South North Carolina News

State Sens. Warren Daniel (R-Avery) and Danny Britt (R-Columbus) are incensed that Raleigh police have told anti-lockdown protesters that their demonstrations are violating Gov. Roy Cooper's executive order on social distancing. 

The two sent a letter to Cooper on April 15, making an “urgent request” for clarification of the governor’s orders.

In their letter to the governor, Britt and Daniel chastised the governor for overstepping his authority. 

“The police department indicated that you, by executive order, have prohibited protesting itself. If that is true, and if authorities are arresting people who protest because you prohibited protesting, that would be a grave overstep in your authority and would require immediate judicial intervention,” the letter said, which was posted to Medium.com in mid-April. 

Britt and Daniel are co-chairs of the North Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee. The governor has not responded to the letter. The protests are continuing every week on Tuesdays.

In response, the governor's office wrote that protests were not banned, on April 16, which was posted to the same Medium page as the senators' letter. 

“The answer to your question is no," the governor's response said. "Protests have not been prohibited. However, they are subject to well-settled law, which allows for the imposition of reasonable time, place and manner restrictions,” the office wrote, citing past court cases.

The senators' letter was sent in response to the police treatment of protestors in downtown Raleigh on April 14. One protestor, Monica Faith Ussery of Holly Springs, was arrested and charged with violating Cooper’s executive order.

The protest was organized by #ReopenNC, a private Facebook group. More than 100 people showed up, demanding that Cooper reopen the state, the News Observer reported. The protestors said Cooper’s stay-at-home order is "unconstitutional overreach". They said it is killing the state’s small businesses. The protesters have vowed to hold rallies every Tuesday until the governor lifts the COVID-19 shutdown restrictions. 

After an hour and a half, police asked protesters to disperse.

“You are in violation of the executive order,” the News Observer reported a police captain telling the protesters. The officer was referring to Gov. Cooper's order to maintain social distancing. “You are posing a risk to public health. If you do not disperse, you will be taken and processed at Wake County jail.”

Many said the stay-home requirements will hurt more than help.

“I know what isolation does to people,” said Kerry Thomas, a psychotherapist from Cary told The News & Observer. “I know what failing businesses do to people.”

“Are you goons of Cooper or servants of the people?” one protester responded to the police. Most of the protesters dispersed after two hours.