Graham, N.C. — Police used pepper spray on a crowd of people who paused to kneel in the street during a march to the polls in Alamance County.
Video shows hundreds of people kneeling in a traffic circle in front of the Alamance County historic courthouse, where a large confederate statue stands.
According to a spokesperson for the City of Graham, law enforcement utilized pepper spray when the crowd stopped to kneel in a major roadway, which they had described as a "prohibited activity" to the organizer ahead of the event.
"They paused in the roadway for approximately 8 minutes and 40 seconds. After approximately 9 minutes traffic began backing up in all directions, causing a traffic and safety hazard," said the spokesperson.
Law enforcement commanded the crowd to clear the roadway and move to the permitted area. "When the crowd failed to disperse after several verbal commands, officers with the Graham Police Department utilized a crowd control measure that consisted of spraying a pepper based vapor onto the ground," said the spokesperson.
On Twitter, members of the march describe a different experience, saying they had been escorted by the police for the march and were surprised by the use of pepper spray.
One woman, Gwen Frisbie-Fulton, wrote, "Moments after we were done kneeling a police officer started to yell that we had to be off the street. Folks were confused because we had been escorted there and had a permit. I moved my child up onto the sidewalk. They started pepper spraying us. My child couldn't run because he was wearing his Halloween costume."
A spokesperson for the city said, "The order to disperse was given to the crowd with a five minutes warning. Warnings were issued at the three minute mark, the two minute mark and a final warning was provided after five minutes had passed. The warnings included that if they failed to disperse, force would be used and you would be subject to arrest."
The spokesperson said that several people remained after the final warning, and the officers "deployed a pepper based vapor onto the ground to assist in dispersing the crowd. At no time during this event did any member of the Graham Police Department directly spray any participant in the march with chemical irritants."
However, a photo taken by Anthony Crider, a photographer on the scene, shows a member of law enforcement spraying into the air above the crowd, as the crowd ducks to avoid it.
Crider linked to a full set of photos taken during the encounter, which people can view for a better idea of the incident.
During the rally the Graham Police Department made 8 arrests for offenses such as Resist Delay and Obstruct, Failure to Disperse, and one count of assault on a law enforcement officer.
The spokesperson said they did originally have contact with the organizer, Reverend Greg Drumwright and tried to work with him to plan the event. They said he had the opportunity to petition for a road closure, which would have possibly allowed for the gathering in the street, but he missed his deadline.
Contradicting statements between crowd members and law enforcement is becoming a more common occurrence in recent months.
The area has been the center of controversy for years, but recent Black Lives Matter protests and counter protests have increased the tension.
Video on social media shows that multiple arrests were made during the protest.
Alamance County government officials said that the protest was lawful, but became unlawful when "items that were not allowed per the permit were brought on scene."
On Twitter, people at the scene reported that pepper spray was used to disperse the large crowd.
A flyer for Saturday's protest online showed that Brooke Williams, the niece of George Floyd, was at the protest.
Attorney Ben Crump, who represent Floyd's family and the family of Breonna Taylor, was supposed to attend the protest, according to the flyer.
Saturday's protest was advertised as a march to a polling site downtown on Elm Street.
Over the summer, the Sheriff's office had put a ban on protesters on courthouse grounds, steps and sidewalks. A federal judge ruled in August that the Alamance County sheriff and local officials cannot prohibit protesters near the Confederate monument on the historic courthouse grounds.
Dozens of local political, education and business leaders in Alamance County have signed on to a letter asking that the Confederate monument that stands outside the courthouse in Graham be moved.
WXII reports that the Alamance County Commissioners said under current state law the County would have to get legislative approval to relocate the statue, and it would have to be placed in an area of similar prominence. That option does not include a museum or cemetery.
Several commissioners also voiced concerns about a new location being offensive.
The NC Democratic Party releases a statement, calling the incident 'police voter suppression'
Within hours of the incident, the NCDP released a statement, saying "Sheriff's Deputies in Alamance County pepper sprayed peaceful citizens, many of whom were people of color, with tear gas as they marched to the polls." They called the incident "police voter suppression."
NCDP Chairman Wayne Goodwin released the following statement:
“The actions of these officers represents completely unwarranted police hostility and voter suppression. This group of North Carolinians was fully within their First Amendment rights to hold their protest and march to the polls. Our democracy is built on the idea of one voice, one vote; no one should be denied their constitutional right to cast their ballot, much less fear for their safety while they do so. It is egregious that local law enforcement would conduct themselves this way. North Carolinians are no strangers to voter suppression and intimidation -- we know it when we see it. The North Carolina Democratic Party calls for swift and clear consequences for the offending officers.”
WRAL has not received statements from other political parties or groups at this time.
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Police use pepper spray on crowd who blocked roadway during march to the polls in Alamance County - WRAL.com
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