Charlotte Protests Could Force Panthers-Vikings Game to be Moved

Protests occurred again in Charlotte Wednesday night, marking the second consecutive night that the city was roiling after a police officer shot Keith Lamont Scott, a black man whose family said he was disabled and holding a book, but police say was armed. A protestor was shot Wednesday night too.

The protests have disrupted Charlotte. They could also cause Sunday's Panthers-Vikings game to be moved away from Bank of America Stadium, according to Fox 46 in Charlotte.

"We are in contact with government officials, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the NFL," Panthers President Danny Morrison told the TV station. "We are continuing to monitor events as we prepare for Sunday's home game."

In statement from a spokesman Thursday afternoon, the NFL said that it is "planning to play the game as scheduled" Sunday, but is monitoring the situation with the city, the teams and authorities.

Our statement on Vikings-Panthers game on Sunday pic.twitter.com/LvH59fyAJf
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) September 22, 2016

North Carolina governor Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency, and NBC reports that the state's national guard arrived at a Charlotte armory Thursday morning. There has also been damage reportedly done to local businesses. The United Way and NASCAR Hall Of Fame have both said they were hit, and major banks in the area told some employees they could work from home.

Tuesday's protests left 16 policemen injured, and shut down Interstate-85 because of a fire.

Cam Newton, the Panthers star quarterback, who is now channeling Frank Luntz, talked about the incident Wednesday.

"It could've happened in Atlanta," he said. "It could've happened in Los Angeles. It doesn't matter. It's embarrassing for things to just keep happening. And from what I do know, we had an incident that happened in 2013 that had something to do with the police. And it went to jury and whatever, got washed away in time. My big thing is always holding people accountable, no matter what the race is, no matter what the gender is. We all have to hold each other accountable."