Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female mayor

[admin]

By Michael Walsh
​

A small city in Missouri caught national attention when roughly half of its employees resigned following the election of its first African-American female mayor.

Many news outlets and bloggers have speculated that racism and sexism drove the exodus in Parma, a city of about 700 near the Mississippi River; whereas several residents say other factors were at play.
Mayor Tyus Byrd, 40, who beat longtime incumbent Randall Ramsey, has not yet released a formal statement on the controversy, but did address it briefly after being sworn in last week.
“Moving forward, I’ll get with the board. I’ll speak here in a little bit,†she told KFVS-TV, “and we’ll talk and discuss those issues that have taken place today. And we’ll try to get things in order for the city.â€
The local CBS affiliate reported that three full-time cops and two part-time cops — five of the city’s six officers — quit without notice. Several other officials, including the city attorney and city clerk, also resigned.
Nelvia Donaldson, an African-American alderman in Parma, thinks bigotry is behind the departures that followed Ramsey’s defeat, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
“I think it’s about being a woman and being black,†she told the paper. “He (Ramsey) thought he had it in the bag.â€
Rich Medley, a former assistant police chief, on the other hand, said to the Post-Dispatch that he resigned out of fear that he would not be allowed to do his job properly.
He said the town’s officers had several run-ins with members of Byrd’s family.
“Rather than put my life in danger more than I do now on a daily basis, I decided to walk away,†Medley said.
Ramsey told KFVS-TV that the departures were over “safety concerns,†but none of the resignation letters have been made public.
Parma resident Martha Miller, who campaigned for Byrd, does not think the resignations have to do with race, but she disagrees with how they happened.
“I think it’s pretty dirty they all quit without giving her a chance. But I don’t think they hurt the town any by quitting, because who needs six police for 740 people,†she told KFVS-TV.
“There was absolutely no racism that had anything to do with this,†Barry Aycock, a white former alderman, said to The Associated Press. “We had an election, it’s over, and we’re all supporting the new mayor and moving forward.â€


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Lisa Kirk, 58, who owns a convenience store in Parma, was surprised that the town even had six people on its police force.
“There was never police around in town,†she told the wire service. “We have no idea where the six officers worked or who they are. If they did work, I don’t know where they were.â€
Kirk said her shop has been burglarized nine times over the past decade.
One thing’s for sure: Byrd has attracted a lot of supporters on social media since the story broke.

 

[mairj23]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

Congrats to this woman! These racist white people are still living in the stone ages. They didn't resign because she's a woman, they resigned because she's black. She was better for the job and beat that old racist coon. Today was a great day in Mississippi.

 

[admin]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

I think it is for both reasons. Not going to look good on a resume. If they truly felt they were going to have to turn the other cheek they could have setup a sting.

 

[thomas pendrake]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

If no one ever saw them, my question is, did they check the donut shop? Probably they were afraid that they would actually have to do something. What kind of experience did the local "black" population have with the police? Did the police think that they would be required to respect people? I am a 68 year-old white Southerner. I have seen many police disrespect people for their race, and the rest of the police have to live with the results. My father carried a badge (between WWII and Korea he was a deputy, then spent some time with the Air Police, along with his other duties. He always had a badge, even when he had different jobs). He never had any tolerance for bad cops. No "bad" cop should be tolerated by other cops.

 

[Gabe]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

It goes to show how narrow minded people are. Resigning without notice also means loss of benefits in some cases and it's sad that people can't think for themselves.

Maybe it is better that they find new people that can do these jobs more effectively and without prejudice.

 

[lushlala]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

Wow, what a bizarre turn of events! The woman was elected in fair and square. I hope she holds her head high and gives her new role her all. It's sad to see something like this happen, because whether we like it or not; it does smack of either sexism and/or racism. Those police officers probably did the police force a favour because they don't have to retrench them due to over staffing LOL Talk about cutting your nose to spite your face! In such a small town where I'm guessing they won't be flush with options, how're they going to secure other jobs?! More fool them.

 

[Clairelouise84]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

Oh my god, when I saw this I thought it was one of those misreported stories but after reading it I am just appalled! Is being racist really so important to you that you would be willing to quit your job over it? My god it makes you lose faith in people even more than you already have!

