The divide between Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves could be widening as the city continues for funding to fix its crippled water system.Lumumba used the word “absent” to explain the governor’s response to helping Jackson and called out state leadership for ignoring him and former Jackson administrations when it comes to the water crisis.”This is just the latest episode in a long epic of a challenging relationship between the city of Jackson and the state of Mississippi. I want to be clear: my critique is to state leadership. Some of those leaders have tried to speak to me being critical to the state of Mississippi. I know Mississippians to be kind, generous, hospitable people. And so, this isn’t a reflection on the people of Mississippi,” Lumumba said. “It is a direct statement to the leadership and its failure to respond, and no one else.”In an exclusive interview with ABC News, the mayor claimed he cannot rely on Mississippi leadership to help its citizens when they are in need. He said two reasons may be that the majority of residents in Jackson are Black and vote Democrat in a historically Republican state.”I don’t think that we can merely dismiss it at coincidence that we don’t receive the funding that we need from a state that either has a deliberate indifference or willful intent to not support our city,” Lumumba said.There is an active investigation into how bipartisan infrastructure funds are being distributed in Mississippi.“The boldness and the sheer willingness of the state to express its discontent for communities that look like Jackson, like for Jackson itself, doesn’t appear to be shaken or altered in any way by this investigation. I’m grateful for the investigation. I think it’s long overdue,” Lumumba said.Along with the federal government stepping in to aid the water crisis by installing a third-party administrator, almost $800 million is coming to Jackson through federal funding and grants.WAPT News reached out to the governor’s office for a response to the mayor’s comments but have yet to hear back.
The divide between Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves could be widening as the city continues for funding to fix its crippled water system.
Lumumba used the word “absent” to explain the governor’s response to helping Jackson and called out state leadership for ignoring him and former Jackson administrations when it comes to the water crisis.
“This is just the latest episode in a long epic of a challenging relationship between the city of Jackson and the state of Mississippi. I want to be clear: my critique is to state leadership. Some of those leaders have tried to speak to me being critical to the state of Mississippi. I know Mississippians to be kind, generous, hospitable people. And so, this isn’t a reflection on the people of Mississippi,” Lumumba said. “It is a direct statement to the leadership and its failure to respond, and no one else.”
In an exclusive interview with ABC News, the mayor claimed he cannot rely on Mississippi leadership to help its citizens when they are in need. He said two reasons may be that the majority of residents in Jackson are Black and vote Democrat in a historically Republican state.
“I don’t think that we can merely dismiss it at coincidence that we don’t receive the funding that we need from a state that either has a deliberate indifference or willful intent to not support our city,” Lumumba said.
There is an active investigation into how bipartisan infrastructure funds are being distributed in Mississippi.
“The boldness and the sheer willingness of the state to express its discontent for communities that look like Jackson, like for Jackson itself, doesn’t appear to be shaken or altered in any way by this investigation. I’m grateful for the investigation. I think it’s long overdue,” Lumumba said.
Along with the federal government stepping in to aid the water crisis by installing a third-party administrator, almost $800 million is coming to Jackson through federal funding and grants.
WAPT News reached out to the governor’s office for a response to the mayor’s comments but have yet to hear back.
