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SCSJ Wills Clinic

Right: SCSJ interns Cameron Bond and Will Johnson work with an attendee to help prepare end-of-life documents. SCSJ conducted its fourth wills’ clinic in Tarboro, North Carolina, as part of its efforts to prevent a leading cause of land loss in the South: heirs’ property passing without a will. During the July 15-17 clinic, fifteen Edgecombe County residents had forty-six end of life documents made free of charge. Many thanks to everyone who made the service possible: SCSJ coordinating attorney Chris Brook, the office of the Edgecombe County Agricultural Extension, and the ten law student volunteers from Carolina Law and North Carolina Central Law. Carolina Law rising second-year and SCSJ summer legal intern Jean Abreu highlighted the rewards in “assisting clients in securing their property for future generations.”

Redistricting Event on C-span

The drawing of legislative district boundaries is arguably among the most self-interested and least transparent systems in American democracy. Every ten years redistricting authorities, usually state legislatures, redraw congressional and legislative lines in accordance with Census reapportionment and population shifts within states. Most state redistricting authorities are in the midst of their redistricting process, while others have already finished redrawing their state and congressional boundaries. A number of initiatives—from public mapping competitions to independent shadow commissions—have been launched to open up the process to the public during this round of redrawing district lines. On Monday, July 18, SCSJ Executive Director Anita Earls will be speaking at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. about fair Congressional redistricting. The event will be covered live on C-SPAN.

SCSJ's map of NC congressional districts

In response to the release of the proposed congressional maps, SCSJ has posted its own map for comparison. The SCSJ map is pictured below, and more data can be found in the "Press Release" section of this website. We believe this map is fair, compact and recognizes communities of interest.

Greensboro moves forward with landfill, CEEJ meets tonight to discuss next steps

The Greensboro City Council is pushing forward with a limited plan to reopen the White Street Landfill to municipal solid waste. According to the Greensboro News and Record, the council voted 4-3 to seek new proposals that would only allow for the use of the presently existing phases. The current injunction against the city bars it from hiring a private firm to expand the landfill. T. Dianne Bellamy-Small, Robbie Perkins and Jim Kee voted against seeking new proposals. Two members were excused from the vote due to conflicts of interest. Citizens for Economic and Environmental Justice will be holding a community meeting tonight to talk about the landfill at Presbyterian Church of the Cross, corner of Phillips Ave. and English Street (1810 Phillips Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27405-5236). SCSJ's Chris Brook will be there to discuss the case thus far.

NC Governor vetoes Voter ID bill

Yesterday Governor Bev Perdue vetoed the Restore Confidence in Government Act, the North Carolina counterpart to a nationwide push by newly elected conservative legislatures to create similar bills across the country. Nineteen other states have considered Voter ID bills this year alone, many of which also place restrictions on early voting. Each bill has been introduced by Republicans. South Carolina passed a similar bill requiring photo identification to vote which was ultimately signed into law by Governor Nikki Haley despite calls for a veto. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicle statistics indicate that as many as 180,000 voters could be disenfranchised under the law. As of last month, there were no cases of voter fraud in South Carolina. Perdue ultimately had to choose between legislating against the relatively few and already identifiable cases of fraud or the thousands of voters who could find themselves unable to vote due to technicalities. In this case, Perdue sided with the voters. "North Carolinians who are eligible to vote have a constitutionally guaranteed right to cast their ballots, and no one should put up obstacles to citizens exercising that right," the governor said in a statement. "We must always be vigilant in protecting the integrity of our elections. But requiring every voter to present a government-issued photo ID is not the way to do it."

Buen Pastor Vigil Unites Dreams

They say prayers are the same in every language. This was the hope behind the vigil held at Pullen Memorial Church on Thursday, June 16. Members of Raleigh’s Buen Pastor gathered together with members of the community to unite their voices and speak out against the violation of human rights. Prior to the vigil, SCSJ organized a press conference for Buen Pastor to share their stories with the media and announce the filing of a complaint with the DHS Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties over the incident. Coming home from a church conference in April 2010, 44 congregation members, including small children, were detained by Border Patrol agents. They say they were held for over six hours, until dawn, and were mocked, humiliated, and denied the right to a lawyer and interpreter. They told SCSJ that the police forced them to sign documents that they could not understand by saying that they would take custody of their children. “We were intimidated. We are frightened,” said Jeremias Villar, one of the members of Buen Pastor. Border Patrol allegedly claimed that, when they stopped the van, they thought the congregation members were illegally crossing the Mexican-American border. The group was 300 miles from the border at the time of their detention. Six church members were deported immediately. SCSJ’s Elizabeth Simpson is representing the group in immigration court. While members of the congregation shared their reflections of this horrific incident, the atmosphere was one of hope and progress. Even if you did not speak Spanish, it didn’t take an interpreter to understand the strong sense of community inside those walls, a community speaking of unity, peace and action that can fight injustice and restore dignity.

