Town officials condemn ‘aggressive police tactics’ at UNC, want charges dropped
Chapel Hill and Carrboro officials on Wednesday condemned “aggressive police tactics” and “the arrests of peaceful protestors” at a pro-Palestinian rally Tuesday on UNC’s campus.
In a statement shared on social media, eight of 15 elected town officials also urged Orange-Chatham District Attorney Jeff Nieman to dismiss the charges and citations issued to protesters “and to prioritize restorative justice rather than punitive measures.”
“We, the undersigned, believe that, in taking this unnecessary step, UNC administration created an environment that inevitably resulted in an escalation of force, including the use of pepper spray against its own students,” the statement said. “This use of aggressive police tactics against students and community members invites aggressive responses, and only serves to escalate an already tense situation.”
Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee and Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson did not sign the statement.
Anderson and Chapel Hill Town Manager Chris Blue, who retired last year as police chief, did not respond to phone calls from The News & Observer on Tuesday seeking comment about the protest on campus.
Chapel Hill and Carrboro police did not assist UNC Police with the protest response, though Chapel Hill police did answer other calls on campus during the protest, a town spokesman told The N&O on Tuesday.
That angered Chapel Hill Board of Trustees Chairman John Preyer, who on Tuesday called it “outrageous that the Town of Chapel Hill did not provide law enforcement support to UNC‘s first responders working to establish order on campus.”
The story will be updated when more information is available.
