News

Featured News

Justice System Reform

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,…

Play Video

Recent News

New Hill joins HKonJ

The New Hill community marched in Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) Saturday, February 27 in solidarity with Point 10 of the HKonJ Peoples’ Agenda, promoting environmental justice. New Hill has been a target of environmental racism and is currently fighting the placement of a wastewater treatment plant right next to their historic district and low-income, minority housing. The sewage plant will not serve New Hill. A big shout out to the N&O's coverage of the event, especially this photo of the New Hill contingent. For more information, please read our Press Release, visit our New Hill Page, or visit the home page of the New Hill Community Association.

February 4, 2010: New Bond Fund Helps NC Immigrants Get Fair Day in Court; SCSJ works with the fund to help low-income immigrant families

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Contact: Rebecca Fontaine or Marty Rosenbluth, Immigration Unit, SCSJ (919) 323-3380x116 or (919) 949-9050 Rebecca@scsj.org or Marty@scsj.org Pat Malone, Director, National Immigration Bond Fund (212) 781-2140; pmalone@publicinterestprojects.org New Bond Fund Helps NC Immigrants Get Fair Day in Court; SCSJ works with the fund to help low-income immigrant families Durham, NC – A new Bond Fund is helping immigrants who are arrested post bond and access legal services. The Southern Coalition for Social Justice partnered with the National Immigrant Bond Fund to provide zero interest matching loans to immigrants who cannot afford to pay a full bond. The fund was created from a pool of private donors committed to protecting dignity and due process for immigrants. Since its inception in September, SCSJ has used the fund to help seven families. Undocumented immigrants do not have the same right to due process and a fair trial afforded U.S. citizens. If immigrants cannot post bond immediately after entering Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, it can dramatically affect their ability to get justice. Detainees are then accelerated into deportation proceedings, which are difficult to contest because they do not have the right to an attorney if they cannot afford one, face language barriers, and lack access to documents they need to build their case since they are in custody. Unlike bonds in the criminal courts, most families must pay immigration bonds in cash, rather than being able to pay 10% to a bond agency. Failure to post bond immediately can also result in a rapid transfer of detainees to courts outside of the state in which they were arrested. This was the case with Samuel, who was arrested in Greensboro and rapidly transferred to the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. "Everyone there was like me: we had no money and no resources. They treated us worse than criminals. They treated us like animals," he says, pointing to the freezing temperatures and the lack of adequate food and water, clean clothes or soap for bathing. In some cases, detainees have sufficient grounds to petition to be able to stay in the U.S., but are unable to explore those options and build their case while in detention. Even when these options are not available, being able to post bond and spend a few additional months with their family or being able to sell their property and prepare to return to their home country makes a huge difference. When Edwin Aly Ramirez was arrested while translating for a friend in Greensboro, his first thought was of his wife and two children — with another on the way. "I thought I would never get to meet my newborn," he said. Edwin came here at thirteen from war-torn El Salvador, "…this is my country. I don’t want to leave." "When immigrants are detained without being able to pay their bond, they are denied the right to fully defend their right to stay in this country, which often unjustly results in their being deported without being able to see their families or tie up outstanding obligations," says SCSJ staff attorney Marty Rosenbluth. "The Bond Fund is an important step in combating the injustice and inequities in the immigration system." The Southern Coalition for Social Justice empowers minority and low-income populations to defend and advance their political, social and economic rights. 115 Market St., Suite 470; Durham, NC 27701; www.scsj.org

