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City Council charges toward decision on White Street Landfill

August 11, 2011 Contact: Chris Brook (919) 323 - 3380 ext. 113 chrisbrook@southerncoalition.org Goldie Wells 336-549-8712 https://southerncoalition.org
City Council charges toward decision on White Street Landfill Will pick a vendor after seven days, 694 pages and before speaking to a single applicant
GREENSBORO--Seven business days after getting 694 pages of proposals from the six vendors, the Greensboro City Council will tonight select a company to operate the White Street Landfill. In a rare, if not unprecedented move, the council will vote on the same night they receive proposal analyses from city staff and before speaking to a single potential vendor. “Seven days isn’t enough time to study nearly seven-hundred pages of proposals,” says former Councilwoman Goldie Wells. “I know they haven’t been doing council work that whole time.” Wells is also a leader in the Citizens for Economic and Environmental Justice, which opposes the landfill. A public hearing will be held on the proposals after the council has made a selection. However, the obvious intent of the council is to sign a contract, rendering any public hearing after a selection meaningless. A recent report from Republic Services—the current solid waste operator for the city—noted that $3.5 million in annual savings could be achieved without re-opening the landfill to municipal solid waste, weakening the primary assertion made by the council that re-opening the landfill is a budgetary necessity. “It makes you wonder if they already have their minds made up,” says Wells. The council is charging towards a decision in order to have a contract signed before voters can offer their opinion in the upcoming elections. City Councilman Robbie Perkins noted at a community forum Monday evening that this was the best rushed process he had seen since coming onto the Council in 1993. This rush to re-open White Street will come at the expense of including Greensboro residents—in particular those who live around the landfill—in a decision that will affect the city for decades. Chris Brook, an attorney with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, will read a letter into the record of tonight's City Council meeting. Read it here (bit.ly/qBi9pq). ### The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in August, 2007 in Durham, North Carolina by a multi-disciplinary group, predominantly people of color, who believe that families and communities engaged in social justice struggles need a team of lawyers, social scientists, community organizers and media specialists to support them in their efforts to dismantle structural racism and oppression.

Press Release: CEEJ to Wade: Step Aside Due from White Street Consideration Due to Your Conflict of Interest

August 11, 2011

Contact: Chris Brook (919) 323 - 3380 ext. 113
chrisbrook@southerncoalition.org
https://southerncoalition.org

CEEJ to Wade: Step Aside Due from White Street Consideration Due to Your Conflict of Interest

GREENSBORO, NC –The Northeast Greensboro Citizens for Economic and Environmental Justice is calling upon Greensboro City Councilwoman Trudy Wade to recuse herself from the consideration of proposals to re-open the White Street Landfill. Councilwoman Wade’s first cousin is the President of A-1 Sandrock, Inc., one of the respondents to Greensboro’s most recent Request for Proposals.

“The revelation that Councilwoman Wade's cousin is the President of one of the companies interested in operating the White Street Landfill calls into question whether she can consider the interests of all Greensboro residents,” says Kay Brandon, a leader in the Citizens for Economic and Environmental Justice. “In light of this conflict of interest, she should not participate in the consideration of the current RFPs to ensure a process all Greensboro residents can trust.”

The Greensboro Conflict of Interest policy prohibits “its officers, employees, or agents from participating in the selection, award, or administration of any contract where a conflict of interest is involved or may exist, whether real or apparent.” The policy goes on to note, “it is essential for the City of Greensboro’s officers, employees, and agents to remain free from all conflicts of interest, whether real or apparent, in order for the City to maintain the public trust of its citizens.”

Councilpersons Nancy Vaughan and Zach Matheny were both conflicted out of even considering whether the city should issue a new RFP by the Greensboro City Attorney’s office. Yet, the Greensboro City Attorney’s office has cleared Councilwoman Wade’s continuing to vote on proposals put forward by her cousin. It is unclear how her voting on her first cousin’s proposals is compatible with maintaining the public trust of Greensboro citizens in this RFP process.

