JACKSON, Mississippi — Nine days after Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the United States Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division traveled to Lexington to speak with community residents about complaints of police brutality in the small town, Jefferson was taken into custody for his alleged involvement in the incident. According to her client, a Mississippi civil rights attorney was arrested Saturday after recording a traffic stop by officers from a police department she is currently suing in federal court.
Jill Collen Jefferson is the current president of JULIAN, a civil rights organization that filed a federal lawsuit against the Lexington Police Department on behalf of a group of local citizens the previous year. The action was brought on behalf of plaintiffs by Jill Collen Jefferson. According to Michael Carr, Jefferson’s attorney, who spoke to The Associated Press about the matter, she was taken into custody late Saturday night after filming officers arresting someone. Voicemails and phone calls left with the Lexington Police Department seeking comment were not immediately returned.
According to allegations made in Jefferson’s lawsuit, citizens of Lexington were subjected to wrongful arrests, disproportionate force and intimidation by police. “As an advocate for her clients, Jill Jefferson believes this pattern and practice has come to the citizens of Lexington,” Carr said. “Jill Jefferson believes this pattern and practice has come to the citizens of Lexington.” The corrupt activities of this city are brought to the attention of the state, the surrounding region, and possibly the entire nation as a result of his experience.
Carr said Jefferson complied with a request to show identification and questioned why officers contacted her while she was filming on a public street. Jefferson was complying with the request, according to Carr. She was taken into custody and charged with three different offenses after resisting arrest, failing to comply and causing a disturbance. She was held in Holmes County Jail, where she is still awaiting her unscheduled court appearance on Sunday morning. Jefferson was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Carr said that in the end, Police Chief Charles Henderson gave his approval to release her without requiring her to post bond. However, Jefferson does not intend to pay the $35 processing fee the prison is demanding for his release because it believes his arrest was in violation of the law. Michael Goldberg is a member of the correspondent corps for the Associated Press and Report for America’s Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national service program run by a nonprofit organization and places reporters in local newsrooms so they can report on topics that aren’t widely covered. If you use Twitter, you can follow him on twitter.com