New Bond Fund Helps NC Immigrants Get Fair Day in Court

DURHAM, NC – A new bond fund is helping immigrants who are arrested post bond and access legal services. The Southern Coalition for Social Justice partnered with the National Immigrant Bond Fund to provide zero interest matching loans to immigrants who cannot afford to pay a full bond. The fund was created from a pool of private donors committed to protecting dignity and due process for immigrants. Since its inception in September, SCSJ has used the fund to help seven families. Undocumented immigrants do not have the same right to due process and a fair trial afforded U.S. citizens. SCSJ says if immigrants cannot post bond immediately after entering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, it can dramatically affect their ability to get justice. They say detainees are then accelerated into deportation proceedings, which are difficult to contest because they do not have the right to an attorney if they cannot afford one, face language barriers and lack access to documents they need to build their case since they are in custody. Unlike bonds in the criminal courts, most families must pay immigration bonds in cash, rather than being able to pay 10% to a bond agency. Failure to post bond immediately can also result in a rapid transfer of detainees to courts outside of the state in which they were arrested. This was the case with Samuel, who was arrested in Greensboro and rapidly transferred to the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. “Everyone there was like me: we had no money and no resources. They treated us worse than criminals. They treated us like animals,” he says, pointing to the freezing temperatures and the lack of adequate food and water, clean clothes or soap for bathing. In some cases, detainees have sufficient grounds to petition to be able to stay in the U.S., but are unable to explore those options and build their case while in detention. Even when these options are not available, being able to post bond and spend a few additional months with their family or being able to sell their property and prepare to return to their home country makes a huge difference. When Edwin Aly Ramirez was arrested while translating for a friend in Greensboro, his first thought was of his wife and two children — with another on the way. “I thought I would never get to meet my newborn,” he said. Edwin came here at thirteen from war-torn El Salvador, “…this is my country. I don’t want to leave.” “When immigrants are detained without being able to pay their bond, they are denied the right to fully defend their right to stay in this country, which often unjustly results in their being deported without being able to see their families or tie up outstanding obligations,” says SCSJ staff attorney Marty Rosenbluth. “The Bond Fund is an important step in combating the injustice and inequities in the immigration system.”

Ayudan a pagar fianzas de inmigración a extranjeros en Carolina del Norte

Charlotte (Carolina del Norte), 24 feb (EFE)- Un fondo creado con dinero de organizaciones privadas ha ayudado a varias familias a pagar parte de la fianza de inmigración de sus seres queridos para que disputen sus casos en los tribunales, se informó hoy. La Coalición de Justicia Social del Sureste (SCSJ), con sede en Durham, al norte del estado, y el Fondo Nacional de Fianzas de Inmigración, han proporcionado desde su creación en septiembre de 2009 siete préstamos sin intereses a familias inmigrantes. Carolina del Norte es uno de los estados del país con más programas 287 g y Comunidades Seguras en marcha, los cuales permiten la identificación de indocumentados en las cárceles locales y ha puesto en proceso de deportación a miles de hispanos. Marty Rosenbluth, abogado del SCSJ, dijo hoy en un comunicado que el fondo es una herramienta para combatir la "injusticia y desigualdad del sistema de inmigración". "Cuando los inmigrantes son detenidos sin poder pagar la fianza se les niega el derecho de defenderse para quedarse en el país lo que resulta en su deportación sin ver a sus familias y arreglar sus obligaciones", apuntó Rosenbluth. Según la organización, si un indocumentado no paga la fianza inmediatamente al ser detenido por el Servicio de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) sus posibilidades de tener acceso al sistema judicial son "pocas". Una vez en custodia de ICE, los detenidos comienzan el proceso de deportación que es muy difícil de impugnar por la falta de un abogado además de enfrentar otros obstáculos como desconocimiento del idioma y acceso a documentos para sustentar su caso. A diferencia de las fianzas en las cortes criminales, que puede cancelarse hasta el 10% del monto total, la de inmigración debe pagarse en efectivo y la cantidad completa. De no hacerse, resulta en el traslado inmediato del inmigrante a un centro de inmigración, que en la mayoría de los casos está ubicado fuera del lugar de su detención. Samuel, un inmigrante que no dio a conocer su apellido, dijo al SCSJ que una vez que ICE lo arrestó en Greensboro, al noreste del estado, fue transferido a la cárcel de inmigración en Stewart (Georgia). "Todo el mundo era como yo. Sin dinero y recursos. Nos trataron peor que a los criminales. Como si fuéramos animales", contó el inmigrante. El SCSJ enfatizó que al pagar la fianza, el indocumentado puede salir del centro de detención para arreglar con su familia su futura salida del país e inclusive tendría tiempo para vender sus propiedades. EFE av/cs

