Protesters in Charlotte, North Carolina, are reportedly planning to disrupt Sunday’s football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Minnesota Vikings.
Police received word on Saturday evening that demonstrators are planning to meet at a nearby park before heading to Bank of America Stadium to obstruct all of the entrances, even those for players and officials, a source told ESPN.
A heavy police presence was on hand outside of the stadium on Sunday morning, and players arriving early for the tilt have not had any trouble accessing the field. The game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.
Either violent riots or peaceful demonstrations have occurred in Charlotte every night since Tuesday, after a black police officer shot and killed Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old black man. Police said he did not comply with multiple warnings to drop his gun.
Dashcam footage of the encounter was released by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on Saturday night. Demonstrations that evening were mostly peaceful, according to statements released by the police department.
The NFL said Sunday’s game would proceed as scheduled, despite protests frequently occurring a few blocks from the stadium.
The football game was declared an “extraordinary event” by Charlotte interim city manager Ron Kimble on Saturday night, a designation more often associated with parades that allows the city to regulate event boundaries more stringently.
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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