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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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In case you missed it, Rep. Karl Oliver, R-Winona, went on Facebook this weekend and said Louisiana leaders who “destroy historical monuments of OUR HISTORY, they should be LYNCHED!”

Why it stinks: Rep. Karl Oliver demonstrated how little progress, ideologically at least, has been made since the Civil Rights Movement in some communities and how those similar attitudes still permeate the Legislature, leading to inequitable policy and, now, calls for violence. It’s inexcusable.

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.