The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has uncovered a long-standing pattern of racial discrimination and abuse within the Lexington Police Department, a small force operating in one of Mississippi’s poorest counties.  The findings, detailed in a comprehensive DOJ report, highlight the department’s blatant disregard for the rights of Black citizens and its routine use of excessive force, particularly against those who dared to criticize its actions. The investigation, prompted by years of complaints and a 2022 lawsuit filed by the civil rights organization JULIAN, unearthed a deeply rooted culture of corruption and bias. Lexington, where roughly 76% of the population is Black, became a hostile environment for its own residents, with law enforcement leveraging their authority to oppress rather than protect.  According to the report, the police department systematically violated constitutional rights, arresting individuals for minor infractions and imposing excessive fines as a primary source of revenue. Those unable to pay were left in jail.  United States Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned the department’s behavior, stating:  “Today’s findings show that the Lexington Police Department abandoned its sacred position of trust in the community by routinely violating the constitutional rights of those it was sworn to protect.”  The investigation revealed that the per capita arrest rate in Lexington was more than ten times the state average, with the majority of those arrests targeting Black citizens for low-level offenses. In addition to the abuse of power through arrests and fines, officers in Lexington were also accused of sexually harassing women and threatening anyone who dared to challenge their authority.  Investigators discovered that much of the misconduct can be traced back to Sam Dobbins, the former police chief who was fired after recordings surfaced of him using racial slurs and boasting about the number of people he had killed while on duty. Under Dobbins’ leadership, arrests for low-level crimes surged dramatically. The DOJ attributed the rise in arrests and punitive fines to policies Dobbins implemented during his tenure. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke states: “In America, being poor is not a crime. But in Lexington, their practices punish people for poverty,” Clarke said. According to her, the city’s court authorized the arrest of nearly half its population due to unpaid fines, with citizens owing a staggering $1.7 million in total. For years, local activists had documented these abuses, but state authorities failed to take meaningful action. One of the loudest voices in the fight against the Lexington Police Department was Jill Collen Jefferson, president of JULIAN. In 2023, she was arrested by the very department she was trying to hold accountable.  Her efforts eventually caught the attention of the federal government, leading to the DOJ’s involvement. “I feel an intense amount of gratitude for Kristen Clarke and the Department of Justice. It shows that it doesn’t matter how tiny your town is, your life matters,” Jefferson said in a statement following the release of the DOJ’s report.  Todd Gee, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, issued a stern warning to other departments: “Gone are the days when rural isolation and remoteness could conceal the injustice of unconstitutional policing. Make changes now if your agency is policing in these same unlawful ways.”  The post Report: Department Of Justice Exposes Systemic Racial Discrimination In Small Mississippi City’s Police Force appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.