On Thursday night, in Durham NC, a racially divided city still suffering from the aftermath of three recent cross burnings that happened in one evening, the Durham County Sherif's Department used tactics simular to those used by Bull Connor in racist Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement to violate the rights of Black protesters.

"I thought that they were going to break out the fire hoses and police dogs at any minute, says Minister Paul Scott, founder of the Durham based Messianic Afrikan Nation. "I truly feared for the safety of the women and children in attendence."

According to Scott, after a Black protester, Sheryl Smith was asked to leave a racially charged Durham Public School Board meeting, she was wrongly arrested.

Scott says that he personally escorted Smith out of the meeting and was nearing the exit when deputies demanded that Smith turn around where they informed her that she was being arrested and they did not want to make a "scene" as her young daughter cried hysterically in a corner shaken from the sight of her mother in handcuffs. He says that when he demanded to know why Smith was being arrested he was threatened with being arrested himself.

While outside of the building the deputies continued to threaten Black people who tried to observe the treatment of Smith while white people looked on in amusement.

"There was a group of white people watching the event from the steps of the administration building. It was almost like the deputies were performing a Civil Rights enactment for their amusement ," says Scott. "I thought that they were going to start charging for admission and selling peanuts and popcorn."

Scott says that while the officers were busy violating the civil rights of the black protestors, the deputies did nothing to stop an angry group of white protestors from confronting mayoral candidate and school board member Jackie Wagstaff as she spoke with a reporter.

"Contrary to media propaganda reports, it was not the deputies that protected Wagstaff from the mob, it was Bro. Cimeron Reed-Bandele of The Turner -Tubman Division 459 of the UNIA and myself," says Scott.

Scott is urging the citizens of group to protest the actions of the Durham Co. Sherrif's Department so that these gestopo tactics will not happen again.

"It may be Sheryl Smith, today but it may be your wife or mother tomorrow. Scott says. "Since law enforcement refuses to protect our rights, we need to form a Power to the People Party, to make sure that these gestopo like tactics never happen again !

While some people in Durham puzzled by Durham's gang problem wonder why young black men join gangs, Scott says that there is another side of the story. He states that the original purpose of gangs like the Crips was to protect the women and children in the black community from actions like those that took place Thursday night.

"If they treat Black women like that, in front of a crowd of people and TV cameras, I hate to see how they treat young Black men when no one is looking, says Scott.

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