<p>On Tuesday, police in North Carolina&#8217;s capital city arrested at least one protester who had joined a peaceful protest outside the state&#8217;s General Assembly building to call on the governor to &#8220;reopen&#8221; the state. In explanation of why the protest was broken up and at least one demonstrator arrested, the Raleigh Police Department <a href="https://twitter.com/raleighpolice/status/1250111779574894594?s=20">explained</a> on Twitter that &#8220;protesting is a non-essential activity.&#8221;</p>
<p>Nearly every state in the country is now under stay-at-home orders, which bar activities state governors deem to be &#8220;non-essential.&#8221; In the stunning sequence of events on Tuesday in Raleigh, North Carolina residents were told that exercising the First Amendment-protected rights &#8220;peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress &#8221; are among the activities deemed &#8220;non-essential&#8221; by state authorities.</p>
<p>On March 27, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) issued an <a href="https://files.nc.gov/governor/documents/files/EO121-Stay-at-Home-Order-3.pdf">executive order</a> detailing his &#8220;stay-at-home&#8221; mandate, including the barring of gatherings of 10 or more people in enclosed spaces and the forced closure of businesses and organizations deemed &#8220;non-essential.&#8221; Amid devastating unemployment numbers, which have now reached 17 million nationwide, and with North Carolina not particularly hard-hit by the pandemic, some North Carolina residents have begun to push back on the state-wide mandate.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, a group of around 75 to 100 &#8220;Reopen NC&#8221; demonstrators gathered outside the state&#8217;s General Assembly building to call on Cooper to ease the restrictions so more people can begin to get back to work. As noted by <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2020/04/14/north-carolina-reopen-protests-coronavirus/">The Daily Caller</a>, Reopen NC&#8217;s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1071729406534210/">Facebook page</a> has now amassed nearly 30,000 members.</p>
<p>The Raleigh Police Department issued a series of tweets on Tuesday detailing their response to the protests. &#8220;<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">We are aware of the [Reopen NC]</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> protest that is occurring in Downtown Raleigh on Wilmington and Jones Street and are monitoring the situation,&#8221; the department tweeted. &#8220;</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">The protestors are in violation of the Governor’s Executive Order and have been asked to leave,&#8221; Raleigh Police added in another tweet. &#8220;</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">We are reopening Wilmington and Jones Street. The protest has been cleared. There was one arrest made.&#8221;</span></p>
<p>In response to someone asking &#8220;what part of the governor&#8217;s order was violated&#8221; in this instance, Raleigh Police responded: &#8220;Protesting is a non-essential activity.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">We are reopening Wilmington and Jones Street. The protest has been cleared. There was one arrest made. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Raleigh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Raleigh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReopenNC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ReopenNC</a> <a href="https://t.co/DnQbFZusJy">pic.twitter.com/DnQbFZusJy</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Raleigh Police (@raleighpolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/raleighpolice/status/1250104269300215818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p>https://twitter.com/raleighpolice/status/1250111779574894594?s=20</p>
<p>ABC 11&#8217;s Jonah Kaplan reported from the scene, posting a series of tweets, along with photos and video (posts below).</p>
<p><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">&#8220;Protestors set up camp outside [NC General Assembly building]</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">, demand [Gov. Cooper], [</span><span class="r-18u37iz">NCDHHS </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Sec. Mandy Cohen] </span>&amp; [North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services] <span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">lift [stay-at-home] orders and [reopen North Carolina],&#8221; wrote Kaplan. </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">&#8220;</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">There’s palpable anger [and] frustration amidst the crowd, which includes struggling small business owners.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> &#8220;</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">The group [&#8216;ReopenNC&#8217;]</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">, which organized the protest, had originally called on other small business owners to stay in cars [and] honk horns. Demonstration has now morphed into campaign-style rally,&#8221; he added. &#8220;As [Raleigh Police and Capitol </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Police] get involved, some shout of &#8216;tyranny,&#8217; &#8216;Gestapo&#8217; &amp; &#8216;Comrade [Cooper].&#8217; </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Despite increase in volume, protest still peaceful. There are several families and school aged children here as well. </span>My educated guess is about 75-100 people now, with about half in their cars. Every 15 minutes or do demonstrators let loose with their horns.&#8221;</p>
<p>Raleigh Police Department &#8220;appears to be closing streets around [the assembly building],&#8221; Kaplan wrote in updates. &#8220;<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Officers now warning the demonstration violates [Gov. Cooper&#8217;s] [stay-at-home] </span>order &amp; public health orders. Two warnings now that arrests will soon begin. Third &amp; final [Raleigh Police] warning appears to working as much of the crowd disperses. [Wake County Sheriff&#8217;s Office] prison transports also arriving now, as officers also start walking through the parking lot and going to car to car.&#8221;</p>
<p>In a post that includes video of the incident, Kaplan reported on the protester who was arrested for protesting the government. &#8220;<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">At least one person now under arrest by [Raleigh Police] </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">for refusing to leave </span><span class="r-18u37iz">[Reopen NC]</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> demonstration outside the [NC General Assembly building].</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> At its height, there were probably 100+ people at the tailgate-style rally.&#8221;</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">UPDATE: <a href="https://twitter.com/raleighpolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@raleighpolice</a> appears to be closing streets around <a href="https://twitter.com/NCLeg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NCLeg</a>. Officers now warning the demonstration violates <a href="https://twitter.com/NC_Governor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NC_Governor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StayAtHome?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StayAtHome</a> order &amp; public health orders. Two warnings now that arrests will soon begin. <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC11_WTVD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABC11_WTVD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ABCPolitics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABCPolitics</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coronavirusNC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#coronavirusNC</a> <a href="https://t.co/RoAUUHR3lq">pic.twitter.com/RoAUUHR3lq</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Jonah Kaplan (@JonahPKaplan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonahPKaplan/status/1250098174217400321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">NEW: At least one person now under arrest by <a href="https://twitter.com/raleighpolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@raleighpolice</a> for refusing to leave <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReopenNC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ReopenNC</a> demonstration outside <a href="https://twitter.com/NCLeg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ncleg</a>. At its height, there were probably 100+ people at the tailgate-style rally. <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC11_WTVD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABC11_WTVD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ABCPolitics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABCPolitics</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coronavirusNC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#coronavirusNC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StayAtHome?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StayAtHome</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/abc11?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#abc11</a> <a href="https://t.co/so9ZIzzqpY">pic.twitter.com/so9ZIzzqpY</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Jonah Kaplan (@JonahPKaplan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonahPKaplan/status/1250101103175380992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walsh-police-in-north-carolina-arrest-peaceful-protestors-declare-protesting-a-non-essential-activity">WALSH: Police In North Carolina Arrest Peaceful Protestors, Declare Protesting A ‘Non-Essential Activity’ </a></strong></p>
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WATCH: Police Arrest ‘Reopen’ Protester; Say Constitutionally Protected Rights ‘Non-Essential’