NAACP President Faces Criticism, Further Develops Body Camera Images

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ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV) – A local NAACP president faces backlash.

It comes after Rock Hill Chapter President Dr Norma Gray stood by police officers twice in the past two weeks after Ricky and Travis Price were arrested.

Some in Rock Hill call it a public display of police support.

Dr Norma Gray has defended her actions, saying her relationship with the Rock Hill Police Department goes back seven years and it gave her access. This access includes seeing body camera footage of the Price brothers’ arrest of which we are now hearing more details.

In the past two weeks since the Price brothers’ arrest, Dr Norma Gray has twice stood alongside Rock Hill Police Chief Chris Watts. She denies that this means she stands alongside the officers.

I never stand next to the chief of police except when I have been asked to stand with the chief of police, Gray said.

She is facing a backlash this time.

An NBC News article indicated that standing with the police can often help officers rather than the community they aim to protect.

I was not the only one. The religious leaders of this community invited the mayor, the sheriff, the police chief to their conference, but they were not called, Gray said.

But Grays’ seven-year relationship with the heads of the Rock Hill Police Department has opened doors to the community that police find invaluable.

A bridge between his community and us. I don’t think that says much about her role and what she’s been able to accomplish, said Michael Chavis, public information officer for the Rock Hill Police Department.

This relationship allows access. One of those things is the long-awaited body cam footage that she asked the chef to post three times.

It reveals the truth, she said.

The NAACP president, who saw the videos, gave more information today on what the images show and when they might be released to the public. The arrest of Ricky and Travis Price sparked protests in Rock Hill when a video of their arrests was posted on Facebook Live.

The NAACP president said several body camera videos showed close angles of Ricky Prices’ arrest on Facebook Live. We haven’t seen the body camera footage as it has yet to be released, but Dr Norma Gray was granted permission to view the footage a few days after the Price brothers were arrested.

Soon after, she called on the community to be patient with the NAACP and the Rock Hill Police as they tried to release the video to the public as quickly as possible.

At Tuesday’s press conference, Gray said the video should be released as soon as possible.

Gray shared details on the images.

She says you can see more of what happened to Ricky Price up close and she feels like what happened doesn’t match the police report.

Personally, I think the community is going to be outraged again, she said.

The York County Attorneys Office has announced plans to release it by the end of this week. Gray says there are multiple angles and she’s seen most of the videos.

Appalled. Let this happen in our front yard, says Gray.

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