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.

      • Jtotheb@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

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

        • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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          7 months ago

          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.

        • sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz
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          7 months ago

          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.

          • whoreticulture@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

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

        • sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz
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          7 months ago

          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?

          • whoreticulture@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            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.

                  • Aniki 🌱🌿@lemm.ee
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                    7 months ago

                    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.

                  • whoreticulture@lemmy.world
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                    7 months ago

                    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.