Durham employees speak out about hate group's banner

A banner promoting a white nationalist website was found at Durham's American Tobacco Campus on Saturday night. It prompted restaurant employees to tear the banner down.
Posted 11/13/2024, 11:49:32 PM Updated 11/14/2024, 1:58:09 PM

HAVE A PART TO PLAY HERE.

CARLY HAYNES, WRAL, NEWS LIVE

IN CARY.

>> NEW TODAY WE ARE HEARING

FROM THE MAN WHO TORE DOWN THIS

SIGN AT AMERICAN TOBACCO.

ITS MESSAGE WAS LINKED TO WHAT

MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS CLASSIFY

AS A WHITE NATIONALIST GROUP.

PICTURES FROM A SURVEILLANCE

CAMERA SHOWS THE PEOPLE

AUTHORITIES BELIEVE PUT IT UP.

WRAL'S MONICA CASEY JOINS US

NOW LIVE WITH WHY ONE MAN

DECIDED TO TAKE IT DOWN ON

ACCOUNTS.

>> DEBORAH, THIS IS THE SPOT

WHERE THAT BANNER WAS HANGING

ON SATURDAY. YOU CAN SEE ONE

47 OVER HERE IN THE DISTANCE.

THE MAN I SPOKE WITH WHO

DRIFTED DOWN TELLS ME HE AND

HIS CO-WORKERS STUFFED IT INTO

THE TRASH THAT IT COULD NOT

BE USED AGAIN OR GIVE THAT

GROUP ANY MORE OXYGEN.

>> SECURITY FOOTAGE CAPTURED

THESE 3 MAN HANGING A SIGN ON A

PARKING GARAGE AT THE AMERICAN

TOBACCO CAMPUS. THAT BANNER

LISTED THE WEBSITE FOR PATRIOT

FRONT WHICH HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED

AS A WHITE NATIONALIST HATE

GROUP. ABOUT AN HOUR LATER THAT

SIGN WAS GONE. THANKS TO THIS

MAN. THIS THIS IS A VERY, VERY

MIXED, VERY LOVING, VERY, LIKE

WONDERFUL COMMUNITY THAT SAYS

VERY ACCEPTING AND TO POST.

WELL, I JUST ADVERTISING ANY OF

THAT IS TERRIBLE. MICHAEL SNEER

AND IS THUS TO CHEF AT

SARAFINA. IAN CO-WORKERS

LEARNED ABOUT THE SIGN FROM

SOCIAL MEDIA AND BEGAN

SEARCHING FOR IT. SATURDAY

AFTERNOON. WE.

>> SPOT IT.

>> AND JUST SPRINT TOWARDS THAT

END LIKE REP LIKE PUT UP RIP

OFF THE ZIP TIES AND JUST LIKE.

YEAH, HE'S JUST WE'RE I DIDN'T

WANT TO LIKE STAND FOR THAT.

SOUNDS LIKE WE WANT TO GET THAT

DOWN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

SPEARMAN TELLS ME HE WAS ANGRY

AND WANTED TO GET THAT BANNER

DOWN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

THAT IS JUST SOME PEOPLE TRYING

TO PROVOKE OR ACTION. THAT IS

NOT WHAT DURHAM OR RALEIGH OR

ANY OF THE TRIANGLE THAT THAT'S

NOT WHAT WE'RE ABOUT. WE'RE

>> ABOUT LOVE AND INCLUSIVITY

AND JUST TAKING CARE OF EACH

OTHER. AND THAT KIND OF MESSAGE

HAS NO PLACE HERE. WRAL HAS

ALSO REPORTED ON RACIST TEXT

MESSAGES IN RECENT DAYS TELLING

BLACK PEOPLE THEY'VE BEEN,

QUOTE, SELECTED TO PICK COTTON.

>> THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S

OFFICE SAYS THEY'RE

INVESTIGATING AND DURHAM

LEADERS ARE ADDRESSING BOTH

ISSUES TO BE CLEAR. HATE HAS NO

HOME IN OUR CITY.

>> OUR COUNTY OR IN OUR

SCHOOLS.

>> THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S

OFFICE TELLS WRAL IF YOU

RECEIVE ONE OF THOSE HATEFUL

TEXT MESSAGES, YOU SHOULD

CONTACT THEM OR POLICE LIVE IN