Roy Cooper fled as Raleigh devolved into chaos during the 2020 George Floyd riots. Cooper only came out of hiding to march shoulder-to-shoulder with the out-of-control woke mob, putting law enforcement lives in danger.
“As law enforcement put their lives on the line and businesses were destroyed, Roy Cooper abandoned North Carolinians and only came back to stand with the woke mob. Cooper is a weak, spineless coward,” said NRSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia.
This police week, read more from North State Journal here or below:
Former law enforcement reveal Cooper evacuated during May 2020 rioting
A.P. Dillon
North State Journal
May 12, 2026
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North State Journal (NSJ) has learned from former law enforcement officers who were in Raleigh helping to quell the rioting that then-Gov. Roy Cooper was evacuated from the Executive Mansion to outside the city during the unrest.
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Earlier that day, at 2:51 p.m., Cooper — who is currently campaigning against Republican Michael Whatley to succeed Thom Tillis in the U.S. Senate — issued a signed post on social media about Floyd, signing it “-RC.”“George Floyd and so many others should be alive right now. People are angry, frustrated and sad, and I am too. If we don’t force our communities toward accountability and action then we haven’t learned anything,” Cooper wrote. “The protests around the country offer a space for people to make their voices heard, but they must happen without violence and further loss of life. It’s time we have the difficult conversations needed to stamp out racism and end these unjust killings. – RC.”
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“Let me be clear. People are more important than property. Black lives do matter.”
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That afternoon, Cooper, in violation of his own executive orders on masking and social distancing, marched in front of the Executive Mansion alongside Black Lives Matter protesters. He was seen with his mask off, raising a fist and waving, as he walked from one of the gated entrances of the mansion to the other, flanked by members of his security detail.One former law enforcement officer said Cooper’s march put officers in danger.
“(Cooper) decided to come out of the mansion, putting his detail at risk, our guys at risk, because he wanted to show he was a man of the people,” the officer told NSJ.
That officer also said it was a “photo op” for the cameras to see him “with his mask off in all his smirking glory” outside the governor’s mansion.
Prior to his June 1 news briefing and his solidarity march with the protesters, Cooper allegedly met privately with protest organizers, one of which was Conrad James of Living Ultra-Violet.
James has a criminal record in Wake County of 13 arrests going back to 2012, six of which occurred after the 2020 protest. Those include an arrest for felony incitement to riot 20 days after allegedly meeting with Cooper.
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A member of Cooper’s past security detail who did not wish to be identified echoed what Moore said, saying he had “always been apolitical” on the job, but when Cooper marched with the protesters, “I was just done.”A request for comment, including additional questions, was sent to the Cooper campaign. A response was not received by publication time.
Read more here.