The “I Am Change” march to the polls took place on October 31st in North Carolina with around 200 people in attendance. The crowd was met by pepper spray and arrests as they arrived at the courthouse. On behalf of the marchers, two lawsuits were filed by the ACLU and NAACP on November 2nd.
What We Know:
- The marchers were only at the scene for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, symbolic of the time George Floyd was in a chokehold before his death in Minneapolis. The lawsuit filed by ACLU details that the group was suddenly stopped and pepper sprayed by police.
Earlier today, I attended the “I Am Change” march in Graham, which was supposed to end at the polls. At least a dozen people were arrested, and the crowd was repeatedly pepper sprayed. #ncpol 1/ pic.twitter.com/4juq9EGdZj
— Carli Brosseau (@carlibrosseau) October 31, 2020
- The ACLU lawsuit asserts that the protest was nonpartisan and was completely peaceful until police incited violence.
- The NAACP lawsuit starts with, “The right of people to vote and to do so free from violence, retribution, or intimidation from private actors or their government is one of the most sacred guarantees of a constitutional democracy” and points out the harm done to the children and disabled individuals present at the march.
- Lawyers on the case say they wanted to have the lawsuit in place as soon as possible so that the march planned for Election Day would not be interrupted.
The group marched once again on Election Day, led by pastor Rev. Greg Drumwright. They were met by counter protesters and confederate flags but the night continued peacefully.
