Old North News

A North Carolina woman who was arrested in April 2020 at a ReopenNC demonstration outside the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh is sharing her thoughts on the significance of her arrest and conviction.

Monica Faith Ussery of Holly Springs, who was arrested by the State Capitol Police and initially charged with violation of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s Executive Stay-At-Home Order last spring, told Old North News that she believed she was “unlawfully detained.”

“I fully cooperated with police that day, and as I was taken from the parking lot, I stated that the police were just doing their job,” said Ussery, who was 51 at the time of her arrest. “I didn't believe they were respecting the Constitution, but I did believe they were following orders.”

In an April 1, 2020 Facebook post, the Raleigh Police Department warned that officers would “respond accordingly” to “willful and blatant violations of the Executive Stay-At-Home Order.”  

“The #ReopenNC protest that occurred in Downtown Raleigh today has been cleared,” the Raleigh Police Department’s April 14, 2020 Facebook post said. “We explained to the protestors that at this time they are not allowed to protest. It is a non-essential activity and violates the Governor’s executive order.”

The Stay-At-Home Order, in part, permitted essential activities such as work for essential employees. It also allowed volunteering for “organizations that provide charitable and social services” and the moving of victims of domestic violence to a safe alternative location.

Protests against COVID-19 restrictions were common during the spring and summer of 2020, The Hill said.

“One of the concerns that prompted me to want to attend that first rally was anticipating an increase in domestic violence,” Ussery said. 

“Decades ago, I was someone who'd sought refuge at what was then called a ‘battered women's shelter.’ In later years, I volunteered at safe havens for victims, gathered data on online sexual predators for authorities, advocated for at-risk/runaway teens, and counseled/provided transportation for domestic-violence victims.”

In 2020, Ussery said her volunteer hours increased because of the higher need.

“I’m shielding children from violence at risk to my own safety while hearing Gov. Cooper announcing that people who oppose the shutdowns ‘care more about jobs and money than people’s lives,’” Ussery said.

Ussery’s faith has been shaken after a two-day trial on charges of defying the executive order and trespassing – after receiving a summons on April 1, 2021 – ended in a conviction, she said.

“I don't know exactly how to feel,” Ussery said. “I think I'm possibly experiencing something similar to the five stages of grief. I had the right to peacefully protest on April 14, 2020, I've had the right to peacefully protest every day since then, and I'll still have that right when I wake up tomorrow.”