Solidarity Rallies Set Simultaneously In 7 NC Cities Tuesday

Charlotte NC

01 June, 2021

4:51 PM

Description

CHARLOTTE, NC — Rallies spearheaded by community faith leaders calling for greater transparency into the fatal officer shooting of an unarmed Black North Carolina man are set to take place simultaneously in Charlotte and six other cities in North Carolina Tuesday evening. The "Stand With Elizabeth City" rallies are set to take place in Asheville, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Elizabeth City, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Raleigh beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 1, according to one of the event's organizers, Repairers of the Breach. For more than a month, protesters have taken to the streets of Elizabeth City to peacefully protest the fatal officer shooting of Andrew Brown, Jr., 42. Brown was killed April 21 by a gunshot to the back of his head from Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office deputies as they attempted to serve an arrest and search warrant on drug charges. "With the local district attorney and sheriff's office refusing to be transparent in this case, North Carolinians have no choice but to raise our voices and keep the pressure on local, state, and federal authorities to bring justice for Andrew Brown, Jr.,"Repairers of the Breach said. SEE ALSO: Greenville Woman Arrested After Hitting 2 Protesters With Car Last month, Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble said the shooting that led to Brown's death was justified and that no officers would be criminally charged. According to early eyewitness accounts, Brown was shot while trying to get away from officers — an allegation that has sparked weeks of protests in Elizabeth City as well as demands for transparency. Details of the moments that led to the shooting remain under shroud, however, after a North Carolina Superior Court judge denied a request to publically release officer body camera footage of the fatal shooting. Brown's family was shown a heavily redacted 20-second clip of the incident. In announcing the decision to not charge officers in the case, Womble reiterated that he would not release the police body camera footage, either. Attorneys for Brown's family called Womble's refusal to bring charges "an insult and a slap in the face," and called for federal intervention. The FBI Charlotte field office has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the case. Here are locations for the June 1 rallies: Reuter Terrace, South Market Street, Asheville Government Center, 600 E. 4th Street, Charlotte 200 E. Colonial Avenue, Elizabeth City Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, 739 Blue Street, Fayetteville Governmental Plaza, 110 South Greene Street, Greensboro General Assembly, 16 West Jones Street, Raleigh First Baptist Church, 700 North Highland Avenue, Winston-Salem RELATED: Federal Probe Into Andrew Brown Shooting Should Continue: Cooper Andrew Brown, Jr.'s Death 'Justified' In Officer Shooting: DA Andrew Brown Laid To Rest As Demands For Police Video Continue Brown Jr.'s Attorney Calls Deadly Encounter An 'Ambush' Andrew Brown Shooting: NC Governor Calls For A Special Prosecutor Judge Rules On Release Of Police Videos Of Andrew Brown Shooting Autopsy Shows Andrew Brown Shot 5 Times, Including Back Of Head Andrew Brown Shooting: Family Only Shown 'Snippet' Of Video Calls Mount For Body Cam Footage In Andrew Brown Jr. Shooting FBI Launches Civil Rights Probe Into Andrew Brown's Death