Attention, Thugs: There's A New Sheriff In Town

[The first letter to The Clarion-Ledger is from Stacey M. Johnson. My letter of April 30, 2005 follows.]

Some eight years ago, Mayor-elect Harvey Johnson (no relation) promised the elderly that they would be able to "sit on the porch in the cool of the evening" as a result of his aggressive means to end crime.

Well, I can't even sit in my bathroom at home without being robbed.

My home was burglarized on December 25 (yes, Christmas) around 3 a.m. The man walked me around, stealing my belongings, gifts and vehicle, and attempted to sexually assault me before I managed to escape.

It took almost two months and several calls before a detective was assigned to my case. The suspect was apprehended, only to be released after his bond was reduced and he bonded out.

I have to look at him daily, as he is now residing in my neighborhood. The death of Officer Thomas Catchings, who was a very dear friend, has shown us that we are actually in worse shape now.

So I ask Mayor Johnson: When will Jackson see the "cool of the evening and become the best of the New South"?

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Two industries that are booming in Jackson are the burglar alarm and burglar bar businesses.

Stacey Johnson's letter ("Johnson failed in promise on crime," April 25) struck a chord with me. In 2003, I had a "perception" that my car's battery was stolen in broad daylight. I didn't even bother to report that crime.

Last year, a friend of mine had a "perception" that her home was burglarized in broad daylight. The thugs entered through a window that they had broken out with a brick.

Ms. Johnson notes that a suspect was apprehended for robbing her home. As far as we know, the thugs who burglarized my friend's home are still at large and, of course, her stolen property has not been recovered.

Now just about every week, my friend reads in The Clarion-Ledger that at least one home in her neighborhood has been burglarized.

Do we really have to keep putting up with this kind of nonsense? Don't we deserve better?

If Frank Melton just gets the votes of Jackson's crime victims from the past eight years (the ones who haven't been murdered or fled to the suburbs), he'll be elected mayor in a landslide.

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Note: In Jackson's May 3, 2005 Democratic primary for mayor, Frank Melton defeated two-term incumbent Harvey Johnson, 63 percent to 36 percent. Melton is a member of the state Board of Education, a former director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and a former television executive.