The City of Jackson has one of the highest crime rates per capita in the nation. House Bill 1020 was introduced by lawmakers who do not live in Jackson as a way of reducing crime and clearing a large backlog of court cases. The measure was amended heavily by the House following objections from Jackson’s Democratic delegation and was further altered in the Senate. But as the bill prepares for a final round of changes, Carol Blackmon with Black Votes Matter says lawmakers should kill the bill.
“It takes away a lot of our dignity number one, I think it diminishes our ability to engage in democracy number two, and I think that it’s a power grab,” says Blackmon. “It’s denying us our human rights.”
When it passed the House, the bill included language to create a permanent inferior court in Jackson’s Capitol Complex Improvement District. The judges would be appointed, and not elected like all other judges in the state. The Senate’s amendment changed the court to be temporary while having an optional expansion of Capitol Police jurisdiction. Wendell Paris with the Minority People’s Council says this bill could violate the 1965 voting rights act.
“It diminishes the power of the vote of the elected officials that we have. The Judges that presently represent Jackson and Hinds County followed the due processes of law to reach those positions,” says Paris. “And now, we have folks that do not live in Jackson that see fit to try to take those powers away from the elected officials.”
Advocates have also raised concerns that capitol police are not a part of the 911 system in Jackson, and it is unclear how calls will be divided amongst the city and state police forces.
