Police, Officials Resign After Small Missouri Town Elects First Black Female Mayor

[cosmicone]

Source: Huffington Post

Most of the police force and several officials resigned after the small town of Parma, Missouri elected its first African American woman as mayor, reported KFVS.

Tyrus Byrd, a former city clerk, was officially sworn in as mayor on Tuesday after beating incumbent Randall Ramsey. Ramsey had served as mayor of Parma for 37 years under two terms.

The outgoing mayor said five of the city's six police officers submitted their resignation, citing "safety concerns." Parma's city attorney, clerk and water treatment supervisor also quit.

Some Parma residents say they aren't worried about safety now that the police force has shrunk. "I think it's pretty dirty they all quit without giving her a chance," resident Martha Miller told KFVS. "But I don't think they hurt the town any by quitting, because who needs six police for 740 people."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/19/parma-police-resign-black-female-mayor_n_7097110.html

---

Assholes.

[notadmblnd]

1. What it comes down to is fear

The damn police and officials of Parma are afraid. They're afraid that they will finally be on the receiving end of what they've been handing out to African Americans all these years.

[christx30]

16. She's already doing a good job.

getting rid of the town's dead weight.

[AlbertCat]

47. getting rid of the town's dead weight.

BINGO....


Who needs 'em? And I'm sure there are others, more adult, with less baggage, that will fill the jobs (if needed).

[notadmblnd]

54. yep, the town is better off for it.

[Ken Burch]

2. The water treatment supervisor quit?

What, he was terrified of having to make sure black people got clean drinking water?

[Demeter]

15. Most likely fraud charges will ensue--or embezzlement

The rats are leaving because somebody just stole their cheese

[OregonBlue]

29. My first thought too. Fraud and now it's going to be discovered.

[Plucketeer]

31. I'd bet they got...

nice severance pay pkgs and/or retirement bennies! Maybe the new mayor will shine some light on that.

[Jerry442]

45. My thinking exactly -- quit before they got fired. NT

[diabeticman]

3. So is it Sexism--her being female or is it Racism--color of her skin. Or is it both?

either way talk about narrow minded jack a$$

[a kennedy]

5. I'm sure it's both.....

BASTARDS....

[Nay]

37. You know, every time I think that maybe, just maybe, the people in the most

powerful and advanced country in the world have stopped being racist and misogynistic, I will read this story.



On edit: after seeing posts that refer to possible corruption in the former mayor's administration, maybe they hate her only because she's going after crooks? Now that would be an improvement!

Ms. Mayor, hire a forensic accountant and go after those crooks.

[ieoeja]

40. Possibly they're just crooked, and she isn't part of the gang.

Six police for a population of 740 already tells us they were padding the payroll with unnecessary officers. The incumbent had been in power 37 years. All of this screams saturated corruption.

Business owners would likely know about it. But go along to get along. Even use it to their advantage.

The drinkers, druggies and "criminals" would know too. But they're "bad" people. So nobody listens to them.

While I assume the "good" town people know for a fact that the mayor and his coterie were not crooked. They are all undoubtedly good, church-going people who loved their families. And the town people know they aren't crooked because they have known them since they were in elementary school togeter.

[Dont call me Shirley]

4. What a bunch of spoiled rotten brats, quit because now they can't get away with their scamming.

Much applause for the new Mayor, Tyrus Byrd

[geek tragedy]

6. racist assholes. How many more towns are run by KKK scum like them? nt

[Enthusiast]

8. Missouri must be populated mostly by racists. Amazing.

[tridim]

10. Central Missouri is.

The Eastern and Western borders are not.

[RKP5637]

28. Yep, there's quite a difference. KC is a beautiful city and quite democratic, more

than most people realize.

[-none]

11. The lower half or so is.

Solid Red. They keep voting for Roy Blunt.

[lastlib]

75. they also got Todd Akin nominated for Senate, and

there's a long history of Tea Party/John Birch-style politics in that area. A LOT of right-wing extremist hate groups and neo-Nazi fringe types have strong bases in south Missouri. That's cotton country, and plenty of people there think there never got over losing their black slaves.

[-none]

78. I can believe it.

Some of the stuff Roy Blunt has voted for is really anti-constituent and yet they keep voting for him.

[Moostache]

43. Vast swaths of East Kansas are vying for status as third world regions.

The inbred hill-jack crowd and the racist moron crowd collide with the gun humpers, religious zealots and science deniers to create a toxic stew of idiocracy that would make Luke Wilson blush.

Outside of Columbia (home of University of Missouri), Kansas City and St. Louis, the out-state regions of Missouri are closer to Mississippi and West Virginia than Illinois, Ohio or Wisconsin. There are parts of the St. Louis region even that are deeply segregated and living much more like Jim Crow still applies than 21st century "post-racial" America (whatever the hell THAT means)...Ferguson was not an anomaly here. The St. Louis Metro area, especially North County region, is living in near perfect separation at times. Its not a healthy situation and its not being addressed even after the violence last summer and fall.

