Lamont Lilly of the Workers World Party helped to organize the rally Thursday. He told the crowd that his shared house was raided by Durham County sheriff’s deputies this week who said they had a warrant for the ladder Thompson used to climb the statue. The deputies damaged doors and furniture in a needlessly aggressive search, Lilly said.
“We feel violated as community members, as stakeholders in this city,” Lilly said.
“They will come for Black folks first,” Lilly told the crowd. “We will catch the hell first. But they will come for other communities later, so we must stand in solidarity.”
Lilly said he felt inspired by the large crowd that turned out to support those arrested. It showed broad support for the dropping of felony charges, Lilly said. Monday’s action was necessary and represented the will of the people in opposition to the white supremacy represented by the statue, he said.
“This is beautiful,” Lilly said of the demonstration. “This is what a democracy really looks like, when you have black folk and brown folk, women, men, queer and trans, Muslim and Christian and folks of all different walks here in this community. This is what democracy looks like – those who are speaking to the issues of social justice, who are speaking to racism and white supremacy, the issues of poor and oppressed people.”
Outside courthouse in Durham, North Carolina August 17, 2017
Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement 
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