If someone offered you the chance to move into a developing all-Black community, would you take it? One Black man is proposing his own community in Texas for Black folks and other people of color to enjoy… But there’s a big catch: You have to vote in his favor and the state government is getting involved.
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Like many Americans, Dr. Michael Tanner has been expressing his frustrations with the current government. That’s why he said he’s planning to run for president come 2028. But with little fame and no political party affiliation, Tanner’s plan to bring wealth to Black communities comes with a price. And the state of Texas is taking legal action against him.
It all started when Tanner began posting on social media advertising the “melanated people of power” movement. He explained it’s time for people of color to get together and build their own communities from the ground up. “It don’t matter where you are on the world. It could be Africa, Asia, as long as you melanated. That’s the only thing that matters. It’s for us. It’s for us,” he said on Instagram.
Part of the plan requires Tanner to take over Loving County in Texas and rename it “Tanner County.” And one of the mandates in this new country would be to vote for his preferred candidates. So far, dozens have moved onto Tanner’s two five-acre plots in Loving County, according to KOSA. They’re reportedly staying in makeshift shelters and RVs.
On paper, Dr. Tanner’s plan sounds appealing to some, but according to the state, it’s all a scam. That’s why they just hit him with a restraining order. “The show is over,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said. “A court has ordered that this illegal and deceptive political scheme must stop immediately. Malcolm Tanner was trying to take advantage of people with false promises of free homes and unlawful payouts. Texas is for Texans, not out-of-state grifters.”
The AG first brought forth a lawsuit on Oct. 16, alleging Tanner illegally set up the housing site. He called it a “political takeover” and criticized the Black man for developing an alleged “deceptive and unlawful scheme.”
Tanner responded to the lawsuit on Facebook. “I, Dr Malcolm Tanner, want the people of Texas and this country to know that I respect the authority of the Court and will fully comply with its orders,” he began.
“This land is more than dirt and stone. It is a test of America’s promise,” Tanner added. “Will the government protect the rights of its citizens, or will it allow harassment to crush them? Will we prove that the smallest populated county in Texas can still honor the largest principles of our Republic?”
Tanner isn’t the first to develop a community based on race. We previously told you all about the “whites-only” town located in the Ozarks, Ark. The state has not taken legal action against this development, however.
Texas Rep. Brooks Landgraf celebrated the lawsuit against Tanner. “Loving County is not a political playground for out-of-staters,” he began, according to KOSA. “I’m grateful to the attorney general for his prompt response to the situation, and I will continue to work with him, Sen. Sparks and the locally-elected officials in Loving County to make sure that the rights of the people are protected.”
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