JACKSON, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba responded to Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s order for the city to transfer the deed of Smith-Wills Stadium to the state.

Fitch sent a letter to the city on September 13. In the letter, Fitch said her office was directed by House Bill 1983 to take action to “enforce the reverter language in the 1944 deed,” which conveyed the title from the State of Mississippi to the City of Jackson.

A provision stated that the parcel must be used for park purposes, and Fitch claimed that the terms of the deed have been breached.

Lumumba said if there’s a desire to do something with the stadium, he believes there’s a better way to discuss the issue.

“Instead of sneaking a take over of Smith-Wills in a bill where you don’t call it out by name, you call it out by its legal description, maybe it would be a path of least resistance if you just came to the table and said, ‘Well, we have some desires, too, and we think that we can do some things that will benefit Smith-Wills Stadium, benefit the residents of Jackson, benefit the state of Mississippi,'” he said.

Fitch said the city has until September 30, 2024, to transfer the deed to the state or there would be legal action.

The stadium is currently home to the Hank Aaron Sports Academy.

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