Kamala Harris makes campaign stop in Durham; KKK protest in Hillsborough

Sen. Kamala Harris (D, Calif.) spoke Saturday at the Founder's Banquet for the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People. She was also scheduled to speak at a church service in Durham on Sunday morning and make a stop in Greensboro Sunday afternoon.

The Town of Hillsborough released a statement on the protest Saturday night. Officials said they had no permit and police had no advance notice about the protest.

"I am grateful and applaud the citizens of Hillsborough for turning out,” Mayor Tom Stevens said, “for standing by each other, and for standing together to demonstrate to the world that the toxic, KKK, neo-Confederate, white-supremacist message has no place in our community. None.

"Members of the Ku Klux Klan demonstrated on the sidewalk outside the Orange County Justice Facility on East Margaret Lane, and counter-demonstrators then gathered. Both sides began dispersing at about 6:30 p.m. Hillsborough is the seat of Orange County and the location of the Orange County Courthouse and the Orange County Historical Courthouse.

"Over the past few months, small groups of two to five people have been coming to Hillsborough from time to time and holding Confederate flags on public sidewalks. The Hillsborough Police Department manages these demonstrations on a case-by-case basis. (Saturday), officers worked with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to monitor and manage the demonstrations."

The protests didn't stop Harris from attending and speaking at Saturday's event. Harris received a warm welcome and standing ovation. The committee has been working for two years to get her at the event as the keynote speaker.

She opened by talking about the continued fight for Civil Rights. She hit on a lot of points about making equality part of America’s identity like homeownership for black families and federal grants for black entrepreneurs. Harris also touched on the current administration, saying its time to turn the page on a new future.

"Who are we?" Harris said. "We are better than this."

Democratic presidential candidates have been slowly making their way to North Carolina — which holds a March 3 primary — with previous public events by Bernie Sanders and Beto O'Rourke. The Charlotte Observer reports Joe Biden is attending a campaign fundraiser in Charlotte next week.