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The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in August, 2007 in Durham, North Carolina by a multi-disciplinary group, predominantly people of color, who believe that families and communities engaged in social justice struggles need a team of lawyers, social scientists, community organizers and media specialists to support them in their efforts to dismantle structural racism and oppression.

Another Study Confirms Elevated Rates of Pancreatic Cancer Around the White Street Landfill

July 20, 2011 Contact: Chris Brook: (919) 323-3380 ext. 113 chrisbrook@southerncoalition.org Kay Brandon: (336) 324-7207 kaybran@triad.rr.com ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Another Study Confirms Elevated Rates of Pancreatic Cancer Around the White Street Landfill The North Carolina Division of Public Health has released the results of a study investigating the incidences of cancer in the areas surrounding White Street Landfill in Greensboro, NC, which found that, there appears to be an elevated rate of pancreatic cancers in the study area relative to typical rates observed in North Carolina.” Although cancer has many causes, the report states that, “The increased number of pancreatic cancers in the study community cannot be attributed to differences in age, gender and race since the control population was selected for its demographic similarities to the reference population.” Kay Brandon, a member of the Greensboro Citizens for Economic and Environmental Justice, is disappointed that the Greensboro City Council is trying to re-open the White Street Landfill before fully studying these instances of pancreatic cancer. “For those of us who have lived in the community long enough, there are enough anecdotal stories of cancer that it seems more than coincidental, especially when you look at the high numbers of people affected in each family,” she said. The study maintains that the elevated cancer rates have not yet been linked to environmental exposure associated with White Street Landfill. In support of this the report notes a clean soil cap is now placed on the landfill each day to entrap toxic chemicals. However, the report fails to note this is a new procedure that did not occur for the first 50 years of the landfill's existence, when many of the current residents were already living in the area. It also fails to note Phases I and II of the landfill are unlined.

Greensboro City Council To Put Forward A Third Request For Proposals For White Street Landfill

July 11, 2011 Contact: Chris Brook: (919) 323-3380 ext. 113 chrisbrook@southerncoalition.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Greensboro City Council To Put Forward A Third Request For Proposals For White Street Landfill Compact timeline does not allow for due diligence A four-person majority of the Greensboro City Council intends to put forward a new Request for Proposals (RFP) today to re-open the White Street Landfill. This new RFP requires the City Council to complete—in less than two months from now—a process that would re-open White Street. “It’s impossible to conduct a thorough RFP process on such a compact timeline,” said Chris Brook, the staff attorney with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice who is representing Plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the expansion of the landfill. “We urge the City Council to do what it has not done before—its due diligence.” This is the third solid waste management RFP issued by the current City Council. The first RFP was discarded by the Council after months of consideration. The City Council abandoned their second RFP after more than six months of consideration when two Guilford County Superior Court judges ruled it failed to comply with North Carolina landfill laws. The RFP calls for private contractors to submit proposals to re-open White Street by July 25 and then for the City Council to conclude contract negotiations by August 31. This would give the City Council only seven weeks to receive, analyze, and debate RFP submissions, conduct contract negotiations and then finally set a course for Greensboro’s future solid waste management plans. The timeline for this most recent RFP would allow the four-person majority pushing the landfill plans to re-open White Street before they face Greensboro voters in upcoming municipal elections. A copy of the draft Request For Proposals can be found here or at the link below. ### The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in August, 2007 in Durham, North Carolina by a multi-disciplinary group, predominantly people of color, who believe that families and communities engaged in social justice struggles need a team of lawyers, social scientists, community organizers and media specialists to support them in their efforts to dismantle structural racism and oppression.

media advisory: scsj posts fair redistricting maps as comparison for congressional maps