“Progressive” Carrboro Getting Criticism It Is Unaccustomed To

In 2007, Carrboro passed an ordinance forbidding day laborers from seeking work at the corner of Jones Ferry and Davie Roads outside of the hours of 5am and 11am. On Friday, SCSJ attorney Chris Brook sent a letter to the Carrboro town attorney Michael Brough and the Board of Aldermen explaining the unconstitutionality of the ordinance. The city cannot outright bar people from gathering in any one place; ordinances like these can only target "specific criminal intent." Recently, the North Carolina Court of Appeals struck down a more narrowly tailored “anti-loitering ordinance” in the city of Winston-Salem. Judith Blau, Director of the Chapel Hill & Carrboro Human Rights Center works with day laborers to expand their work opportunities. Blau has been outspoken opposing the ordinance. She is particularly bothered by the police practice of herding the men off the corner at 11am. "They would herd them from one spot to another. It's dehumanizing," Blau said. The letter and press release are available at the provided links and the "press release" section of this website: A PDF of the letter sent to the Carrboro Town Attorney is available at: http://bit.ly/maTina This release and any additional associated documents can be found at: https://southerncoalition.org/node/476

Victory for White Street Landfill Opponents

Greensboro City Council won’t be making any further efforts to expand the White Street Landfill. Not until the trial has ended, at least. In a court order from Judge Richard W. Stone released on June 16, Plaintiffs were granted preliminary injunction, originally filed by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. This prohibits 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.” "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." The City Council had planned to sign a 15 to 30-year contract with Gate City Waste Services or Waste Industries by June 21, 2011. This plan is barred by Judge Stone’s 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 repeated community requests. In addition to failing to fulfill its legal obligations to its constituents, the Greensboro City Council’s efforts to re-open and expand the landfill would come with other serious costs, including lost business and property tax revenue as well as environmental and health consequences.

Second Chance Alliance battles hiring discrimination

Approximately 40,000 people are currently in North Carolina prisons, half of whom are repeat offenders. Ninety-five percent of these individuals will eventually leave prison, return home, and seek employment. Formerly incarcerated individuals face hiring discrimination that keeps them from being able to provide for their families in a meaningful, productive way. The Durham Second Chance Alliance is working to break down that barrier. The Alliance's proposed Ban the Box ordinance for Durham will remove these questions from the application at the initial stage of the employment process so the hiring authority can first get an opportunity to learn about the candidate's experience, skills and personality as they relate to the position to be filled. The fight for fair hiring extends well beyond Durham. As a result of statewide pressure, the NC House passed HB 641 (Certificate of Relief), which would establish assistance for folks who have been convicted in dealing with hiring discrimination. The bill is now in the Senate. The Durham Second Chance Alliance was started by InStepp Inc., N.C. Justice Center, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Southside Neighborhood Association, and Action NC. To learn more, visit the Ban the Box page and the NC Second Chance Alliance page on the NC Justice Center Website. To get involved, contact Anthony at anthony@scsj.org.

NC Voter ID Bill Moves Through House

On Tuesday, June 7 between approximately 5:45 – 6:00 p.m., the N.C. House of Representatives Appropriation committee passed the strict photo ID version of HB-351. Among other barriers to equal voting, this bill would require all voters to present a photo ID at the polls, which would be particularly disenfranchising to elderly, youth and minority voters. The bill passed on a party line vote of 50-28; of the four swing Democrats on the Appropriations committee, Rep. Tim Spear and Rep. Bill Owens voted against the bill with all the other Democrats on the committee. Rep. Jim Crawford and Rep. Bill Brisson were absent. This information is indicative of a successful veto from Gov. Bev Perdue. At 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8, the Voter ID bill was brought before the House with no debate being allowed for the second reading. The bill passed second reading along party lines with a vote of 67-50. Speaker Tillis said that debate would be permitted for the third reading. All Democrats, including Hill, Crawford, Spear, Owens and Brisson, voted against the bill, preventing a veto-proof majority. Update: On Thursday, June 9, the Voter ID bill passed the NC House along party lines. It will now move to be heard in the Senate. Encourage Gov. Perdue to veto this bill when it reaches her desk. It's not too late to voice your opinion on this bill. Contact your local representative at 919.733.4111 and Gov. Bev Perdue at 800.662.7952.