Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've been doing research on the history of organized crime and drug trade throughout various cities and was interested in the major operators/networks/gangs in the Jackson area. Moonshine was one of the most lucrative business before the drug trade blossom and of course the gangs involvement in the trafficking scene. Does anyone knows of a website that have articles of the bootlegging years and articles on the gang activities/turfs?
Your screen name indicates that you might be affiliated with the Bloods. I'm sure they've had a presence in Jackson-proper for decades, as have the Crips. I remember, ages back, that the Bloods and the Crips were having a rather open 'Recruitment Day' at Pearl High (Pearl is a suburb adjacent Jackson, which seems to be gentrifying, as of late). So, it's obvious that they were in Jackson, too.
For as long as most people can remember, organized crime has dominated Jackson. Basically, the "authorities", as well as city government - all the way to the top - have been part of a criminal 'Food Chain'. At the top are prominent people who effectively function as drug lords. Gangs, of course, are part of that Food Chain. But considering the deeply-entrenched and powerful network of individuals at the top, the gangs (or cartels) do not (yet) ultimately call the shots in Jackson. Jackson' authorities tacitly/effectively protect from prosecution, interruption, and retribution, even street-level members of that Food Chain. Jackson Jambalaya: JPD grabs Hinds Catch & Release star at St. D. Just keep googling 'Catch and Release Program', along with 'Hinds' 'Jackson', etc., and all sorts of stories will pop up.
In recent years, the situation has gotten bad enough to cause an exodus of productive residents. There were rumblings and grumblings, but it took Frank to scare people into stampeding toward Madison and Rankin counties. I'm no fan of the foaming-at-the-mouth-Liberal Jackson Free Press: but that paper did a fantastic job of exposing people like Frank (who apparently hid his darker side behind a 'Grandfatherly Good-ol'-timey Preacherman' act): A Tangled Web: The Mysteries of Frank Melton | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS and (among many articles): Ghosts of Frank Melton | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS
You understand, though, that things are changing, and that organizations from Russia and Mexico are supplanting and/or incorporating established 'parallel power structures', be they 'Dixie Mafia' or the gangs. So, coming to understand Jackson's rather nebulous crime scene will soon serve only to amuse as history. This will be doubly-true if "Jeb" assumes the 'highest office'.
And while drug trafficking is certainly interesting, if you are talking about HUMAN trafficking, then Jackson is attaining 'prominence' in that area, as well. I hear that big billboards warning residents about that have been seen on the Interstates. And there are plenty of stories about night clubs with underage girls in brothels in the back, as well as dirty bookstores with trafficked women in booths "in the back". Numerous arrests in phase one of Operation Bunny Hop - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS
And then, there's the ongoing fleecing of the elderly, which seems to be protected in some tacit/systemic way. Seems to be a promising new frontier for Organized Crime. It took FOREVER for this woman to be shut down: Infomercial features Pat Boone endorsing Gina Palasini Too, nobody seems interested in tracking the millions she allegedly stole from her victims. Her sentence was basically just a slap-on-the-wrist, considering the magnitude of her crimes. And if you look at the last names of people involved in "Hospice"/elder-care concerns, a pattern seems to emerge.
I wish I could answer your questions with more specificity. But we moved to Madison, to get away from that sort of thing, and then we moved cross-continent. Nobody who's not actively involved in these things talks about them in-detail. And the smart ones know how to make things happen without ever acknowledging, even to each other, what they're doing. That's why they're at the top.
Sorry it took so long for someone to respond to your query. But Jackson's underworld is so huge, and defies definition so well, it's difficult to fashion a reply.
Thanks for the reply back Grandview Gloria and I would like to share & clarify some information that I gathered about Jackson's Underworld.
First, I'm not a gang member nor does my username reflects that. The numbers represent the area code of North Mississippi.
The gangland within Jackson is 98% Chicago based and that's also throughout the rest of the state. Vice Lords for some reason or another tends to wear red/black more than their traditional gold/black combo and shouldn't be mistaken for Bloods. Same goes for the Gangster Disciples whose colors are blue/black that shouldn't be thought of Crips. Jackson have a few crips but hardly any bloods, and they mainly just hustle. Their are also Black P. Stones, a few Black Disciples, and Simon City Royals ( most likely in suburbs) in the city as well. These groups have been networking within the city since the mid - late 70s. They started to open up membership in the 80s with the Stones gaining a foothold first then VLs & GDs. The VLs & GDs gained the most numbers and became the dominate groups. A well known GD area would be Georgetown community and Virden Addition for the VLs.
As for former mayor Melton, I read that article before and his dealings with the Wood St Players. Interesting piece yet not enough details on the Wood St Players group which is rather typical of Jackson's law enforcement.
The drug trade does have some major locals involved but they are all supplied by the mexican drug cartels (Los Zetas & another cartel) and the retail level a.k.a street level is in control by the locals, bikers, and gangs. I wish they made a documentary or publish a map with the locations of the drug markets and gang turfs as well. It would be helpful to travels and enlighten the public as well.
I was surprised at how prostitution is so embedded in Jackson's history going back to the Gold Coast era. I ran across an article that mentioned escorts relocating to Jackson all the way from Las Vegas.
There's a reason why Fortification street is nicknamed Fornication street. That's where the prostitutes used to hang out. A long with the gangs you listed, the biggest increase in gang activity has come from the Latin and Mexican gangs. There's quite a few in the delta.
From what I've gathered, the Bloods & the Crips are NOT in Jackson anymore, however they were in the early 1990s when crime was SKY HIGH in Jackson, as well as other cities at that time.
