NC NAACP Statement on Governor Perdue's Moral Veto of RJA-Repeal Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 28, 2012

For More Information:            Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

                                                Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700

NC NAACP Statement on Governor Perdue's Moral Veto of RJA-Repeal Bill

We applaud Governor Perdue for taking another stand for justice and equal protection under the law today by vetoing the right wing's most recent attempt to take us backwards and turn a blind eye to the reality of racism in our criminal justice system.

This bill should never have been on the Governor's desk in the first place. It is bizarre and unthinkable that legislators are striving to maintain the status quo of racism in the death penalty system and steal a tool from the courts to address this abomination.

Now is the time for elected members of the General Assembly to make good on their constitutional responsibility to govern for the "good of the whole," not just their narrow political interests. We especially call on Representatives Brisson, Hill, Owens, Spear and Crawford to wake up and not turn their backs on the many African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and poor people they represent.    

We say to members of the NC General Assembly: Sustain the veto. Sustain your humanity. Sustain North Carolina going forward together, and not one step back.

The only conclusion one can come to when you have legislators gut a bill that has already been used in the courts to prove systemic racism exists, is that those legislators do not care about, nor do they want to address, the reality of racial bias in our current legal system. And a refusal to use every tool necessary to root out the racist application of the death penalty is to in fact participate in the injustice itself.

We live in a state where seven men have been exonerated from death row; men who would have been murdered by the state if the system had only worked faster. Five are black, one is Latino and one is white. ALL were charged with the murders of white victims.

And let's be clear, support for the Racial Justice Act is not an endorsement of violence or a sign that anyone is "soft on crime." Criminal justice enforcement is only strengthened when the system confronts racial bias directly and attempts to rid it from its practices.

We should note that not one African American legislator supported this legislative trickery. Every African American legislator supported the Racial Justice Act in its current form. Every legislator who voted for the repeal bill, which removes tools needed by the courts to root out racial disparity, is white. This alone should cause the legislators voting to repeal the Racial Justice Act to pause and rethink their vote.

Please go to our website: www.naacpnc.org for more information. 

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Sign of the Times, So True.

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Senate Calendar - June 27, 2012

The Senate calendar has been posted on the N.C. General Assembly’s website.

http://www.ncleg.net/curcal/currentsenatecalendar.pdf

 

NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CALENDAR

Wednesday, June 27, 2012        Legislative Day 134    
SENATE CONVENES

2:00 p.m.

       

CALL TO ORDER   Lt. Governor Walter Dalton, President  
PRAYER  The Reverend Peter Milner, Senate Chaplain     
JOURNAL APPROVAL

RATIFICATION OF BILLS ORDERED ENROLLED

REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES

REPORTS OF SELECT COMMITTEES

INTRODUCTIONS

SJR 960 Vaughan Honor Bob Shaw.

MESSAGES FROM THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

VETO MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

SPECIAL ORDERS

GENERAL ORDERS

LOCAL BILLS

LOCAL BILLS            

SECOND READING

HB 987 (Id S 884)       Weiss, Ross, Murry, Jackson            
        Wake Tech Board of Trustees.           
        6/12/12 Ed/Higher Ed.  
        6/20/12 W/D Ed/Higher Ed.; rerefer Rules       
        6/25/12 W/D Rules; rerefer St. and Loc. Gov.   
        6/26/12 Fav    
                       

HB 1029 Holloway, Jones        
        Mayodan Manager Residency.             
        6/5/12  St. and Loc. Gov.      
        6/26/12 Fav    
                       

LOCAL BILLS (continued)        

SECOND READING (continued)

HB 1059 Brubaker               
        Asheboro Towing.               
        6/12/12 St. and Loc. Gov.      
        6/26/12 Fav    
                       

HB 1071 Gill, Ross, Murry, Jackson      2nd Ed.
        Wake School Board Organizational Meeting.              
        6/12/12 Ed/Higher Ed.  
        6/25/12 W/D Ed/Higher Ed.; rerefer St. and Loc. Gov.   
        6/26/12 Fav    
                       

HB 1109 Spear          
        Dare Coastal Area Management Act Setback Requirements/Grandfather.             
        6/13/12 St. and Loc. Gov.      
        6/26/12 Fav    
                       

HB 1123 (Id S 899)      Michaux, Luebke, Hall, Wilkins         
        Durham County Memorial Stadium.        
        6/19/12 St. and Loc. Gov.      
        6/26/12 Fav    
                       

HB 1199 Hager   2nd Ed.
        Lake Lure Convey Property.      Com Sub
        6/14/12 St. and Loc. Gov.      
        6/26/12 Fav    
                       