Anita Earls 919-323-3380 ext. 115 anita@southerncoalition.org www.southerncoalition.org SCSJ Posts Fair Redistricting Maps as Comparison for Congressional Maps DURHAM—Leading up to the expected release of the proposed congressional maps today, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice has posted on its website its own map of congressional districts for the State of North Carolina for comparison. The SCSJ illustrative plan was submitted to the General Assembly’s redistricting committee in May. “Our map is a ‘least change’ map for the most part. It preserves the cores of existing districts, avoids diluting the voting strength of minority voters, does not pair any incumbents and is likely to result in a congressional delegation with the same partisan balance as the current delegation,” said Anita Earls, executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. “Our maps are fair, compact and recognize existing communities of interest.” SCSJ has been working with community groups and organizations across the state and around the country to participate in the redistricting process. More information can be found at their website for the Community Census and Redistricting Institute, redistrictinginstitute.org. ### The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in August, 2007 in Durham, North Carolina by a multi-disciplinary group, predominantly people of color, who believe that families and communities engaged in social justice struggles need a team of lawyers, social scientists, community organizers and media specialists to support them in their efforts to dismantle structural racism and oppression.

Media Advisory: The Alliance for Fair Redistricting and Minority Voting Rights Releases Illustrative Redistricting Maps

UPDATE: the testimony of Executive Director Anita Earls has been attached. See below for all of the associated documents with her testimony, including SCSJ maps. Domenic Powell (704) 281 9911 domenic@southerncoalition.org https://southerncoalition.org The Alliance for Fair Redistricting and Minority Voting Rights Releases Illustrative Redistricting Maps DURHAM—Testifying today at public hearings on the districts drawn by the Senate and House Redistricting committees, Anita Earls of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice is presenting maps drawn in a series of meetings over the past two months by a coalition of non-partisan organizations that illustrate more compact, more reasonable districts that are fair for all voters of the state. “The “Voting Rights Act” districts made public last Friday by the Redistricting Committees pack far more minorities together than are required under the Voting Rights Act,” said Anita Earls, Executive Director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. “These districts will likely result in an overall plan that isolates minority communities for partisan advantage.” The Republicans released maps of the districts they identified as Voting Rights Act districts prior to releasing their overall plan, making it difficult to understand the maps in context. Moreover, the Voting Rights Act explicitly states that it does not require proportional representation. The alternative maps presented to the Committees today comply with the Voting Rights Act and have reasonably compact districts. There may be other options that AFRAM ultimately endorses, but these maps illustrate that it is possible to comply with the Voting Rights Act without packing black voters beyond what is necessary to elect their candidates of choice. The Voting Rights Act districts released by the Committees will likely ultimately harm the interests of black voters in this state. “We’re more sophisticated than just counting the number of black districts” said Earls. “We want electoral districts in which minority communities have a viable voice in government. We want a process that is fair to all voters.” ### The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in August, 2007 in Durham, North Carolina by a multi-disciplinary group, predominantly people of color, who believe that families and communities engaged in social justice struggles need a team of lawyers, social scientists, community organizers and media specialists to support them in their efforts to dismantle structural racism and oppression.

