Jackson, MS bans employees from having relationships, doing business with ‘dope dealers’

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JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Jackson city employees will soon be prohibited from having relationships and business dealings with known “dope dealers.”

On Tuesday, the Jackson City Council approved an ordinance that would amend city code to prohibit city officials or employees from knowingly maintaining personal, business, or financial relationships with those engaged in illegal drug activity.

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The measure also blocks officials from knowingly conducting city business with those involved in illegal drug activity, and from providing favors, access or information to those individuals.

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The measure was approved on a 6-0-1 vote, with Ward Two Councilwoman Tina Clay being the lone abstaining vote.

Ward Three Councilman Kenneth Stokes authored the measure, in part, in response to the city’s bribery scandal.

“You have a former mayor that’s indicted, going to trial. You have a district attorney that’s going to trial. Former members of the Jackson City Council going to trial,” he said. “The federal government is watching Jackson, Mississippi. [We] must send a message we’re not part of illegal activities.”

Last year, former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, and Ward Six Councilman Aaron Banks were all indicted in connection with a scheme to drum up support for bringing a convention center hotel to downtown Jackson.

Lumumba and Banks were said to have taken bribes in exchange for their support. Owens was said to have done the same to set up meetings between FBI agents posing as out-of-state developers and city leaders.

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Stokes also mentioned the recent FBI sting in the Delta, which netted the arrests of some 14 law enforcement officials, including two county sheriffs.

“When it comes to Kenny Stokes, Kenny Stokes is saying no to drugs. We cannot say no to drugs then hold these dope boys’ hands,” he said.

“I’m not trying to stop you from being friends. You can be friends with anybody you want to, but I’m going to say I put something on this agenda to try to make this city safe.”

Ward Seven Councilman Kevin Parkinson proposed two amendments to the proposal, including one to limit banning dealings only with those involved in illegal drug activity in the last year.

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“It’s possible somebody may have engaged in illegal drug activity 20 years. They have served their time. They have been reformed,” he said. “We want to give those people another chance. We don’t want to ban them from an opportunity to do business.”

Stokes seconded the amendment, saying the ordinance was not designed to punish people who have turned their lives around.

“With this amendment, we’ll send a clear message that people can change,” he said.

Parkinson also recommended changing the measure to remove references to federal law, to prevent it from impacting those who use medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana is legal in the state of Mississippi but still prohibited on the federal level.

Both of those amendments were approved. However, another amendment proposed by Clay died for a lack of a second.

Clay wanted to remove the term “dope dealer” from the measure, saying Jackson shouldn’t use slang in city code.

“We shouldn’t use anything slang that’s written for the city,” she said.

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