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Thousands Of Anti-KKK Protesters March Through Downtown Durham

WUNC State of Things Host Frank Stasio speaks with reporter Jason deBruyn who covered an anti-KKK protest in downtown Durham on August 18, 2017.

Updated 5:13 p.m., August 18, 2017

Several thousand people marched in downtown Durham in a demonstration against racism on Friday afternoon.Protesters describing themselves as anti-fascist gathered on Main Street in anticipation of a possible white supremacist rally. Many chanted: "No Trump. No KKK. No Fascist USA."

Some wore black t-shirts. Others covered their faces with bandanas despite the 90-degree plus heat. One man faced off with another who said he supported the Confederacy.

“You don’t own nothing here, go back to your own land, you don’t own nothing here! This is God’s land!” another woman responded.

Witnesses said just one or two of members of the Ku Klux Klan rode by the protest on motorcycles.

The demonstration was expected to be a face-off between supporters of a downed Confederate statue and the Ku Klux Klan, but the Klan was a no-show during the noon-time hour. The protests remained peaceful, though downtown city and county offices closed because of the growing crowd.

Anti-white supremacist protesters rally in downtown Durham on Friday, August 18, 2017.
Dave Dewitt
/
WUNC
Anti-white supremacist protesters rally in downtown Durham on Friday, August 18, 2017.

Bobby BJ Meeks stood back from the crowd and recorded a video with his smartphone.

“I think it’s kind of sad we have to resort in something like this," Meeks said. "All Lives Matter, regardless of race.”

In a statement, Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews said his office has been gathering and reviewing information related to potential counter protests throughout the week.

"At this time, law enforcement continues to monitor the area and has not confirmed reports of activity. We are urging residents to avoid joining the crowd in the downtown area as law enforcement continues to monitor the  situation. Residents are encouraged to rely on verified information."

Protesters describing themselves as anti-fascist gather in downtown Durham on Friday, August 18, 2017. More than a thousand gathered on Main Street near the old county courthouse in anticipation of a rumored Ku Klux Klan rally.
Dave Dewitt
/
WUNC
Protesters describing themselves as anti-fascist gather in downtown Durham on Friday, August 18, 2017. More than a thousand gathered on Main Street near the old county courthouse in anticipation of a rumored Ku Klux Klan rally.

The march comes at the end of a tense week in Durham, after protesters brought down a Confederate monument on Monday. Eight of those protesters face felony charges related to the demonstration earlier in the week.

In comments posted online Tuesday night, Governor Roy Cooper called for the removal of all Confederate monuments from state property. He also called on the General Assembly to repeal a 2015 law that prevents the removal or relocation of monuments.

On Thursday, protesters marched on the Durham County courthouse in support of the demonstration that brought down a Confederate statue, while a monument to Gen. Robert E. Lee was vandalized nearby at Duke University.

Several miles away, Duke officials discovered early Thursday that the carved limestone likeness of Lee had been defaced. The statue in the entryway to Duke Chapel had scuff marks on its face and damage to its nose. Lee is one of 10 historical and religious figures depicted there, including Thomas Jefferson.

One of the last documented KKK rallies in the Triangle was on June 15, 1987. About 60 white-hooded figures marched in Durham and then progressed to Chapel Hill. Thousands of others lined the parade route: some to support the participants, others to heckle them.

Editor Adam Hochberg contributed to this report.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

 

Anti-white supremacist protesters marched around downtown Durham on Friday, August 18, 2017.
Jason deBruyn / WUNC
/
WUNC
Anti-white supremacist protesters marched around downtown Durham on Friday, August 18, 2017.
Anti-white supremacist protesters rally in downtown Durham on Friday, August 18, 2017.
Leoneda Inge / WUNC
/
WUNC
Anti-white supremacist protesters rally in downtown Durham on Friday, August 18, 2017.

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio

Leoneda Inge is WUNC’s race and southern culture reporter, the first public radio journalist in the South to hold such a position. She explores modern and historical constructs to tell stories of poverty and wealth, health and food culture, education and racial identity. Leoneda is also co-host of the podcast Tested, allowing for even more in-depth storytelling on those topics.
Dave DeWitt is WUNC's Feature News Editor. As an editor, reporter, and producer he's covered politics, environment, education, sports, and a wide range of other topics.
Will Michaels started his professional radio career at WUNC.
Elizabeth “Liz” Baier is WUNC’s Digital News Editor. She joined the station in May 2016 after eight year of reporting for Minnesota Public Radio News where she covered everything from demographic changes in rural America, agriculture, the environment and health care. Prior to that, Liz worked for six years as a newspaper reporter in South Florida, both at the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Jason deBruyn is the WUNC data reporter, a position he took in September, 2016.
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