The NAACP is calling for a civil rights probe into the Jackson Water crisis, currently happening in Mississippi. The organization filed a 25-page complaint to the EPA requesting they investigate the use of federal funds related to drinking water in Jackson and also to seek a solution.
Jackson, Miss., is a majority Black community. The lawsuit says federal funds awarded to ensure safe drinking water and unpolluted surface water and underground water were diverted away from Jackson by state officials.
The discrimination, the complaint says, is evident in the state repeatedly having deprived Jackson of funds to maintain its public drinking water system in favor of funding smaller, majority white communities with less acute needs.
The suit list grievances that date back nearly half a century. If a plan to fix Jackson’s water system is not reached, the U.S. Department of Justice is also prepared to file action against the city under the Safe Water Drinking Act, which regulates harmful substances in tap water.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
