or The Case of the Missing $13 million
Once again, the NAACP is not telling the truth. The organization sued the state of Mississippi last week, accusing the state of Mississippi of starving Jackson's water/sewer system of much-needed ARPA funds. There is just one problem. None of what the NAACP claims is true.
The NAACP complaint claims:
To date, Jackson still has not received the $35.6 million in ARPA funds, which the Defendants received over four years ago and promised Jackson almost three years ago.
The plaintiffs are Doris Glasper, our old friend Nsombi Lambright, and the NAACP. The defendants are MDEQ, DFA, and Mississippi Treasurer David of the clan of McRae. The Southern Poverty Law Center represents the plaintiffs.
JJ dug into the records at the Treasury Department and MDEQ, something one would reasonably assume the NAACP did before it filed its lawsuit. No dice.
JXN Water received $23 million in ARPA funds. The funds are held at Treasury. JXN Water submits a reimbursement request after the completion of a project with full documentation. Treasury cuts a check to JXN Water. JXN Water has used over $4 million in ARPA funds. $18.6 million sits in its account at Treasury, awaiting more reimbursement requests. Treasury has paid all such requests.
However, there is still the matter of the missing $13 million. What happened? The media reported the legislature awarded $35.6 million to Jackson after the city submitted a project list of $35.6 million to the state. However, the funds did require a dollar for dollar match from the city.
MDEQ provided more information in an email. Read it word for word.
The City of Jackson submitted seven applications in Round 1 into the MCWI Portal totaling $35,629,520 of MCWI grant funds for Drinking Water and Sanitary Sewer projects. MDEQ approved all seven of the City of Jackson’s applications in Round 1 for up to the full amount requested. The City of Jackson reduced their overall request by $3,687,240 because they stated they lacked the required matching Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Additionally, JXN Water requested to withdraw one application which resulted in a decrease of $8,798,000 of the requested MCWI grant funds. JXN Water currently has executed grant agreements totaling $23,144,280.
MCWI is a reimbursement program. All sub-recipients are required to submit procurement documentation and contractor’s application for payment for all costs submitted for reimbursement. JXN Water has submitted 29 reimbursement requests to date in the amount of $4,534,365.87. JXN Water has been reimbursed for 27 requests totaling $4,433,610.46. Two requests totaling $100,755.41 are currently under review. No reimbursement requests have been denied to or withheld from JXN Water.
Well, that puts a different spin on things, doesn't it? JXN Water's Receiver, Ted Henifin, backup Treasury and MDEQ, stating it received $23 million in ARPA funds.
One might expect the plaintiffs to conduct some basic research before filing a lawsuit but one would be mistaken. JJ calls Nsombi Lambright "Half-bright" for a reason. The plaintiffs did not file any public records request seeking any of this information before filing the lawsuit.
The lawsuit follows the same pattern of the tactics used by the NAACP in earlier complaints about the water system. Blame the state, throw out the race card, and scream discrimination. The NAACP claimed in an EPA Environmental Civil Rights Complaint the state of Mississippi discriminated against Jackson on water (MSDH) and sewer (MDEQ) loans but the EPA dismissed the complaint after it turned out the state approved every single request submitted by the city of Jackson. Sound familiar? The complaints remind one of when then-Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba claimed the state did not pay its water bills when in fact it was paying over a million dollars a year to Jackson. Who needs the truth when screaming racism, after all.
The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate
Kingfish note: These people are nothing but race-hustlers, race-baiters. Frankly, Lambright is probably too dumb to even think of conducting any research as she merely bleats racism just like a trained seal. The only thing they care about is generating headlines, which their allies in the media are more than happy to provide. Make no mistake, this lawsuit is yet another attempt by certain groups to engage in a courtroom lynching.
Judge Wingate should sanction all the plaintiffs as well as their attorneys, the Southern Poverty Law Center. Period.
12 comments:
Many consider the SPLC to be a racist organization.
KF can Judge Wingate dismiss the
lawsuit without court proceedings?
I agree, Kingfish. There should be sanctions.
I wouldn't call the Barksdalers an ally. That outfit is more like a political rump.
It's time to move for sanctions.
Where's the harpy who was hassling you the other day about the number with that apology? As if anything reported by the TVNewsers is always 100% spot on.
Wingate is an Oreo but will not sanction because he has to socialize with these people.
NOT ALL THAT LONG AGO WLBT REPORTED ON THE LUMUMBA OWENS INDICTMENTS.
The headline on the WLBT post:
'He’s cooked’: Law professor offers take on Jackson bribery case
A pertinent excerpt:
Photos included in court filings show Lumumba holding what is believed to be checks handed to him from a developer, as well as Owens putting thousands of dollars in cash in a bag.
A timeline put together by WLBT shows that the checks were deposited into Lumumba’s campaign bank account on April 4. Days later, two checks written to be made payable to Lumumba were drawn down from that account.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the mayor claims he’s being targeted by his political enemies - that the man’s out to get him again as usual,” Steffey said. “Do I think that’s possible that one or two potential jurors believe that? Sure. I’m not saying it’s likely [but] it’s possible.”
In a November 21 interview with NewsOne, Nsombi Lambright-Haynes set the table for such a defense.
“None of this is about any illegal or corrupt action by the mayor. It’s about ruining the mayor’s reputation so the state can get someone in office who will follow behind them - and against the Black people of this city,” she was quoted as saying.
Lambright-Haynes is executive director of One Voice Mississippi, a nonprofit organization that works “to give voice to marginalized and vulnerable communities across the South.” https://www.wlbt.com/2024/12/03/hes-cooked-law-professor-offers-take-jackson-bribery-case/
At least one of the defendants needs to file a motion to dismiss and for sanctions.
Time will tell if any of them really wants to lead that charge.
Derrick Johnson's NAACP has filed a complaint filled with facts that he knew were false, because they had already been disproven in an administrative proceeding, based on those same facts.
The jobs of SPLC and One Voice is to attack the power structure of Mississippi whenever the opportunity (a situation which can be cast as racial) presents itself, especially when money is involved. They can do this without real concern for the merits of their argument because the only opinions that matter to them are out of state supporters who assume that everything done by Mississippi government is inherently racist. In other words they know who butters their bread.
Fish: better the clan McRae.
Federal magistrate judges in Mississippi are starting to hammer attorneys who put the names of prospective pro hac vice attorneys on the initial pleadings prior to their PHV admission. As occurred here.
Post a Comment