 They received marginally better treatment from whites in exchange for helping to keep other blacks "in their place", and also for being "tokens" whose limited presence allowed whites to mute accusations of racism thrown against them.Such blacks were often in positions of authority and stature including police officers, businessmen and politicians; however, when whites felt threatened that they might have to compete politically or economically with black men, such as elections or during periods of unemployment, wage instability, or high crime such as what occurred in the Springfield region throughout 1907–1908, during the mine strikes and Panic of 1907, white men became increasingly hostile to blacks, especially those who wielded positions of stature and authority