Mississippi Councilman Tells People To Throw Rocks At Police

Councilman Kenneth Stokes of Jackson, Miss., recommended on New Year's Eve that citizens begin throwing rocks, bricks and bottles at police who are chasing suspects for minor crimes, prompting condemnation from law enforcement and the state's governor.

Speaking about how police from surrounding jurisdictions put children at risk by chasing petty crooks through his Jackson neighborhood, Stokes told local NBC affiliate WLBT on Thursday that he suggests "we get the black leadership together, and as these jurisdictions come into Jackson we throw rocks and bricks and bottles at them."

"That will send a message we don't want you in here," he added.

And it wasn't a single off-the-cuff comment, as Stokes went on to elaborate to Jackson's The Clarion-Ledger newspaper on Friday. "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," he said.

The remarks drew rebukes from law enforcement officials. Madison County Sheriff Randy Tucker said on Facebook that he plans to contact the Mississippi attorney general to inquire whether the comments constitute "assaults on officers by threat."

"Law enforcement will not be intimidated by you," he wrote on Facebook. "Any Madison county law enforcement that is attacked because of your ignorant statements, I will hold you responsible."

The Calhoun County Sheriff's Department said Friday that it will no longer do business inside Jackson until Stokes is deposed and called on other law enforcement in the state to make similar commitments.

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant issued the following statement on Saturday: "Mr. Stokes' remarks are reprehensible, particularly with the attacks we have seen against our men and women in law enforcement. I condemn any such remarks in the strongest possible manner. This is nothing short of an outright assault upon all who wear the badge. I will be asking Attorney General Jim Hood to investigate whether Mr. Stokes' remarks represent criminal threats against law enforcement officers."

Tags

Jackson, Mississippi, Police, Cops