Protesters Who Toppled Durham Confederate Statue Cleared of Charges

Durham District Attorney announced five protestors from last summer are free of criminal charges.

Demonstrator in Durham, North Carolina
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Image via Getty/Sara D. Davis

Demonstrator in Durham, North Carolina

In Trump's America, protests are of abundance. All across the nation, communities are rallying up against gun violence, racism, misogyny, and other oppressions.

Shortly following the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, over 100 protesters participated in an "emergency" demonstration to remove a Confederate Soldiers Monument outside the old Durham County Courthouse in North Carolina. During the same rally, protestors successfully toppled the statue to the ground. They subsequently faced charges related to injury to, defacing, and conspiracy to deface a public property or building.

#BREAKING Protesters in #Durham topple confederate monument downtown pic.twitter.com/a3BNIavyxC

However, according to The Herald Sun, the city's District Attorney Roger Echols announced on Tuesday that charges against five protestors accused of toppling the Confederate statue will be dropped. While prosecutors presented all possible evidence regarding the situation from last August, the judge said the prosecution failed to prove the defendants guilty. 

Even the descendents of Robert E. Lee understand the toxic, complicated history of honoring Confederate leaders so well, they agreed to remove such statues. Other cities, such as Baltimore and Memphis, have also called on local governments to remove outdated, white supremacist memorials in their communities.

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