Five protesters are arrested at Melvin Municipal Office Building in Greensboro during a city council meeting. (photos by Quentin L. Richardson)YES! Weekly correspondent Quentin Richardson reports that protesters chanting "the sit-in movement is still alive" are getting arrested at Melvin Municipal Office Building in downtown Greensboro.
UPDATE: From Editor Brian Clarey: One person has been arrested.
UPDATE 2: A press released received earlier today from the Rev. Nelson Johnson states, "There is a group of young people in Greensboro, NC that have identified themselves as the Spirit of the Sit-In Movement Initiative....
"This group has made three presentations to the city council of Greensboro during the speakers from the floor segment of the agenda. Tonight the SSIMI will make another presentation to the city council of Greensboro and continue to make an address some of the deep issues race and social justice [sic]."
As noted in the press release, the group's purpose is "to build a network of movements committed to connecting, mobilizing and building a collective voice with marginalized members of our community by helping them claim their power and by moving their struggles to the forefront of the community."
UPDATE 3: Fahiym Hanna, who witnessed the disturbance, says that five people were arrested. During the speakers from the floor segment of the meeting, Hanna said members of the Spirit of the Sit-In Movement Initiative spoke to council. Members of the group have been coming regularly to council meetings and speaking about issues of concern to them, such as their desire for a police review board, the discrimination lawsuit filed by black police officers and what they perceive as aggressive behavior by the Greensboro Police Department gang squad.
During the intermission at tonight's meeting, about 10 people associated with the Spirit of the Sit-In Movement Initiative went up and took seats on the dais where members of council sit, Hanna said, and began to discuss the items on their agenda.
The protesters were moved out of council chambers, Hanna said, and down to the mezzanine on the plaza level. At that point, five of them linked arms, sat down on the floor and refused to budge for about half an hour.
Hanna said he did not know what the charges were. Those arrested were Carlyle Phillips, Cherrell Brown, Wesley Morris and Jonathan Johnson and a fifth person whose name is not known at this time.
UPDATE 4: A correction to the names of the five who were arrested: Cherrell Brown, Jonathan Johnson, Carlyle Phillips, Clarence Hunt and Wesley Morris.
UPDATE 4: A press release issued by community organizer Joseph Frierson and two other activists reports a minor difference from Hanna's account. The press release states that Brown was arrested at the council members seats, while the other four were arrested downstairs.
According to the press release, the group has appealed to NC Attorney General Roy Cooper "to intervene in what it called an entangled web of criminality and double standards," and has made several demands to city council, including
• "That the gang unit, charged with being lawless and out of control, be suspended and a Citizens Review Commission be established to determine the gang unit's fate;
• "That a Citizens Review Commission be established to investigate all of the [sic] constitute what the young group has called a subculture of corruption and double standards in the police department; and
• "That current police chief [sic] is ordered to respond to 97 questions submitted by a group of clergy [the Pulpit Forum]. These questions point toward serious ethical and criminal violations within the department."
The press release states that a "sit-in rally" will take place tomorrow at 3 p.m. in front of the Melvin Municipal Office Building.
UPDATE 5: An press release from the Greensboro Police Department states that the five protesters were charged with second-degree trespass. After being processed, they were released by the magistrate on a written promise to appear in court.
Five protesters, led by Cherrell Brown, emerge from the Guilford County Jail after being released on promise to appear in court.
2 comments:
"At that point, five of them linked arms, sat down on the floor and refused to budge for about half an hour."
This is inaccurate. They never sat down on the floor. Once they were taken out of the council chambers, they stood inside the building near the main entrance until they were arrested.
www.spiritofthesitins.wordpress.com
Post a Comment