North Carolina voter rally ends with pepper spray, arrests

A rally to promote voting in swing state North Carolina on Saturday ended with police using pepper spray on some participants and making several arrests.

Multiple people were arrested outside Alamance County's courthouse and police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd, news outlets reported.

Alamance County sheriff’s deputies began dismantling a sound system and telling the crowd to disperse as people were giving speeches, the Raleigh News & Observer reported . The department said it would hold a news conference to discuss the arrests Saturday afternoon.

The “I Am Change” march to the polls was organized by activist Rev. Greg Drumwright, and began as a march from a local church to the courthouse. A Confederate monument outside the courthouse has been a local target for demonstrations since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police in May. Floyd, a Black man, died after a white officer pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for several minutes.

North Carolina is a key battleground President Donald Trump needs to win to boost his prospects of defeating Democratic nominee Joe Biden.