BENTON HARBOR, MI — The Rev. Jesse Jackson predicts Benton Harbor could become the next important battlefield in the fight for civil rights.

Like the marches in Selma, a movement started in Benton Harbor could “redefine democracy for America,” the 69-year-old civil rights activist said during a meeting at the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in Benton Harbor on Wednesday.

Benton Harbor drew national news attention after the city’s emergency manager issued an order Friday reminding city officials that a new law has stripped them of their authority.

Public Act 4, made law in March, suspends the powers of elected officials whose municipality was taken over by the state and gives those powers to the emergency manager.