Police chief, sheriff meet with protesters. Why some Durham groups aren’t happy.
Protesters who briefly blocked the Durham Freeway this week sat down with the police chief, the sheriff and others Friday to discuss solutions to systemic racism in the Bull City.
Artist Skip Gibbs called for the meeting and afterward said the parties agreed to “put together some plans and work super hard together to get these things pushed so that we can get the funding that we need.”
Gibbs said they agreed to form a committee to help people address their concerns. Many of Durham’s challenges are tied to poverty, he said, citing a need for grocery stores, better community centers and access to a better education.
“I am looking to inform police about the plight of our people,” he said.
“We need resources. We need things in our community. The only way to get those things, is to use our vote, to use our voices to use our unity, to use our strength as a people,” he said.
Friday’s meeting was by invitation only, and after the first few minutes, closed to most reporters and others.
Three people from other social-justice organizations arrived after the nearly two-hour meeting started and expressed concern about groups being shut out.
“You have community who want to come in and have their voices heard also, and they are not being allowed to come in,” said Andrea Hudson, who is involved with organizations such as the North Carolina Community Bail Fund and Durham Beyond Policing.
When people feel they aren’t being heard, tensions rise, she said.
“Anytime you shut the community out and you say you are speaking for the community, the community will turn on you real fast,” Hudson told Gibbs.
Blocking the freeway
Gibbs, who is part of the small grassroots Other American Movement, organized a Monday afternoon protest that included blocking the Durham Freeway at Alston Avenue.
Part of the group’s demands included meeting with Durham’s top law enforcement officials, which unfolded at 1 p.m. at the old Durham Fruit and Produce Co. building on Dillard Street, now an events space known as The Fruit.
Members of the media were allowed in for introductions, after which most were asked to leave.
The room was set up with three tables facing each other.
Gibbs and former Duke University basketball player Nolan Smith sat at one table. Police Chief C.J. Davis and Sheriff Clarence Birkhead sat at another, and Mayor Steve Schewel and City Council Member Mark-Anthony Middleton sat at a third.
Initially, organizers indicated they would stream the meeting on social media, but the live feeds were shut down during the meeting.
Gibbs told officials they didn’t have time for hypothetical situations and possibilities.
“We are not here to hear what you can do. We are here to hear what you will do,” he said. “Durham does not have time. The world is burning around us.”
After the meeting, Birkhead released a statement saying officials heard about minorities being disproportionately arrested and mistreated by law enforcement. They talked about the connection between poverty and crime, he said, and how a lack of resources leads to hopelessness and feelings that the community is intimidated not protected by police.
“As Sheriff, I am committed to criminal justice reform,” the statement said. “As a fellow Durham resident, I pledge to work together to change the status quo in order to level the playing field for everyone.”
‘True dialogue’
After the meeting, Gibbs told those outside that organizers couldn’t invite the entire community due to social distancing and available space.
Gibbs said he cut the live feed because cameras can make people dishonest.
“We had true dialogue, Bro,” Gibbs told Michael Taylor, who confronted Gibbs about the closed meeting. “We are going to change things.”
Taylor responded: “So you don’t think it should have been seen. ... You don’t think the people need to see the dishonesty.”
Gibbs said he wants every black organization to provide a liaison that he can sit down with. “Let’s all sit down in solidarity and talk to each other,” he said.
Different approaches to solutions
The discussion also highlighted different approaches to addressing racism and how some groups will work with police while others won’t.
Hudson wants to abolish the bail and the prison systems and defund the police. Members of her community fear working with police due to over-policing and concerns about snitching, she said. Government money will come with strings attached, she said.
Gibbs responded that it would be too hard to abolish the prison system. Later he said police are needed in communities.
“The Police Department is important,” he said.
But the city budget has a lot of places that officials can reallocate funds to poor communities, he said.
Hudson said police must be held accountable. She said she ultimately wants “black power” and doesn’t think that will come from city officials or government money.
“We have got enough political capital in ourselves to start our own political party, and have a black agenda,” she said.
Davis said police are needed to help victims of crimes and that police can’t address issues without the community’s help.
When Gibbs’ group demanded a meeting, she was grateful, Davis said.
“I said, ‘Finally somebody wants to talk,’” Davis said during the meeting. “Finally somebody in our community wants to work with us for a solution.”
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 6:48 PM.
