Raleigh City Council meeting gets heated as group calls for police accountability
There were tense moments at a Raleigh City Council meeting Tuesday night, as a group showed up to demand a change and accountability when it comes to law enforcement.
Posted — Updated“What will it take for the City of Raleigh to value black lives,” she asked.
On Tuesday night, groups asked, as they have many times before, for a citizen’s advisory review board for the Raleigh Police Department; one with investigative, disciplinary and subpoena power.
There was a new face in the group of activists this time- Frederick Hall, who was seen on video last month swinging at several Raleigh police officers before they used clubs and fists to subdue him.
After a review of body-worn and dashboard camera video from the scene, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said the officers' actions did not warrant criminal charges.
“Just do your job, do what we voted on you to do,” Hall said, referring to city council members.
During a recess called by Mayor Nancy McFarlane as the meeting got heated, council member Corey Branch said that, for him, finding common ground is personal.
“Being a Raleigh native, about to have my first child here, I have to look at the future and what’s going forward and how we can build,” he said.
Byrd said advocacy is a position she was thrust into, but it is a fight she will continue.
“This work is helping me to feel like I’m serving a purpose for losing him,” she said. “I know he would be proud.”
McFarlane pointed out that she has had many one-on-one conversations with a few people who spoke Tuesday evening. She said the issues are complex and go beyond just the police department, but noted changes have been made in policing, including the use of body cameras, to make a difference.
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