Unequal distribution of city infrastructure led to this court case. Shaw, Mississippi, was extremely segregated, with 97 percent of Black-occupied dwellings found in neighborhoods in which no Whites resided. 98 percent of homes on unpaved roads were occupied by African-Americans 97 percent of homes not served by sanitation pipes were in Black neighborhoods The quantity of new streetlights purchased by the town were all installed in White neighborhoods Andrew Hawkins and his wife Mary Lou led a group of residents to protest this blatant discrimination. The district court ruled to dismiss the complaint, but the appellate court ruled in their favor; stating: "That the town's policies in administering various municipal services have led to substantially less attention being paid to the Black portion of town is clear." The 1976 Supreme Court case Washington v. Davis limited the scope of Hawkins v. Town of Shaw, stating that unequal effect of a law, without evidence of racist intent, is not against the constitution. However, the case played a crucial role in establishing that African-Americans should have equal access to municipal services.