DeDreana Freeman and Mark-Anthony Middleton were elected to city council together in 2017. During their tenures, the pair have been strong advocates for Durham: Middleton led the effort to create Durham’s guaranteed income program, and has been the most consistent voice on council regarding gun violence, while Freeman, described by mayor Leonardo Williams as the city’s “equity watchdog,” implemented numerous programs focused on leveling the playing field for all Durham residents, particularly those who don’t have a platform.
But policy misalignments and public spats that at times felt like siblings chiding each other at the dinner table often positioned Freeman and Middleton as combatants rather than colleagues, but the two were inextricably linked.
“Our careers have had a quantum entanglement over the years,” Middleton said during Monday’s city council meeting.
Eight years later, the two walked off into the sunset after they addressed the public from the city council dais for the final time on Monday night. Residents, including a who’s who of current and former public officials, packed city hall to celebrate the careers of Freeman and Middleton, and witness the passing of the torch to new city council members elected in November to serve in their place.
Mayor Williams honored both Freeman and Middleton with official city plaques in recognition of their service, after which the two outgoing councilors shared reflections on their careers.
Freeman’s interest in a political career began when she stumped for then-Senator Barack Obama and Senator Kay Hagan. Friends and peers encouraged her to take a deeper look into local public office. Freeman served on the Durham Planning Commission, a dependable pipeline for future city councilors, before being elected to the city council.
City leadership has seen significant change in the eight years since Freeman (and Middleton) took office; three mayors, three city managers, two city attorneys, two city clerks and 13 council colleagues. In total, Freeman said she clocked over 4.2 million minutes of service overseeing official city business, with plenty of successes and pitfalls that come with being a public figure.
“From the many six hour and fifteen minute meetings to the rare 45-minute miracles, I gained something unimaginable from this work,” Freeman said.
Freeman thanked her husband and three children, who she said have “grown up in this space,” and shared her appreciation for city staff and past colleagues like former mayor Elaine O’Neal, who was in attendance. Freeman also had a fervent fanbase in attendance, who initiated a call-and-response in celebration of her accomplishments, shouting “we see you, DeDreana” and “we love you, DeDreana” throughout the evening, and delivered her flowers up at the dais. There were also organizers from the People’s Table offering food and mutual aid supplies outside of city hall during the meeting in honor of Freeman’s work in the community.
Middleton, who gave remarks following Freeman, joked that he was a bit salty about not receiving a bouquet of his own.
“I want to thank, particularly, the people of Abundant Hope Christian Church and my family,” Middleton said. “I see you out there. Where my flowers at, mane?”
Middleton, originally from New York City, said his journey to the mayor pro tem seat was “unlikely.”
“I was born in a neighborhood that was considered the crack capital of America. I fell asleep listening to Uzis go off in the park at night, and then I woke up in the morning and had to deal with yo’ mama jokes with a speech impediment. So some of the stuff I’ve dealt with in Durham politics has been adorable, comparatively speaking.”
Middleton was a polarizing figure, but he was well-respected by his peers, serving as an ambassador for Bull City around the country, and the mayor pro tem under O’Neal and Williams.
Neither Freeman nor Middleton seemed prepared to give up community service, even if it meant operating from outside of City Hall as a private citizen.
“I have a deep love and respect for the people of Durham far too much to say goodbye, so instead I’ll say, until next time because the journey will continue,” Freeman said.
Middleton warned against the vitriol and antagonism that clouded this year’s municipal elections, asking constituents to respect the humanity of the “eight exceptional people” who sit on the dais, even if they don’t agree with them on every vote.
“There is a germ in our public square where there are some folk who define themselves only by enemies,” Middleton said. “They cannot conceive of a context of building without strife, without conflict, without rancor. It’s almost as if they are afraid to operate in an environment of peace and mutual respect. So I want to say to the people of Durham, those of us that are in the overwhelming majority; resist. Rob it of its oxygen, turn it off, unplug it. It’s time to govern.”
That governing responsibility now belongs, in part, to Freeman and Middleton’s successors; Matt Kopac and Shanetta Burris. The two incoming council members were sworn in alongside returning councilor Chelsea Cook and mayor Williams.
Kopac said he was excited to help build a Durham that is “more affordable, more just, more sustainable, and hopefully with time, one that is more united.”
“Thank you to all the voters who trusted me enough to allow me to serve, and for everyone else, I ask you to give me a chance to earn your trust, because I desire to serve all of Durham. I’m particularly proud to be able to serve Ward 1, and intend to give my ward special attention as I seek to serve all of Durham in this role.”
Burris highlighted the camaraderie on the campaign trail between her and other candidates like Anjanée Bell and Pablo Friedmann, who campaigned on Burris’s behalf after the primary. She said she’s ready to get to work and urged the community to hold her and the rest of the city council accountable.
“I’m here to serve our community and to make sure those people are not voiceless,” Burris said.
With the new council locked in, Williams appointed Javiera Caballero as his next pro tem to replace Middleton, his fraternity brother and close confidant. Caballero, who was appointed in 2018 and then elected in 2019, is now the longest-serving city council member and the first person of Hispanic heritage to hold the position in Durham.
Monday wasn’t only about celebration. After the speeches, the cheering, and the photo ops, the city council still had “the people’s business” to attend to, starting with addressing the large, unmarked SUV-sized elephant in the room; the prospect of federal immigration agents back in the Triangle.
Siembra NC announced on Sunday the organization had credible information ICE was launching a new, month-long operation in the Triangle; An ICE spokesperson told the INDY that was untrue.
Council members spoke in strong opposition to the presence of ICE and CBP officers in Durham, and uplifted numerous community organizations and volunteers on the front lines who distribute food and other resources to folks in need and those afraid to leave their homes.
“Our immigrant communities are welcome here,” Councilor Nate Baker said. “We do not want immigration enforcement in Durham. I think that that should be made loud and clear from all of us who believe that.”
In response to the fear and instability caused by federal agents last month, local organizers banded together to create the Durham Community Care Collective, a mobilization effort that raised thousands of dollars to provide meals for families across Durham. Councilor Carl Rist spent time with other volunteers loading blocks of ground beef from a walk-in freezer at the W.G. Pearson Center last week.
“I am so proud of this community for responding the way it has to the tremendous concern about ICE here and families who literally did not want to go out to work or to the store or to school,” Rist said.
Mayor pro tem Caballero says the Collective was pulled together quickly around the Thanksgiving holiday. Caballero says the Collective has raised over $100,000 and distributed meals to thousands of families with the help of teachers, guidance counselors, principals and other volunteers across Durham who spent their holiday break bringing food to students and their families.
“That is what Durham is,” Caballero says. “That is what Durham will always be. And I think it is in those moments where I see the deep strength and resilience of our community, and I see the deep commitment to neighbors.”
Council also got its first taste of collective governance on Monday when it deliberated over a small rezoning case in East Durham. After 25 minutes, and a strange yet entertaining troll job from “Jen Trifier” during public comment, the new city council voted unanimously in favor of the project.
Follow Reporter Justin Laidlaw on X or send an email to [email protected]. Comment on this story at [email protected].