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Police force quits after African American mayor elected in US.

Top officials and most of a US Midwestern town’s police force quit after an African American female was elected as mayor. 

Almost an entire small-minded police force and several top officials of a tiny Missouri city have quit, citing ‘safety concerns’, after their first African American mayor was elected.

The election victory of Tyrus Byrd, 40 years old, in Parma was short-lived as soon after her win, five of the city’s six police officers resigned, as well as the city attorney, clerk and water treatment supervisor, the Daily Mail reports.

Tyrus Byrd was sworn in last week. Image via Twitter.

 

Ms Byrd, born and raised in the city and sworn into office last week, said she was not sure why the employees quit.

She said instead of focusing on the spate of departures, the city’s election of its first African American mayor should be celebrated.

Related: This white woman is suing her sperm bank after being mistakenly sent black donor sperm.

According to the US Census Bureau, of the 713 people living in the small city, 57 per cent are white and 41 per cent are black.

Supporters took to social media to publicly back Ms Byrd and voiced their outrage on Twitter.

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Residents didn’t seem overly concerned about losing five-sixths of their police force, saying they hardly ever saw police patrolling the city anyway.

“I think it was pretty dirty the way 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?” resident Martha Miller told local news station KFVS.

More: Police pulled this man over for having a broken tail light. Minutes later, he was dead.

The tiny city, 175 miles south of St. Louis, has little crime, apart from a spate of recent break-ins, according to resident Barry Aycock.

Image via Twitter.

Outgoing mayor Randall Ramsey said he also had no idea why the officers – most of whom were part time and also worked for surrounding towns – resigned, but they cited ‘safety concerns’.

Mr Ramsey served as mayor for 37 years, before being ousted at the recent election.

Let’s hope the recently unemployed city workers don’t discover Barack Obama is their President. They may have to leave the country.