The first black ever to make a runoff for mayor in Shreveport says he thinks racial hatred may have been the motive of whomever festooned his front yard with toilet paper. ``This makes me more determined to be mayor of this town,'' said C.O. Simpkins, looking at the yards of toilet paper draped through trees and bushes Saturday. ``I think that this speaks for just a small number of people in Shreveport,'' said Simpkins, a Democrat. ``In my talking to people, especially white people, I feel that they would be appalled by this.'' Simpkins said anonymous callers have threatened to kill him or his wife, Elaine, unless he dropped out of the race for mayor. Some have identified themselves as Ku Klux Klan members, he said. An anonymous woman caller woke the couple Saturday, telling them to look at their yard, then called again a few momemts later, spewing obscenities, said Mrs. Simpkins, who has fielded most of the threatening calls. Simpkins, a dentist, led the civil rights movement in Shreveport in the 1950s and early 1960s. He led the Oct. 6 primary, in which all candidates competed regardless of party, with 32 percent of the vote, and faces Republican City Council member Hazel Beard in the Nov. 6 runoff. Beard said she was worried the incident would foment racial tension in the city. Her family also has received threatening phone calls and letters during the campaign, she said, adding, ``It's no secret that I've long ago disavowed hatred in any form.''
