Protesters pull down Confederate statue at old Durham County courthouse

[DonViejo]

By Derrick Lewis, Amy Cutler and CBS North Carolina
Published: August 14, 2017, 6:38 pm Updated: August 15, 2017, 6:12 am

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 Confederate 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 the statue toppling because it happened on county property.

“Because this incident occurred on county property, where county law enforcement officials were staffed, no arrests were made by DPD officers,” Durham Police spokesman Wil Glenn wrote in an email statement.

Durham County Sheriff’s deputies videotaped the statue being brought down — but didn’t stop it from happening.

more + video
http://wncn.com/2017/08/14/protesters-rally-against-confederate-monument-in-front-old-durham-county-courthouse/

[ExciteBike66]

1. I find this a bit strange:

"“Because this incident occurred on county property, where county law enforcement officials were staffed, no arrests were made by DPD officers,” Durham Police spokesman Wil Glenn wrote in an email statement. "

I'm fine with the folks taking down the statue, but it is a bit strange that the local cops witnessed what was technically a crime and did nothing about it.

[marylandblue]

2. Durham County wanted to remove the statue

But state law prohibits. I assume this means the county is happy that the protestors did what the county itself could not.

[struggle4progress]

3. Did the Sheriff's Department seek assistance from the Durham Police Department?

Sheriff's Department staff were present at the time