HB 1212 Hackney 3rd Ed.
        Wake/Chatham Local Act. Com Sub
        6/13/12 St. and Loc. Gov.      
        6/21/12 W/D St. and Loc. Gov.; rerefer Rules   
        6/25/12 W/D Rules; rerefer St. and Loc. Gov.   
        6/26/12 Fav    
                       

PUBLIC BILLS

PUBLIC BILLS           

SECOND READING

HB 690  Stevens, Jordan, T. Moore       4th Ed.
        Real Estate Closing Interest/Civil Penalty Unauthorized Practice of Law.        S Com Sub      
        5/23/11 Judiciary I; if Fav Finance    
        6/7/12  Unfav Com Sub; Sen Judiciary I Com Sub Adopted; (Chgs title); rerefer Finance  
        amend evidence & dna expunction laws.  
        6/26/12 W/D Finance; Cal 6/27/12       
                       

HB 1009 McGrady, Moffitt        2nd Ed.
        Metropolitan Sewerage Districts Amendments.     Com Sub
        6/19/12 St. and Loc. Gov.      
        6/26/12 Fav    
                       

HB 1052 (Id S 864)      Stevens 4th Ed.
        Mechanics Liens/Payment Bond Reforms.   S Com Sub      
        6/25/12 Judiciary I    
        6/26/12 Unfav Com Sub #2; Sen Judiciary I Com Sub Adopted; (Chgs title)
                       

HB 1181 McElraft        3rd Ed.
        Study Municipal Local Option Sales Tax. Com Sub
        6/14/12 St. and Loc. Gov.      
        6/26/12 Fav    
                       

THIRD READING

HB 203  Crawford        2nd Ed.
        Show Mortgage Payoff on Satisfaction Filing.    S Com Sub      
        6/10/11 Rules  
        6/7/12  Unfav bill; Sen Rules Com Sub Adopted; (Chgs title)    
        mortgage satisfaction forms/no false liens.    
        6/11/12 W/D Cal; Cal 6/19/12   
        6/19/12 Brock Amd. No. 1 Adopted; Passed 2nd Rdg       
        6/20/12 W/D Cal; Cal 6/21/12   
        6/21/12 W/D Cal; Cal 6/26/12   
        6/26/12 Apodaca Amd. No. 2 Withdrawn; W/D Cal; Cal 6/27/12     
                       

PUBLIC BILLS (continued)               

FOR CONCURRENCE-SECOND READING-ROLL CALL

SB 426  Clodfelter      4th Ed.
        Modify/Clarify Public Finance Statutes. H Com Sub      
        3/28/11 Finance
        5/10/11 Unfav bill; Finance Com Sub Adopted (Chgs title)       
        5/11/11 W/D Cal; rerefer Finance       
        5/18/11 Unfav Com Sub; Finance Com Sub No. 2 Adopted   
        5/19/11 Passed 2nd Rdg 
        5/23/11 Passed 3rd Rdg; To House       
        6/26/12 Rec'd for concurrence House Com Sub; (Chgs title); Cal 6/27/12 
        public finance laws/municipal service dists.   
                       

SB 444 (Id H 904)       Hartsell        4th Ed.
        UNC Nonappropriated Capital Projects.   H Com Sub      
        3/29/11 Finance
        6/6/12  Unfav bill; Finance Com Sub Adopted; (Chgs title)      
        nonappropriated capital projects.      
        6/7/12  W/D Cal; Cal 6/14/12   
        6/14/12 Jackson Amd. No. 1 Adopted; Meredith Amd. No. 2 Adopted; East Amd. No. 3 Adopted; Passed 2nd Rdg; Engrossed    
        6/18/12 Passed 3rd Rdg; To House by Sp Mess    
        6/26/12 Rec'd for concurrence House Com Sub; Cal 6/27/12       
                       

FOR CONCURRENCE

SB 521  Clodfelter      3rd Ed.
        Repeal Rule in Dumpor's Case.   H Com Sub      
        4/6/11  Judiciary I    
        5/2/11  Unfav bill; Judiciary I Com Sub Adopted (Chgs title); Cal 5/4/11       
        5/4/11  Passed 2nd & 3rd Rdgs; To House
        6/25/12 Rec'd for concurrence House Com Sub; (Chgs title); Cal 6/26/12 
        rule in dumpor's case/broker price opinions.   
        6/26/12 W/D Cal; rerefer Rules; W/D Rules; Cal 6/27/12 
                       

SB 699  Stein   2nd Ed.
        Div. of Criminal Information (DCI) Changes.     H Com Sub      
        4/20/11 Judiciary II   
        6/7/11  Fav; rerefer Finance   
        6/8/11  Fav; Rules Susp; Sup Cal Today; W/D Cal; Cal 6/9/11    
        6/9/11  Passed 2nd & 3rd Rdgs; To House by Sp Mess     
        6/26/12 Rec'd for concurrence House Com Sub; (Chgs title); Cal 6/27/12 
        courts and investigations      

