Here’s what people want to change in NC after George Floyd’s death, petitions show
As people call for change across North Carolina, some are taking a stance online.
With more than 310,000 signatures, the petition with the most support calls for justice in the shooting death of Cameron Green, according to Change.org data as of Tuesday.
Officials in Columbus County, in Eastern North Carolina, said a homeowner thought Green was an intruder and was justified in shooting him, WWAY reported. The petition offers another explanation, saying teenagers had invited Green to the house.
The petition is among those gaining traction in the weeks after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for almost 9 minutes. The officer and three others have been charged in Floyd’s death, which sparked protests and calls for reform across the country.
So what are the other changes people most want to see in North Carolina?
Change.org says more than 110,000 people have expressed support for removing the Market House in downtown Fayetteville, a site where slaves were sold “occasionally,” McClatchy News reported. The building was damaged after several people tried to set it on fire during a protest on May 30, federal prosecutors say.
Other top Change.org petitions the company says focus on “racial justice” call for police reform. Petitions seeking an oversight board for the Fayetteville Police Department and ending “immunity” for law enforcement officials had more than 1,200 and 600 signatures, respectively, as of Tuesday.
Rounding out the top five, hundreds of people have signed to support the removal of Confederate statues in North Carolina. While state law offers protection for certain monuments, some cities this month have voted in favor of removal, McClatchy News reported.
Change.org says the North Carolina petitions on its list were posted within a two-week period that ended Tuesday. They are among several that have garnered signatures nationwide, according to the company.
“People are coming together in communities across the country to demand real, meaningful action by local authorities to advance racial justice,” Ansa Edim, senior manager for Change.org, said in a news release. “We’re seeing people spurred by national movements, calling for tangible ways to demand change and shift our culture in their local towns, police departments and schools.”
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 4:48 PM with the headline "Here’s what people want to change in NC after George Floyd’s death, petitions show."