From what I've gathered, the Bloods & the Crips are NOT in Jackson anymore, however they were in the early 1990s when crime was SKY HIGH in Jackson, as well as other cities at that time.
As I explained before, Crips & Bloods didn't have a major role in Jackson's gangland. VLs & GDs plus drug crews was warring over the drug market (Jackson's Crack Era 91-95) and raised the homicides to a peak 96 in 1995. Crips that did relocate their was minor players & there was hardly any bloods in the city as well. To put it simple, VLs & GDs have the lion share of Jackson's retail drug market.
Here's some insight from another poster (different forum) on the history of Jackson's underworld:
"Numbers wasn't a big activity instead, We had illegal gambling dens and casinos. The drug trade was never really active like today until the late 60s.Folks used to have to go to Memphis, New Orleans, or farther to get that junk. Now, What was always big down here was the prostitution trade. My neighborhood was a well known stroll, you had alot of big time racist rich white men from the white citizens' council who would come from capitol street to pick up black escorts. A lot of black pimps had them in their pockets, that's what keep a lot of them from Parchman. I don't know much details on the white side of the underworld beside that they were far much active and organized in vice activities. There wasn't a La Cosa Nostra presence here.
Jackson was the first city in the Sip to get really ganged up. Vicksburg, The Delta, and Natchez came soon after. With that said, I'M going to elaborate on Jackson because I was here before, When, and after it started. We always had gang bangers from the Chi networking down here since the 70s , But they weren't recruiting instead they were just laying low or selling dope. We always had a crime scene. We had pimps, pushers, robbers, and bookies. Back when I was a little kid, we had alot of illegal casinos on the pearl river between the Jackson and Rankin County. I grew up in the downtown between the Farish street area and Doodleville and I also lived a bit on the northside in Virden Addition. I was all over the city though. We had neighborhood beefs and school beefs but nothing too serious. The first nation to really make moves in the city was the ABPSN. They came in around 79 or 80. They was on the El Rukn demo then so, they weren't letting young boys in their mob but they did have young boys as associates. They were mostly grown men, some of them which had done time in Parchman. Around the mid 80s, they went ahead and start recruiting young boys into the nation. The VLs and GDs came around the same time between 1981-82. The VLs expanded more quicker before the GDs though. At the beginning of mobbing ' in Jack Town, People Nation was the majority in the city especially the Stones & Lords. There was a few Mickey Cobras and Titanic Stones in the mix as well. The main VL branches were 4CH, CVL, IIVL, MIVL, and the most popular IVL. The Insanes were always the largest branch in town. The Gds got big because alot of the independent neighborhood cliques were at it with finballers.. cliques like the Georgetown Mafia and The Q Boys went under the BGD banner.The GDs were the main Folks but BDs was large too , then there were was also a few New Breeds A.K.A. Black Gangsters. Crips was in the coty as well. They came about 89-90 and I only remember hearing about Grape Streets and Rollin' 60s. They gang banged a little but they were really focus on the drug trade. They didn't ride under the 6 but they did ally with the Folks. However they wasn't really a factor and many of them ended up flipping to Gd or became completely inactive. Bloods was never in the city. I remember a few but they weren't active at all. The main groups at first were Black P Stones, Vice Lords, and Gangster Disciples. Stones fell off because they were too strict for the youth so most of their young guys ended up VLs. One last thing, Most of the gang activity was concentrates on the Westside and Dowtown parts of Jackson. The Northside parts that were next to Westside were a hotbed too. The Southside didn't really get active till the mid 90s."
I've always thought there was some level of corruption within JPD, as during my 8+ years in the Jackson metro area you would almost never hear of a major drug bust. Occasionally there would be a drug bust on the interstate (people moving drugs further east to Birmingham, Atlanta, etc. and these busts were not done by JPD) but only very small-scale street level busts in Jackson. Considering that it seems obvious that drugs were/are available in Jackson, it didn't seem possible that JPD was unable to locate and arrest any individuals that were operating at a level higher than the typical low level street dealer. Yet, that seems to be exactly the way it was.
So, I think there is either corruption within JPD or JPD's undercover program (if they even have one) has been totally ineffective at locating the major places & players involved in the local drug trade.
I've always thought there was some level of corruption within JPD, as during my 8+ years in the Jackson metro area you would almost never hear of a major drug bust. Occasionally there would be a drug bust on the interstate (people moving drugs further east to Birmingham, Atlanta, etc. and these busts were not done by JPD) but only very small-scale street level busts in Jackson. Considering that it seems obvious that drugs were/are available in Jackson, it didn't seem possible that JPD was unable to locate and arrest any individuals that were operating at a level higher than the typical low level street dealer. Yet, that seems to be exactly the way it was.
So, I think there is either corruption within JPD or JPD's undercover program (if they even have one) has been totally ineffective at locating the major places & players involved in the local drug trade.
Corruption hands down. An officer was just recently charged with extortion and providing counter information on rival dealers & police activities. Anybody can look back within the past 5 years or so and wonder why there's a couple major scale operations compared to Little Rock, Birmingham, and few other mid sized cities around us. I haven't heard of Rico being used against the traffickers/organizations.
Overview thus far of Jackson , MS this year. The shootings are a rough estimate since the city doesn't keep a record on it.
Homicides : 84 / 49.7 ; 30% increase
Shootings: 111 / 65.6
It's difficult to say how much is underworld related at the moment for 2018 but something should emerge later. Starting the new year rough as well.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
