Website mocks 'Moral Monday' protests

RALEIGH

The website, which is run by the Civitas Institute, matches the mugs hot with the name of the protestor. It's fun and games for some, but the site also breaks down who the people are in the mug shots.

"What I saw from that was a beautiful picture of North Carolina," said protester Laurel Ashton.

Ashton is one of more than a dozen protesters in a Witness Wednesday event, which is related to Moral Mondays. However, it ended in song instead of arrests.

Ashton saw the recent numbers out by the Civitas Institute, and agrees with its findings.

The site sought to challenge the claim that the thousands of people who make up these Moral Monday protests truly represent the citizens of North Carolina, especially after Gov. Pat McCrory called the group "outsiders."  

The site shows 98 percent of those arrested are from North Carolina, that the majority live in the Triangle, are employed, and are Democrats.

Even though North Carolina voted in a mostly Republican General Assembly, the protesters agree with the rest minus the "pick the protester" game.

"I think in every movement in history, there's always an effort to discount them and to mock it and discard the realities of something because you're afraid of it," said protester Hudson Vaughn.

Protesters say any form of mockery is a small step to the movement that's grown thousands strong week to week.

"When they stop talking about you, that's when you need to be worried," said protester Tyler Swanson.

The numbers from the website only tracks arrests before June 10, but organizers promise to continually update it as the movement continues.

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