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A woman who claims she took part in the toppling of the Confederate statue with a group of protesters in North Carolina has been arrested and is facing several charges. Takiyah Thompson, 22, was taken into custody on Tuesday by Durham County sheriff’s deputies shortly after protesters held a news conference at North Carolina Central University where she identified herself as the person who climbed a ladder to the top to tie a rope around the monument before the crowd tore it down on Monday. She can be seen in video showing the moments before the Confederate statue was toppled....

On Tuesday night North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) called on the state legislature to grant counties, municipalities, and the state the ability to remove Confederate statues lest protesters get hurt pulling them down. NC adopted a law in 2015 that protects historical statues from being removed, and Cooper wants this law reversed. Cooper used a Facebook post to reference the way slaves were once kept in chains in the South. And he criticized the existence of Confederate monuments without mentioning that Southern slave-owners were Democrats and that the Confederacy was a Democrat nation. Rather, he said, “These monuments should...

A woman who took part in the toppling of a Confederate statue in Durham has been arrested and slapped with felony charges, cops said Tuesday. Takiya Thompson, 22, has been charged with disorderly conduct by injury to a statue, damage to real property, participation in a riot with property damage in excess of $1,500 — and inciting others to riot where there is property damage in excess of $1,500, according to the Durham County Sheriff’s Office. The last two offenses are Class H and Class F felonies, with each carrying a sentence of up to 25 months and 41 months...

DURHAM, N.C. — A North Carolina Central University student was arrested Tuesday in connection with a Monday night protest in which a Confederate statue in front of Durham County's former courthouse was pulled down. Takiyah Fatima Thompson, 22, was charged with participation in a riot ... Thompson was given $10,000 unsecured bond and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning. Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews said Tuesday that his deputies were working to identify others involved in the incident and plan to pursue felony charges against them. Some protest organizers defended their actions Tuesday, calling the monument a symbol...

DURHAM The protester who climbed a ladder to help bring down a Confederate soldier statue was arrested Tuesday, and Sheriff Mike Andrews said his office will pursue felony charges against others. “Let me be clear, no one is getting away with what happened,” Andrews said. Takiyah Thompson, a member of Workers World Party and student at N.C. Central University, was arrested after activists held a press conference at NCCU Tuesday afternoon. In a release Thompson said she was the one who tied a rope around the soldier’s neck so that others could pull the statue to the ground. The protest...

Last weekend, I watched with horror as events in Charlottesville unfolded. Having served as North Carolina Attorney General for 16 years, I am all too familiar with the racism, bigotry and full-out white supremacy that exist in corners of our society. But it was shocking to watch these elements displayed so publicly — venom and hatred shamelessly spewed in epithets. My stomach sank to learn that a peaceful counter-protester had been killed and many others injured as the hatred morphed into violence. It started with a monument, stone and metal, inanimate and yet more provocative now than ever. Charlottesville could have been...

When protesters, angry over the deadly incidents in Virginia this weekend, decided to take down a nearly century-old statue of a Confederate soldier in North Carolina on Monday, law enforcement stood back and watched. At no time did officers with the Durham Police Department or deputies with the Durham County Sheriff’s Office intervene as activists brought a ladder up to the statue and used a rope to pull it down, according to multiple media reports. No one was arrested Monday, however, a day later, Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews announced investigators were working to identify the protesters and planned to...

Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews says his office is working to identify individuals who pulled down the Confederate statue on Durham County property Monday night. Andrews’ statement comes amid reports that sheriff’s officials were present when the statue was pulled down, videoing the act but not intervening to stop it or arrest those doing it. Breitbart News reported that protesters placed a tow rope around the neck and shoulder of a Confederate statue and pulled it down from atop the monument on which it stood. WNCN reports that protesters took turns kicking the statue once it was on the ground,...

    ~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North CarolinaSeymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located to the southeast of Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for LT Seymour Johnson, USN, a native of Goldsboro, a Naval Aviator, and a U.S. Navy test pilot who died in the crash of an F4F-3 Wildcat near Norbeck, Maryland, on 5 March 1941. The base is the only USAF installation named for a naval officer.Seymour Johnson AFB is home to the 4th Fighter Wing (4 FW) of the Air Combat...