 

[admin]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

I am interested in thoughts of a topic that is similar to this subject. A few months back Indiana signed a bill which would allow people to discriminate based on religious beliefs. While I don't agree with discrimination in general there are situations where I believe it might be better if it was allowed. I think the reason for the law made sense but it was not expressed very well. If a church decides not to hire someone to be a teacher because they are openly gay, they can be sued. I think that the church should have that right since it is against the church's well established beliefs. I also think it would be fair to say that a Jewish synagog or deli should be allowed to turn away a person who is a known Nazi or the owner of a black store to say they will not hire a known member of the kkk. I think sometimes we go to far with allowing people rights that actually hurt the foundation of someones beliefs. I don't know what the answer is but I would love to hear your opinion.

 

[Diane Lane]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

I'd have to hear more and read about the history of the town before jumping to the conclusion that this was a result of racism or sexism. Small towns can be funny, and often one or two families hold the power and control events, whether up front or covertly. There are also usually families who do represent a crime wave in and of themselves, so until I know all the facts, I will reserve judgment. The officers could have valid points, but the story doesn't provide enough facts for that to be determined.

 

[Philosophydaddy]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

I'd have to hear more and read about the history of the town before jumping to the conclusion that this was a result of racism or sexism. Small towns can be funny, and often one or two families hold the power and control events, whether up front or covertly. There are also usually families who do represent a crime wave in and of themselves, so until I know all the facts, I will reserve judgment. The officers could have valid points, but the story doesn't provide enough facts for that to be determined.

Honestly, I think if their concerns were legitimate, they would have been made public. The fact that 5 out of 6 of the town's police force plus the city attorney and the city clerk as well as others all resigned at the same time makes me think, if it wasn't racially or genderally(not sure the proper word here) motivated, there must have been some shady shit going on that they don't want found out. It is completely possible that there was embezzlement going on that these people were party to and didn't want to be disclosed. Anyway you look at it there seems to be a cancer associated with these individuals that has no presence in government or official business.

 

[Diane Lane]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

Yeah, could be, with that many resigning, it's obvious that there was or is a big problem, but what the problem is, only those involved know. I have seen and heard of some bizarre things going on, especially in small towns, where people with power sometimes feel invincible, think they're kings, and don't like change. Hopefully more will come out and we'll find out the truth eventually.

 

[Bluebandit62160]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

I am like Diane. The media doesn't always have all the facts. Therefore more information needs to be acquired before anyone can say weather this was because she was black or a woman. These people may have very valid reasons why they quit. IF there was already tension between the officers and her family, that would be a very good reason in my opinion.

 

[katherine25]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

What the real reason behind is resignation is no one will ever know but this is 2015 and racism should be something of the past and yet we keep hearing more and more of it each day. This is just really sad if it is due to racism and sexism and if that's the case the office is better without him!

 

[mairj23]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

Let them all quit. That's more room and jobs for us blacks. They're doing everyone a favor. Racism is the reason for the resignation.

 

[taki]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

Sickening. I hope these chuckleheads never get a job in law enforcement again. We don't need racists with axes to grind "protecting and serving" our population.

 

[westmixxin]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

that's absolutely amazing that this type of attitude really still exist. And to be honest with you I already know the age ranges of these officers. They come from an era where they were the individuals outside being up on black people during the peace walks back in the early 1960s.

 

[lushlala]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

It does feel like as though we are not being told the full story in its entirety! I mean, one of the people who resigned said he had to quit because "he feared for his safety", while another said "he felt he would be hampered in doing his job", yet the paper did not think to back these claims with supporting information as to why the two people held those opinions. I think that there's something we're definitely not being told here.

 

[Onionman]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

Small town worlds and mentalities rise again! The fact that this woman is putting herself in this position is incredibly noble and inspirational. Some places just don't want to change. Thankfully, the rest of the world isn't going to be listening to those places.

 

[oraclemay]

Re: Article: Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female

Yes, that is exactly what it is, small town mentality. Those who resigned have probably never even been to the big city where things are done differently. Some people just don't like change. When all is settled and she begins working, people will soon begin to see how well she can do her job and what an asset she is. I say well done and get on with it!