A picture’s worth a thousand words!

By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
TriceEdneyWire.com Columnist

Like many of you, I watched the video of Officer Wardell Jackson, a Capitol policeman in Mississippi, pleading with protesters who were all around him, to stop blocking the entrance to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. We saw on video how the offenders were disobeying him and obviously trying their best to agitate and disrespect Officer Jackson. The agitators came his area seeking trouble. They came waiving their confederate and Mississippi state flags in Officer Jackson’s face. They circled in back of him and all around him. We saw them get up in his face no matter how many times he asked them to stop blocking the area. They paraded all around him and did all they could to provoke him as he remained calm, but persistent, in warning them to clear the area so that visitors to the museum could get through. We saw Officer Jackson at all times continue to do his job to prevent blockage of the entrance to the museum. All of this fuss took place at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum! Now, tell me if you believe this agitation was just a coincidence!

Officer Jackson’s exact words were heard on the video, and it is clear that he said or did nothing that was improper. He worked with great patience for a very long time. From what I saw on the video, had the situation been reversed and a white officer was giving as many warnings as he gave to clear the area to Black people, I’m sure the intruders would have been shot or at least arrested. Not so for Office Jackson who never even threatened arrest while I was asking myself how long was he going to take the harassment! Instead of being rewarded for his patience, he was fired for doing his job with the patience of Job. Never mind, that he was rehired a day later, he should never have been fired. To add insult to injury he was punished for doing his job by being suspended. He was further punished by taking him off his regular shift and moved to the midshaft.

I can’t help but wonder if the person who replaced him is considered to be friendlier to the flag waving confederate agitators! State Rep. Kathy Sykes is Chair of the National Congress of Black Women in Jackson, spoke out about Officer Jackson’s punishment, and I’m proud of her for that, but I urge all Mississippi politicians, preachers and community leaders to not be satisfied with just putting Officer Jackson back to work.

Officer Jackson should have their support in putting him back on the job he had before this injustice occurred. They should stand with him to get the payment back that was taken from him by suspending him. Every police officer and all who stand for fair play should send a donation to Officer Jackson to make up for his loss in pay until his back pay is returned to him. Otherwise, all of us who had plans to travel to or through Mississippi and spend money there should put those plans on hold.

We’ve seen officers wrongfully kill people in cold blood and not even get suspended for a day. Why should a Black officer just doing his job be punished by being fired, then suffer a loss in pay and position? If you don’t know where to send your donation to Officer Jackson, we’ll deliver to him whatever you send through our Jackson, MS chapter. Call my office at (202) 678-6788 and we can help with where to send it. Let’s show him we care about police officers who do the right thing.

This article originally published in the August 13, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.