Advocacy groups sue officials over law banning protests in Mississippi

JACKSON, Mississippi – A lawsuit was filed last week in Mississippi challenging the law that bans public protests without a permit.

The law, which goes into effect July 1, requires protesters to obtain written permission from the police chief.

The law prohibits protests near government buildings and sidewalks without a permit.

Civic groups have called the law unconstitutional.

The plaintiffs, which include Black Voters Matter and JXN Undivided Coalition have said that the law risks arresting and detaining peaceful protesters.

They stated that peaceful gatherings on public property have been a part of the American tradition to make their concerns and views known to elected officials.

“We should not have to risk arrest and imprisonment for exercising our constitutional rights, including freedom of speech and equal protection under the law,” asserted one of the plaintiffs.

“The JXN Undivided Coalition and its members have for years engaged in the deeply American tradition of peacefully gathering on public property to convey to elected officials what matters most to us,” the group said in a statement on Monday. 

More recently, there have been protests against laws dealing with courts and policing, as well as the state’s underinvestment in Jackson’s struggling water system.

Recently, several states have passed laws criminalizing or restricting protest actions.

In recent years, numerous states have passed laws criminalizing or restricting protest activity and protecting motorists who kill or injure protesters under certain circumstances.