And the town is 1.2 square miles to go along with a very small and aging population. I am not saying racism is not a factor here but I do find it interesting that Braxton is on his fifth different attorney and several groups, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, apparently have refused to help his cause. He also contacted Bobby Singleton, the Senate Minority Leader and who is black, and he reportedly refused to assist also. Again, racism seems to be a factor and based on the article in the OP, Braxton has not been treated fairly. But it sure is strange that in today’s social and political climate that Braxton has struggled so much to find someone to help with his cause.
"The white mayor of a tiny Alabama town less than an hour from Selma has argued he should be immune from a civil rights lawsuit, claiming that holding a secret meeting to keep the city’s first-ever Black mayor and five Black* city council members out of office is not a sufficiently clear violation of constitutional rights." "Stokes and the others argue that they should not face liability because no other case has set forth facts even “remotely close to the facts set forth in this case,” and that their conduct was not “so egregious that a constitutional right is clearly violated.” If the defendants prevail at the immunity phase of the case, the litigation will not progress to the point at which the plaintiffs would need to establish the facts they alleged in their complaint." "Further, the defendants argue that Braxton’s merely being Black is not sufficient to prove that he was discriminated against on the basis of his race." *Note: Braxton did try to appoint some white people to the city counsel. They refused to serve. Only in Alabama. White Alabama mayor says even if he did have a 'secret meeting' to keep Black mayor out of office, it's not 'so egregious' as to be a civil rights violation
Kids in Florida will have to write papers on how black people benefit from being denied their elected positions.
This might answer some of your questions: A Black Man Was Elected Mayor in Rural Alabama, but the White Town Leaders Won’t Let Him Serve Pay particular attention to what happened to Ms. Lewis, a non-lawyer with a non-profit, who tried to help. She received swastikas in the mail along with a drawing of Braxton and her being lynched. By odd coincidence, her house was burned down. Sadly, some lawyers took his money and did nothing or stopped responding. The defendants also had the case removed to federal court from state court.
Good lord. It really is Football, racism and.... well... Not much else there at this point isn't it? Different rung of hell for people with so much hate.
We used to send in the National Guard to places like these. What a look that would be in 2023. Jeesh.
Population of 131 people stuck in the 1960s... With how small this town is, surprised anyone has heard of it. The Governor of Alabama should step in and end this BS quickly. Sounds like Braxton did everything the right way.
This seems like something so far beyond the pale as to be unbelievable. My brain immediately wants for more information to make it make sense. At the same time, this seems entirely likely.
“What Your Tilly?” “Did you say Yute Law?” “Yeah, Yute Law.” “One Yute?” “Oh, sorry Your Tilly. TWOOOOOO Yutes.”
If the population is 131, and 85% are black, then that means there is about 19 people in the town that are non-black. Putting the obvious racism aside, why is this even a "town" to begin with? The state should dissolve any city that small, as it really serves no purpose other than corruption.
A little bit of movement, they may be forced to hold elections this year. Alabama town that hasn’t held elections in decades sued to allow voting The town of Newbern, Alabama, has not had a political election in the last several decades. But that could all change this November if a new motion is successful. The Legal Defense Fund (LDF), an organization that focuses on racial and civil rights, along with an Alabama-based private law firm, filed a preliminary injunction to force Newbern, a town of about 133 people, to hold elections and allow its citizens to vote for the first time in years. The town, about an hour and a half away from Montgomery, captured national attention last summer, after white officials had refused for three years to allow Patrick Braxton, the first Black mayor in Newbern’s history, to exercise his mayoral duties. Newbern is about 80% Black and 20% white, but the town’s leadership, with the exception of Braxton and his town council, has been majority white for years. The defendants in the lawsuit, including the previous mayor and council, have refused to hold elections.
