Jackson, MSCNN — A pair of new laws in Mississippi is leaving Jackson divided, with some hoping they will save a capital city wracked by a rise in homicides while others see an echo of a racist past.
As part of the laws, the state of Mississippi will expand its law enforcement reach over the entire city of Jackson and implement major changes to its judicial system.
Democratic elected officials in Jackson call the laws a “slap in the face of our city” and a regression toward the state’s painful Civil Rights era past. On the other hand, those that pushed for the laws say it is a necessary public safety move for a city that has seen a sharp rise in homicides.
Souce : CNN