Rumor of KKK march brings protesters out in Durham

DURHAM, North Carolina -- Demonstrators, some armed, took to the streets of downtown Durham Friday after rumors began circulating of a KKK march.[br /][br /][br /][Ads /][br /][b][u]The latest:[/u][/b][br /]* Durham Mayor says protesters were reacting to rumors of a KKK march[br /]* Sheriff urges people to remain calm - no confirmed march at 4 p.m.[br /]* Officials say avoid downtown - multiple streets blocked[br /]* City says no protest permits have been issued[/b][br /][br /]City and county officials said no permits for any march have been issued and there is no confirmation of a rumored march at 4 p.m.[br /][br /]"The Durham County Sheriff's Office has not received verified information confirming a counter protest will occur in Durham at 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. this evening. I want to continue urging residents to rely upon verified information to avoid circulating rumors that can put lives at risk," said Sheriff Mike Andrews.[br /][br /]Friday morning, at least two protest groups converged on each other outside of the Old Courthouse. ABC11's crew on the scene saw several protesters armed with guns, axes and other weapons.[br /][br /][twitter ID="898580096935542784" /][br /][br /]There was a heavy police presence outside of the courthouse ahead of the protest, but as demonstrators converged on the area the police backed off.[br /][Ads /][br /][br /][br /][media ID="2321958" /][br /][br /]Speaking live on ABC11, Durham Mayor Bill Bell said the protesters were reacting to rumors.[br /][br /]Also speaking live on ABC11, Sheriff Andrews urged people to remain calm and not overreact.[br /][br /]County officials sent some workers home and have told people to avoid the downtown area. Durham Police blocked off several streets in the area and multiple downtown businesses have closed. Traffic is a mess.[br /][br /][twitter ID="898565510584975361" /][br /][Ads /][br /]Many of the protesters gathered around what remains of a Confederate monument outside the Old Courthouse that was pulled down by protestors Monday. One protestor Friday scrawled "Death to the Klan" with a marker on the granite base.[br /][br /]At 11:23 a.m. the Deputy City Manager of Durham sent the following email out to all employees:[br /][br /]City administration is aware of the potential for protests to occur today at the County Administration and/or Durham County Judicial building. We are carefully monitoring the situation and are taking precautions to ensure the safety of employees and visitors at City facilities downtown. Because the protest area may be in front of the County building, county administration closed at 10 a.m. The Police Department and Sheriff's Office are carefully monitoring the situation, and we will keep you informed as necessary. At this time there is no indication that City facilities will be affected; however, if that changes, employees will be notified immediately.[br /][br /][url HREF="https://abc13.formstack.com/forms/report_a_typo" TARGET="" REL=""][b]Report a typo to the ABC13 staff[/b][/url] [br /][br /] [url HREF="http://abc13.com/apps/" TARGET="New" REL="Nofollow"][media ID="1781779" /][/url]