http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/us/in-charlotte-activists-from-across-us-offer-support-and-tear-gas-remedies.html 2016-09-26 03:38:15 In Charlotte, Activists From Across U.S. Offer Support and Tear Gas Remedies There were bittersweet reunions this past week among those who had protested police shootings around the nation. “We are returning a favor,” one said. === CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cherrell Brown turned to Facebook in the hours after the “Charlotte fam, y’all need folks to ride through?,” Ms. Brown, 27, an activist based in Greensboro, N.C., wrote at 9:03 p.m. Tuesday. In four minutes, she had an answer. “Yes,” urged Ashley S. Williams, a Charlotte-based organizer. Three hours later, as protesters’ confrontations with the police turned violent, Ms. Brown and several others from Greensboro arrived in Charlotte, equipped with milk to treat tear gas exposure. Ms. Brown, who joined demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo., Baltimore and New York, has stayed here, sharing her protest skills. “I just wanted my folks here in Charlotte to feel supported,” Ms. Brown said. “I have seen this so many other places, this kind of uprising that happens after a police shooting. And so to see it happen in my home state, I had a picture of what some of the immediate response looks like, and the immediate needs.” On Sunday night, city officials lifted a midnight-to-6 a.m. curfew that had been imposed after episodes of violence during the first two days of protests here. Like in many cities rocked by police killings, Charlotte in the past week has become the center of both boisterous demonstrations about the killing of Mr. Scott and bittersweet reunions for a cadre of activists who have grown close through racially charged tragedies. A tightly knit group of organizers already existed here, and had been demonstrating issues like Early Friday morning, “I feel like we are returning a favor,” said Mr. Shakur, who has demonstrated against police shootings in Cleveland, Baton Rouge, La., Milwaukee and New York. “We want to give them some information to let them know they can do better than us and continue to keep the protest up.” An event called “Show Up for Charlotte” on Saturday showcased the response, as emotionally weary protesters spent an afternoon in a park here, hugging, catching up and nibbling on pizza while also passing around poster boards and markers, creating signs with slogans like “Stop the Fear, Black Lives Matter.” From a stage, organizers thanked local residents for putting the day together and people from out of town for coming to the city during its time of crisis. In an interview, Ashley Williams described learning new skills in the past week, like how to provide jail support when activists are arrested, and said organizers had traded stories about the challenges they face. “There is a lot of staying up late and crying. There is a lot of trying to strategize about what the next thing there is to do. There is a lot of, ‘So how are we going to escalate if our demands are not met?’ And there’s a lot of, like, ‘How can we make sure that folks that are coming have something to do and feel part of this?’” The potential for protesters to come from beyond North Carolina unnerved local and state officials. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief, Kerr Putney, acknowledged on Friday that out-of-state demonstrators had influenced his decision to request a curfew for Thursday night. And Gov. Pat McCrory, a former mayor of Charlotte, said on Friday that “there are some groups that are coming into our state that are here to cause anarchy and to not respect our law, respect our property or to respect our citizens.” Police officials have said that most of the arrests since the protests began were of North Carolina residents. Three years ago, the Activists have also been “There are, like, 10 organizers in Charlotte who do everything and so on the drop of a dime, maybe we could get like 250 people to show up to something,” Ashley Williams said. But Tamika Lewis, 27, another local organizer, said activists sought outside help in frustration. “They are clearly not listening to the citizens of Charlotte, so we are calling in reinforcements,” she said. She has opened her four-bedroom home to at least 10 protesters, who are spending nights strategizing and sharing tips about how to stay safe during potential clashes with the police. Taliba Obuya “People were talking about they need somewhere to shower, and I was like, ‘Well it’s only me and my room tonight. Come on,’” she said. Charlene Carruthers On Friday outside the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police station and under the glow of streetlights, some demonstrators bobbed their heads as a hip-hop song played through speakers from a man’s book bag. “We ain’t meant to survive because it’s a setup and even though you’re fed up, keep your head up,” Tupac Shakur bellowed as a helicopter circled above. “Keep your head up.” Nearby, a first-time protester, Kendra Taylor, 38, a nurse from Charlotte, was feeling inspired. “It makes me want to go out and support other cities,” she said. “It’s the numbers that show people that we are serious about something having to change.”