An Alabama Democratic state legislator sent a racially charged email back to a local resident who asked him and other lawmakers not to support any laws that would restrict gun ownership.
The resident, Eddie Maxwell, of Jefferson County, sent an email to state Rep. Joe Mitchell of Mobile and other legislators on Jan. 27 at 10:54 p.m., the local news website AL.com in Birmingham reported on Wednesday.
Maxwell said in his email that seeking to introduce further gun legislation violated state law, AL.com reports.
He then received this response from Mitchell, at 11:59 p.m. via his public, ALHouse.gov email account: “Your folk never used all this (sic) to protect my folk from your slave-holding, murdering, adulterous, baby-raping, incestuous, snaggle-toothed, backward-a**ed, inbreed (sic), imported criminal-minded kin folk.”
Maxwell then responded on Feb. 11, according to AL.com: “That’s not the type of reply I expect to receive from a state legislator. I’m not a racist and I find your reply to be especially offensive considering the position you hold.”
Other state legislators who received the email exchanges provided copies to AL.com, the website reports.
Mitchell, who is African American, did not respond to email and telephone messages from AL.com seeking comment this week.
However, he told the Associated Press on Wednesday that he sought to explain that citizens who descended from slaves and were disenfranchised by Alabama’s constitution have a different view of history and the constitution than white citizens.
Maxwell, who is white, verified that he wrote the messages sent from his email address and said he was “surprised at the racial tones” in Mitchell's response, AL.com reports.
Mitchell has served in the Alabama House since 1994, the website reports.
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