Frank Melton

Frank Melton
Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi
In office July 4, 2005 – Present
Preceded by	Harvey Johnson, Jr.
Personal details
Born	1950

Frank Melton (born 1950) is currently the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, having been inaugurated on 4 July 2005. Melton, an African American, defeated the city's first black mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. Melton won 63 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary against Johnson, who had served two terms. Melton quickly swept into action after a "Help is on the way!" campaign to rid Jackson of black-on-black drug-related crime (at his inauguration, he promised to run the "thugs" out of town), improving economic development, and improving city infrastructure. Since Melton became mayor, he has touted economic-development projects totaling over $1.6 billion, creating at least 4,500 jobs in the city, but others point out that many of those projects were in the works when he arrived.

Melton has taken a very hands-on approach to attacking drug crimes in the city, leading drug sweeps and drug raids, even as the city's narcotics unit has decreased, and few drug arrests are made. Many citizens are pleased to see him take this hands-on and vocal approach to addressing the city's problems, as noted in a report by Little Rock television station KATV. Yet many city residents, including the NAACP and the ACLU, have taken offense to the mayor's crime-fighting tactics and what they call illegal and unconstitutional actions.

In April 2006, Melton lambasted Hinds County DA Faye Peterson because she would not put his star witness, Christopher Walker, on the stand to testify against Albert "Batman" Donelson, the alleged leader of the Wood Street Players. The D.A. had to drop Walker from the witness list because defense provided affidavits showing that Walker had long lived with mayor, who had given him a copy of his credit card, a car, cash and other assistance. The mayor responded that he was offering Walker "witness protection." Soon after Donelson was acquitted, Melton held a press conference with Walker, during which he accused the city's first black female district attorney of having an affair with a murdered bail bondsman, an allegation that has not been substantiated. Within days of that press conference, federal investigators revoked Walker's probation because he had failed nearly a dozen drug tests during the period leading up to the Donelson trial. [1]

After a series of articles and photographs appeared in spring 2006 showing that Melton was carrying firearms without a permit, and amid increasing editorials calling for authorities to curtail Melton's actions, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood investigated Melton's actions. On June 1 Hood sent Melton a letter warning that "you will be prosecuted" if the mayor continued to carry weapons into places where they were prohibited and warned him that was not a police officer. Melton told the Jackson Free Press that he did not have to heed Hood's warning, and continued to carry weapons wherever he wanted, including into a church for an arts forum and into a public part.[2] In late July 2006, the head of ACLU racial profiling division arrived in Jackson to address reports of racial profiling related to Melton's raids and techniques.

In September 2006, Mayor Melton, with his detective bodyguards and a group of youths called the "lawn crew" because they often traveled around with Melton, ostensibly to help with house demolitions and neighborhood clean-up, raided half a duplex on Ridgeway Street without a warrant. Witnesses say that Melton busted up much of the rental duplex with a large stick, such as famed Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser used. He cut his hand during the incident and had to go to the hospital for stitches. They say he then returned with the young men, including at least one minor, with sledgehammers to finish destroying that side of the duplex. [3] Police arrested the tenant—schizophrenic Evans Welch—on drug possession, but he was discharged within days for lack of evidence. No warrant was issued for the raid, nor was the owner of the duplex—Jennifer Sutton—notified of any intention to conduct the raid or damage her property. After news of the demolition broke on Sept. 1 [4], both the attorney general and the district attorney investigated the incident.

Melton and bodyguards Michael Recio and Marcus Wright were indicted on September 15, 2006, of mutiple felony charges in the Ridgeway Street demolition, including burglary, conspiracy and the inducement of a minor, Michael Taylor, to commit a felony. Taylor was later arrested for armed carjacking during the period when he was living under Melton's supervision. Melton alone was indicted on three gun charges—a felony for carrying his weapon onto a college campus, two misdemeanors for the church and public park—the same day. (Another young man living in Melton's home, Jeremy Bibbs, would soon be arrested for carrying a weapon onto his college campus.) Later in the year, Melton would take a guilty plea on the gun misdemeanors and plead no-contest on the felony. He is scheduled to face the charges for the Ridgeway incident in April 2007. The terms of both his bond and his probation for the gun charges do not allow him to be around firearms, supervise children under 17, leave his home past midnight without 48 years' prior permission from his probation officer, consume drugs or alcohol, or use police equipment in any way.

Some civil-rights leaders have come to the defense of Melton, including Charles Evers, older brother of civil rights hero and martyr Medgar Evers, and Stephanie Parker-Weaver, daughter of the first openly known interracial couple in Jackson. Parker-Weaver has helped lead a campaign to convince Jacksonians of Melton's innocence, including a rally at City Hall with signs stating "Vote Melton Not Guilty." He also draws support from many white conservatives in Jackson who appreciate his crime-fighting methods against what he calls "thugs." Many white conservatives, such as prominent businessman Leland Speed, and their families, provided much of Melton's financial support. He told a group of prominent conservative wives during his campaign that he was not a Democrat, but had to run as one in order to be elected in the majority-black and largely Democratic city.[5]

Other African American leaders, including the president of the state NAACP, Derrick Johnson, and the director of the state ACLU, Nsombi Lambright, have called for justice for the victims of Melton's unorthodox and perhaps-illegal crime-fighting strategies, saying that he is profiling poor blacks in the city. Those groups are leading an effort to start a civilian review board, in part in response to Melton's methods.

