Avery Harvey, one of two protestors arrested in Graham this week, and several other community activists gathered in Court Square Thursday night to speak out against the city’s protest ordinance and call for the community to continue protesting what they called the city’s violation of their constitutional rights.
On Tuesday, Harvey, of Graham, and Theresa Draughn, of Burlington, were arrested while attending a protest on Court Square in Graham. According to police, the protest was deemed unlawful as the organizers did not file the necessary notifications to local officials and the crowd was ordered to disperse. Both Harvey and Draughn were arrested and charged for a city ordinance violation and failure to disperse. They were later released on a written promise to appear in court.
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Witnesses said nearly 40 people took part on Tuesday in a protest in downtown Graham at which two people were arrested.
The protest formed in reaction to the killing of Andrew Brown Jr. by deputies of the Pasquotank County Sheriff s Office in Elizabeth City, N.C. Graham Police charged two of the protestors with violating the city’s new protest ordinance.
Protesters walked around Court Square, according to Elon University professor and photographer Tony Crider, and stopped at Sesquicentennial Park, often referred to as Wyatt Outlaw Park. There were no counter-protesters or any obvious police presence until about 7:20 p.m., when Graham Police officers came out and started distributing flyers with information about the protest ordinance. The city ordinance requires a permit or notice of protest for a demonstration of 10 or more downtown.