Federal judge blocks NC city ordinance limiting protests

GREENSBORO, NC (AP) — A federal judge has blocked for now an ordinance issued by a central North Carolina city that requires permits for protests and limits activities of demonstrators.

U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles issued on Monday a temporary restraining order halting enforcement of the ordinance by the city of Graham for two weeks, pending a hearing on a request for a longer injunction.

Civil rights attorneys representing the NAACP’s Alamance County chapter and eight people last week sued Graham city council members and local law enforcement leaders.

Calls to bring down a Confederate monument in Graham have intensified recently since death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.