YouTube is helping one N.C. group get counted

The Montagnard Dega Association (MDA), an SCSJ community partner located in Greensboro, N.C., is using new media to make sure that their “hard-to-count” group will have the resources they need in the upcoming decade.

The MDA is a North Carolina Refugee Service Provider that is now focusing on making sure that the Montagnard population gets counted in the 2010 Census. North Carolina’s Montagnard population is the largest outside Southeast Asia. However, this community has been counted as Vietnamese or Cambodian for more than 20 years and has been provided with information in languages they often do not understand, effectively denying this group the resources it needs for day-to-day life.

In an effort to change this, the MDA is encouraging all Montagnards to check “Asian-American” on the census questionnaire and fill in “Montagnard.” In order to make sure individuals understand how to do this, the MDA is producing a series of YouTube videos in each language spoken by this growing section of the community. Already posted are instructional videos in Rhade and Bunong, with three more in Koho, Bahnar, and Jarai coming soon.

The videos go through the questionnaire and translate each question with an audio guide and in written form. The MDA hopes that this will give a more accurate count of the Montagnard population and improve the quality of life of this group overall.

Why does the census matter?

Census counts are directly tied to the federal dollars communities receive for important services, such as education funding, affordable housing support, job training, social services, roads, bridges, and other community development opportunities. Census counts also directly impact a community’s political voice because the numbers inform voting districts and determine how communities are represented. That’s why it is important to make sure that everyone is counted! History has taught us that many communities are undercounted, or are at higher risk of not being counted at all. These communities include:
  • People and families that live in rental property
  • Transient communities, such as the homeless and migrant workers
  • Native Americans and poor, rural communities
  • Immigrants (census counts are for everyone, regardless of citizenship status)
  • The elderly and people who live in group housing
We are contacting organizations in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana that are a trusted voice in their communities. In the 2000 census, these states had the highest rate of undercount in the South. We are hoping that you will work with us to help ensure that EVERYONE is counted in the 2010 census.

Why does the census matter?

Census counts are directly tied to the federal dollars communities receive for important services, such as education funding, affordable housing support, job training, social services, roads, bridges, and other community development opportunities. Census counts also directly impact a community’s political voice because the numbers inform voting districts and determine how communities are represented. That’s why it is important to make sure that everyone is counted! History has taught us that many communities are undercounted, or are at higher risk of not being counted at all. These communities include:
  • People and families that live in rental property
  • Transient communities, such as the homeless and migrant workers
  • Native Americans and poor, rural communities
  • Immigrants (census counts are for everyone, regardless of citizenship status)
  • The elderly and people who live in group housing
We are contacting organizations in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana that are a trusted voice in their communities. In the 2000 census, these states had the highest rate of undercount in the South. We are hoping that you will work with us to help ensure that EVERYONE is counted in the 2010 census.

