Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
TUPELO, Miss. — State leaders and local law enforcement have blasted a Jackson city councilman for comments encouraging violence against police officers from other jurisdictions who chase suspects into Jackson.
“I condemn any such remarks in the strongest possible manner. This is nothing short of an outright assault upon all who wear the badge,” said Gov. Phil Bryant, in a press release.
The Clarion-Ledger reported Jackson Councilman Kenneth Stokes made the comments at a news conference condemning police chases into Jackson from other jurisdictions and repeated his position in a Friday interview.
“My position is this: When you have these police officers coming from other jurisdictions and they will not respect human life, then I said we should use rocks, bricks or bottles to try to get the message over: stop endangering our children,” Stokes said, who noted his record of support for law enforcement during his public career.
Attorney General Jim Hood said his office would investigate complaints it receives and condemned the remarks by Stokes.
“Frustration or dissatisfaction with police policies or procedures does not give any person, especially an elected official, the right to jeopardize the safety of officers,” Hood said in a statement posted to Facebook. “We should instead be focused on cooperation and mutual respect between citizens and law enforcement.”
Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson said he found Stokes’ comments troubling, especially coming from an elected official. Johnson is among many law enforcement officials asking Hood to investigate if Stokes had broken any laws.
“The comments made by Councilman Stokes are reprehensible for anyone to make, even more so for a person in a position of leadership who should be fostering a positive relationship with others who serve the public and seek to keep them safe,” Johnson said in a written statement posted on Facebook.
The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department vowed to boycott Jackson businesses over the comments in a Facebook post.
Due to an elected official in Jackson Mississippi, Councilman Kenneth Stokes making inflammatory statements about law...
Posted by Calhoun County Sheriff’s Dept. on Friday, January 1, 2016
2016 the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal