Ex-rep: Legislative plans in Mississippi are ‘Jim Crow 2.0’

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A former Mississippi lawmaker says efforts by the majority-white state Legislature to create courts with appointed rather than elected judges and to expand patrols by state police inside the majority-Black capital city of Jackson amount to “Jim Crow 2.0.” Ex-Rep. Kathy Sykes of Jackson spoke Tuesday at a news conference by opponents of the bills. She says people in other parts of the U.S. should pay attention to what’s happening in Mississippi because ideas in one state can spread to others. The Mississippi House and Senate have passed different versions of bills dealing with police and courts in Jackson.