NC Gov. Cooper: ‘Black lives do matter.’ National Guard activated for Raleigh, Charlotte
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Sunday that the killing of George Floyd “broke open painful wounds” and marked generations of trauma black people suffer.
“George Floyd should be alive, along with many others,” Cooper said in a news conference Sunday after peaceful protests on Saturday night turned violent in Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte and Fayetteville.
Cooper told reporters that the National Guard would be made available to Raleigh and Charlotte Sunday night at the request of both cities.
The governor said he talked to Floyd’s sister, Bridgette, who lives in Hoke County, on the phone Saturday.
“While I cannot bring her brother back, I can work for justice in his name. I assured her that’s what we would do,” Cooper said.
Cooper said it’s unfortunate that news coverage of Saturday’s events was “more about riots and tear gas and broken windows and stolen property” than what people were protesting.
“That’s wrong and must be stopped. But I feel the cry of the people is being drowned out by the noise of the riots,” Cooper said.
“People are more important than property. ... Black lives do matter,” he said.
Cooper said that the National Guard would be in place Sunday.
“Some of these guardsmen are trained in how to protect public structures. That is how they will be used,” Cooper said.
Protests were held in several North Carolina cities Saturday along with the rest of the country in the aftermath of the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, in which a police officer is charged with murder.
Peaceful protests in Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte and Fayetteville turned violent later Saturday night, with rioting, looting and arrests.
In Raleigh, about 1,000 people gathered downtown to protest the killings of Floyd and other African-Americans by law enforcement.
A few hours into the protest, police shot tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd. Glass windows and doors at several downtown businesses were smashed, and fires started. On Sunday, business owners and the community cleaned up the aftermath.
Cooper said mayors have different strategies to maintain order but that he wanted to make sure officers use their de-escalation training to make sure violence is stopped.
“This is such an important issue right now in our state and country, and those voices must be heard,” Cooper said. “But we are all worried about violence and destruction overshadowing that message and anything that police can do to de-escalate is something that we want,” he said.
Cooper said many of the mayors have told him that peaceful protests occurred in the day, and at night different people came in.
In a news conference earlier Sunday, Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown said calling in the National Guard on Saturday night was not part of their plan. On Sunday afternoon, city of Raleigh spokesperson Julia Milstead said Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin signed a declaration for a state of emergency that gives the city the option to request the guard, but had not exercised the option yet.
Durham also held a Black Lives Matter protest on Saturday, which was peaceful.
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This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 4:14 PM.
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