Four Residents In Jackson, Mississippi File Class-Action Lawsuit Against City Over Water Crisis

Four residents of Jackson, Mississippi, have filed a class-action suit against the city’s mayor and other officials over the ongoing water crisis in the city.

Last week, four Jackson, Mississippi, residents sued Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba over the city’s water crisis. Families across the city have been left without clean water for food, bathing or flushable water after its main water treatment system was damaged following a flood last month, CNN reports.

No amount of money in damages was specified in the suit. The former mayor of Jackson is also included in the suit.

In the 99-page complaint, the plaintiffs asked for several needs including their ending water bill payments, the city’s water pipes being fixed, testing for the water, an established community water system and for anyone who may have been exposed to hazardous water to be given medical testing, CNN reports.

“The City of Jackson’s water supply has been neglected for decades, culminating in its complete shutdown in August 2022, leaving over 150,000 residents, 82.5% of whom are Black and over 24% are living in poverty, without access to running water,” the lawsuit reads.

“These residents lack more than just drinking water, or water for making powdered baby formula, cooking, showering, or laundry. During the long period where the city pipes had no water pressure — and were unable to facilitate the flow of water — residents of Jackson could not flush their toilets for days at a time,” the lawsuit goes on.