Allegations of disrespect flew as thick as mayflies on Water Avenue, the defendant got ejected from the courtroom for an emotional outburst and &045;&045; for a few moments, at least &045;&045; chaos reigned in the election contest of the Alabama House District 67 Democratic primary Monday in the Dallas County Courthouse Annex.

One attorney in the case even intimated that she had been the recipient of a death threat since the hearing began.

Yusuf Salaam, who defeated LaTosha Brown in the June 25 runoff, was escorted from the courtroom after loudly complaining that his attorneys were being turned into &uot;token figureheads&uot; by the five Alabama Democratic Party Executive Committee members hearing the contest.

The brouhaha started when committee member Cleo Thomas directed a series of remarks directly at John W. Kelly III, an attorney for Salaam.

When, at one point in the proceedings, Kelly referred to Collins Pettaway, an attorney for Brown, as &uot;that man,&uot; Thomas said icily, &uot;His name is Mister Pettaway.&uot;

This exchange brought fellow defense attorney Henry Pitts to his feet. &uot;That stream runs both ways, Mister Chairman!&uot; he said hotly.

That in turn brought Davis to his feet. &uot;Sit down, Mister Pitts!&uot;

Counting Pettaway, who was doing his best to stay out of the line of fire, there were a total of four people on their feet at the time.

When, a short time later, Kelly attempted to raise an objection to testimony by a witness for Brown, Salaam joined the fray.

After repeatedly asking Salaam to be quiet, Davis ordered a Dallas County sheriff’s deputy to remove him from the courtroom.

That brought Kelly and Pitts back to their feet. When Pitts asked to address the chair about Salaam’s ejection, Davis at first denied the request.

Davis then called for a short recess as committee members considered whether to allow Salaam to return to the courtroom. It was ultimately decided to recess for the night.

Outside the courtroom, Salaam explained his objection. &uot;My attorneys were not being allowed to adequately represent me,&uot; he said. &uot;When Mister Kelly was admonished by the panel, that put a chill on his ability to raise objections. I cannot be here if my attorneys are going to be reduced to token figureheads. That’s why I felt I had to object.

Earlier, Faya Rose Toure, an attorney for Brown, brought a number of items to the attention of committee members. Among them were several flyers that have been circulated in the Selma community in recent days. One was titled &uot;They Are Stealing Our Vote&uot; and another &uot;If There Were No Rose.&uot;

She accused Salaam of jumping up and down in earlier hearing proceedings and referring to her as &uot;an evil witch.&uot;

She also referred to a recent fire at the transmitter of radio station Z105.3, which has knocked the station off the air. She emphasized that while she was not accusing the defendant of setting the fire, the atmosphere of the hearing had become conducive to acts of violence. &uot;What is created in this proceeding has an effect outside these proceedings,&uot; Toure said. &uot;I’m giving notice that the next time Mister Salaam says something disrespectful to me I will respond.&uot;

Holding up the flyer &uot;If There Were No Rose,&uot; she added, &uot;I consider this a death threat.&uot;

Among the witnesses testifying Monday was Karl D. Smith, one of several Selma residents who has been subpoenaed in the case. When questioned by attorneys for Brown, Smith testified that he voted in the Republican primary on June 4 and &uot;crossed over&uot; to vote in the Democratic primary June 25.

Democratic Party bylaws prohibit such crossover voting.

Then, as he has done for numerous witnesses before, Davis summarized the applicable state law to Smith. &uot;It’s not a crime what you did,&uot; Davis said, &uot;as long as you tell the truth about what you did. That’s the only time under Alabama law, or under constitutional law, that you can be compelled to tell how you voted.&uot;

When queried by Pettaway who he voted for in the June 25 runoff, Smith answered, &uot;Neither one. Want me to say why I didn’t vote for either one? No? I didn’t figure you did.&uot;

The hearing resumes today at 9 a.m. in the Dallas County Courthouse Annex.