiz: Best of Jackson 2017 % &ORTIl CATION 3T s www.fenianspub.com -ON &RI AM AM s 3AT PM AM s 3UN PM AM

Jackson, (601)940-5499 Personalized and courteous services to valued customers in Madison, Hinds, Rankin or Jackson County. Contact us today for a FREE NO HASSLE ESTIMATE.

---------------------- AUTOMOTIVE ----------------------J & J Wholesale Service & Repair

3246 Hwy 80 W., Jackson, (601) 360-2444 Certified Technician, David Rucker, has 40+ years of experience.

Mr. Rucker specializes in a/c, front end, part replacement, brakes, select services and repairs. Appointments only.

-------------------- BANKS/FINANCIAL ------------------Members Exchange

107 Marketridge Dr. Ridgeland, 5640 I-55 South Frontage Rd. Byram 101 MetroPlex Blvd. Pearl, (601)922-3250 Members Exchange takes the bank out of banking. You will know right away that you are not just a customer, you are a member.

Guaranty Trust

2 Professional Parkway, Ste A Ridgeland, (601)307-5008 Your friendly source for mortgage advice and service in FHA, USDA, VA, Jumbo and conventional mortgages.

------------------- FOOD/DRINK/GIFTS ------------------Beckham Jewelry

4800 N Hwy 55 #35, Jackson, (601)665-4642 With over 20 years experience Beckham Jewelry, manufactures, repairs and services all types of jewelry. Many repairs can be done the same day! They also offer full-service watch and clock repair.

Fondren Cellars

633 Duling Ave, Jackson, (769)216-2323 Quality wines and spirits in a relaxed environment. Voted Best Wine and Liquor store by Jackson Free Press readers.

Nandy’s Candy

Maywood Mart, 1220 E Northside Dr #380, Jackson, (601)362-9553 Small batch confections do more than satisfy a sweet tooth, they foster fond traditions and strong relationships. Plus, enjoy sno-balls, gifts for any occasion and more!

McDade’s Wine

Maywood Mart, 1220 E Northside Dr #320, Jackson, (601)366-5676 McDade’s Wine and Spirits offers Northeast Jackson’s largest showroom of fine wine and spirits. Visit to learn about the latest offerings and get professional tips from the friendly staff!

Playtime Entertainment

1009 Hampstead Blvd, Clinton, (601)926-1511 Clinton’s newest high energy video gaming and sports grille destination.

-------------------- TOURISM/ARTS ----------------------Mississippi Museum of Art

380 South Lamar St. Jackson, (601) 960-1515 MMA strives to be a fountainhead attracting people from all walks to discuss the issues and glories of the past and present, while continuing to inspire progress in the future.

Ardenland

2906 North State St. Suite 207, Jackson, (601) 292-7121 Jackson’s premiere music promoter with concerts around the Metro including at Duling Hall in Fondren. www.ardenland.net

February 22 - 28, 2017 • jfp.ms

Natural Science Museum

30

2148 Riverside Dr, Jackson, (601) 576-6000 Stop by the museum and enjoy their 300-acre natural landscape, an open-air amphitheater, along with 2.5 miles of nature trails. Inside, meet over 200 living species in the 100,000 gallon aquarium network.

Mississippi Children's Museum

2145 Museum Boulevard, Jackson, (601) 981-5469 The Mississippi Children’s Museum provides unparalleled experiences that ignite a thirst for discovery, knowledge and learning in all children through hands-on and engaging exhibits and programs focusing on literacy, the arts, science, health and nutrition.

---------------- BEAUTY SHOP/SALON ------------------Barnette’s Highland Bluff

4400 Old Canton Rd, Jackson, (769) 230-4648 Barnette’s specializes in custom hair color as well as beautiful precision cuts.

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Need a new site? Join locals such as Walkers, The JFPSites tool offers a desktop and mobile Hal and Mal’s Mangia Bene Catering, Capital site in one package, and we’ll update your City Beverages, Good Eats Group, 100 Black site every week! Choose from great-looking Men of Jackson, The Headache Center and templates for a quick turnaround—or sign up others in Metro Jackson. for a custom design.

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