Protesters paint huge ‘defund’ message on Durham streets in front of police department
A coalition of activists are not happy with the city council’s decision to increase funding for the Durham Police Department, and they have a message for leaders.
It’s a message that’s hard to miss.
The word “Defund” is painted in giant yellow letters on East Main Street with an arrow pointing to the Durham Police Department Headquarters.
About a block away, the word “Fund” is painted with an arrow pointing to the Durham County Human Services building.
“It is an artistic representation of the work we have been doing for several years in Durham to encourage city council to invest in community-led public safety,” said Jose Romero, one of the members of the coalition, Saturday in an interview with The News & Observer. “We were incredibly disappointed and hurt, and just absolutely ashamed by the budget passing on Monday.”
The Durham City Council passed a budget Monday that would increase funding for the police department. The department is scheduled to receive $70.4 million, or a 5% increase over the current year, The News & Observer reported.
The increase is mostly due to the the city absorbing costs associated with a federal grant that funded 15 police officers for three years, six police officers positions for the gang unit approved by the City Council in March, and mandatory state retirement costs, The N&O reported.
Durham Mayor Steve Schewel did not return The News & Observer’s phone call Saturday.
“We imagine a Durham that is truly beyond policing, where the city pays the hard-working residents of Durham to solve social problems on their own,” Romero said.
Last week, protesters began camping out in front of the police headquarters to protest the increased spending on law enforcement.
On Friday, they painted the words “defund,” and “fund” on the streets. It took about four-and-a-half hours to complete, Romero said.
Defunding the police is a growing movement across the country to shift resources from police departments into social programs, such as education and mental health services.
Organizers from BYP100 have called on the City Council to “invest in community and divest in the police.”
“This is a day of mourning and-or celebration,” said Marcella Camara on Friday, while taking a break from painting the “defund” mural. She is a member of Spirithouse, a black organizing group that has developed an alternative to policing called “harm-free zones.”
“It’s a reminder for black people that we are beautiful,” Camara said. “We have all we need to get free. We have all we need to take care of our communities.”
Virginia Bridges and Sophie Kasakove contributed to this story.
