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Duke Energy Provides $25,000 Grant For SCSJ’s 2022 Justice System Reform Work

DURHAM, N.C. (December 21, 2021) — Duke Energy has awarded Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) with a $25,000 grant to expand the educational and advocacy work of the North Carolina-based organization’s Justice System Reform (JSR) team. Through community lawyering, communications, and organizing, the JSR Team promotes social and economic justice by ensuring police accountability,…

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Law Designed to Reinstate the Right to Vote is Not Being Followed, Exacerbates Racial Disparity in Voting

Written by Grover Wehman, Organizing Intern

In North Carolina, a person convicted of a felony loses her right to vote until she completes all terms of her sentence, including probation or parole. The person regains the right to vote the day she completes her term. This reinstatement of voting rights, however, is not being executed in compliance with North Carolina state law.

A recent survey, conducted by Democracy North Carolina and tabulated by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, indicates that the majority of Parole Officers are not properly informed of, nor executing NC 163-82.20A: “Voter Registration Upon Restoration of Citizenship.”

This law charges the Department of Corrections, Administrative Office of the Courts, and the Board of Elections to inform persons completing sentences for felony convictions that her or his right to vote has been restored, and to provide the person with an opportunity to register to vote.

In January 2010 Democracy North Carolina conducted phone interviews with 84 probation and parole officers in North Carolina. The law states “(a)t a minimum, the program shall include a written notice to the person whose citizenship has been restored, informing that person that the person may now register to vote, with a voter registration form enclosed with the notice.”

However, when asked, only 6 out of 84 Parole Officers report that he or she provides persons leaving the system with a voter registration form.

Non-compliance with this law has racially disparate impacts on voting rights. Currently in North Carolina 73,113 people have been stripped of their right to vote. Despite comprising only 21% of North Carolina’s population, 57% of disenfranchised voters are African American.

If current practices continue, the number of legally or practically disenfranchised African American voters will expand exponentially. As each person completes their sentence, but is not adequately informed of the right to vote, disenfranchised voters remain disenfranchised even after their right to vote has legally been restored. As felony convictions continue, over time the current 42,000 disenfranchised African American North Carolinians could become 84,000 disenfranchised African American North Carolinians. In a state already struggling for racial equity in voting, the impact of noncompliance with the Voter Registration Upon Restoration of Citizenship law is great.

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice along with Democracy North Carolina and other Coalition partners are pressuring state lawmakers to expand probation and parole officer compliance with this law and other practices within the criminal justice system that discourages voter participation.

Stay tuned for more information on racial justice and voting rights as we prepare for an upcoming Community Census and Redistricting Institute in late July.

Wills Clinic in Edgecombe County

Two SCSJ attorneys, four SCSJ legal interns, and four law student volunteers conducted a pro bono wills’ clinic July 9-11 in Tarboro, North Carolina. With a huge assist from the Edgecombe County Cooperative Extension office, attorneys and students discussed end-of-life issues with 13 Edgecombe County residents. These discussion led to the production of more than 40 documents, including wills, living wills, powers of attorney, and health care powers of attorney, for residents who otherwise could not have afforded the services. “End of life planning is a key to preventing problems we frequently see in our office, such as heirs’ property and associated African-American land loss. This clinic was a great way of not only dealing with the source of these problems, but also providing pro bono legal assistance to an underserved community,” says SCSJ staff attorney Becky Jaffe, who coordinated the clinic.

New Fiscal Year Brings Changes to Healthcare Coverage

“Apex can’t actually prohibit abortions, whether it’s for an employee or not. But our plan can,” says Republican Apex mayor Keith Weatherly. Indeed, the town of Apex has recently removed coverage for abortions from the city’s health care plan except in cases of rape, incest, or where the life of the mother is at risk. Provoked by anti-choice State Rep. Paul Stam, numerous counties and the NC League of Municipalities, which determines the plan for over 200 municipalities, have quickly followed suit. More counties are now threatening to do the same. However, abortion coverage is a normal part of comprehensive health coverage. More than 85 percent of private insurance plans provide coverage. Erica Scott of NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina and Patricia Dillon of Planned Parenthood say, “Removing abortion coverage from an employee benefit package is a clear example of politicians placing their own divisive agenda ahead of what is best for the citizens of the towns and counties they represent.” To read more about this issue, click here.

Building Real "Secure Communities" in North Carolina

"Building Real 'Secure Communities': Addressing the Effects of Local/Federal Cooperation in Immigration Enforcement" is a training initiative designed to equip community-based organizations in the Triangle with the skills necessary to systematically collect data documenting abuses of human rights abuses occurring under ICE ACCESS programs. The Triangle CF helped the Southern Coalition for Social Justice train these groups so the data could be shared with policy and legal advocates in order to effectively engage in public policy debate about local enforcement of immigration law.

