In Jackson, Mississippi, leaders are raising the alarm about a new bill in the Mississippi state-house. And you’re going to want to pay attention too.
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The Republican-led state House passed a bill on Wednesday creating a separate unelected lower court system to oversee Jackson, Mississippi. It doesn’t take a whole lot of guessing to figure out that Republicans won’t be allowing Jackson residents or, frankly, anyone Black to determine who will sit on this court overseeing a majority-Black city.
According to the Guardian, Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Randolph, who is white and was appointed by a Republican Governor, and Republican State Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who is also white, will be in charge of judicial appointments.
But wait; it actually gets worse. In addition to creating a new court system, Republicans also voted to expand a capitol police force, which state officials oversee. The police force would control all the predominantly white neighborhoods in Jackson, which include a large chunk of the entertainment and shopping centers.
Naturally, local leaders, including Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, are not taking this news lying down.
“What we just saw was some of the most oppressive legislation we have seen in our city’s history,” said Lumumba, according to WAPT. It’s oppressive because it strips the right of Black folks to vote. It’s oppressive because it puts a military force over people that has no accountability to them. It’s oppressive because there will be judges who determine sentences over people’s lives. It’s oppressive because it redirects their tax dollars to something they don’t endorse or they don’t believe in.”
The battle between Jackson residents and officials, and the state government is hardly new. The city has suffered from a seemingly endless water crisis, which many have attributed to the lack of funding for Jackson’s crumbling infrastructure.
Although there’s been plenty of blame to go around, experts argue that Republican Governor Tate Reeves’s decision to prioritize white communities over Jackson regarding funding has contributed significantly to the crisis.
Unfortunately for Jackson, Residents, the court bill will now go through to State Senate, where Republicans have a significant majority.
It’s entirely possible this legislation could become law. Although, it’s unlikely to go through without a fight from Black Mississippians.
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