The Obama Effect In Mississippi

As Toby Harnden of the London Telegraph crosses America for a reporting marathon, he's getting quite the education. His latest stop was in Alligator, MS where a white mayor was voted out and replaced by a black man who was a former employee of the mayor of 30 years (for some reason I'm reminded of Marty McFly in Back To the Future telling the black man in the coffee shop he would be mayor one day).

The new mayor is 38 year-old Tommie “Tomaso” Brown who decided to do battle against 71 year-old Robert Fava because Obama inspired him.

Said Brown,

Obama was a major influence on everybody. He inspired me.

Ain't Alligator lucky!

It didn't take long for Brown to find himself in the middle of his first "crisis" either. It appears he has some racists who have targeted a senior citizen (Fava) for their epithets. Some black youths apparently confronted Fava and were so overcome they couldn't keep their pants on according to a local named Jennifer Green.

They was pulling down their pants, shouting, ’Kiss my black ass, because we got a black mayor’, swinging their things around and throwing stuff

Isn't that quaint?

I'd say it's the type of crisis that might drive the new mayor to drink but according to Green, Brown has apparently already been driven to whatever place causes him to pop the top.

He says there’s going to be lots of changes and everything with all these kids running around here.
But he do the same thing they do, drinking beer and stuff. You’ve got to stay at home and study the town. Alligator is the kind of place where if you leave your door open, when you come back there ain’t nothing in your house.

Flav's take on diversity in the town of Alligator is intriguing as well.

Alligator is a quiet town, except when we get that Voodoo and Rap music.

For a look at some real Americana, check out the Telegraph article for yourself.

h/t to Drudge