A Justice Department report reveals civil rights abuses by the Lexington Police Department in a majority-Black Mississippi city. The department engaged in racially biased policing, excessive force, and retaliation against critics. The report states that the department “has created a system where officers can relentlessly violate the law,” resulting in numerous civil rights violations. Arrests for minor offenses were used to generate revenue, leaving people jailed if they couldn’t pay fines. Officers also harassed women and threatened people with arrest if they questioned authority.
Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized that the department had “abandoned its sacred position of trust in the community.” Under former chief Sam Dobbins, officers increased arrests for low-level offenses, particularly targeting Black residents. The Justice Department found that Lexington officers made nearly one arrest for every four people in town, with Black individuals disproportionately affected.
The report highlights shocking examples of racial bias, such as Black people being arrested for traffic offenses while white people were not. One Black man was jailed for four days for refilling a coffee cup without paying, while a woman was chained to a bench for parking in a disabled spot. Investigators found that officers used Tasers and physical force against Black residents, with body-camera footage showing no such force used against white people.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke remarked, “In America, being poor is not a crime,” condemning Lexington’s practice of punishing residents for poverty. The report followed a federal lawsuit by residents accusing the police of terrorizing the community. Jill Collen Jefferson, president of JULIAN, expressed gratitude to Clarke, stating, “We had to go to the highest levels of the Department of Justice to get justice for this community.”
Despite Dobbins’ firing, racial disparities persisted under Chief Charles Henderson, with Black people 18 times more likely to be arrested by 2023. Todd Gee, U.S. Attorney for Mississippi, warned other departments to “make changes now” to prevent similar unlawful practices.
Link: AP News
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