Groups Request Carrboro Rescind Unconstitutional Anti-loitering Ordinance

Contact: Chris Brook (919) 323-3380 ext. 113 chrisbrook@southerncoalition.org https://southerncoalition.org Groups Request Carrboro Rescind Unconstitutional Anti-loitering Ordinance Letter asserts that the ordinance would not survive a legal challenge CARRBORO-The Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) has sent a letter to Carrboro Town Attorney Michael Brough as well as members of the Town Board of Aldermen alerting them to the unconstitutionality of Carrboro's anti-loitering ordinance. Joined by lawyers from the North Carolina NAACP, ACLU of North Carolina, North Carolina Justice Center, the North Carolina Immigrant Rights Project, UNC Center for Civil Rights, UNC School of Law Center on Poverty, Work & Opportunity, and professors in the UNC Immigration/Human Rights Policy Clinic and UNC Civil Legal Assistance Clinic, SCSJ staff attorney Chris Brook requests the Board of Alderman rescind the ordinance. Section 5-20(c) of the Carrboro Town Ordinance makes it a misdemeanor for any person to "stand, sit, recline, linger, or otherwise remain" on the corner of Davie and Jones Ferry Roads "between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m." The ordinance targets only this specific spot, where predominantly Latino day laborers gather to find work. After having their efforts to find work frustrated by the ordinance each day, police promptly herd them off the corner with patrol cars at 11:00 a.m. "They would herd them from one spot to another. It's dehumanizing," said Dr. Judith Blau, Director of the Human Rights Center of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Blau has asked the police to stop this practice and for the Board of Aldermen to abolish the ordinance. The letter highlights the breadth of conduct made illegal on this corner, including "socializing at a community event, attempting to hail a cab, conducting a public health survey, handing out fliers calling for an end to Guantánamo Bay preventive detentions, [and] collecting funds for victims of recent tornadoes in North Carolina." Barring this amount of constitutionally protected First Amendment speech is unconstitutional under the 2009 North Carolina Court of Appeals decision in North Carolina v. Mello. In Mello, a far narrower Winston-Salem anti-loitering ordinance was struck down. The objectionable conduct targeted, such as public urination, could be prevented by enforcement of the current criminal code, making the ordinance unnecessary. Furthermore, the ordinance is contrary to Carrboro's stated "pride in being known as a community rich in cultural and economic diversity." A PDF of the letter is attached. ### The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in August, 2007 in Durham, North Carolina by a multi-disciplinary group, predominantly people of color, who believe that families and communities engaged in social justice struggles need a team of lawyers, social scientists, community organizers and media specialists to support them in their efforts to dismantle structural racism and oppression.

Judge Enjoins Greensboro City Council From Expanding White Street Landfill

June 16, 2011 Contact: Chris Brook: (919) 323-3380 ext. 113 chrisbrook@southerncoalition.org Goldie Wells: (336) 549-8712 **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** Judge Enjoins Greensboro City Council From Expanding White Street Landfill Second Superior Court Judge Finds for Plaintiffs GREENSBORO, NC –Judge Richard W. Stone granted Plaintiffs request for a preliminary injunction this morning, halting the Greensboro City Council’s efforts to expand the White Street Landfill. The order enjoins the City Council “from adopting any solid waste management plan that selects or approves a ‘new sanitary landfill’ site… in the White Street Landfill… until the Court has entered a final judgment in this case.” This is the second Superior Court Judge, after Judge Patrice Hinnant’s June 3 order, to find for the Plaintiffs in holding that the Greensboro City Council has not met its statutory obligations. "The statute was there, all the Greensboro City Council had to do was look at the statute," said Goldie Wells, a leader with the Citizens for Environmental and Economic Justice. "I’m happy our voices are finally being heard." While the City Council planned to sign a 15 to 30-year contract with Gate City Waste Services or Waste Industries by June 21, 2011, it now cannot adopt such a plan at least until the trial in this case concludes, according to the order. A 15- to 30-year contract would have required the construction of two new phases (Phases IV and V) of the White Street Landfill. These expansions obligate the City Council to consider other sites, hold a public hearing and consider socioeconomic and demographic data under North Carolina General Statute 160A-325. Prior to this order, the Greensboro City Council had not yet fulfilled these obligations despite a letter from SCSJ reminding it of its legal obligations and repeated requests from the community. The case, which is entitled Jacqueline Neal Ferguson, Roosevelt Ferguson, Betty Crite, Marlina Scales, Lottie Neal, Citizens for Economic and Environmental Justice, and League of Women Voters Piedmont Triad v. Greensboro City Council, features both residents directly impacted by the landfill expanding and residents throughout Greensboro. All Plaintiffs are represented by SCSJ. The case will now proceed to a trial. ### The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in August, 2007 in Durham, North Carolina by a multi-disciplinary group, predominantly people of color, who believe that families and communities engaged in social justice struggles need a team of lawyers, social scientists, community organizers and media specialists to support them in their efforts to dismantle structural racism and oppression.