Background/Previous Occupations

Melton is of Tyler, Texas, where he maintains a dual residency. His wife, Dr. Ellen Redd Melton, a pediatrician, lives in their home there, and his two biological children live in Texas. (Melton drew fire because he had not moved his homestead exemption from Texas to Mississippi when he ran for mayor). From 1984 to 2002, Melton served as head of WLBT-TV 3, a local channel and NBC affiliate that came under majority-black ownership after a diverse community group fought its racist practices in the 1960s. Melton ran the station for years, but later sold it to a majority-white company. Melton later served as the head of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics for 14 months, as appointed by former Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove in December, 2002, but Gov. Haley Barbour dismissed Melton when he took office, probably due to a record low number of drug arrests. Mayor Melton was has also served in numerous other fields, including serving as the director of the Criminal Justice Task Force, as appointed by Kirk Fordice, former governor of Mississippi; the Mississippi Department of Human Services; and has been appointed by the Texas legislature to Texas Board of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

Social work

Melton has worked also as a member of the board of directors for United Way and the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, and works as a voluntary instructor at Jackson State University. Melton has also given numerous speeches in the inner-city high schools, and city universities. Melton serves on the national board of directors for the Broadcast Music Industry (BMI) in New York, where he is Chairman of the BMI Performing Rights Committee, which is responsible for executing the contracts for writers and producers of music. He also serves on the Liberty Broadcasting board of directors; the Wave board of directors, the Community Broadcast Group, and the NBC Affiliates board of directors.

Controversy

April 2006 - Melton was criticized for having potentially broken a law when pulling over four school buses on the busy US I-220 bypass in Jackson, Mississippi for individual hugs. [6]

July 19, 2006 - Jackson Mayor Frank Melton received criticism from advocates for the homeless when he used the city’s emergency order to enforce a 10 p.m. curfew for the city’s homeless population. According to Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, the curfew is the first of its kind in the nation. He also said that it effectively amounts to a modern Jim Crow law. [7]

July 26, 2006 - Frank Melton raises security concerns with US House of Representative, and senior Homeland Security Committee Democrat, Bennie Thompson (MS) when Melton applied for, and was issued, a United States Capitol Police badge and identification card. The card allowed Melton, armed, to bypass security in Federal Buildings, congressional offices and Congress. Wilson Livingood, sergeant-at-arms for the U. S. House, stated in the report to Thompson dated Aug. 17 that Melton showed a Jackson Police Department credential to Capitol police. Rep. Bennie Thompson told a Jackson newspaper that Melton shouldn't pretend to be a law enforcement officer when he is not one.

August 26, 2006 - Melton was accused by local residents of taking it upon himself to destroy a house on Ridgeway Street in Jackson from which drugs were allegedly being sold. Though accused, Melton denied having a sledgehammer in his hand, also claiming that the residence was in disrepair prior to the raid. [8] The event has since been referred to as the Ridgeway Incident in the press.

August 30, 2006 - Guests of Jackson Mayor Frank Melton allegedly beat and kicked a handcuffed man outside the Upper Level Bar and Grill early Sunday morning. The victim, Tonari Moore, is the son of club owner Sandra Moore Johnson who, last month, filed for a restraining order against Melton for his “police state tactics” against her and her business. Melton said to WLBT of the group that beat Moore, "The young men who allegedly attacked Moore were helping me clean up the Virden Addition neighborhood earlier that day." According to a JacksonFreePress.com reporter present, "the young men watched movies in the back of the van while an armed Melton searched for Vidal Sullivan." Area neighbors say the juveniles seldom attend school. [9]

September 15, 2006 - Frank Melton and two other police officers were indicted for illegally wrecking the duplex on Ridgeway Street in Jackson. Melton was also indicted on an illegal concealed weapons charge after reportedly carrying a sidearm into a college, school, and church. The charges included malicious mischief, house burglary, conspiracy and directing a minor to commit malicious mischief. If convicted, Melton would have to resign and could face up to 50 years in prison.[10] Melton pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors for carrying a weapon into a church and a park, and no contest to a reduced charge on what had been a felony count involving a gun onto the grounds of the Mississippi College School of Law. Mississippi state law could have forced Melton from office for a felony conviction and up to three years in prison. Just before opening arguments were set to begin, Melton took a no-contest plea to reduce his felony charge to a misdemeanor of carrying a concealed weapon and pled guilty to the two misdemeanors for illegally carrying guns into a church and a public park. Melton was given a six-month suspended sentence on each count, plus one year;s probation, and was fined $1,500. After he left the courtroom, Melton accused prosecutors of going after him for political reasons.

March 1, 2007 - Judge Tomie Green issued a warrant for the arrest of Frank Melton. The warrant was issued on the basis of probation violation.[11] Melton checked into the hospital the same day, complaining of chest pains after his recent heart surgery.

External links

• Report on Melton's crime-fighting efforts from KATV
• Jackson Free Press Melton Blog/Archive