Rallies held across Triangle in response to Ferguson decision, protesters block Durham Freeway
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Across the Triangle, dozens of people of various backgrounds and faiths marched through the streets at the height of the evening rush to protest Monday's decision in Ferguson, Missouri to not indict Officer Darren Wilson in the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
A group in Durham spray painted the detention center and eventually blocked the northbound lanes of the Durham Freeway at Mangum Street, which brought traffic to a brief stop around 6:30 p.m.
Protesters chanted and set off smoke bombs before walking off the freeway and heading to Durham Police Headquarters where police in riot gear waited for them.
The march began around 5 p.m. at Durham's main library branch. It's where Durham's mayor called the latest fallout unfolding in Ferguson troubling.
"The young man's parents said they didn't want any violence and people just disrespected that and I don't think it did any good," said Durham Mayor Bill Bell.
However, the emotion was too great to hold inside for some.
"People are getting fed up and raising their voices," said Durham resident Ava Johnson. "They're not going to take it. So whatever that means, I don't know."
Another rally featuring spoken word, hip-hop and speeches kicked off at CCB Plaza attracted even more protestors, but it ended peacefully with a call for personal responsibility and accountability.
"Our youth need us to teach them knowledge, wisdom and understanding so they can grow and become better productive members of society and become civilized people," said Durham resident Wise Kinetic.
"We need to have more transparency in our police department, know really what's going on -- not just let people be isolated," said Durham resident Emily Chavez.
Despite the emotion on display, Durham police said they didn't make any arrests and there were no injuries.
Meanwhile, more than 100 protesters gathered for a peaceful demonstration at Moore Square in downtown Raleigh Tuesday. They gathered to show solidarity against that grand jury decision out of Ferguson and to work toward change and healing.
They rallied to music and with signs in hands reading "Disarm the Police, Jail Killer Cops" and "Black Lives Matter." They also honored Brown memory in a four-and-a-half minute moment of silence. That silence represented the four-and-a-half hours Brown laid in the streets in Ferguson.
Ten minutes away from the protest at Moore Square, there was a prayer and candlelight vigil at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church. North Carolina NAACP leader Rev. William Barber and Pastor Nancy Petty helped lead a group of both racially and religiously diverse people in prayer and in a renewed fight for justice and what it would take for the path of forgiveness.
"We have proven that non-violent, strong, consistent protest can in fact change the consciousness," said Rev. Barber.
"Forgiveness isn't just offered without some kind of acknowledgment that a wrong has been committed," said Pastor Petty. "We have to start addressing these issues on a moral level, on a spiritual level, if we're really going to live from a place of spirit and soul and justice in that sense."
Barber said on Saturday there will be a 120-mile march from Ferguson to Jefferson City, Missouri to call attention to what happened in Ferguson but also the racial divide he says exists nationwide.
