Durham City Council member pokes county commissioner at political mixer
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Commissioner Nida Allam accused Councilwoman Freeman of physical jabs at mixer.
- Freeman acknowledged contact but blamed broader bias against Black women leaders.
- Incident surfaces amid tense Durham election and PAC endorsement controversies.
A confrontation between two elected officials has become a new flashpoint as the Durham election season heats up.
Nida Allam, the chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, confirmed Durham City Councilwoman DeDreana Freeman repeatedly jabbed her in the arm during an Aug. 5 candidate mixer. The jabbing left bruising, she told The News & Observer in a phone call Thursday.
This is the second time that Freeman has been accused of a physical altercation with a fellow elected official.
The mixer was held by the political action committee of the People’s Alliance, a grassroots progressive group in Durham.
Allam said Freeman confronted her near the end of the mixer to express frustration over Allam’s views of the councilwoman’s alleged affiliations with people in the Durham community. Allam said she had shared those views with Freeman’s husband, Antoine, explaining the unnamed people used divisive rhetoric she disagreed with.
Allam is supporting Freeman’s opponent, Matt Kopac, in the race for the City Council’s Ward 1 seat and was wearing a Kopac T-shirt at the mixer.
The incident also came a day after Victoria Peterson, a past failed candidate for City Council, once again questioned the citizenship of Councilwoman Javiera Caballero, an immigrant from Chile, during a council meeting.
Whether Peterson is supporting Freeman in the upcoming election is unknown. Freeman has condemned racism and discrimination while in office, and Allam said she did not claim that Freeman was associated with Peterson.
What video from the mixer shows
In video footage from the mixer, Freeman approaches Allam from behind and pokes her in the upper shoulder and then in the left arm repeatedly.
The video doesn’t capture the audio of what Freeman said, but after about 30 seconds, she walks away. A witness, who asked to remain anonymous, told The N&O in an email that Allam later left the venue in tears.
Caballero, who is in the video with her husband and other witnesses, said in a phone call that she was “shocked” by the confrontation. She is seen in the video lightly touching Freeman in an attempt to defuse the situation. Others also stepped in between Freeman and Allam.
“What I observed was one-sided; it was not a discussion or an argument,” Caballero said. “[Allam] was completely caught off guard by Councilwoman Freeman.”
Many took to social media this week to defend Freeman and to criticize the People’s Alliance PAC for later endorsing Kopac instead of the incumbent councilwoman. The People’s Alliance also endorsed Shanetta Burris for Ward 2 instead of incumbent Councilman Mark-Anthony Middleton. Mayor Leo Williams and Ward 3 member Chelsea Cook also received endorsements.
On Thursday, Freeman told The N&O that she takes responsibility for “tapping” Allam. She released a statement about the incident Wednesday, saying the matter reflects a larger issue with how Black women in elected positions are treated and called any accusations that she is affiliated with Peterson or others like her “false.”
“I have consistently encountered coordinated disrespect through dog whistles and racial and gender stereotypes that began with the attacks during the Ward 1 race,” Freeman said in the statememt. “The constant barrage of misogynoir and false accusations have been weaved into a weapon behind the scenes, in the public and in the media to undermine my credibility in the community.”
Previous alleged physical confrontation
This is the second time Freeman has been accused of inappropriately interacting with an elected official.
In 2023, Middleton claimed Freeman hit him in a heated disagreement outside council chambers. Freeman apologized for the profanity-laced argument but said she did not hit Middleton. That situation arose from Freeman’s support for former Councilwoman Monique Holsey-Hyman, who was accused and later cleared of allegedly extorting a developer in exchange for a favorable vote.
Freeman said in her statement that she would continue to hold people and organizations accountable for “false accusations, misinformation, misogynoir and anti-Blackness.”
“Whether they come from elected officials, institutions, or those claiming to be progressive,” the statement read.
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This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 12:48 PM.