Ike Brown

Mississippi's history of voting rights abuses in the early 20th century provided much of the impetus for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, which was designed to give minorities a voice in politics. It is ironic, then, that the Justice Department is now using that very act to attack African-American political activities.

Ike Brown, the chairman of the Noxubee County Democratic Executive Committee, was sued in 2006 by the United States Department of Justice, and is currently being represented by the Colom Law Firm. The Justice Department accused him of being the mastermind of a concerted scheme to discriminate against whites and white candidates at the polls. This is the first time in US history that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been used to allege discrimination against whites, and marks a concerted effort by the Bush Administration to interfere with the ability of black voters to elect black officials.

Blacks outnumber whites three to one in Noxubee County, yet for years white politicians held every elected office. It was not until 1971that blacks first appeared on the ballot, and then nearly every black candidate was defeated. The black majority appealed to the Justice Department for help, but no help was forthcoming.

In 1975, black candidates again appeared on the ballot, and again felt like whites stole the election. They again appealed to the Justice Department, and again were ignored.

In 1979, Ike Brown arrived on the scene in Noxubee County and began trying to organize black political efforts. Although there was little in the way of an immediate payoff, black investment in organization began to see returns at the polls, and in 1987 four black candidates were elected to county-wide office. By 1992 blacks had taken control of the Democratic Executive Committee, and by 1995 blacks held the majority of elected offices in Noxubee County. Brown became chairman of the Noxubee County Democratic Executive Committee in 2000.

For years, the Justice Department left blacks alone to struggle for representation in their government. For years, blacks relied on themselves to take charge of their own destiny. Now, after decades of doing nothing to aid a black majority subject to oppression, the Justice Department has finally found an oppressed group needing protection: whites.

The government alleges that Brown, among other things, runs the Democratic Executive Committee almost single-handedly, that he does not keep records, he acts arbitrarily and makes decisions alone. They allege that, as part of a scheme to disenfranchise whites, he paid off notaries, illegally meddled with absentee ballots and manipulated voter rolls.

After a trial in early 2007, US District Judge Tom Lee ordered Brown to have nothing to do with Noxubee County elections in 2007. Lee appointed former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson as "superintendent of elections" until Nov. 20, 2011, and charged him with overseeing the county electoral process. Brown was ordered to stay away from the Noxubee County circuit clerk's office during the two weeks leading up to the election, and was banned from visiting polling places on election days.

The ruling is currently being appealed.