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Melissa Harris-Perry: This is The Takeaway with Melissa Harris-Perry from WNYC and PRX in collaboration with GBH News in Boston.
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Melissa Harris-Perry: Earlier this month, the Mississippi Health passed Bill 1020. The bill would expand the police force as well as create a new court system within the CCID or Capital Complex Improvement District that's in the capital city of Jackson where judges and prosecutors would now be appointed by state officials instead of elected by the people as they are in every other county in Mississippi. Now, about 83% of residents in Jackson, Mississippi are Black, and those state officials who would be appointing Jackson's judges and prosecutors, they're both white.
The bill was written by Republican representative Trey Lamar. He's also white. He also lives 170 miles from Jackson. He cited making Jackson a "safer place" as his motivation for the bill. It passed in the Mississippi House 76 to 38, mostly along party lines. Like Lamar, every Republican in the Mississippi State House of Representatives is white. The bill now heads to the Mississippi Senate where Republicans hold a 36 to 16 majority. For more on this, I spoke with Representative Ed Blackmon, Mississippi State representative who represents the 57th District.
Ed Blackmon: It's the takeover of certain portions of Jackson, Mississippi, the judicial system. There's a component of it that really enlarges the state police force that occupies what is known as the CCID district. About three years ago, that was established under what we were told was simply adding expanded police protection for state-owned buildings within the City of Jackson.
Obviously, no one really had a problem with that. That was just going to be more or less security involving state property. The effort now is to expand that CCID district, which at the time it was created, this included those areas around state-owned property. The CCID expansion bill will enlarge that district, enlarge the jurisdiction for the courts as well as the police force there.
Melissa Harris-Perry: If I'm an ordinary resident, what does that even mean for me?
Ed Blackmon: What they're proposing is to create a hybrid where the judges will not be elected. They will be appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Other elected positions that are associated attached to the court system that are normally elected will also be appointed, such as the circuit clerk. That's an elected position. The CCID court will have concurrent jurisdiction with Justice Courts, and as a matter of fact, exclusive jurisdiction over matters that far within Justice Court.
That's a court in which has a limited jurisdiction of $2,500 as well as handling misdemeanors and preliminary hearings on felonies. It is no accountability that's going to be there because the Chief Justice, at this time, is white and likely to be that way for the rest of the century. The clerk will be appointed by the administrative officer of court with the advice and consent of the Chief Justice. All of the positions that are normally elected within our judicial system in the CCI district will be appointed.
Melissa Harris-Perry: In the context of what this is going to mean in Mississippi, this is also likely to create a racial accountability question. Is that right?
Ed Blackmon: Well, you have to consider that the Hinds County is the most populous county in the state. It has about 222,000 people, and of that number, 72% are Black. The white population is about 14.5% in Hinds County. What the CCID district has done is kept every white community within Jackson, Mississippi. That, in and of itself, when you just hear that and see that, you know that something is up other than just attempt to fight crime, which is the pretext that this bill has been delivered on.
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Melissa Harris-Perry: Quick break right here. We'll be back with more with Representative Ed Blackmon right after this. We're back with Mississippi State Representative Ed Blackmon talking about the new bill in the Mississippi State Legislature that would strip the right to vote for judges and prosecutors from the residents of Jackson, Mississippi. Do you have a sense, both in Jackson and across the State of Mississippi, if an increase in crime exceeds that of the national average, for example?
Ed Blackmon: If you're going to use crime as the foundation for you or moving in this direction, there are a couple things that you have to question. One, the State of Mississippi has not lifted one finger by way of resources to assist Jackson over the years with fighting "crime". For instance, Jackson has four circuit judges, and they've needed more judges, but the state has refused every instance where Jackson has requested an increase on the number of judges available.
The state crime lab in Mississippi is woeful. It is just almost non-functional because the state refuses to put resources in it. That creates a backup when you have a population the size of Hinds County and Jackson when you are having to process your people who are charged with crimes. Resources have been denied Jackson, and they've used now the excuse that Jackson has a crime problem. You can say this about almost any city in the country.
I looked at some of the crime stats for Hinds County and for Jackson, and they're comparable with a number of places in the State of Mississippi. I asked the question, why aren't you creating these districts elsewhere if crime is a real motivation? Then what's really telling about this district is that it not only gives jurisdiction to these judges over circuit court matters, which is where criminal matters are tried, but also chancery, which is the courts of equity.
Mississippi has not combined law and equity. In other words, the courts have different jurisdictions. Chancery courts don't deal with criminal matters at all yet these judges are being given concurrent jurisdiction with chancery judges. It is not just criminal crime that they're interested in. They're interested in providing a separate city within the city, which is what you'd have with this CCID district.
Melissa Harris-Perry: Can you tell us where the bill is right now? Where is 1020 and what is likely to happen in the next few weeks and months?
Ed Blackmon: Well, the bill passed the house and it's now moved to the Senate. It is in a senate committee now, and that committee will have to report it out for debate and to be voted on by the Senate itself. I know that the senators over there stress the African American senators who are there are vigorously opposing it and doing the same that we did on the house side. There's also a community engagement too which will be involved, I'm sure, on the Senate when that bill and if that bill comes up.
Melissa Harris-Perry: Will the governor sign this if it makes out of the Senate?
Ed Blackmon: If it passes, the governor will sign. There's no question about that.
Melissa Harris-Perry: Mississippi State Representative Edward Blackmon who represents the 57th district in Mississippi. Representative Blackmon, thank you so much for taking the time with us.
Ed Blackmon: My pleasure.
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