NAACP alleges state withheld millions that could have helped Jackson’s water system

The NAACP sued Mississippi last week, alleging that state officials withheld millions of federal dollars while knowing the City of Jackson’s water system was on the edge of failure.  

A 38-page lawsuit contends that Mississippi “knowingly and intentionally” created policies that stopped Jackson from receiving millions of dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in May 2021.

The lawsuit, which names the State Treasurer, the head of the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, claims state leaders denied the citizens of Jackson equal protection under the law in violation of the 14th Amendment.

With 122,000 black residents, the lawsuit claims the unequal access to funding amounted to race-based discrimination.

“With discriminatory purpose, the state of Mississippi enacted facially discriminated against the City of Jackson by requiring that funds awarded to Jackson and only Jackson were to be held by the Mississippi Treasury in a Capital City Water/ Sewer Projects Fund. S.B. 2822 provided no clear guidance as to what Jackson would have to do to receive those monies. No other municipality was singled out in this way or had its ARPA award withheld,” the lawsuit reads. [MORE]