This has historically been called "looking the other way", and is a classic police maneuver. It was pioneered in Al Capone's day in Chicago, when police actually were on the gangster's payroll for performing this action. Police should receive updated training in the "looking the other way" maneuver. This should include include running to the armory to check in their guns and removing their uniform shirts and hats so they are not identifiable as police. Removal of uniforms is necessary because when citizens see uniformed police they have been conditioned to believe they actually have protection. This could lead to...

DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews said Tuesday his office will seek charges against protestors who pulled down a Confederate statue outside the old courthouse Monday evening. In a statement, Sheriff Andrews said he was grateful that no one was hurt and that county leaders decided to act with restraint towards the demonstrators. "Collectively, we decided that restraint and public safety would be our priority. As the Sheriff, I am not blind to the offensive conduct of some demonstrators nor will I ignore their criminal conduct. With the help of video captured at the scene, my...

Despite laws making the destruction of public property a criminal offense the North Carolina police watched as a motley group of young vandals pulled down a statue of a confederate soldier and then kicked it repeatedly. Question: Is is still safe to be a southerner in the US? § 14-127. Willful and wanton injury to real property. If any person shall willfully and wantonly damage, injure or destroy any real property whatsoever, either of a public or private nature, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. (R.C., c. 34, s. 111; 1873-4, c. 176, s. 5; Code, s....

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – A crowd of protesters gathered outside the old Durham County courthouse on Main Street Monday evening in opposition to a Confederate monument in front of the government building. Around 7:10 p.m. a woman using a ladder climbed the statue of a soldier and attached a rope around the statue. Moments later, the crowd pulled on the rope and the statue fell. One man quickly ran up and spat on the statue and several others began kicking it. Durham police later said they monitored the protests to make sure they were “safe” but did not interfere with...

DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Protesters in Durham rushed and toppled a Confederate statue outside the courthouse on Monday evening. The monument of a Confederate soldier holding a rifle was erected in 1924 and inscribed on it are the words "in memory of the boys who wore the gray." ABC11 spoke to Durham Mayor Bill Bell for reaction about the incident. "I'm not surprised seeing what's gone on in this country," Bell said Monday night. Because the statue was on county property, Bell would not comment on any possible charges against the protesters for the vandalism. Protesters then moved on...

Protesters ripped down a monument of a Confederate soldier Monday evening. The monument has stood in Durham County, NC since 1924. WNCN reports: A crowd of protesters gathered outside the old Durham County courthouse on Main Street Monday evening in opposition to a Confederate monument in front of the government building. Around 7:10 p.m. a woman climbed the statue using a ladder and attached a rope around the statue. Moments later, The crowd pulled on the rope and the statue fell. In 1924, the Confederate statue was dedicated to Durham. Engraved on the front of the monument is “The Confederate...

DURHAM, N.C. — A group of protesters in Durham toppled a Confederate monument Monday evening. The statue is called the Confederate Soldiers Monument and was dedicated in 1924. The protest began at about 6 p.m. near the old courthouse and a portion of East Main Street was closed as a result.

The City of Chicago is engaged in a legal battle against the Trump administration over the Justice Department’s policies towards sanctuary cities, and they’ve hired a firm that’s quite familiar with the President. Well, his family, anyway. The city is being represented by the law firm WilmerHale, with one of the attorneys on the case being Jamie Gorelick. Yup, the same Gorelick who up until recently was representing Jared Kushner in the Russia investigation, and still serves as his counsel (and Ivanka Trump‘s) for issues including security clearance and ethics compliance. Gorelick also served as Deputy Attorney General under President...

[ * * * ] As campuses around the country have simmered and erupted in polarized protests and debates in recent years, more are considering how they can help students navigate free expression – sometimes with a push from legislators. This year Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and North Carolina have mandated campus free speech policies, and a handful of other states are considering such laws. Some schools have decided that First Amendment instruction should be included right from the start, during a time typically reserved for talk of meal plans and dorm rules. “We needed to take the opportunity in orientation...

A previously deported illegal alien in Johnston County, North Carolina, is accused of attempting to rape an 89-year-old elderly woman in her home. Jose Campuzano-Ramirez, a 52-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, is being held on bail after being charged with breaking into the woman’s North Carolina home, assaulting, kidnapping, and attempting to rape her, according to the News-Observer. According to police, Ramirez allegedly broke into the 89-year-old’s home and tried to rape her, but eventually fled before authorities responded. K-9s chased Ramirez, catching him and arresting him for the incident. Police arrived at the scene and noticed that the elderly...

The Trump administration has pushed an energy policy based on the notion of American self-sufficiency and energy “dominance.”