Calls matching requirement for ARPA funds discriminatory.
The Southern Poverty Law Center issued the following statement.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of the Treasury on behalf of residents of Jackson, Mississippi, against the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the state of Mississippi for violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Department of Treasury Title VI regulations of non-discrimination for benefits based on race, color or national origin due to discriminatory funding in the city’s recent water crisis. "In 2021, Mississippi was given millions of dollars to address its numerous infrastructure challenges," said SPLC Mississippi state director Waikinya Clanton. "Yet communities, like Jackson, still await receipt of allocated funding provided for in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA ). Clean, safe, and drinkable water is a human right. “The people of Jackson are suffering daily. Residents and business owners are paying a costly price for the gross negligence of state leadership. Jackson is a majority Black city, where some of the most vulnerable and most severely impacted communities live. This situation deserves a thorough look into the improper, discriminatory and negligent actions of the state."
The Mississippi Legislature voted to allow cities like Jackson to apply for funding for water and sewer projects with a one-to-one match using their own direct ARPA funds, while smaller municipalities receiving less than $1 million in ARPA funds could request a two-to-one match. By determining municipalities may only receive ARPA funds through matching grants, the state calculated the amount of assistance it would provide based primarily on the amount of assistance municipalities can offer themselves rather than the amount of need. "The city of Jackson has repeatedly advised the state of its inability to pay for the $2 billion in estimated repairs to its water system," said Crystal McElrath, SPLC senior supervising attorney. "Jackson is a city in great need, and we cannot ignore that this match system is designed to limit the amount of funds the City can request." Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits entities that receive federal funding from engaging in activities that subject individuals to race discrimination. Because MDEQ and the state of Mississippi receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Treasury, they are bound by this prohibition against discrimination. "We request that the Treasury's Office of Civil Rights accept this complaint, investigate these allegations and ensure that MDEQ and the state of Mississippi eliminate the racially discriminatory effects which currently block much needed assistance to the Black residents of Jackson, Mississippi,” continued McElrath. SPLC has worked to provide on-the-ground support to communities impacted by the Jackson water crisis. In partnership with over 30 other Mississippi-based grassroots organizations, SPLC has helped provide short-term water relief through water and water filters. SPLC and its partners have distributed over 4 million cases of water and hundreds of water filters and tests. The demand for water and water filters remains high in Jackson as it continues to struggle with the failing water infrastructure.
38 comments:
No problem with Chuckway's handling of funds though?
Seems legit.
At this point - and I am being completely serious and not hyperbolic - how is the explanation for any of what's been going on in Jackson during the Antar years NOT that he wants to actually run every white person out of the city of Jackson? If he and his confederates in the SPLC, etc. were actively trying to make things worse in Jackson they couldn't do it.
Dear Jackson,
We, the State, are NOT giving you all the money so you can waste, misspend and fleece the citizens of the state of MS.
you have not even charged your citizens for the water you have been providing.
Bye Felicia!
Kind Regards,
The Entire State of MS outside the City of Jackson
So can MDEQ copy and paste its response to the EPA where they clearly state that drinking water falls under the prevue of the Department of Health?
Kind of hard to deny this is a coordinated attack on the state, when everyone has the same errors on their homework!
The Race Card - when Jackson's leadership fails that's what you raise.
Once again the bull-shit proposition that any circumstance which ultimately impacts blacks in greater numbers than whites must be defined as racial discrimination is being planted in Courts and administrative agencies. Jackson's problems, or it's failure to solve them, all stem from it being majority black. Place the blame and squeeze the money from whatever source is controlled by whites in the name of correcting discrimination. Another great hustle.
correct me if I am wrong......
but weren't these funds to be made available via a GRANT that the city of Jackson DIDN'T apply for
The only criminals here is the SPLC. Look up their tax avoidance and how they do almost nothing to prevent poverty
Take this as a reminder, laws are on the books to give people redress. Some of the ones being passed today will come back to bite the hands of the authors and their children's too.
Wasn't it already established that the CoJ only applied for funding twice, and didn't even spend all the money received? Why are they spending all this time and money chasing their tails?
On the positive side, the mayor is making housing in Jackson more affordable!!!
Race Hustlers: NAACP, SPLC, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, etc. etc.
This is nothing more than SPLC getting on the race hustling bandwagon. Those offshore accounts don’t fill themselves. Argument is totally baseless.
