Cops in Texas have launched an investigation with the help of the FBI after a small town's Mayor received a threatening package in the mail ... which included a noose.
Arcola, TX's Mayor Fred Burton -- who's Black -- received the package Tuesday which he says contained a rope fashioned into a noose inside, plus a note urging him to withdraw from his reelection race. Police say he contacted the authorities immediately.
The message couldn't be clearer ... reading "Get out of the race now!!" -- which Burton himself describes as a slap to the face as he read it.
He told ABC 13, "Especially on a Black man's face that he has to open up mail like that and see something like that. I thought we were better than that as a society."
The package wasn't postmarked, and with other inconsistencies, the Arcola Police Department wasted no time in reaching out to the FBI for assistance. The case is under investigation.
As for Mayor Burton, he's standing firm and refusing to drop out of the mayoral race. Election day is on May 4, and he's hoping to nab his third term as the city's leader.