No, Police Officers Didn’t Wash Protesters’ Feet In North Carolina

TOPLINE

Despite a social media firestorm that erupted this week claiming otherwise, white police officers in North Carolina did not wash black pastors’—or protesters—feet during a prayer walk on Saturday that appears to have been widely misconstrued.

KEY FACTS

CRUCIAL QUOTES

—“We were simply there to support,” said Morrisville, North Carolina Police Chief Patrice Andrews, who participated in the walk, and who is black. Andrews walked along with chiefs from two other area municipalities—Apex and Cary, where the walk took place—saying police joined “in good faith” to try to peacefully support the movement against police brutality following the death of George Floyd.

“It was a peace march because of the untimely and tragic murder of Mr. Floyd,” Andrews said in an interview with Forbes, while responding to the social media attacks by saying, “As a black woman, I’m offended.”

—“I struggled whether to share my thoughts on the surprising and significant amount of media attention garnered from the foot washing ceremony at the faith-based prayer walk on Saturday in Cary,” Toni Dezomits, the Cary, N.C. police chief, said in a letter to the community. “I struggle because I know it was the right decision for me.”

—The “Unity Prayer Walk,” as the church called it, went from the Cary City Center to the Cary Police Station and included stops for “prayer on policy changes, education, peace and racial reconciliation throughout our nation.”

KEY BACKGROUND

Cary is part of a heavily populated corridor of North Carolina that’s centered around the state capital of Raleigh, which—like many cities—became the site of rioting and looting days following the death of George Floyd. But also like many cities, the unrest has largely calmed down over the past week and given way to peaceful protests like the prayer walk on June 6.

TANGENT

Foot washing is an ancient, primarily Christian, ritual that is seen as an act of humility. The Bible recounts Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, and many Christian religious leaders—including the Pope—have carried on the tradition.

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