Sequence matters because self-defense and aggression are not identical merely because both involve force.

This does not mean every action in the crowd was automatically justified or harmless.

It means the historical event has a clear initiating context.

The Klan came to frighten a community.

The community confronted it.

The Klan fled.

Any responsible account has to preserve that order.

The Aftermath In Local Race Relations

North Carolina educational sources note that Hayes Pond contributed to shifts in local relationships among white, Black, and Native residents.

The event created a moment in which many white residents distanced themselves from the Klan and many Black residents expressed support for the Lumbee resistance.