[Enthusiast]

57. That is so disturbing.

My area of rural Appalachian Ohio is sort of in the same mold. But not to such an extreme.

My area isn't so much racist because it lacks diversity to the extent that there are no targets for the hatred. However the KKK was very active here 100 years ago. It seems the target of their hatred were the Catholics. That's all they had, lol. I guess the Clan mostly moved on to more fertile ground. The ignorance, gun humpers and science deniers remain.

If I wanted to die I could just go to the bar and proclaim that global warming was a real man made phenomenon. All the gas/oil well pumpers and coal miners would probably put me out of my misery. [URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[Enthusiast]

7. What are they, KKK? Looks like it.

This is racially motivated. I know, duh.

[thucythucy]

9. If only all the sexists and racists would resign

their positions of responsibility, this world would be a better place for it.

Good riddance. Hopefully, the town will find more qualified, and less bigoted people to take their place.

[hamsterjill]

48. +1

Well said. My sentiments exactly!

[malthaussen]

12. Damn, the new mayor is creating jobs already!

Way to go, Tyrus Byrd!

-- Mal

[rurallib]

13. Bet they think they are really going to cripple Parma.

In a year or so people will thank them for leaving.

bye-bye.

[mainer]

14. The outgoing mayor's staff wiped the computers clean

Destruction of public records. What were they trying to erase?

Mayor Tyrus Byrd began her first day in office with a clean slate. Literally.

Mayor Byrd said the resignation letters cannot be found and that the computers were cleared.

Read more: http://www.wsmv.com/story/28814016/parma-residents-react-to-loss-of-police-officers#ixzz3XrCDGwVD

http://www.wsmv.com/story/28814016/parma-residents-react-to-loss-of-police-officers

[Demeter]

17. Embezzlement, fraud, crimes of stolen property....

the possibilities are limitless for the criminally creative.

I hope they get those records back, as much as possible.

[Enthusiast]

20. Selling drugs (evidence). Taking drugs (evidence). Planting drugs (evidence).

We can only imagine after years of Boss Hog.

[NJCher]

73. these guys

don't sound smart enough to pull off a cover-up. Bet they thought all they had to do was hit the "delete" button,


Cher

[JHB]

87. Sounds like a GoFundMe campaign is in order...

...to fund forensic data recovery from the hard drives of the town's computers.

That can get expensive, especially for such a small town. But I suspect it would yield tangible and useful results.

[Red1]

18. Any Sign

of people of different ethnicity's getting along...cooperating...with smiles on their faces..

IS FIRMLY DISCOURAGED, by the hate media and psycho rightwing 1%' ers...

[L0oniX]

19. Well that's one way to get racists out of local government.

[Enthusiast]

21. Maybe we should elect black women to every position.

[Demeter]

22. We could do (and have done) worse

[christx30]

25. No kidding.

It's called the status quo

[Nay]

39. That's a good plan!

[cstanleytech]

42. Meh, I prefer to just elect people who will do the job well and are

willing to dump the trash when its needed and in this case it looks like she's dumped some already now if we could just find a way to dump the trash in control of the House and Senate during the next election

[mountain grammy]

58. Ya think? Great idea!

[Enthusiast]

59. Might help us get rid of some bad cops.

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[geomon666]

23. Flee like roaches, fucking cowards.

I love it. Now she can get some decent people into those positions.

[Demeter]

24. I've got a feeling

Missouri has had enough.

The leaders for the next great Reformation of America will come out of this grassroots revolution...perhaps not from on the ground Missouri, but from the notion that not only is change possible, it is essential!

And it's about time!

[GoneFishin]

26. Good riddance. It doesn't get much better than that if the racists identify themselves then agree to

leave on their own.

[world wide wally]

27. I hope that everyone seeing this story realizes that voting does matter

[jwirr]

32. That is what I was thinking. Black voters in that community must have registered and come out

to vote. Very good example of why we all should vote.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

92. This.

If people register to vote, they can make a difference.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

30. she must be pretty awesome,

If the sewer rats are that scared.

[RKP5637]

33. Excellent, the assholes are gone! Hopefully most of them. n/t

[Kber]

34. I know most headlines are focusing on race and / or gender as the primary motivator

and it is most likely a factor, no argument. But I'll bet this is more about hiding / running from corrupt past practices by the prior administration.

The prior mayor was in charge for 30+ years - lots of time for lots of people to feather their nests.

The new mayor ran on an anti-corruption platform - she promised to clean things up.

I'll bet, when all the dust settles, that racism is only the tip of the iceberg here.

[JHB]

88. See #14 above: They wiped the computers too.

I'm surprised there wasn't a fire in the records office.

