GREENSBORO -- The North Carolina NAACP wants a federal and state investigation of the Greensboro police department, which the civil rights organization accuses of corruption and racial intimidation.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's announcement follows the recent arrests of demonstrators in what they called anti-corruption police rallies last week.
Protesters from a group called the Spirit of the Sit-In Movement took over the seats of the Greensboro City Council on May 4 during a meeting break. The demonstrators banged the mayor's gavel and spoke about a "subculture of corruption" at the police department. Five protesters were charged with trespassing and arrested when they wouldn't disperse.
The next day, six pastors were arrested during a demonstration by the Pulpit Forum in front of police headquarters. Police say the pastors blocked the building's entrance.
"The situation has reached a volatile point," said state NAACP president Rev. William Barber in a letter to state officials. "This lack of faith in the integrity of the system has deteriorated the social conditions that promote effective law enforcement and the partnerships that encourage public safety."
Supporters of the protesters claim Greensboro police use racial profiling among officers, citing a federal lawsuit of 39 minority officers who alleged racial discrimination under former chief David Wray.
