Judge: Graham leaders, Alamance sheriff can't prohibit protests

Graham Mayor Jerry Peterman issued a “State of Emergency” order on May 31 that prohibited people from gathering or demonstrating on any public street, sidewalk or public property in the city between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. The mayor issued another order on June 27 that “completely suspended individuals’ rights to free movement, assembly and speech,” the lawsuit says.

Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed the lawsuit Thursday on behalf of the NAACP’s Alamance County branch and eight people.

The judge's order upholds the right to protected speech and states that the city's ordinance “shall have no force of effect pending further orders from the Court.”

“This ordinance’s only purpose was to suppress the rights of protestors. People have a right to express dissent against racism, police brutality, and white supremacy." said Kristi Graunke, legal director of the ACLU of North Carolina. “The order issued today upholds their right to do so without fear of harassment or arrest.”

A Confederate monument in front of the Alamance County Historic Courthouse in Graham has been the target of protests for several years. Calls to bring down the century-old soldier statue have intensified since the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked national protests.