As Raleigh exploded in violence, protests in Durham ended peacefully ‘despite the hurt’
People marched through the heart of the Triangle’s two largest cities on Saturday to protest police violence against African-Americans, with signs and chants inspired by the death of George Floyd and those killed by police before him.
But while windows were smashed and stores and restaurants looted and burned in downtown Raleigh, the Durham marches and rallies ended peacefully. Durham police Capt. Melissa Bishop said in an email she knew of no arrests or reports of vandalism related to the protests, which began mid-day and ended about 10:30 p.m.
As protests over Floyd’s death in Minneapolis led to confrontations and violence around the country, organizers in Durham spoke repeatedly about the need to protect the city.
“We’re not here to tear up our own community,” Skip Gibbs, the protest’s most vocal leader, told demonstrators at one point. As the final protesters began to disperse from Five Points downtown, Gibbs reflected on what they had accomplished.
“It’s always a success when we show people we’re not going to be complacent about what they’re doing to us,” Gibbs said. “It’s a success we stayed peaceful despite the hurt and pain we’re feeling.”
Marcher proud of Durham
Marcher Chauncey Taylor said the protest made him proud of Durham and its residents. Taylor, who has lived in the city for more than 35 years and has performed with the Bulltown Strutters parade band, attributes the lack of violence to the love that people have for Durham.
“The city itself has come through a milestone of revival and rejuvenation. There was a time when people did not come downtown at all, especially after dark,” he said Sunday. “And now people are coming downtown, living downtown, rebuilding downtown. Nobody wants to see that destroyed. We sacrificed so much to get where we are.”
Taylor also says the way Durham police handled the protests helped prevent tensions from boiling over. Durham officers primarily closed streets and blocked intersections as marchers moved around downtown, including three trips to police headquarters on East Main Street.
“While protesters in other cities were surrounded by policemen in the streets, the Durham Police Department stayed at a distance and created a safe haven for us to voice our opinions, just to protect us,” Taylor said.
The Durham protest was smaller than others in Raleigh, Fayetteville and Greensboro, peaking during the afternoon at more than 200, about a fifth the estimated crowd in Raleigh. But it went on throughout the afternoon and into the evening, before a smaller, second demonstration was organized.
About 100 protesters made their way to police headquarters Saturday night. As people spoke and chanted outside, there were almost no police officers to be seen. Police cruisers blocked traffic and the occasional uniformed officer looked down from inside the building, but none stood outside or near the protesters.
Inside, visible only at a certain angle through the station windows, a dozen or more officers in riot gear stood in a hallway. They never came outside.
In Tweets early Sunday, evening the Durham Police Department said “the protestors were respectful and we as a department respected their voice. “
“We hear them, we know they are upset, and respect them,” the Tweet stated. “It’s our intent that we would encourage every protests would end peacefully.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 3:23 PM.
