About 100 people gathered in downtown Raleigh Thursday evening to mark a "Black Lives Matter National Day of Action."
In Durham, another seven people chained themselves to a railing outside the Durham Police Department to protest the recent shooting deaths of African American men by police.
The protests were among several demonstration across the country in the weeks after recent shootings by police of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.
Protestors said they wanted to bring attention to local issues related to police accountability, according to Rukiya Dillahunt.
"We've also been promoting and wanting and really struggling to get a community Police Review Board, accountability board, where the community holds police accountable," she said.
Many people at the rally told personal stories about how they felt they were mistreated by police.