On April 16, 2025, students and community members gathered on the campus of North Carolina Central University (NCCU) to protest what they described as unlivable housing conditions, including mold, flooding, pests, and a lack of hot water in some dorms.
Organized by a student group known as the Panthers, the rally quickly grew in size and intensity, culminating in the arrests of five individuals now referred to as the “Durham 5.”
Among those detained were four students and one faculty member: Moriah Flowers, José Estrella, Makaila Tinsley, and Daniel “Cole” Atwood, an adjunct professor of history. The fifth arrestee, a student who was waving a Pan-African flag, has not been publicly named but was identified by organizers as a Panther member…