North Carolina NAACP Holds Forum Monday Night In Greenville

North Carolina NAACP Holds Forum Monday Night In Greenville Do Greenville Police Officers use racial profiling? It's a question that's been a hot topic ever since the arrest of City Councilwoman Kandie Smith last month. Monday night the NAACP held a forum in Greenville to discuss alleged police misconduct, and Ms. Smith was there along with dozens of others. One by one, Pitt County residents lined up at the Lucille Gorham Inter-Generational Center to speak out about alleged racial profiling and police misconduct. Organized by the NAACP, the UNC Center for Civil Rights, and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, it was a chance for residents to present their concerns to a hearing panel comprised of lawyers, so a written report can be established and statistical arrest records can be pulled on the Greenville Police Department. While Kandie Smith was in attendance, she did not speak during the comment period allotted for Pitt County residents. Not in attendance was Greenville Police Chief William Anderson. The NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference have previously asked for the Chief's resignation in the wake of Smith's arrest. Previous Story: The North Carolina NAACP is holding a public hearing Monday in Greenville to discuss alleged police misconduct, excessive force and racial profiling. The NAACP announced the forum earlier this month after the arrest of Greenville city councilwoman Kandie Smith. The group, along with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, asked for the resignation of Police Chief William Anderson, who is black. Smith said in a later statement that the two groups do not speak for her and she is not advocating the chief's removal. Smith was arrested June 6th in the parking lot of a Greenville convenience store for trespassing and resisting arrest when police say she failed to follow an officer's directive and to leave. A press release was sent by Reverend William Barber II, president of the NC NCAAP, and Amina Turner, the group's executive director, about Monday night's civil rights forum in Greenville. The press release is below. NAACP Press Release: The NC State Conference of the NAACP along with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and the UNC Center for Civil Rights will conduct a public hearing for Eastern North Carolina to receive public comment on police misconduct, excessive force and racial profiling. It will be held on Monday, June 28 at 7:00pm at the Lucille Gorham Intergenerational Center located at 1100 Ward Street in West Greenville. Persons or youth who are 18 years and younger and have experienced an incident of excessive force or police misconduct must present with an adult. All speakers must sign in before speaking. Through its Law Enforcement Accountability project, the NAACP has developed a “smart and safe” framework in which to advocate for equal justice and safer communities. This hearing is an effort to receive live reports of incidents and allegations and to collect statistical data from the region. NAACP strongly believes that all communities seek a fair and just administration and enforcement of the law, and that all communities, irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or religion have a right to be safe. A report released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and The Rights Working Group indicated that, “racial and ethnic profiling by members of law enforcement at federal, state and local levels is one of today's most significant challenges to equality.” State NAACP President, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, remarked, “Our goal in advocating for justice in the criminal justice system is to eliminate disparate treatment of African-Americans and other minorities in all aspects of law enforcement and criminal justice. As the oldest civil rights organization in the nation, we are mandated to stay informed of issues that occur in our communities, and investigate and then working with key stakeholders such as civic leadership the faith community, and other organizations to ensure that law enforcement is just and fair in both administration of justice and the enforcement of the law.” End Of Release

Immigrant Justice Organizers Get Involved

Recently, the Immigrant Justice organizing interns attended two events. On Friday, June 18th, we went to action with the NC DREAM Team at UNC-Chapel Hill where Senator Kay Hagan was the keynote speaker for a luncheon hosted by Action for Children, an organization that works to benefit the education of all children in North Carolina. We hoped to get Senator Hagan to support and co-sponsor the DREAM Act. While she did hold a brief meeting with the young women on a hunger strike, she still refused to support the bill. Later that day, we joined activists and allies at Senator Hagan’s office hours in speaking to her about the DREAM Act and immigration reform. These two meetings turned out to be the only opportunities that the activists had to meet with Sen. Hagan over the span of their two-week hunger strike. Although this day was seemingly frustrating, Hagan has since released a statement saying, "I believe the Dream Act should be considered in the context of comprehensive immigration reform.” On Saturday, we led a "Know Your Rights" training in Zebulon at a Latino church which has been targeted for police checkpoints scheduled during church services. We had adapted some aspects of the training based on the previous one held in Winston-Salem and found the changes to be more interactive. The congregation had plenty of questions for staff attorney Marty Rosenbluth about their rights and the state of immigration enforcement. Towards the end of the presentation, the focus shifted to organizing for immigrant justice and the level of energy reflected the need for reform.

SCSJ Attends the Social Forum #5

On Friday June 25, SCSJ staff attorney Christopher Brook, SCSJ organizer Rebecca Fontaine, and Moore County, North Carolina community activist Maurice Holland headed up a panel discussion at the US Social Forum in Detroit, Michigan. The panel, entitled Law and Organizing Partnerships that Build Worker and Community Power, focused on the community lawyering model that allows communities to respond to their needs with the legal and organizing support of organizations like SCSJ. Brook, Fontaine, and Holland discussed the background of community lawyering as well as the benefits and pitfalls associated with the model. They also led a spirited discussion of successful community efforts by African-American communities in Moore County to obtain the sewer, water, and police protection resources they deserved. The panel, attended by representatives from the US Department of Labor, like-minded community organizations, community activists, and law students, offered an opportunity for panelists and attendees to learn more about what has worked in community lawyering, and problems confronted by similarly situated communities. Brook, Fontaine, and Holland, as well an SCSJ delegation, were able to attend the Social Forum due to financial support from individuals like you. To allow us to continue making a difference in communities that are changing the world please click here to give.

