Amid national furor over high profile cases around the country in which unarmed black men were killed by police officers, local activists held a Dec. 7 candelight vigil against “police brutality” at the Vance Monument in downtown Asheville. Local photographer John Penley documented the gathering:
Protesters took to the streets in Asheville in the wake of the Dec. 3 grand jury decision not to indict NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo in the July 2014 death of Staten Island resident Eric Garner. (lead photo by John Penley)
About 200 people gathered in downtown Asheville Nov. 25 in support of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man who was killed by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer earlier this year. Unlike protests in Ferguson and some other cities, the Asheville gathering at Vance Monument was peaceful as attendees held signs with phrases such as “Hold Cops Accountable” and “Where is Justice for Black America.”
If you were in downtown Asheville last month, dodging rain showers on a Saturday at about 5 p.m. near the Vance Monument, you might have heard an a cappella chorus from Asheville’s Green Grannies. If not, you can hear them again on Saturday, May 17, rain or shine (and any other third Saturday).
This coming Tuesday, Jan. 14, a group of transit riders and citizens will assemble in Pack Square to call for an overhaul of the city’s system that “prioritizes the needs of the people who use public transit out of necessity.” The group has a 19-point plan to improve transit services and make the management of the system more representative of its ridership.
With Don Yelton’s controversial remarks on the Daily Show making national news, here’s some context about local right-wing activism. In 2007, Xpress profiled the Carolina Stompers, a local hardline conservative activist group including Yelton and then-future Buncombe GOP Chair Chad Nesbitt, known for flamboyant tactics and its promises to “stomp” liberalism.
On Sept. 10, Patriot Day eve, about 15 people gathered in front of the Vance Monument in downtown Asheville to rally for “peace on earth.”
Asheville Middle School’s boisterous student body took to the streets Wednesday afternoon to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.‘s iconic “I Have Dream” speech.
A small but passionate group promoted awareness on the chemtrail and geoengineering issue on Saturday, Aug. 25. [By guest contributor Doug Johnson]
Gov. Pat McCrory spoke to the Council of Independent Business Owners this afternoon, asserting he was “stepping on some toes” to lower taxes and make the state run more like a business.
Did you miss Mountain Moral Monday? Here is an Xpress photo gallery of the event, featuring protesters, signs and guest speakers.
An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people showed up for Mountain Moral Monday this evening, filling Pack Square Park and protesting the policies of the North Carolina General Assembly. It was one of the largest demonstrations in Asheville’s recent history. Photo by Julia Ritchey.
The weekly protests that have condemned decisions made by the North Carolina General Assembly for almost three months at the state capital continue today with the arrival of the Moral Monday movement in Asheville. These are the tweets, photos and videos from before, during and after the Mountain Moral Monday event. (Photo courtesy of Twitter user @PlantyHamchuk)
Supporters and opponents of the Aug. 5 Mountain Moral Monday rally are taking to Twitter to report on the event and make their views known. This post features an aggregation of those messages.
As the legislature’s finally ended its long session, opponents of the GOP-dominated General Assembly are taking the Moral Monday protests across the state, including to the core of Asheville at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5.
Over 200 people marched through the streets of downtown Asheville today in protest of the actions of the North Carolina General Assembly including cuts, no raises for teachers and an end to tenure. The march was organized by the Asheville City Association of Educators, in conjunction with an NCAE protest in Raleigh. Photo by Max Cooper.
The Asheville CIty Association of Educators is holding a protest march today, gathering at Asheville Middle School at 5 p.m. The march is at the same time as one held by the NCAE in Raleigh to protest the latest education overhaul, including cuts, an end to teacher tenure, no pay raises, and no bonus for pursuing higher education.
About 20 people rallied July 26 in downtown Asheville to urge Gov. Pat McCrory to keep a campaign promise he made not to sign any new abortion restrictions into law.
After protesting the policies of North Carolina’s Republican legislators, freelance state government reporter and contributing editor for Xpress Nelda Holder was charged with second-degree trespassing. Consequently, she says she acknowledges the larger implications the arrest has for her as a journalist and her work for the Asheville-based publication.
In a demonstration and cookout on Saturday, Dec. 22, in the River Arts District, locals will call for the city of Asheville to do something positive with an abandoned property known as the Ice House. (Photo by zen Sutherland)
Around a dozen people protested the deportation hearings of Francisco Hernandez of Marion, asking Sen. Kay Hagan to intervene in the case. (photo by Bill Rhodes)
