Unlicensed street party ends in brawl

What was intended by some Durham residents and Duke undergraduates to be an unauthorized street party turned into a brawl Saturday afternoon when revelers and Durham police clashed, leading to the arrest of about 14 people.

More than 200 people, including as many as 50 Duke students, arrived at Ninth Street at about 2 p.m. with drums, flags, costumes, face paint and chalk. They had intended to demonstrate against "the various rules and regulations that define the limits of their movement," according to a flyer announcing the event. However, when they began obstructing traffic, first curses and then blows were exchanged, police said.

An official Durham police report was unavailable, but according to statements Saturday from police officers and demonstrators, police attempted to move the protesters back onto the sidewalks after the crowd overflowed into the street. Several protesters provoked and assaulted officers, police said, but the demonstrators claimed they were shoved to the asphalt by police. Eventually police began using pepper spray and arresting some of the protesters for blocking traffic and interfering with arrests.

After the arrests, about 80 people marched from Ninth Street to the Durham County Jail, on Mangum Street near the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Police and jail officials blocked entrance to the building while the protesters, many still in costume, collected money to bail out the arrested.

"It all could have been avoided if people had stayed on the sidewalk," Capt. Terry Mangum said.

The revelers did not apply for a permit, Mangum added, and tried to provoke the police while officers gave them a chance to get out of the road. He said the police officers had a responsibility to protect drivers, merchants and pedestrians. One protester assaulted an officer with a bicycle, Mangum said, and another, wearing a feathered costume, walked down the middle of the road on stilts.

Chelsea Earles, a Durham resident, said officers pushed her to the ground after she pleaded with them not to arrest a friend. Other participants said they were also hurt by being pushed into bushes on Ninth Street. They said some of the officers were not wearing name tags.

"This was supposed to be a community celebration. There were music groups that were going to perform," said junior Sam Hummel. "The police were so incensed that this was not permitted, they weren't interested in that at all."