For decades, white officials appointed Newbern’s mayor and council members in lieu of holding elections. Most residents weren’t even aware that there were supposed to be elections for these positions.

The settlement will reinstate Patrick Braxton as the mayor of Newbern, the first Black person to hold the position.

Braxton was the only candidate who filed qualifying paperwork with the county clerk in 2020, so he won the mayoral race by default. The incumbent, Haywood “Woody” Stokes III, hadn’t even bothered to fill out the paperwork to run again. Haywood Stokes Jr., his father, had previously been mayor of the rural Black Belt town.

Cross posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/16944653

  • Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    5 months ago

    Why not Federal prison? NOTHING they did was legal and at least the mayor (sic) and city council knew full well they were subverting the Democratic principles of the US.

    No fine, no probation. Prison for these manipulative shits

    • sunzu@kbin.run
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      5 months ago

      In america better people are not subject to the laws imposed on the loser classes.

      Always has been this way and yet “we” are always “shocked”