A white councilman in Alabama was arrested on Nov. 7 after punching Tarrant, Alabama’s first Black mayor, in front of witnesses and a surveillance camera.
Surveillance captured Tarrant City Council member John Thomas “Tommy” Bryant conversing with Mayor Wayman Newton with another man between them. Bryant then walked up to Bryant and punched him. The other man present grabbed the council member before he could get another punch in. In reaction to being assaulted, Newton excitedly dropped to the ground on his knees and jumped up and down giddily.
Newman stated that he initially went to talk to Police Chief Wendell Major, but the angry 78-year-old councilman had other plans.
“He started attacking me and verbally assaulting me,” Newton said. “We exchanged words, and then he came at me. He sucker-punched me.”
Before the assault, the racist councilman and the mayor were engaged in a heated debate during a council meeting. In a statement to NBC news, Newton said, “Tommy Bryant is a self-proclaimed racist who has been determined to harm my administration and our city. Bryant has no business serving as a public in our state.”
This isn’t the first time Bryant has been dubbed a racist. In July 2021, the councilman was caught using the N-word while referring to a councilwoman during a meeting, as News Onyx previously reported.
“Do we have a house n***er in here?” He asked. He defended his use of the N-word, stating it’s the same language Black Mayor Newton used.
Bryant got Newton arrested after signing a misdemeanor warrant against the mayor for his alleged verbal harassment. Bryant accused Newton of making crude comments about his wife, specifically, “I’m going to f**k your wife.”
The court found Newton not guilty.
Tarrant Police said Bryant is facing third-degree assault charges. There’s no information about when the councilman will be due in court.
