Police clash with protesters for second straight night in Elizabeth City; 5 arrested
For the second night in a row, police and those protesting the shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr. clashed in the streets of Elizabeth City on Wednesday. At least 5 protesters were arrested.
Shortly before 11 p.m., Elizabeth City police in tactical gear moved on curfew violators. Police chanted “Move Back! Move Back!” and took half steps at a time as they approached from two sides and ordered media to leave. Some media members were threatened with arrest.
“Stay peaceful!” one of the protesters said.
The town’s curfew had passed 3 hours earlier, at 8 p.m.
Police loaded those arrested onto a bus.
Before that, about 150 protesters had gathered for the eighth straight night to protest the death of Brown. Demonstrators marched down busy Ehringhaus Street, blocking traffic into downtown and chanting together.
“Say his name! Andrew Brown! Hands up! Don’t shoot!”
Brown, 42, was shot and killed in his car outside his home last week as Pasquotank County deputies were serving search and arrest warrants related to felony drug charges. It happened less than 24 hours after Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was convicted of the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man.
Protesters chanted “20 seconds? Not enough!” — a reference to a short video clip that Brown’s family and an attorney saw earlier this week, which they said showed the “execution” of Brown by police. A private autopsy report concluded that Brown’s death was caused by a bullet wound to the back of his head.
‘March with us’
After more than a mile of marching on Wednesday evening, several protesters sat in the center lane of Ehringhaus Street holding signs such as, “Legalize being black.”
Cars followed flashing hazard lights in support. Elizabeth City police surrounded the march with flashing blue lights on both ends. Other than the protesters, the streets were nearly deserted.
A truck driver who appeared frustrated by the delay caused by the protests revved the engine and ran over a utility box, causing a small stir. Marchers urged other protesters to stay calm.
As protesters marched through a residential neighborhood toward downtown, they called out: “March with us!” Neighbors pumped fists from their porches.
The crowd erupted in cheers when Daniel Houghtaling crossed his yard and joined them.
“I’m the only white person in my family,” he said. “My wife’s Black and my kids are biracial. We’re from Michigan and we moved to Kentucky then here in 2020 to help my uncle. We kind of thought we’d gotten away from all this.”
As Elizabeth City’s 8 p.m. curfew arrived Wednesday, cars honked horns and gathered outside the sheriff’s office. By 10 p.m., about 35 protesters were still milling around in the street.
March by faith leaders
Wednesday’s demonstrations began around noon with a march, led by Rev. William Barber II and other clergy, from Mt. Lebanon AME Zion Church to Roanoke and Perry Streets in Elizabeth City, where Brown died.
As that march started, a Superior Court judge denied the release of body camera footage that showed Brown being shot by Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies. The videos have been a source of tension for Brown’s family, their attorneys and supporters demanding more transparency.
Public officials, attorneys, Brown’s family and the sheriff’s office have advocated and protested for the footage to be made public.
“You ain’t got nothing to hide? Let it go,” one protester said at the midday march in response to the decision about the video.
Superior Court Judge Jeff Foster ruled that Brown’s son and a few others will be allowed to view the videos, but the body-cam and dashboard footage will not be released until an investigation is complete. Foster said the court will consider release at that point, depending on any potential criminal charges.
Tuesday night’s protest also ended with a standoff in the street between protesters and police after curfew, and at least six people were arrested.
Elizabeth City’s 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew started Tuesday night.
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 6:51 PM.
