Protesters at NC governor’s mansion arrested after spray painting a Raleigh street
Police arrested four protesters after they spray painted “Veto SB168” in a street Tuesday afternoon, according to the Raleigh Police Department.
They were among a group who had camped outside the governor’s mansion Monday into Tuesday to protest a new bill that further limits public access to death investigation records.
The arrests came after police officers issued the group several warnings, starting around 11 p.m. Monday night, that they weren’t allowed to remain on the sidewalks.
Protesters said the paint on North Blount Street, where the North Carolina Executive Mansion sits, can be removed with water.
The North Carolina legislature passed Senate Bill 168 nearly unanimously in the early hours of Friday morning. The bill was requested by the Department of Health and Human Services and includes technical revisions to DHHS-related laws, in addition to a provision that would further limit public access to death-investigation records.
“This law has been sitting in (Gov.) Roy Cooper’s desk, and it’s very frightening,” said Taari Coleman of N.C. Born, a group seeking police reforms and the end to systemic racism.
“It basically restricts access to medical records for anyone in police custody, and a lot of scary things can happen to people in police custody,” Coleman said.
Coleman, 27, was one of the four people charged with injury to real property along with Njeri Dianne Kimata, 18; Josefina Tawni Gordon, 21; and Trinity Alexis Hill, 19.
Cooper’s press office said Monday the governor would “review the legislation,” but did not indicate if he would sign the bill.
Tuesday, some lawmakers say they plan to walk back the provision. Following reporting on the bill over the weekend by a multi-newsroom collaborative, House Majority Leader John Bell said a fix is in the works.
“The General Assembly acted in good faith to fulfill their request, and that’s why it was included in the bill,” Bell, a Republican from Wayne, said of the request from DHHS. “After further conversations and discussions about its unintended consequences, I am confident this will be revisited and corrected once the legislature reconvenes.”
Protest begins Monday
They arrived Monday night with tents. Told to pack up the tents, they moved to chairs on the sidewalk. Capitol Police, then Raleigh police instructed them to move.
Early Tuesday, officers handed them copies of city ordinance 12-1022, which pertains to sidewalks being used for private purposes and when permits are required.
At 9:20 a.m., police instructed all media and observers to move away from the protest, calling it a crime scene.
The protesters sat in a line in the sidewalk, arms out and palms out.
Police then retreated to a nearby parking lot, and protesters began chanting through a bullhorn: “Veto SB 168!”
When Raleigh police gave the protesters a final warning to leave later in the day, they braced themselves for jail.
“I’m not breaking any laws by walking up and down this sidewalk,” Coleman said. “They told us to move our tents. We got rid of the tents. They told us to move our tables. We moved the tables. They told us to get rid of the sleeping bags. We got rid of the sleeping bags.”
Before the arrests, the protesters wrote their lawyers’ phone numbers on their arms with Sharpie markers, joined hands and sang “Country Roads” and “Wagon Wheel.”
They closed their eyes for a non-sectarian prayer as police approached.
“As the dark forces converge, we ask that you share your light with them as well,” Coleman said.
By 11 a.m., protesters had spent roughly 14 hours on Blount Street, and some stretched out on the grass. More than 20 officers had warned them to leave, but none remained by midday Tuesday but returned in the afternoon.
“It’s been an exercise in suppression,” Coleman said. “It looks like they’re going to do other things with our tax dollars.”
Lucille Sherman contributed to this story.
This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 9:21 AM.