[MADem]

91. I hope they did a poor job of it and all of the info can be recovered! nt

[sharp_stick]

35. I checked out Parma using Google Street View

That place doesn't look like it has any businesses left open. The entire core, with the exception of a farm store looks like it's completely empty. Dilapidated buildings ready to fall down, nobody on the street.

They sure don't look like they need six cops.

[Brother Buzz]

53. One commercial business open

The One Stop for one stop shopping; Beer, gas, Slim Jim's, and a car wash

I wonder if the six cop's primary duty was to enforce the 35mph speed limit, the revenue from traffic citations being the city's cash cow.

[packman]

36. First thing she should do

is hire some third party for an audit of that town's finances and for the state's bureau of investigation (if they have one) to look into the history of the town's law department. As stated in several posts above, I got the feeling she is going to uncover a rat's nest of corruption.

[Skittles]

83. agreed

[abelenkpe]

38. I'm sure this has nothing to do with bigotry.

[cstanleytech]

41. I suspect this has more to do with an issue of cronyism more than her skin color.

After all this was a mayor who was in office for over 30 odd years and its a pretty safe bet that he appointed or helped those people who quit at getting into the job and probably shielded them from being fired and or voted out.

[leftyladyfrommo]

44. Why is it always Missouri?

We look like a bunch of total idiots. And we really aren't. But small towns are just bad.

Even here in KC I am extremely careful to do the speed limit and drive very carefully when I am passing through a small town. They make all their money by stopping people.

[Botany]

46. Parma, Missouri where AR, TN, KY, and MO come together

And although I have no doubt that racism is a factor as many people already have noted
Parma, Missouri looks like a dying little town and that they had 6 cops tells me that
corruption and kickbacks were the way things were.

[barbtries]

49. but we're post-racism and post-sexism!

passel of weaklings. shame on them.

[iandhr]

50. I am SHOCKED SHOCKED to find gambling going on here.

[marble falls]

51. But, but, but, racism and sexism is a thing of the past!!!!

[Downtown Hound]

52. 10 bucks says these cops said police racism was a non-issue while Ferguson

was burning.

[Xipe Totec]

55. Good. Let them out themselves.

Time to clean house.

It's great when the trash sweeps itself out all by itself.

[bluestateguy]

56. OK

"Please turn in your parking pass and office keys to the front desk"

"Goodbye"

"Were you expecting an office farewell party or something?"

[workinclasszero]

60. There's got to be massive corruption

Going on there. I'd start an investigation if I was the new mayor.

[customerserviceguy]

80. Maybe I'm misunderstanding something here

But the 37 years under two terms thing really doesn't add up. Do mayors there get elected to terms of nearly 20 years each?

[workinclasszero]

85. I've never heard of terms being that long

And I'm sure thats not the only fishy thing that had been going on in that town

[moondust]

61. Let's see...

Five of six resigned, leaving one, in a town with a population of 740. I once lived in a town about that size and it only had one "night watchman"/policeman with a cruiser who seldom had anything to do besides stopping high schoolers drag racing down main street.

I'd say Parma is on the right track.

[PersonNumber503602]

64. It does seem odd that 7 officers were needed for this town

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.6096468,-89.815536,15z

Really? Maybe four at the most, and that's probably stretching it. Two at night and two during the day. They probably don't even need a police department, and that should be outsourced to the county. Isn't that usually what small towns do?

[moondust]

65. Some probably do.

Others may use volunteers or something to avoid raising taxes to pay for police.

[PersonNumber503602]

62. The city will be better without them.

Whatever their motivations were, they were obviously no good.

I hope they have someone trying to recover whatever data they can off the disks that were wiped, and that they have some people performing audits on the city financials.

[They_Live]

63. Two terms...37 years

Those are some lengthy terms!

[samsingh]

66. good. get out of their assholes. this says all we need to know about you and

members (imposters) of the police (sic) like you.,

[DeSwiss]

67. They must have stolen plenty of loot from people......

...if they can just up and quit their jobs like that. If I was mayor the first thing I'd do is order an audit. Of everything. If I found a fucking stapler missing I'd charge them with theft of government property.

- Let 'em try and find a job with that on their records.....

K&R

Police Crime Cop Block

[wendylaroux]

68. Parma Topix

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/parma-mo

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/parma-mo/TA66EK7AV3R39JQQG

[edbermac]

69. She'll probably go out and hire a black sheriff now!

What did you expect? "Welcome, sonny"? "Make yourself at home"? "Marry my daughter"? You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons!

[Bartlet]

70. But they're not racists at all....

Oh wait, yes they are.

[valerief]

72. I'm amazed she got elected. Not that people would vote for her, but that

the votes were actually counted in her favor. Amazing. I hope things improve in that town.

