Crowds of people turn themselves in to police for tearing down statues

Earlier this week in Durham, North Carolina, a Confederate statue was toppled.

This should have been a cause for celebration. A large number of confederate statues were put up relatively recently, and if you're making the argument that they should be studied as a consideration of history then that should be done in museums as a condemnation, not celebrated in town centres.

Local police, in response to the toppling of the statue, began a series of raids and arrests targeting those allegedly involved with the removal of the statue.

A 22-year-old woman, Takiyah Thompson, was arrested and charged with numerous offences including two felony counts of incitement to rioting.

In response, local activists and protesters have taken action against Durham County Sheriff's Office.

People are clogging up phone lines, demanding that Thompson's charges be dropped.

Others are marching to the Sheriff's office demanding to be arrested, claiming they too helped take down the statue.

An activist said:

Their voices are a part of taking that [statue] down. It wasn’t about the actions of a few individuals. It’s about what the community of Durham wants.

At the time of Thompson's arrest, Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews referred to the activism as "civil disobedience that is no longer civil":

I am grateful the events that unfolded Monday evening did not result in serious injury or the loss of life, but the planned demonstration should serve as a sobering example of the price we all pay when civil disobedience is no longer civil.

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 investigators are working to identify those responsible for the removal and vandalism of the statue.

It has since been reported that he is refusing to arrest any more of the protesters, since around 200 marched to his office to comply.

HT LawNewz

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