Something Stinks in New Hill

SCSJ has submitted an official response on behalf of the New Hill Community Association to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the Corps’ Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The attempt to locate a wastewater treatment plant in the center of New Hill is not the first incident of environmental racism the community has experienced. New Hill is a rural, majority-minority community in Western Wake County where the Shearon Harris nuclear power plant was located. Residents have been fighting the placement of the sewage plant in their community (which will not serve local residents) since 2005, and have received the support of the NC Environmental Justice Network and the NAACP in addition to SCSJ. SCSJ has found that:
  • The selection of New HIll ("Site 14") was reverse-engineered to avoid adequate public input and without sufficient consideration to the environmental and human impacts associated with this site.
  • The selection of Site 14 will have a direct and major impact on the New Hill Historic District and minority community.
  • Locating the plant in New Hill has much larger human and environmental justice impacts than other suitable alternatives.
  • The FEIS does not make clear how the disposal sewage sludge, which contains “a wide range of toxic substances and chemical compounds,” will occur. The options under consideration may contaminate groundwater in New Hill or result in nearby residents unwittingly inhaling sewage sludge residue.
Please join us next Saturday, February 27 at 9:30am at Shaw University to show support for Point 10 of the HKonJ Peoples’ Agenda to “Promote Environmental Justice” at HkonJ (Historic Thousands on Jones Street). For more information, please read our Press Release, visit our New Hill Page, or visit the home page of the New Hill Community Association.

February 12, 2010: Rural Wake Community Challenges Placement of Sewage Treatment Plant & Incinerator; Joins Civil Rights March in Raleigh to call for Environmental Justice

SOUTHERN COALITION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE http://www.scsj.org For Immediate Release: Friday, February 12, 2010 Contacts: Chris Brook, Staff Attorney, Southern Coalition for Social Justice (919) 323-3380x113; Chris@Southerncoalition.org New Hill, N.C. – On Tuesday February 9, 2010, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice submitted an official response on behalf of the New Hill Community Association to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the Corps’ Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). Released December 18, 2009, the document examines a proposed wastewater treatment facility in the New Hill community (also referred to as Site 14). New Hill is a rural, majority-minority community in Western Wake County, located near the Shearon Harris nuclear power plant. Residents have been opposing the placement of the plant in their community since 2005; community members are calling it a case of environmental racism and have received the support of the NC Environmental Justice Network, the NAACP, and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. Next Saturday, February 27, New Hill residents and supporters will be marching in HKonJ (Historic Thousands on Jones Street) with other communities from across North Carolina. The event begins at 9:30am at Shaw University and ends at the North Carolina Legislative Building. Point 10 of the HKonJ Peoples Agenda is “Promote Environmental Justice.” They will be available for media interviews at the event (contact Rev. Clanton during the event). The wastewater plant would serve nearby Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, and Morrisville, not New Hill. THE KEY FINDINGS AND CONCERNS OF THE RESPONSE ARE:
  • Site 14 has a much larger human and environmental justice impacts than other suitable alternatives considered by the FEIS in the vicinity of New Hill.
  • The FEIS does not make clear how the disposal sewage sludge, which contains “a wide range of toxic substances and chemical compounds,” will occur. Options under consideration include land application, which has potential groundwater impacts, and incineration, which would result in residents of downwind communities inhaling sewage sludge residue.
  • The selection of Site 14 will have a direct and major impact on the New Hill Historic District.
  • The selection of Site 14 was reverse-engineered via the commitment of Western Wake Partner resources and money prior to the consideration of human and environmental impacts associated with this site. This reverse engineering has short-circuited a true consideration of alternative sites.
  • The choice of the Cape Fear River as the discharge point for the sewage treatment plant was reverse engineered and alternatives were not adequately considered. An alternative scenario involving discharge to Harris Lake, which would involve much less sewage pumping, fewer water quality implications, and no impact upon the CFR’s Raven Rock State Park, is no longer under consideration. The Partners did not adequately consider this discharge point and now are unwilling to complete a thorough review of this option.
SCSJ staff attorney Chris Brook states: “The recently published Final Environmental Impact Statement fails to either inform the public of impacts from the proposed action or compare viable alternatives. Instead, they have rationalized the siting of a sewage treatment plant in the middle of the New Hill community. The process of considering alternatives remains tainted by the Western Wake Partners condemnation of land for the sewage treatment plant before considering the site’s environmental or human impacts. How can the public trust all options are considered equally when the parties pushing the project have already invested millions in their preferred site?” For more information, the full report, and copies of letters to the Army Corps of Engineers visit: www.SCSJ.org/newhill www.NewHillCA.org