RALEIGH (AP) — The Raleigh Police Department conducted undercover surveillance at meetings held by the North Carolina chapter of the NACCP to organize this year’s mass protests of the Republican-led state legislature.
Members of Raleigh City Council say they first learned of the police surveillance on Monday following inquires by the Associated Press.
State NAACP president William Barber says he is concerned Raleigh police chose to conduct surveillance at the planning meetings, which were typically held in the sanctuary of a nearby church. Barber says his group had nothing to hide and that the officers would have been welcomed had they worn uniforms or introduced themselves.
About 940 people were arrested at the weekly Moral Monday rallies opposing GOP-backed policies that protesters said damaged public education, voting rights and working people.