JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – On Thursday, the Mississippi Center for Justice (MCJ) filed a class-action lawsuit against the City of Jackson and Police Chief James E. Davis in federal court over the police department’s Ticket, Arrest, and Tow (TAT) initiative.
The lawsuit (Gibbs v. City of Jackson) claims the policy violates the United States Constitution and must be terminated. It was brought on behalf of five Mississippians who live or work in Jackson and regularly drive in the majority Black and low-income neighborhoods.
“Using roadblocks as a crime-solving shortcut is ineffective and unconstitutional, and their disproportionate location in majority Black and low-income areas of Jackson harms all residents,” said Attorney Paloma Wu of MCJ. “Checkpoints don’t address crime—they erode at what makes communities resilient in the face of it.”
Police Chief James Davis told WJTV 12 News last week, “We’re targeting areas where we have high violent crime. I hate that people think that we are targeting a certain group of people; that is not a fact. We’re doing all we can to keep Jackson safe. We’ve got individuals with outstanding warrants that are wanted, and we’re looking to bring them to justice.”
The citizens who brought the case as plaintiffs are Anita Gibbs, Lauren Rhoades, LaQuenza Morgan, Archie Skiffer Jr., and Timothy Halcomb. The plaintiffs in the case are represented by MCJ Attorneys Paloma Wu and Rob McDuff.