Cops help Proud Boys to disrupt LGBT event in Wilmington, NC

[tenderfoot]

Link to tweet

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. That's a misleading account of what happened, according to the county and this news article.

Protesters entered the room, but only after the event had finished.

Demonstrators protest pride storytime event; county officials say there was “no disturbance inside the building”

By Mara McJilton and WECT Staff
Published: Jun. 22, 2022 at 12:05 PM EDT | Updated: 59 minutes ago

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Several demonstrators showed up to the Pine Valley branch of the New Hanover County Public Library during a pride storytime event on Tuesday, June 21. ... The Pride Storytime featured two children’s books, “Daddy and Dada” and “Heather Has Two Mommies” and an activity for the children to make their own family picture frame.

A New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office release said the demonstrators gathered outside of the library before entering a building. A deputy was called to the library for a disturbance.

“A Sheriff’s Office supervisor entered the library and positioned himself between the private room holding the reading and the demonstrators. The supervisor instructed the demonstrators that they were not allowed to enter the room. At no time did Sheriff Deputies witness nor did any library staff report any of the demonstrators causing a disturbance within the library or try to enter the private room that was holding the reading. After the reading, all the participants left the library with no incident,” writes the NHCSO in a release.

Linda Thompson, Chief Diversity and Equity Officer for the county, also released a statement that there was no disturbance inside the building. This statement elaborates that the protesters remained outside before and during the event, and that protestors entered the building afterward.

{snip}

Copyright 2022 WECT. All rights reserved.

[tenderfoot]

3. I'm sure they're being totally truthful... like in Uvalde

Link to tweet

[SCantiGOP]

6. I think I will trust the reporting from the TV station

rather than some anonymous person on the Internet.

[IronLionZion]

7. Several news reports say protestors disbursed without incident

https://wcti12.com/news/local/protesters-disrupt-pride-storytime-event-disburse-without-incident

Police generally are visibly present during protests to prevent incidents.

[gratuitous]

2. Aren't they tough?

I wonder if there were any puppies around that they could kick?

[TheRealNorth]

4. Not that Wiimington has a history of persecuting minorities....

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington_insurrection_of_1898

[brooklynite]

5. Sorry - a personal photo with a police officer tells us nothing

Could have been on duty in the library. Could have been there to make sure violence didn't erupt. Could have been escorting them out rather then escorting them in,

A New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office release said the demonstrators gathered outside of the library before entering a building. A deputy was called to the library for a disturbance.

https://www.wect.com/2022/06/22/demonstrators-protest-pride-storytime-event-county-officials-say-there-was-no-disturbance-inside-building/

[PurgedVoter]

8. That might be collaborating with a known terrorist organization

The Proud Boys are a neo-Nazi terrorist organization that uses fear and violence. They attacked our nations capitol. Police died. I hope the police kept clear recordings of what happened so they can prove they did not collaborate with terrorists. They should probably release those videos immediately so no one suspects them of working with terrorists.

[intheflow]

9. Public librarian chiming in here.

I don't know the particulars of this incident aside from this post, but let me just note that this happened at a public library. The PBs could not legally be kept from entering the building. Thus, a cop entering with them and escorting them through the library was appropriate to keep escalation at bay.

I am an ACAB kind of gal, but honestly, if they'd been barred from the building before entering and creating a disturbance, they could sue the town. So I'm not happy that PBs were disrupting story time, and I'd prefer it if police never had to enter a public library. But in this case, it seems like someone at the library (not necessarily a library worker) doesn't understand what PUBLIC means.