Judge OKs settlement of racial profiling suit in Mississippi
Source: Associated Press
Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press
Updated 8:00 pm CDT, Thursday, October 3, 2019
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) A federal judge approved a settlement Thursday in a police racial profiling lawsuit that African American residents filed against a majority-white Mississippi county, and a plaintiff said it will return humanity to those subjected to harsh treatment.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi sued Madison County in 2017, saying sheriffs department officers in the Jackson suburb had unconstitutionally targeted black drivers and pedestrians in majority-black neighborhoods and have disproportionately subjected them to searches and seizures.
Both sides asked U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves to approve the agreement that was filed Sept. 23. It says the sheriff's department does not admit to any "unconstitutional, illegal or otherwise improper conduct."
. . .
When the Madison County Sheriffs Department forced their way into my house and choked my disabled husband, they stole a piece of our humanity, Manning said in the release. I know that every American citizen has rights, but the Madison County Sheriffs treated us as though we didnt and made us feel less than American.
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Judge-OKs-settlement-of-racial-profiling-suit-in-14490470.php