CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Several activist groups rallied in First Ward Park Wednesday night, demanding the release of racist texts from a thread involving seven CMPD officers.
Organizers say they want immediate action against what they call quote “CMPD’s repeated pattern of racist policing.” Six of the seven officers have now resigned.
People at the rally say they want to see more transparency from police. Seeking Justice Charlotte founder and executive director Kass Ottley says, “If you’re gonna be transparent and there’s nothing to hide, and you know, we wanna talk about (it)…racism within CMPD and within law enforcement in Charlotte, in North Carolina, across the country, has been a long standing thing. This is nothing new, so we need to get to the root of it.”
The group is also asking for the immediate release of body cam video after a CMPD officer shot and killed Curtis Massey in September. CMPD has filed a court petition asking for that video to be released.
