A group of around 100 demonstrators have gathered across the street from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., to protest the shooting death last week of a Keith Lamont Scott by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer.
The protesters, holding signs and led by a man on a bullhorn, were surrounded by at least two dozen police officers in riot gear on Sunday afternoon. Police were on bicycles, but also brought armoured vehicles to the stadium.
A group of about 100 protesters gathered outside of the NFL stadium on Sunday. (USA Today Sports)
Their message competed with the noise of fans streaming toward the stadium and an impromptu jazz band playing tunes less than a block away.
Inside the stadium, people attending the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Carolina Panthers watched the protesters from access ramps to the upper level.
Charlotte police released body and dashboard camera footage Saturday of the black man’s shooting after several days of demonstrations that have coalesced around demands that the public see the videos. The footage did not show whether Scott was holding a gun.
On Saturday, demonstrators chanted, “No tapes, no peace” and raised signs including one reading “Stop Killing The Black People.”
National Guard in town
The demonstrations reached a violent crescendo on Wednesday before the National Guard was called in a day later to maintain order.
National Guard vehicles were parked in front of an entrance to Bank of America Stadium before the game. Increased security is in place for the game after five nights of protests over Tuesday’s fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. (Associated Press)
Prior to Sunday’s game, about 50 police dressed in black riot gear posed for pictures with fans of both the Panthers and the Vikings.
Extra security ringed the stadium prior to Sunday’s 1 p.m. kickoff. The beefed-up security included troopers from the North Carolina Highway Patrol and their vehicles.
Police keep protestors back from the Bank of America Stadium Sunday. (USA Today Sports)
A midnight to 6 a.m. curfew has been in effect since Thursday, and National Guardsmen have been stationed throughout downtown each night. Four people were arrested Saturday night on charges ranging from curfew violation to impeding traffic and possession of a homemade weapon.
Clinton to visit North Carolina Tuesday
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is planning to head back in North Carolina ahead of her rescheduled trip to Charlotte.
Her campaign says the candidate will speak at a Democratic Party event Tuesday at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, N.C. She plans to speak about her economic proposals and how these will help families.
The Democratic presidential nominee had been scheduled to visit Charlotte on Sunday but postponed the trip at the request of city officials, who said the city needed to heal after last week’s police shooting death.
Clinton’s campaign has said that she now plans to visit the city Sunday, Oct. 2, “if circumstances allow.”