(The Center Square) – Demonstrations in the heart of a town with the nation’s oldest public university adjusted Thursday from protesting American actions in Venezuela to Minneapolis.
Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street, the scene of many iconic celebrations for athletics at the University of North Carolina, in the early afternoon had protestors responding to an organized push by the Triangle Branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
Overnight into Saturday morning in Caracas, the Army’s Delta Force from Fort Bragg and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment from Fort Campbell in Kentucky executed Absolute Resolve, an operation to extract Nicolás Maduro and wife Ceilia Flores. The two were brought to the United States to answer for indictments in the Southern District of New York on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Wednesday in Minneapolis, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed at the wheel of her Honda Pilot. On a street with agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement carrying out Operation Metro Surge, her vehicle struck one agent, and federal authorities say she did not cooperate with commands leading to “defensive shots” fired.
Orange County was one of five in the May 29 first release of sanctuary jurisdictions from the Department of Homeland Security. Orange, Buncombe, Chatham, Durham and Watauga were not on the Aug. 5 listing.
Carolina, as the university is more colloquially known, drew national attention in April 2024 when protestors took down the American flag on the campus’ fabled Polk Place Quad and replaced it with the flag of Palestine. The protests were centered on the Middle East war between Hamas and Israel.
Protestors sought transparency on UNC investments; divesture from support of “Israeli genocide and full academic boycott”; and to work with students, faculty and staff to ensure university compliance. Taking responsibility was the group Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of North Carolina.
Alpha Epsilon Pi, Pi Kappa Phi and other fraternities made sure it didn’t stay that way. With then-interim Chancellor Lee Roberts holding firm and surrounded by lawmen, the Stars and Stripes was again raised to its proper place.
Operation Metro Surge has drawn more than 2,000 federal lawmen to the Twin Cities in enhanced enforcement of immigration law. To enter America from another country, if not a U.S. citizen, a visa or some other travel authorization is required to be presented at a port of entry.
Operation Charlotte’s Web was carried out in North Carolina’s largest city in November, leading to more than 400 arrests. Estimates in Minnesota are nearly four times that.
Recurring weekly protests on Thursday were planned in the Buncombe County communities of Asheville and Weaverville. In Greensboro, “Democracy Dies in Silence” was planned on New Garden Road and another event was to be held on the Walker Street Bridge above busy Wendover Avenue.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area was scheduled to be at CCB Plaza in Durham and Hay Street in Fayetteville in evening events.
North Carolina, like many other states, was connected to Minnesota via protests during the COVID-19 era when a Minneapolis lawmen killed George Floyd. In 2020 between May 29 and June 3, towns small and large throughout the state had demonstrations. Among them were Charlotte, Raleigh, Fayetteville, Durham, Asheville, Greensboro, Greenville, Winston-Salem, Chapel Hill, Boone, Wilmington, Goldsboro and High Point.
Floyd was born in Fayetteville. Among those marching was then-Gov. Roy Cooper, author of an executive order earlier for residents to remain at home and avoid gatherings of 10 or more. The expiration of the order was earlier in May.
