November 3 , 2005
Regular Meeting Minutes
Moderator: Bob Oertel
Minutes: Jim White

Old Business

Property Issues
In the absence of Jeff Anderson, inspector for the Code Enforcement Division and a regular participant in our meetings, several people addressed the issues regarding Environmental Court.

• Little work has been done on 3622 Cavalier
  We have been working on this property for a long while now and at one point Environmental Court judge Henry Clay along with a clerk and bailiff went to the property with concerned neighbors. He has ruled against the owner and yet no significant progress towards reaching code standards has been made.
• 2912 Old Canton Road commercial property is before Environmental Court
• 5 misdemeanor warrants have been issued for Madison County resident Howard Gober
  At least one of these stems from his continued failure to meet code minimums at properties that he owns in Belhaven. We have been after this property owner for 18 months now with no progress being made at the offending locations.

We are hoping that the QofL will provide us solutions concerning these locations and property owners.

Outreach
Bob Oertel spoke about the need for a flier to explain the work of Precinct 4 COPS and to get more neighborhood folks involved at the meetings. He solicited suggestions from the group. Fliers will be created for the next meeting, and will be sent out to the list. We urge folks to post these at locations were people will see them and join the meeting. Some suggested that we meet at a different time. This will be discussed again at the next meeting.

Update on Public Service Announcements & Grants
Combined effort of Jackson Police Department, Jackson Police Foundation, COPS, and a local video production company. Chief Anderson has agreed to cooperate with efforts to use some grants to develop public service announcements. The first spot tentatively will deal with gun safety in the home.

Leader Wanted
Nominations were sought for someone to replace Bob Oertel as our moderator. This was tabled until the next meeting.

COMSTAT
Though there had been an armed robbery within Precinct 4 just before our meeting, leading various JPD personnel to receive many phone calls, Lt. Steve Sansom presented the COMSTAT report. He noted a seasonal increase in crime now that the Thanksgiving/Christmas season is upon us. Auto burglaries are the main problem. The two seasonal increases expected each year come in May-June as school is let out and November-December. People can help avoid auto burglaries by removing keys, purses, packages, computers, and handguns from cars as well as locking them! Also, thieves watch people carrying packages to their cars and then pop the trunk when the shoppers return to the stores for more shopping. Several suspects in a rash of robberies should be in custody very soon.

New Business
Bob Kochtitzky of Mississippi 2020, an organization dedicated to simple life-styles, ecological responsibility, and non-violence, spoke of the work of his organization. He noted how they have been recently working through the Jackson Public School system. Recently Dr. Jim McGinnis of St. Louis and the Institute for Peace and Justice spoke to a number of students in Jackson. Mr. Kochtitzky also reported his good experiences with Dr. Smith and the Detention Center High School. He spoke of a brochure that has been developed about reducing A.D.H.D. by having young people reconnect with the natural world. The brochure is Last Child in the Woods. As a result, a grant from the Foundation for the Mid-South is providing year-round gardens in a number of day care centers and Head Start programs. He also reported on I Am Jackson's Future pins and pilot programs that both instill pride into children and remind adults how important children are to the future of our city.

Kamikaze, a Jackson native/resident and hip-hop artist, addressed COPS regarding his work as president and co-founder of the Mississippi Artists & Producers Coalition. MAP Coalition was formed to unify the musicians and artists in Jackson and throughout Mississippi. In his touring, Kamikaze has noted how many artists and musicians across the nation benefit from having similar organizations in their communities. To date, over 200 artists and musicians are members of MAP Coalition. It is a very diverse group. Meeting in the Mississippi Art Center at 7:30 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays every month, their motto is "We Are the Street." Music, dancing, and other art forms are recognized means of escape and relief from the assault of drugs, gangs, crime, and similar improprieties. Recently, the MAP Coalition got involved in the mayor's race by holding a forum and getting a lot of kids and young adults involved in the political process. The MAP Coalition is able to speak to and serve a demographic group often ignored. Pointing to the stereotypes in a recent Clarion-Ledger article on gangs in Clarksville, Kamikaze noted that many of these kids live in homes without a positive male presence, are bored, and have trouble finding positive ways to pass the time. The MAP Coalition in general and Kamikaze in particular focus on such youth, involving them, mentoring them, and providing positive opportunities for them. A regular contributor for the Jackson Free Press in addition to his musical and civic activities, Kamikaze noted how the MAP Coalition strives to fix problems instead of ignoring them by starting a dialogue in our community and getting these overlooked kids to participate.

Bob Oertel then added that young people listen to other young people, and reaching youth, especially those ages 14 to 23, is a particular challenge for crime prevention purposes. Youth-focused and, especially, youth-led organizations stand a better chance of influencing young people.

Marshand Crisler took a few minutes to address the group. He participates with COPS as a city and county representative. In response to a high number of recent automobiles hitting pedestrians, he announced the need for everyone to take more responsibility in driving the speed limits through neighborhoods. The group then discussed strategies in providing awareness to Jackson drivers and how citizens should take the plate number of vehicles that they see driving recklessly in their neighborhoods. There is a process where you can fill out a form and a ticket will be issued to the offender. He also stressed the need for neighbors to look out for each other and the "It takes a village" philosophy in raising our youth. He then discussed the crime prevention unit of the Hinds County Sheriff's Department that he is involved with. His office number is 601.960.1089. His cell is 601.259.7676.

Lou Ann Jackson, (formerly JPD, Crime Prevention Unit) also spoke briefly. She now works with the Hinds County crime prevention unit and offered her assistance. We'll get a number for her soon.

Goldia Revies then spoke to the group and gave a brief summary of the Quality of Life Division. She stated that the objective of the QofL is to put in place a multi-agency holistic approach that includes professionals and administrators who can make decisions and offer solutions with accountability to the citizens of Jackson. She urged us to remain vigilant in our efforts to better Jackson and lower the crime rate and said the QofL will be a regular contributor to Precinct 4 COPS. Her office number is 601.960.6434. Her cell is 601.519.9130.

Announcements
The next P4 COPS meeting is December 1 at 4:30.
ArtMix is taking place in Fondren every first Thursday from 5-8.
Also, Fondren Unwrapped is the annual event where the merry merchants of the historic Fondren district invite all to shop, peruse, eat and drink. Thursday, November 17 from 5-9.

The meeting closed at 5:40PM