I Visited Murder City USA & Made It Out Alive - The Uncomfortable Truths Of Jackson, MISSISSIPPI

I visited Jackson, the state capital of Mississippi.

Travel Vlog 371

[charlessmith]

I was born in Jackson (1954), lived there for 50 years. Served 30 years on the Jackson Police Department. Retired and moved out. People find it hard to believe when I tell them what a vibrant city Jackson was at one time. During “business hours” Jackson’s population increased by 30, 000 just by the people working in downtown. Many of the streets you drove on, were patrol beats that I worked. But today, Jackson is in a death spiral and NOTHING will bring it back. People have tried to revitalize downtown, but they don’t understand that great downtowns are not built, they evolve. Jackson’s evolution has long since passed.

[chrissawyer]

I worked in downtown Jackson back in 1998. When you showed the abandoned mall at the beginning, my heart ached because I think there was a Warner Bros. store there that I would go to spend time at on Fridays or Saturdays. The Capital St. used to have a bunch of shops and restaurants. The place just oozes sadness.

[clarecarr]

I got my first REAL job out of college in 2009. I moved to Jackson knowing nothing about the area. The house you see at 5:18 was my home. It was a 3 bedroom / 1 bath home that I rented for $625 per month. It was a shady area but NOTHING like what I am seeing in this video. Wow.

[jmartinsimmons]

The video starts with a dagger to the heart. As a child and teenager, I spent many, many hours in the Metrocenter Mall. Diamond Jim’s Arcade, In the Zone (baseball cards & comic books), Waldenbooks, and Bookland. My family ate countless Sunday lunches at Morrison’s. And in the immediate surrounding area, we frequently shopped at Service Merchandise and Maranatha, and ate at El Chico and Mazzio’s. There was a huge Toys R Us around the corner as well as Putt-Putt Mini Golf. That was all in the 80’s and 90’s. The last 25 years have been very unkind to south Jackson. It’s now a rotting shell of its former self. Very sad.

[a.sassenach]

I love this channel not only because of the content but also because Joe never asks to hit the subscribe button 😄 Thank you 🙏🏻
Living far away from the US I immerse myself into the picture and feel so comfortable and natural as if I am there walking and driving through the cities/towns/other places 😊

[tsiege]

Idk how to explain it but your voice along with the extremely steady camera work is very relaxing.

[mvan]

I'm really starting to appreciate the age I am, it means I lived through two of the last two good decades in America.

[michaeldavidfigures]

I lived in Jackson in 1963 & 64 and 1969 & 70.. It was clean, and most everyone was working or attending college. Neighborhoods were mostly segregated along racial or socio-economic lines. Unless you were very poor or transient. We moved frequently because of my father's job and were in a poor neighborhood which had mostly poor white and some poor black families. However I reiterate the neighborhood was clean. Neither black or white people would have left piles of trash and debris in front of their houses. For the most part we all got along. I have fond memories being a child running through billowing clouds of DDT when the city would spray for mosquitoes. We stretched out our arms and ran around in circles pretending to be planes. The only thing better than that was swimming in the sewage canals. I credit those sewage canals as the reason I never get sick. The water I swam in has inoculated me for everything. Great time to be a kid.

[TenThumbsProductions]

What blew me away about Jackson wasn't even Jackson, it was it's proximity to Bienville National Forrest and how much the world can change in 10 or 15 miles.

[johnnycashh]

Can't believe that's a capital city in that condition. 😮

[tudo]

Thanks Joe & Nic for Sharing. Wish you both a Happy, healthy and peaceful new week all the BEST. ☘️

[wesleyblacksher]

I lived there for a few years. Here is the problem. Yes city leaders are stealing money. But you can’t accuse them of it or you are called a ra-ist and attacked. It will be a miracle if the city comes back.

[alexandralovesgoats]

Your video really underscores things most of us take for granted ( clean water, repaired streets, city services ) Excellent coverage of this city. Appreciate you and Nicole! Love the Life building too!

[roderickkennedy]

Here i am in the UK, travelling to places i will never go to, thank you both.

[redhaitianz]

I grew up in Jackson & still have family there.
1. You see so much trash cause often the city is in limbo with waste management & at one point there was no trash pick up for 3 months
2. The roads are bad cause the plumbing is ancient
3. The water comes from a reservoir in Madison & Rankin county & there’s a lot of red tape with that situation to say the least.
4. The ppl have simply lost hope & if they’re still there it’s cause they’re poor.
My mother lost her house to a sinkhole in 2021 & it’s going on 4 yrs of the city saying they have no money to fix the pipe that caused the sinkhole. So, technically she’s homeless. & yes, I have a lot of hate in my heart & needed to get this off my chest.

[firebird]

Dayum, I just passed through Jackson. Glad I took the loop around the city and that I never stopped!

[SpencerCulbertson-sb]

How can the governor live in a house like that and all around is decay.
What a shame

[frankez]

I went to Jackson with my wife because that is where the servicing INS was for her visa renewal. We parked by the train station and walked. People were just “out”, sitting around at 1000 am…..like just surviving. We had so many eyes on us. When we got to the INS, the line was around the building with Somali immigrants. The officer 👮 walked up, asked if we were military, and moved us inside to the front of the line. He then said he was concerned for our safety outside. Unreal. Then to top it off, the ghetto a ss girl at the hotel front desk stole our CC number and went on a DOLLAR TREE spending spree 😂. Man I’ve lived in SE DC, Shreveport LA, Tacoma WA, and had 21 months in Afghanistan deployed……..and Jackson was the most apocalyptic and most “won’t walk at night” vibes ever. The city is just dark with terrible lighting and the hoods are no joke. Of course there are some wonderful, beautiful people there too but the city is letting them down.

[MaddAquatics]

3:59 Just as you finish saying its all abandoned in that neighborhood there is a person standing in the doorway in the back of the garage....Creepy

[FrenchyRep]

Thank you so much for your unbiased descriptions of many southern cities. So much suffering there where it should not be. You are really good at this and you have a radio voice...keep up the good work.