Attorney for activists toppling statue: 'There was no riot'

[struggle4progress]

BY VIRGINIA BRIDGES
AUGUST 18, 2017 8:02 AM

... Attorney Scott Holmes said the decision isn’t up to Sheriff Mike Andrews, but District Attorney Roger Echols.

“He’s not the prosecutor, and that is not his job,” said Holmes, who is also an N.C. Central University professor.

“And it is overreaching because there was no riot,” he continued. “It doesn’t meet the legal definition of riot. There was no violence. There was no threat of violence. The mood was celebratory.”

A Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman said the office did consult with the district attorney’s office on the felony charges. Efforts to reach Echols for comment earlier this week were unsuccessful ...

http://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article167929017.html

[struggle4progress]

1. Lawyer: Protesters arrested in statue vandalism receiving death threats

By Gloria Rodriguez
Updated 1 hr 17 mins ago

... The lawyer for those arrested Thursday - Elena Everett, Raul Jimenez, Aaron Caldwell and Taylor Cook - told ABC11 after their court appearance Friday that the group has received threats.

"I know they have been receiving death threats ... information that the Klan is targeting them," lawyer Scott Holmes said ...

... NC NAACP President William Barber is expected to hold a news conference in Durham Saturday to talk about the Confederate statues, the Charlottesville tragedy and white supremacy ...

http://abc11.com/four-arrested-in-statue-vandalism-appear-in-court/2321230/

[jmg257]

2. So they will be facing the misdemeanor charges, but should not be indicted for the felony charges.

Hopefully they can plead to disorderly conduct or some other violation.

[procon]

3. Kinda hard to have a "riot" when someone is singing and playing the guitar and

the crowd is clapping and taking photos.

[FSogol]

4. The statue looks like it was made from brown bubble gum.

I'm amazed it didn't topple from kids climbing on it.

[Lochloosa]

5. That yellow thing attached to the neck of the statue is call a Snatch Rope in the south.

It's for pulling trucks out of the mud.

The kids were in no danger.

[procon]

6. Its just a hollow, thin metal casting. When it hit the ground it collapsed. nt

[FSogol]

8. Yeah, I know. I just assumed the base/legs would be beefier to support

the structure.