SCSJ Files Injunction Against Greensboro City Council

UPDATE: Exhibit E has been added to the documents below. A complaint and request for declaratory relief has also been added, as well as a motion for a temporary restraining order. Contact: May 31 , 2011 Chris Brook: 919 - 323 – 3380 ext. 113 chrisbrook@southerncoalition.org **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** SCSJ Files Injunction Against Greensboro City Council GREENSBORO, NC—The Southern Coalition for Social Justice has filed an injunction in Guilford County Superior Court against the Greensboro City Council to prevent it from entering into a contract with a private company for the operation of the White Street Landfill. The council is moving forward with its plan after being warned of its legal obligations by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. Phase III of the White Street Landfill is expected to reach its capacity within the next four years. Since the city intends to enter into a contract for a minimum fifteen years, expanding the landfill and new permits will be required. Future phases would qualify as “new sanitary landfills”; in order to open a new sanitary landfill, the council is required under North Carolina General Statute 160A-325 to consider other sites, hold a public hearing and consider socioeconomic data. So far the council has proceeded in spite of city residents rather than with their support. “I’m really disappointed with the council. It’s not listening to the citizens,” said Goldie Wells, a leader in Citizens for Economic and Environmental Justice, as well as a former member of the Greensboro City Council from 2005 to 2009. “It’s a betrayal of trust. It changed in 2001, then all the changes in 2006; now to come back 5 years later and change it again, it causes mistrust.” CEEJ is one of the complainants in the case, along with the League of Women Voters and several residents of the neighborhood near the proposed landfill. The city has failed to comply with the statute potentially to the detriment of its residents. The council will make a decision with serious costs, in the form of lost tax revenue, property value, environmental and health costs. The issue that will bring the case to court, however, is its failure to make its decision in accordance to state law. “Other cities are looking at what we’re doing—having meeting for 5-7hours, 15 speakers against and then going forward with the same decision,” said Wells, frustrated with the insistence of the council to reopen the landfill against the protest of area residents. “It’s ridiculous, to tell you the truth.” ### The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in August, 2007 in Durham, North Carolina by a multi-disciplinary group, predominantly people of color, who believe that families and communities engaged in social justice struggles need a team of lawyers, social scientists, community organizers and media specialists to support them in their efforts to dismantle structural racism and oppression. NOTE: Exhibits A-X are available below. Exhibits Y and Z from Waste Industries are available from the Greensboro City website: Exhibit Y Exhibit Z Request for Declaratory Relief Motion for Temporary Restraining Order

New Hill Community Association Settles Litigation For More Than $500,000 in Community Benefits

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, January 28, 2011 New Hill, NC--The New Hill Community Association has settled its litigation against the Western Wake Partners over their decision to site a wastewater treatment facility in their community. Represented for the past two years by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, the Association received $500,000 to build a community center, a long-held goal of New Hill residents. "During the course of our efforts, our community has come together as never before with neighbors becoming friends,” said Rev. James Clanton, Pastor of the First Baptist Church New Hill. Rev. Clanton, who serves as New Hill Community Association Secretary and was recently awarded the Florenza Moore Grant Community Environmental Justice Award, continued, “These efforts will help mitigate impacts to our community." The Partners will also connect the community center to the new wastewater treatment facility free of charge as well as constructing two bus stops for community children as part of the settlement. The Partners had already agreed to hook up individuals living closest to the facility to water and sewer, improving upon their original plans by clarifying they would handle all expenses and pay directly to water and sewer contractors instead of requiring residents to wait for reimbursements. SCSJ staff attorney Chris Brook echoed Rev. Clanton’s sentiments saying, “SCSJ was proud to work with NHCA in their quest for environmental justice and know the settlement represents a huge step to realizing the New Hill community’s goals.” Contact: Chris Brook, attorney Southern Coalition for Social Justice (919) 323-3380 Chris@SouthernCoaltion.org Paul Barth President, New Hill Community Association (919) 539-8736

