On Monday night, a crowd of angry protesters arrived at the Charlotte City Council. They were calling for resignations across the city while chanting such slogans as “Hands Down! Shoot Back!” and “No Justice, No Peace!”
Mayor Jennifer Roberts allowed people to speak at the meeting for two hours, though she repeatedly had to stop and ask for quiet to allow people to be heard.
It was the first meeting of the city council since the death of Keith Lamont Scott.
“I’m here to ask for Chief Putney’s and your resignation, mayor,” said speaker Henry Lee. “The way it was handled, the secrecy, the lies. We don’t deserve this. People are losing their lives, and you are backing these people with these policies. You don’t deserve to be the mayor of this fine city. You are on verge of bringing this fine city to its knees – step down.”
One young girl’s plea to city council was heard loud and clear, as she cried in frustration over the plight of African Americans in her hometown.
“I feel like we are treated differently than other people. I don’t like how we’re treated,” young Zianna Oliphant said, before breaking down in tears.
“We are black people and we shouldn’t have to feel this. We shouldn’t have to protest because ya’ll are treating us wrong. We’re doing this because we need to and have rights.”
“It’s a shame that our fathers and mothers are killed … it’s a shame we have to go to their graveyards and bury them. We need our fathers and mothers to be by our side,” she added.
Just hours prior to the meeting, Roberts released an op-ed criticizing the “lack of transparency and communication” in the release of the footage of Scott’s death.
“Our city must be more open, honest, and transparent in investigating police shootings if we are to restore trust,” she wrote, also noting that she had asked for an investigation of the shooting.