Highlights

SCSJ has Moved!

Our new address is:

1415 West Highway 54
Suite 101
Durham, NC 27707

Two Environmental Justice Victories!

The Gates County Citizens Against OLF successfully pressured the Navy to suspend its process for constructing a practice landing field in Gates County. The Navy announced that it will halt the process at least until 2014. SCSJ represents Citizens Against OLF. Read more about it in our recent blog post.

The New Hill Community Association, represented for the past two years by SCSJ, has settled its litigation against the Western Wake Partners over the Partners' decision to site a wastewater treatment facility in the New Hill community. The Association received $500,000 to build a community center, a long-held goal of New Hill residents. Read more about it in our press release.

Voting Rights Victory

On December 16, SCSJ ensured that a federal judge reject a challenge to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, a key tool in defending minority voting rights. Read more about the case on our blog.

Check out the cover story in an Indy magazine publication to learn about the courageous stance an immigrant woman took against an Immigration official. SCSJ represented the woman. And read our blog post about it.

SCSJ Attends the Social Forum #4

Written by Lauren Traugott-Campbell, Organizing Intern My Friday morning began about 10 blocks from Detroit's JP Morgan Chase headquarters. Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) and Moratorium NOW called for a march and rally and were met with the enthusiasm of hundreds of activists chanting "Bail out the people, not the banks!" and waving red flags that read "Hasta la Victoria!" Energized by the presence of local percussion band, Cakalak Thunder, we descended upon Chase's skyscraper. Members of FLOC condemned Chase's investments in Reynolds American, one of the US' biggest tobacco corporations which profits from the exploitation of tobacco field workers', and threatened them with a boycott set to begin in the fall. Moratorium NOW also spoke to their demand that Chase Bank immediately stops all foreclosures, evictions and utility shutoffs in Detroit. Looking around at the empty homes throughout the city coupled with hearing testimonies about the working conditions in the NC tobacco fields, the reality of Chase's priorities became painfully clear and the reason for the union of these two groups' seemingly different demands was evident. I then spent my afternoon at Oakland Sister Circle's workshop entitled "Addressing Misogyny and Counter-Organizing in the Movement." This was space for activists to share and react to the ways in which patriarchy manifests in the social justice sphere, even despite men's & queers' good intentions and feminist labels. Discussion centered on the reality that the personal is political and the need for restorative justice infrastructure within organizations. I left with a copy of their powerful magazine entitled "Undefeated" and a better understanding of the way patriarchy and other forms of oppression can manifest, even in the movement. After the workshops were over, I had the opportunity to see some of Detroit's artwork. We headed out to see the Heidelberg Project, an outdoor art project that spans across vacant lots and foreclosed homes in Detroit's East Side. Tyree Guyton started the project 24 years ago and has since filled it with discarded objects ranging from stuffed animals to shopping carts. The withstanding presence of ovens filled with shoes instead of food and the plethora of junk that inhabits these homes instead of people emphasized the priority that capitalism places on things instead of people. Our art sightings continued as we visited the Detroit Institute of Art Museum and marveled at Diego Rivera's mural that sprawled across all four walls of the room. The piece, funded by Henry Ford, depicts the dichotomy of the auto-industry with its images of workers and bosses along with other themes that plague the city of Detroit and the US at large. I left Detroit with new skills, new visions, new connections and a rejuvenated commitment to fighting for social justice in the South.

Eastern NC Regional Meeting: Public Hearing

When: June 28, 2010 from 7pm-9pm Where: Lucille Gorham Intergenerational Center, 1100 Ward Street, Greenville, NC 27834

Flyer

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SCSJ Attends the Social Forum #3

Written by Garrett Sumner, Organizing Intern On Thursday, the first workshop I attended was entitled “Globalization, Criminalization, and Managed Migration: Root Causes and Immigration Rights,” presented by the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. We talked about the different forces which drive international migration and expanded the discussion beyond the typical US and Latin American model. For example, we talked about the trade agreement between Italy and Libya, which allows Italy access to Libya’s natural resources. In turn, Italy provides foreign aid to Libya. However, the agreement stipulates that Libya must use most of this aid to enforce immigration policies to limit migration to Italy. Thus, the aid directly benefits Italy itself while, suffering Libyans are unable to migrate to the country that benefits off of their natural resources.

The second workshop I attended was titled “Israeli Apartheid, International Solidarity and Water Justice.” We discussed the detrimental water use policies in the Palestinian Occupied Territories and how Israel diverts Palestinian water as a means of collective punishment. The workshop turned into a healthy dialogue about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and we deconstructed the “us vs. them” mentality often present in the discourse about the conflict.

Later, I walked through Detroit, witnessing at once its lost grandeur and its current deprivation. The plight of the city’s economy was apparent as businesses throughout the city were closed. While its architecture, constructed with past automobile money, seemingly displayed a titan of industry, there are now entire blocks of unoccupied or abandoned buildings. The US Social Forum is an appropriate first step for a city moving forward.