Chapel Hill's Town Council is scheduled to discuss a new report on a police raid on protesters occupying a vacant downtown car dealership. Town Manager Roger Stancil found the action "appropriate."
Isaac-Davy Aronson: On November 13th, heavily-armed police arrested 7 squatters, some affiliated with the Occupy movement, at the former Yates Motor Company building on Franklin Street. Several bystanders, including two reporters, were ordered to the ground at gunpoint and detained. Many Chapel Hill residents felt the police response was an overreaction to unarmed protesters. Several hundred have signed a petition calling for an independent, outside review. Town Manager Stancil's report found that the use of the police emergency response team was proper because of its training for special situations, and notes the building was cleared without injury. The report did recommend a new media relations policy to avoid future detentions of reporters. The Town Council discusses the report this evening at the Town Hall.