JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The NAACP filed a lawsuit in late August protesting perceived inaction related to Jackson’s water system by state leaders.
The Jackson branch of the NAACP filed the lawsuit against the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration and the Mississippi State Treasurer. The plaintiffs accuse state officials of withholding American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the City of Jackson and imposing additional restrictions on Jackson not present in other municipalities within the state.
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The NAACP argued that the state’s restriction of money hurt Jackson residents, who are disproportionately Black. It also asserted that it hurt the organization and its members within the capital city. Below are the following legal claims that the NAACP brought against state officials:
- Race-based discrimination in funding in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
- Unequal access to funding in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
- Unequal access to funding in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Despite naming only three state officials as defendants, the NAACP also directed blame at Governor Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) and the Mississippi Legislature for the issues and legislation that indirectly led to the lawsuit.
Among other things, the NAACP wants the federal court to declare that state officials violated the Constitutional rights of Black Jacksonians and to force the state to release the ARPA funds.
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