New Hill Community Association wins Indy Citizen Award

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, November 24, 2010 Durham, NC- The New Hill Community Association, which is waging a battle against placement of a sewage plant in the center of their historic district by the affluent towns of Cary, Apex and Morrisville, has been awarded the prestigious Indy Citizen Award by the Independent Weekly, a Durham-based Triangle newspaper. The Indy Citizen Award honors “people and groups whose activism has positively impacted their communities, whether it's one neighborhood, a city or several counties." In accepting the award, NHCA President Paul Barth said, “We are humbled by this recognition and support for our efforts. This has truly been a community effort to protect our predominantly African-American community from becoming a dumping ground for our wealthy neighbors.” The struggle of the New Hill Community is winning wide recognition for the justness of its cause and for the valor of the residents waging the struggle. Recently Rev. Clanton won the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network’s Florenza Moore Grant Community Award for 2010 for his "faithful work to protect the citizens, community and environment of New Hill." The New Hill Community Association recently scored a victory when the town of Holly Springs recently withdrew from the Western Wake Partners the conglomerate of towns attempting to cite their sewage plant in New Hill. On behalf of the New Hill Community Association (NHCA), the Southern Coalition for Social Justice recently filed a Petition for Contested Case Hearing in the state Office of Administrative Hearings to challenge the Western Wake Partners' proposed placement of a sewage treatment plant in the center of the New Hill community. Dozens of New Hill residents also recently participated in a public hearing in Apex, questioning the Western Wake Partner's plan to discharge from the proposed sewage treatment plant into a distressed portion of the Cape Fear River. Contact: Chris Brook, attorney Southern Coalition for Social Justice (919) 323-3380 Chris@SouthernCoalition.org Paul Barth President, New Hill Community Association (919) 539-8736

Packed House Kicks Off Fair Hiring Campaign

SECOND CHANCE ALLIANCE MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 16, 2010 Durham, NC: A campaign for fair employment for people with a conviction history got off to a spirited start last night at an overflow meeting convened by the Durham Second Chance Alliance. More than 150 people came together at Durham’s main library to say: “We deserve a Second Chance.” They vowed to move ordinances before the Durham City Council and Durham County Commissioners removing the box that asks whether an applicant has ever been arrested or convicted of a crime from employment applications. “I refuse to be defined by the worst mistake I ever made.” “I should not be prohibited from employment for the rest of my life because of a stupid move I made a long time ago.” “I have come a long way, and I deserve a chance to make a living and support my family.” These and other stories were shared by meeting participants. More than 1.6 million people in North Carolina have criminal records; many are African American. In Durham County nearly 4,000 people are currently on probation or parole and thousands more have criminal convictions. They face constant discrimination in hiring, housing, and services which undermines their families and whole communities. “Employment is crucial to reduce recidivism-returning to prison, resulting in a safer community and lower cost to taxpayers,” argues Gilda Womble of the Second Chance Alliance. The Second Chance Alliance was initiated by InStepp, Inc., North Carolina Justice Center, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Southside Neighborhood Association, Organization for D.A.D.S. and Action NC. The next step in the campaign is a noontime rally at Durham City Hall on Dec. 13. More than 24 cities and several states have passed “Ban the Box” ordinances, as such fair hiring initiatives are often called. “We understand that a person’s complete background and qualifications must be considered before they are offered a job,” says Alliance member Daryl Atkinson. But a person’s conviction history should only be considered when it might actually affect a person’s ability to do the specific job applied for.” The group plans to bring an ordinance before the Durham City Council by the end of January 2011. Contact: Bob Wing, Organizing and Media Coordinator Southern Coalition for Social Justice 919-323-3380 Gilda Womble, Executive Director InStepp, Inc. 919-680-8000 Ajamu Dillahunt, Community Outreach Coordinator NC Justice Center 919-856-3194