PUBLIC BILLS (continued)               

FOR CONCURRENCE (continued)

SB 810  Rouzer, Brown, Davis    5th Ed.
        Regulatory Reform Act of 2012.  H Com Sub      
        5/21/12 Ag./Envir./Nat Res.; Withdrawn from Ag./Envir./Nat Res.; rerefer Commerce      
        5/24/12 Unfav bill; Commerce Com Sub Adopted; Cal 5/29/12      
        5/29/12 W/D Cal; Cal 5/30/12   
        5/30/12 Rouzer Amd. No. 1 Adopted; East Amd. No. 2 Withdrawn; Passed 2nd Rdg   
        5/31/12 East Amd. No. 3 Adopted; (Chgs title); Jackson Amd. No. 4 Adopted; (Chgs title); Rabon Amd. No. 5 Adopted; (Chgs title); Passed 3rd Rdg; Engrossed To House    
        6/4/12  Reconsidered 3rd Rdg; Rabon Amd. No. 6 Adopted; Passed 3rd Rdg; Engrossed To House     
        6/25/12 Rec'd for concurrence House Com Sub; (Chgs title); Cal 6/26/12 
        6/26/12 W/D Cal; Cal 6/27/12   
                       

CONFERENCE REPORT FOR ADOPTION

SB 105  Jones, Rouzer, Newton          
        Increase Penalty/2nd Degree Murder.     Conf Com Sub   
        2/23/11 Judiciary II   
        3/22/11 Fav    
        3/23/11 Passed 2nd & 3rd Rdgs; To House
        5/2/11  Rec'd for concurrence House Com Sub (Chgs title); Cal 5/3/11   
        INCREASE PENALTY/CERTAIN 2ND DEGREE MURDERS.   
        5/3/11  Fails to concur (House Com Sub)
        5/4/11  Senate and House Appt Conferees
        6/25/12 Conf Rpt Submitted; (Chgs title); Cal 6/26/12  
        increase penalties/murder and dwi deaths.      
        6/26/12 W/D Cal; Cal 6/27/12   
                       

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Wednesday, June 27

APPROPRIATIONS/BASE BUDGET      8:30 AM 643 LOB
        SB 866  Modify 2011 Appropriations Act 

COMMITTEE MEETINGS (continued)

Wednesday, June 27 (continued)

RULES AND OPERATIONS OF THE SENATE      9:30 AM 1027 LB
        HB 1023 Expunction/Nonviolent Offenses 
        HB 1044 Motorcycle Insurance Discount/Military 
        HB 1173 Absconding Prob. Violators Forfeit Benefits    
        HB 494  Continuous Alcohol Monitoring Law Changes      
        HB 1085 State Health Plan/Statutory Changes.-AB
        HB 1105 Modify Taxation of HOA Property
        HB 572  Accountability for Publicly Funded Nonprofits  
        HB 953  Environmental Technical Corrections 2012       
        HB 457  Municipal Electric Utilities/Rate Hearings     
        HB 837  Completion of CPR by Students Required 
        HB 914  AEDs in State Buildings
        HB 585  NC Energy Independence/Study   
        SB 847  General Statutes Comm. Technical Corrections   

FINANCE         12:30 PM        544 LOB
        HB 945  Marion Legislative Annexation  
        HB 956  Zoning/Johnston County Open Space      
        HB 963  Town of Columbia/Deannexation  
        HB 988  Averasboro Township TDA Changes
        HB 989  Permanent License Plates       
        HB 991  Jackson County Occupancy Tax Changes   
        HB 1041 High Point/Archdale Boundaries 
        HB 1050 Elizabethtown Industrial Park Deannexation     
        HB 1051 Elizabethtown Hayfields Deannexation   
        HB 1087 Fontana Dam Occupancy Tax      
        HB 1090 Orange-Alamance Remaining 9% Boundary  
        HB 1106 Apex Annexation
        HB 1110 Matthews/Stallings Boundary Adjustment 
        HB 1114 NCEMPA/Use of Rate Revenue     
        HB 1122 Martin County Fire Districts   
        HB 1169 Town of Burgaw/Deannexation    
        HB 1196 Albemarle Mental Health Center Property
        HB 1197 Add Stokes County to Tax Cert Before Recordation       
        HB 1202 Roanoke Rapids Deannex/Halifax Northampton Airport     
        HB 1206 Butner Boundary Clarification  
        HB 1215 Henderson County Occupancy Tax Changes 
        HB 1216 Town of Wallace/Satellite Annexations  
        HB 1217 Asheville/Woodfin Boundary Adjustments 

PENSIONS & RETIREMENT AND AGING 1:00 PM 1027 LB
        HB 1074 Stop Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Govt. Act      
        HB 1200 Winston-Salem Firefighters Retirement  

        SARAH CLAPP

Principal Clerk

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House Calendar 6/27/12

http://www.ncleg.net/Calendars/CurrentCalendars/CurrentHouseCalendar.pdf

HOUSE CALENDAR

134th Legislative Day

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

House Convenes at 2:00 p.m.

