Four members of the Justice Department's Community Relations Service are currently on their way to Charlotte, North Carolina. Two nights of violent protests have left windows broken, businesses ruined, 44 people under arrest, and one person in critical condition after being shot by a civilian. Rioters have been terrorizing the city after the police shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott, an African-American male.
In a statement to the press Thursday, Attorney General Loretta Lynch noted the DOJ is heading to Charlotte to help with crowd mediation and to provide technical assistance. She understood why the citizens of Charlotte are so angry, but asked them to stop descending into chaos.
"I know that most of the demonstrators gathered to exercise their constitutional right to peaceful protest in order to raise issues and create change," Lynch said. "We need your voice. We need your passion. We need your commitment. But I urge those responsible for the violence to stop. You are drowning out the voices of commitment and change and ushering in more tragedy and grief in our communities."
Lynch did not say, however, if the DOJ is launching an investigation into the shooting.
Earlier on Thursday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police shared that the Scott's family will be shown the police surveillance video related to his death, but the footage will not be made public. The governor has declared a state of emergency, but Charlotte is still open for business and civilians should not be afraid to go about their daily lives, Mayor Jennifer Roberts said.
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