Alabama town that hasn’t held elections in decades sued to allow voting

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Alabama town that hasn’t held elections in decades sued to allow voting
theguardian.com

The town of Newbern saw white officials deny its first Black mayor, Patrick Braxton, from exercising his duties for three years

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.

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The defendants, listed as former mayor Haywood “Woody” Stokes III and his town council, held a secret, special election, preventing Braxton from appointing his town council. During their special election, the previous town council re-elected themselves, and ultimately reappointed the previous town mayor. They were aided, the lawsuit alleges, by the town’s bank and clerk. Newbern has effectively had two mayors since 2020.

I thought the FBI came in when these fucking inbreds pulled shit like this.

FBI always and forever are a bunch of absolute clowns. Acab

Shocking ignorance of what the FBI has done historically.

Like trying to get MLK Jr. to kill himself, or you thinking more like the ‘inventing terrorists so they can arrest them’ angle

The FBI isn't exactly a small group of people and there probably aren't too many people there now that were around in the MLK days.

If you've ever worked anywhere you'll know there's going to be good people in the workplace and also some really shit people. All companies, government institutions, educational institutions, political parties, and yes even non-profit organizations are like this. If you measure the value of an organization be the actions of the worst people in that organization through all history, then all organizations are horrible things, and you should just go live alone in a cabin in the woods because everything is terrible.

Actually I was thinking of the incredible number of integration issues they dealt with, but sure. When you look for shit, all you'll see is shit. It's not the best way of going through life. It's incredibly easy, if lazy and intellectually dishonest, to see things binary.

Was that before or after they undermined civil rights movements?? Oh yah, both, they've been continuously doing that for decades.

an FBI simp???

How does that old saying go. If you can't attack the message, attack the messenger? Something like that. I guess if I were cut of that cloth I would accuse you of being against forced integration in 20th century US. But that would be idiotic and simple, no?

I'm so tired of these shit takes on Lemmy.

The FBI has actively been undermining activism for decades, they wiretap/spy on Americans. I'm honestly shocked that there are so many fans. Y'all are dumb as hell.

Actually you're just an asshole.

To people who simp for the FBI? Proudly.

I've never simped for the FBI, you have no idea what you're talking about

I’m so tired of these shit takes on Lemmy.

Which was a follow up of

Shocking ignorance of what the FBI has done historically.

Which is, you know, nothing of value at any fucking time ever.

You didn't like when I called out people for doing it, idk what your beliefs are and I don't really care

Right like imagine simping for fucking law enforcement

Imagine being so short sighted you see everything as black and white.

Yeah all cops are bad

Feels like talking to a child.

Is that because your perceptions of the world are so warped you have to look down on everyone for them to make any sense? Pathetic take my dude. Again, you're the one simping for fucking law enforcement.

Well, yeah, when you take on a paternalistic mindset and mentally align yourself with Feds, you're gonna think everyone who disagrees with you is a child.

As far as they're concerned this is a state matter. Which is hilarious because it's a denial of their basic rights. Which the feds respond to all the time.