Residents and speakers urge Durham Council to rescind two-year trespass notice for Amanda Wallace
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Summary
Multiple residents told the City Council that a two‑year trespass notice barring Amanda Wallace from City Hall was issued without transparency and called on the council to rescind it, arguing the December 1 disturbance was not comparable to January 6 and stressing concerns about free expression and equity.
A stream of residents urged Durham City Council on Monday to rescind a two‑year trespass notice that prohibits Amanda Wallace from City Hall, saying the ban was issued without public review and that equating a single act of dissent with the Jan. 6 attack on Congress was mistaken and harmful.
"Equating a single brief verbal expression of dissent ... to January 6 is not just inaccurate. It is dangerously misleading," said Angel Dozier, a resident who asked the council to protect civic participation rather than restrict it. Dozier and other speakers criticized council members who, they said, labeled the December 1 disruption at a swearing‑in as equivalent to the violent, coordinated attempt to overturn the federal government.
Amanda Wallace, who received the trespass notice and identified herself as founder of Operation Stop CPS, told the council the ban prevents her "from redressing the government, from coming into the people's house to access to express my grievances." She asked every council member on the record whether they support the order and requested the city rescind it immediately.
Multiple public commenters said the city did not follow transparent procedures when issuing the ban and that administrators or a subset of officials made the decision without council knowledge. "Decisions that restrict civic participation should never be made quietly or deferred to administrative authority as a way to avoid accountability," Dozier said.
Other speakers echoed concerns that the city's response disproportionately affected a Black woman expressing dissent. Jacqueline Wagstaff summarized the view of several speakers: "Drop the charges against Amanda Wallace." Another commenter said she was not physically aggressive and that the comparison to January 6 was "egregious and deeply unserious."
Council members did not immediately move to rescind the trespass notice during Monday's meeting. The public comment period ended before staff or council took formal action on the request; residents asked the council to schedule a public vote so members' positions would be recorded.
The mayor and staff were asked for follow‑up details about the trespass decision and the process by which it was issued; several residents said they will continue to press for an explicit council vote. The council's formal agenda proceeded after comments concluded.