Thousands of demonstrators gathered in downtown Raleigh today over the death of George Floyd.
Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker held a news conference on Saturday evening addressing the protests.
During the presser, Baker told the public that his officers would not interfere as long as protests remain peaceful.
"Our objective is to be prepared for what can happen and hope that it doesn't," said Baker. "We're prepared for whatever is going to happen today and tonight and hopefully we won't have to, that's why you won't see them (officers), they're inside and they're ready to go. But we're going to give them space so people can express just how they feel about what is going on."
Similar demonstrations took place in Durham, Chapel Hill and Fayetteville.