John Deem
Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Video from the Winston-Salem Police Department and social media reveals the scope of what Chief William Penn called a “teen takeover” in the downtown arts district on the night of June 3 and well into the following morning.
Eleven teenagers and three adults were arrested over the course of the night.
The footage shows hundreds of young people swarming streets, private parking lots and the ARTivity on the Green park on North Liberty Street.
Penn also shared a social media post promoting a planned “Grads Gone Wild” party at Winston Lake Park this past weekend.
“We were able to intercept this, and we were able to take measures so that that didn’t occur,” Penn said of the park gathering.
The chief shared the footage with city council members on Monday before requesting that they adopt a citywide curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. for anyone 17 years old or younger. Penn said he got permission from a superior court judge to release the video.
The police department provided the video to the Journal.
What the Winston-Salem video shows
Drone footage shows a half-dozen officers wrestling with a suspect on the ground in a parking lot at 9:13 p.m. at what appears to be the corner of North Liberty and West Sixth streets. At one point, a person Penn described as a youth runs up and tries to intervene before being pushed away by officers.
Police can also be seen handcuffing a man while other officers search a white vehicle in the parking lot.
The video shows hundreds of people gathered at ARTivity on the Green just before 10 p.m., and a steady stream of young people moving along Trade Street’s sidewalks a little before midnight.
Penn said it was 4 a.m. before all those who’d gathered had cleared the area.
The chief also shared a social media video of two young men trading punches before others joined in the scuffle.
The post promoting the party at Winston Lake said the gathering would run from 9 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday, even though the park closes at sunset.
It read, in part:
“LEAVE THE BS AT HOME OR YOU WILL BE THROWN IN THE LAKE!!!
FREEEEEEE
– NO WEAPONS
– NO BOOKBAGS!!!
– NO BIG PURSES
After viewing the video, the Public Safety Committee unanimously approved directing City Manager Pat Pate to present a proposed curfew ordinance to the full council for consideration at its next meeting on Monday.
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