Wolf, wolf, wolf is all I hear, or read when this subject, or similar subjects are discussed. When the real thing, sadly, does happen, no one will give the required attention.
If there is one thing you can count on from the Southern Poverty Law Center is that they will act in opposite fashion to what would benefit poor people.
"Residents and business owners are paying a costly price for the gross negligence of state leadership"
And no mention of the mayor, who has been in office for over 6 years.
Another organization flushing its credibility down the Lumumba hole.
When they blamed the white and Republican controlled state, it was obvious that this lawsuit has no validity. The SPLC is a hate group.
Its like we are living in the Upside Down.
People can legit just blame the State because COJ leaders are dumber than a ham sandwich.
I am so sad that so many people are this dumb. The halfwits truly outnumber the sane people.
SPLC had no credibility to begin with. And how is it it reasonable to give ALL the money to Jackson, to the exclusion of every other municipality in the state, with no oversight and no matching funds? Didn’t the rest of the state pay taxes too? And don’t they drink water and make sewage? And - wait - don’t you have to drink water and make sewage no matter what race you are?
@4:35, I was about to post the same comment. “Gross negligence of STATE leadership”?! Are they serious? How could they even type that with a straight face?! This world we live in where people can just say ANYTHING no matter how absurd - it’s just insane. Like the children’s story The Emperor’s New Clothes. Everyone just nods in agreement, even though they KNOW it’s bullshit.
@ "So can MDEQ copy and paste its response to the EPA where they clearly state that drinking water falls under the prevue of the Department of Health?"
My understanding is that this particular program is run by MDEQ, even though it includes drinking water funding.
2:07 PM nailed it!
Crime is a Democrat tactic designed to push out the law abiding voters that would vote fools like Chokwe out of office.
P.S. As reported on March 18, 2021, the 501©(3) Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) leadership was rocked by allegations of racism and sexual harassment, maintains over $160 million in offshore accounts, new filings show, has accrued more than $500 million in assets and holds $121 million offshore in non-U.S. equity funds.
SPLC…a straight up grift.
Both Antifa and the SLPC should be considered terrorist groups.
Let's talk about something else.
SPLC - It's where the white guilt crowd sends their money. Bless their f'ing hearts.
@2:30 they will learn the hard way, they are cooking up laws day and night to silence the minority. The tables will turn before they know it. Running to Madison or Rankin works for now so they don’t get it.
I think SPLC was founded for the purpose of sexual harassment.
Oh, I’m sorry that y’all don’t like these bullies picking on the poor state of Mississippi for being an asshole towards the City of Jackson, at least in part in ways that wouldn’t hold up in a court of law. Cry some more, snowflakes. Play stupid games and win stupid prizes. I hope the State gets it’s ass handed to it.
The SPLC is in fact fighting poverty. Just look at the wealth of the grifters running that organization.
10:43 I tend to agree. You cannot Out-asshole an asshole. And like you say, the state has decided to outplay Jackson in playing stupid games. They have no chance. This is Jackson's game.
As someone who is very familiar with this program, 6:29 pm is correct. The Municipal and County Water Infrastructure (MCWI) is being administered by DEQ. Each city and county got an appropriation under ARPA. The State set aside part of its ARPA funds the last two years for MCWI. Every entity that applied for MCWI has to pledge part or all of their money as match. Jackson was not singled out. MCWI was intended to help these entities do more needed work without having to come out of pocket. I imagine Jackson is using its appropriation for some of the social justice projects that are allowed under ARPA.
And to be clear, Jackson was awarded several projects under Round 1 of MCWI and I’m sure they probably applied under Round 2 as well!
9:52 - Exactly WHO do you consider 'the minority'? Math is obviously not your strong-suit.
I pray 10:43 & 12:36 are the same person.
SPLC, Jackson, Sharpton, Chowke must be related, as they are all racist grifters.
May 6, 2023 at 9:52 AM, living with paranoia must really take a toll on the body. It's not that they are out to get you, it's that they are out to get you.
The SPLC is an attack organization for the wealthy communist, to put dissident collectives in line with the official policy. That which the official government bureaucrats can't do, this private, quasi-governmental entity can, through the legal system.
When did Jackson get its grant agreements? I read where they just signed them and sent them in. And have they asked for any reimbursements? The state has 45 days to pay a bill, or else it has to pay interest.
At 3:02 - Of course she is. No need for prayer. There's a third one as well. Can you find it?
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