Graham, NC, the county seat of Alamance County, has been something of a flashpoint for controversy in recent years. It has come under fire for its former district attorney who allegedly engaged in voter intimidation by charging a majority of minority defendants with felonies for voting while on probation. County and town leaders also faced criticism for their suppression of protests. Most notably, on October 31, 2020, the town became the focus of international outcry when Alamance County sheriff's deputies employed chemical crowd deterrents against a wholly peaceful rally to increase local early voter turnout.
A small contingent of regulars at the pro-monument protests in Graham.
Here Sheriff Terry Johnson stands with head bowed in prayer behind Chief Jeffrey Prichard of the Graham Police. Johnson is a highly polarizing figure in the community. He was the subject of an ACLU lawsuit for allegedly manipulaing the bail system to jail the indigent. Also, he and his department faced federal scrutiny for systematically targeting Latinx drivers for unjustified searches and arrests. Finally, he not only cooperated with ICE in detaining undocumented immigrants but actively assisted in seeking them out. Even ICE found him a liability due to pending federal lawsuits and temporarily halted cooperation with his department.
Several people in the crowd expressed mixed feelings about the decision to involve the police so deeply in Graham's only officially sanctioned march. Other protests around this time were denied permits and faced police suppression.
The (short) route that the march took was carefully delineated by the town authorities. Pointedly, the route kept participants out of sight of the controversial Confederate monument.
The prayer rally featured several local Black (and white) clergy members. Speakers focused their speeches on religious topics and prayer, and steered clear of criticizing the police.
An Alamance county sherrif's deputy and a local Black leader.
Sheriff Terry Johnson was often seen on his own. Although many people were cordial with him, nobody lingered in conversation.
Graham, NC: June 8, 2020, George Floyd Prayer March
This was an official prayer vigil and short march organized by city leaders in response to the George Floyd protests throughout the nation. Some protesters had attempted to obtain a permit for an independent protest, but the city denied the request and threatened to arrest anyone gathering without a permit.