[NJCher]

74. Remember the CA town that ripped off its Hispanic citizens?

Bell, CA?

The city's top administrator was getting paid something like $800k and the council people were all getting paid around 100k--and I think that was for a p-t job!

I think they had the property taxes higher than Beverly Hills.

With the six cops, this sounds like one of those scams.


Cher

p.s. found this story, about the Bell, CA rip-off

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/30/local/la-me-bell-taxes-new-20100730

[JimDandy]

86. Yep...Check their financials and bank accounts.

The IRS might be interested in these folks soon.

[still_one]

76. They resigned because of "safety concerns". Code word, we resigned because we are racists

[burrowowl]

77. This that

resigned were probably trigger happy, GOOD Riddance!

[ohnoyoudidnt]

79. 1 cop for every 123 peope?

That sounds a little high. Good riddance. I just hope none of them take jobs in my city. And as been mentioned already, how in the hell does someone serve 37 years as an elected official by only being elected twice?

[progressoid]

81. No kidding.

They would have to have one hell of a high crime rate for that many cops.

I grew up in a town of 1200 and we had one cop.

[markpkessinger]

96. I grew up in a town of 750 (on a good day) in PA . . .

For some of that time, we had one, part-time cop. For much of the time, we had no town cop, and relied on the State Police in the event any significant crime occurred. Every now and then, some isolated incident of minor vandalism would take place, and some folks would begin demanding that borough council hire at least a part-time cop again. But what the town began to realize was that when they had a town cop, there were actually more incidents of petty crime. Seems bored teenagers enjoyed making sport of taunting the local Barney Fife! So, today, there is no cop on the town's payroll. And the sky hasn't fallen.

[progressoid]

82. My brother lives down there.

This doesn't surprise me.

[BlueMTexpat]

84. Good riddance ... if that's their

mindset!

Surely there are good people among the citizenry who can do as well ... if not much better.

[treestar]

89. good, they can be replaced with people who want to work with her

what safety concerns? LOL.

[Amishman]

90. The new mayor, Tyrus Byrd, is a Republican

The departing mayor and many of those who resigned were Democrats.

Not sure what to say, my mind is blown

[NJCher]

97. She probably only ran as a repub

Because she had to get on a ticket.

As far as corrupt Democrats go, we're loaded with them in the northeast, and voting republican is not going to help matters. If anything, the repubs are even more corrupt.


Cher

[libdem4life]

93. Decades ago,the reason for not hiring women was that they would not play nice with the good ol' boys

It was stated, not wink wink, nudge nudge. That was before they even had to deal with "uppity black folk". You can imagine their horror when you coupled those two "offenses" ... a black woman. The most dangerous of all. LOL.

Rural folk are epitome of the "rugged individualism" that started America. That's the history of the family farm and yours, mine and ours...and that meant no outsiders. "We take care of our own" (and that included slaves) is another deeply held cultural meme. Women were to be in the kitchen, keep house and garden, and Blacks lived in the poor areas of town so they could be with "their own" too. (The KKK helped to keep them there...poor and no jobs) Everyone had a place in the social structure.

Now they are frantically opposing any changes to the structure, but they are obviously losing. Big Agra has bought farmland in astounding amounts, WalMart has replaced the Mom and Pop small town retail stores in rural areas, especially. So, in essence, this is the Southerner's version of hating corporations with the race integration added in. They are indeed losing their way of life.

I see this amazing incidence as the externalization of the KKK, except now it's the whites who don't have jobs. It's also the root of police brutality that has been going on for centuries and the utter indifference to black lives. Just runaway slaves, especially when they really do run from police. (running while black has long history) They have good reason to run and police think they have reason to shoot them, beat them up, etc.

Enter, the little cell phone, internet, a shocked populace and voting rights you have the real possibility of uncovering what has lived in the dark for so long.

Good luck to Parma, Mo.

[1Greensix]

94. Cops shouldn't choose cops

Those cops NEVER should have been hired in the first place. They are obviously all racist thugs.

[Sunlei]

95. was interesting to read the small towns old website, its like a time capsule stopped in 2002.

I've lived in small town Moran, Kansas a town full of empty buildings and very old woman, last survivors. Parma seems about the same, used to be a cotton industry town.

When I read through their website and see all the pictures, this was another tiny town segregated with white and black 'sides' . Lots of people looking for others and all the historical pictures, all the community events are white people.

a comment from the old website- heres the link look at their pictures. http://parma-mo.com/

Any/all information will be appreciated. About 1927 on the Black side of town a manslaughter occured,leaving two children to be sent to orphans'home in Duquoin,Illinois. The two women involved in that family tragedy went to jail in Parma. One's name was Annabell,don't know the grandmothers name.Chilren's names:Willie Lutishie Mitchell and Alva Lee Robinson.The women were later released when an eye witness verified their statements in the early 1930's.