Elon professor who researches right-wing extremist groups assaulted in Alamance County
As a result of civil unrest associated with Civil War monuments, the mayor of Graham has issued a State of Emergency for the city, initiating a curfew that took effect at 9 p.m. on Saturday night.
According to officials, a professor from Elon University was assaulted during an anti-racism protest outside the Alamance County Courthouse in downtown Graham. Two members of the counter-protest group supporting the Confederate monuments were arrested and charged.
Christopher Overman was arrested and charged for assault on a female, while Chadwick Hightower was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, according to a release from the Graham Police Department. Both of the men have posted bail.
Megan Squire, who teaches computer science at Elon and is most known for her work researching right-wing extremist groups on the internet, said she was punched by one of the members of the Confederate gathering.
Graham Police said an officer witnessed Overman striking Squire on the arm, upon which he was immediately arrested.
Squire is also a fellow at the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right, the "is the leading information aggregator and knowledge repository on the radical right, past and present," according to the center's website. She also often does research for the Southern Poverty Law Center.
According to a post on her Twitter account, Squire said her husband was slapped twice. Her husband, Anthony Crider, also works at Elon University as a professor.
In his free time, Crider takes photos in the area of current events. Video from Squire's Twitter shows that Crider was taking photos of Confederate protesters in downtown Graham.
Crider was not listed on the arrest reports as a victim, according to a spokesperson from the Alamance County Sheriff's Office.
Crider's Twitter statement said the mayor of Graham was downtown at the time of the assault.
People were on the scene wearing t-shirts that said "ACTBAC" on them, according to photos taken on Crider's Flickr. Those shirts represent Alamance County Taking Back Alamance County, an organization which was previously labeled as a hate group by the SPLC.
