During the COVID-19 pandemic the people of Mississippi have willingly closed businesses, attend church online, and put their lives on hold to fight the virus.
But, we are not willing to abandon our constitution and give up the hard-fought rights that make our country and our state the free society we all love.
Unfortunately, government officials have seized upon this pandemic as a way to increase their power and limit the rights and freedoms of the citizens of Mississippi. We first saw this when the mayor of Greenville, MS tried to stop people from worshiping by ticketing and threatening jail for holding parking-lot church. Then in Holly Springs police were called to arrest worshipers who were practicing social distancing.
Shopping at Walmart is acceptable but worshiping God is not, according to local police.
Next, it was the mayor of Jackson, MS banning open carry within the city limits. All of these violations of our constitutional rights were stopped because people spoke up and demanded their rights. I led the fight against the Greenville mayor by being one of the first elected officials willing to speak out publicly condemning the mayor’s order.(Read my letter)
I also joined with the Mississippi Justice Institute and led the charge against the Jackson mayor by filing a lawsuit against the mayor’s unconstitutional executive order. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch and US Attorney Mike Hurst both joined me in the lawsuit which lead to a swift withdrawal of the order.
The fight for our rights does not end. We must be constantly vigilant and watchful of government and I need your help. Local politicians around our state are seizing this opportunity to grab as much power for themselves as possible. I want to protect our constitution and our rights but I need you to join me in this fight.
