A Charlotte jail was the site of protests from those, who are upset that several people were arrested as they were marching and demanding justice for Keith Lamont Scott and Justin Carr. Friday night, about 50 people gathered near the Mecklenburg County Jail Central in Charlotte, North Carolina with signs and marched around. The activists were also calling for Police Chief Kerr Putney to resign.
They were also angered by Putney’s decision to cancel a community forum scheduled at the Central Church of God. Some of the activists taking part in the week-long protests carried giant signs that read “Stop Killing Black People! Justice for Keith Scott and Justin Carr” and “Let Our People Go! Amnesty for Uprising Arrestees.”
The protesters have been marching around the jail where several people, who were arrested in late September, are being held. The people were arrested as they were protesting the killing of Mr. Scott, a 43-year-old African-American man, who was shot by a police officer named Brentley Vinson in Charlotte. According to police, Scott exited a vehicle in the parking lot while carrying a handgun, but his wife claimed that he was not armed. Scott’s family said:
“He was in his car reading a book when the incident began, and that he did not have a gun when he exited the vehicle.”
The police stated:
“No book was found at the scene of the incident and lab analysis found Scott’s DNA and fingerprints on the gun recovered at the scene. Police also found a gun, a holster, and a marijuana “blunt” at the scene.”
It took the authorities several days to fold under pressure and finally release the video of the killing to the public. Some activists say police planted the weapon. The protesters were also calling for justice for Mr. Carr, another African-American man, who was gunned down during the protests related to Scott’s death.
Authorities stated that Rayquan Borum, 23, was arrested and charged with the murder of Carr. However, protesters say Carr was killed by a police officer. The coalition of activist groups told local reporters that they want amnesty for those arrested in the wake of violent protests on September 20 and 21. Ashley Williams, a Charlotte Uprising organizer, said:
“We want amnesty for all of the people in the uprising. And we want the police chief and the mayor to resign.”
Williams is adamant that Carr was shot in the head by an officer. She also claimed that Borum was probably coerced into confessing to a crime he did not commit. She added:
“Historically, black people have been accused of crimes they had nothing to do with.”
In September, the tragic events in Charlotte dominated the national discourse, but politics eclipsed them after the first debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
