Name: BREAKING: Petal aldermen call for mayor's resignation over George Floyd death comment. He refuses.
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BREAKING: Petal aldermen call for mayor's resignation over George Floyd death comment. He refuses.

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Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsThe Petal Board of Aldermen on Thursday held a special&nbsp; meeting to call for the resignation of Mayor Hal Marx after he made on social media&nbsp;sparked outrage.He refused."I will never surrender to the mob mentality," said Marx, adding that he and his family had received death threats.Who is Hal Marx:He said the people calling for his resignation are bullies and he needs to set an example&nbsp;for his family and city by not backing down.Alderman Clint Moore led the meeting, first reading a statement before the board voted unanimously to ask for Marx's resignation.&nbsp;In Mississippi, an elected official can only be removed from office if he or she has committed a felony.Who is Hal Marx?:"The city of Petal and the cities surrounding have grown to be a place where individuals of all walks,&nbsp;backgrounds and&nbsp;beliefs are valued, supported and celebrated," he said. "Recently Mayor Hal Marx has taken to social media and repeatedly made comments that have isolated, enraged and belittled individuals in a way that is unbecoming to our city."Residents, with emotions running high, also called for his resignation. Protests, sparked by his comments, are planned over the next three days.(Story continues after photo gallery.)Myla Cox, a 17-year-old student at Brown University, who grew up in Petal, said she faced a stigma at the school because she was from Mississippi.&nbsp;"Everybody looked down on me because they saw the type of people that run my city, specifically you," she said, addressing the mayor.&nbsp;"For you to come here today and say that we are bullies, and you to not hold accountability for your statements that we clearly do not agree with already shows what type of person you are.&nbsp;"We do not want you leading."Marx, on social media, had said:&nbsp;"If you are talking about the incident in MN, I didn’t see anything unreasonable. If you can say you can’t breathe, you’re breathing. Most likely that man died of overdose or heart attack. Video doesn’t show his resistance that got him in that position. Police being crucified."What Marx meant, he said, was no one knows for sure how or what the circumstances were before he was pinned to the ground by a Minneapolis police officer.WATCH:"I think that people are so quick to judge the police before they have all the facts," he said. "I can't say whether a crime was committed or whether they did anything right or&nbsp;wrong, all I'm saying is don't rush to judgment based on what you see in that video."Marx tried to apologize for phrasing his comments on social media in a way that was offensive, but did not back down from the intent of his message.As he spoke, members of the audience shouted over him, drowning his words."You already have your minds made up about me," he told them.The meeting at times grew heated, and Marx threatened to have the room cleared. Moore asked the audience to let the mayor speak before allowing public comment.Kimberly Molina, who is Mexican, said Marx has made similar comments on social media in the past.Mississippi AG:"You have belittled so many people, it was going to bite you on the tail," she said. "This man lost his life. You have a son that just graduated. Have you sat and thought how (Floyd's) family feels?&nbsp;"You are the face of us. Consider the fact that you have a year (left in your term). In that year you will ruin the city of Petal."Marx, who was first elected in 2009 and was a gubernatorial hopeful in 2019,&nbsp;said he was only trying to ask&nbsp;people to wait until all the facts were out before throwing stones at the police in the Floyd incident."I've seen too many cases before where the police were judged to be guilty in the public's eye but later were found to be not guilty under the law," he said. "For sending that, all of a sudden I'm called racist, I need to have a knee put on my neck&nbsp;— all kinds of hateful stuff simply for having an opinion and asking people to get all the facts before they judge."More:Floyd died after being pinned to the ground by a police&nbsp;officer in Minneapolis.Floyd's death on Monday through news reports and a video taken at the scene.A bystander videotaping&nbsp;what happened documented&nbsp;Floyd on the ground, pleading with an officer as the officer keeps his knee pressed into Floyd’s neck. Eventually&nbsp;Floyd stops talking. About 4&nbsp;minutes into the video, Floyd becomes unresponsive.Floyd was pronounced dead later at a local hospital.On Tuesday,&nbsp;protesters took to the streets, marching from where Floyd was pinned to a police precinct more than two miles away.Jackson MS:Some protesters damaged windows, a squad car and spraying graffiti on the building, USA TODAY reported.&nbsp;A line of police in riot gear eventually confronted the protesters, firing tear gas and other projectiles.This is a breaking story and will be updated.&nbsp;Contact &nbsp;at 601-584-3104 or&nbsp;. Follow her on&nbsp;&nbsp;or at&nbsp;.View Comments

Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsThe Petal Board of Aldermen on Thursday held a special&nbsp; meeting to call for the resignation of Mayor Hal Marx after he made on social media&nbsp;sparked outrage.He refused."I will never surrender to the mob mentality," said Marx, adding that he and his family had received death threats.Who is Hal Marx:He said the people calling for his resignation are bullies and he needs to set an example&nbsp;for his family and city by not backing down.Alderman Clint Moore led the meeting, first reading a statement before the board voted unanimously to ask for...

BREAKING: Petal aldermen call for mayor's resignation over George Floyd death comment. He refuses.

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