RALEIGH - On June 4, the Raleigh City Council held a special meeting to receive public comments regarding the recent protests against police brutality, during which the majority of comments supported protesters’ demands. Below is a statement from the #RaleighDemandsJustice Coalition, Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services (RREPS), Raleigh PACT, Emancipate NC, Young Americans Protest (YAP), Carolina Peace Center, Black and Brown Policy Network, Orchid Bloom, and ACLU of North Carolina in response to the special session:
“The overwhelming number of calls for the Raleigh City Council to act immediately on the coalition’s demands demonstrate the broad support in our communities for police accountability and the fight in defense of Black lives.
After more than four years of pleas for change from Raleigh residents, hundreds of people spoke directly with city leaders tonight, urging them to change the way the city views community safety, divest from the police, and end violence against protesters at the hands of law enforcement.
Many residents also called for the removal of Chief Deck-Brown and for Mayor Mary Ann-Baldwin to step down from office if these policy changes are not implemented.
Tonight the coalition calls on Mayor Baldwin to make a choice: Continue to line her pockets or work for her constituents. We demand that she resign from her role with Barnhill Construction, a developer that incentivizes putting property over Black lives. To make that possible, and for the health of our local democracy longterm, we call for an increase in the salaries of the mayor and city councilors to full-time so working-class people have the opportunity to hold these leadership positions.
We demand the city council take meaningful action to end police violence and brutality. Without justice, there will be no peace.”
