On Saturday afternoon, men, women, and children marching to the polls in Graham, North Carolina were met with police pepper spray. The march for the “I Am Change” event included about 200 demonstrators honoring the lives of Black people who have died at the hands of police.
What We Know:
- The “I Am Change” march was organized by pastor and activist Reverend Gregory Drumwright. He is a minister of The Citadel Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. The march was intended to go from a local church to the voting polls, although many did not make it past the courthouse -where police intervened.
- Among those pepper-sprayed by Alamance County sheriff’s deputies and Graham police were the family members of George Floyd, children as young as 5-years old, and local politicians. One mother told Raleigh News and Observer that her children began to throw-up because of the pepper spray and are now “terrified” of going to Graham.
- A video has surfaced showing police slowly approaching protestors at the courthouse after a few speeches were made. The video also shows one deputy pepper-spraying directly into a man’s face, while other police aimed at protestors’ feet. The police have denied the incident was intentional.
- The Graham Police Department arrested at least 8 demonstrators for various charges, including failure to disperse and assault on a law enforcement officer. The march was deemed “unsafe and unlawful” due to unspecified actions and a potential permit violation. Authorities will be investigating the situation and determine whether the use of force was appropriate.
Scott Huffman, a North Carolina Democratic congressional candidate who took part in the march, took to social media to share his views on the incident. He tweeted a video in which he stated, “What I’ve witnessed is what is happening all over America. This is wrong. People should be allowed to show up, to exercise their rights, to vote. We’re all taxpayers. The police work for us. Yet today I witnessed pepper spray, chemical weapons being sprayed on my fellow Americans.”