       

Thom Tillis, Speaker

INTRODUCED BILLS

(Reminder: Members may electronically cosponsor these bills until 5:00 p.m. on Thursday)

HB      1230    Martin, Lewis and Ross (Primary Sponsors) - REPORTING OF ELECTIONEERING COMMUNICATIONS AND INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES.   
HB      1231    Martin, Lewis and Ross (Primary Sponsors) - ELECTRONIC REPORTING BY CANDIDATE COMMITTEES.      
                       
LOCAL FOR CONCURRENCE

SECOND READING-ROLL-CALL

HB      552     Senate Committee Substitute - Moffitt and McGrady (Primary Sponsors) - ASHEVILLE AIRPORT/WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL CENTER. (Ruled Material) (5th Edition)    
                       
PUBLIC FOR CONCURRENCE

HB      153     Senate Committee Substitute - Howard, Ross, T. Moore and H. Warren (Primary Sponsors) - NO PUBLIC RETIREMENT FOR CONVICTED FELONS. (Senate Committee Substitute) (5th Edition) 
                       
HB      177     Senate Committee Substitute - Samuelson and McElraft (Primary Sponsors) - CLEAN ENERGY TRANSPORTATION ACT.

(Senate Committee Substitute) (4th Edition)    
                       
HB      244     Senate Committee Substitute - Murry - STATE HEALTH PLAN/ADD SCHOOLS; WHISTLEBLOWERS. (Insurance) (4th Edition) 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

RECONSIDERATION OF VETOED BILLS

HB      351     Lewis, T. Moore and Killian (Primary Sponsors) - RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT. (Vetoed by Governor - 6/23/11)

(Veto Override Vote Reconsidered - 7/26/11) (Ratified Edition) 
                       

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

(continued)

PUBLIC BILLS

SECOND AND THIRD READINGS

SB      836     Committee Substitute - Brown - IMPROVE PROPERTY INSURANCE RATE MAKING. (Insurance) (3rd Edition)       
                       
CALENDAR

LOCAL BILLS

THIRD READING - ROLL CALL

SB      900     Rabon - SURF CITY DEANNEXATION. (Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House) (1st Edition)   
                       
SB      901     Rabon - OCEAN ISLE BEACH SATELLITE ANNEXATIONS. (Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House) (1st Edition)   
                       
SECOND AND THIRD READINGS

HB      994     Committee Substitute - Jones and Holloway (Primary Sponsors) - ROCKINGHAM COUNTY DESIGN-BUILD. (Finance) (2nd Edition) 
                       
SB      848     McKissick and Atwater (Primary Sponsors) - DURHAM CITY ASSESSMENTS. (Finance) (1st Edition)    
                       
PUBLIC BILLS

THIRD READING - NON - ROLL CALL

SB      133     House Committee Substitute - Clodfelter - MODERNIZE JURY LIST PROCEDURES. (Amendment No. 1 Adopted 6/26/12)

(Judiciary Subcommittee C) (2nd Edition)       
                       
SB      382     House Committee Substitute - Apodaca - AMEND WATER SUPPLY/WATER QUALITY LAWS. (Amendment No. 1 Adopted 6/26/12) (Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House) (3rd Edition)   
                       
SB      803     House Committee Substitute - Stevens - RETIREMENT ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES. (Amendment No. 1 Adopted 6/26/12) (State Personnel) (3rd Edition)    
                       
SB      951     House Committee Substitute - Westmoreland - TRANSFER CERTAIN CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES. (Amendments No. 1 and 2 Adopted 6/26/12) (Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House) (3rd Edition)    
                       

PUBLIC BILLS

(continued)

SECOND AND THIRD READINGS

HB      1179    Committee Substitute No. 2 - Graham, Pierce and T. Moore (Primary Sponsors) - INDIAN CULTURAL CENTER/GOLF COURSE TERMINATE LEASES. (Finance) (4th Edition)     
                       
HJR     1228    Spear - HONOR EDENTON'S 300TH ANNIVERSARY. (Pursuant to Rule 32a placed on Calendar for 6/27/12) (1st Edition) 
                       
SB      755     House Committee Substitute - Tucker - EDUCATION EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION/EQUAL ACCESS ACT. (Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House) (3rd Edition)   
                       
COMMITTEE MEETINGS

(Three digit rooms = Legislative Office Building – Four digit rooms = Legislative Building)

Wednesday, June 27      Room    Time   
APPROPRIATIONS  544     9:00 am
        House PCS for SB 187, Modifications/2012 Appropriations Act    
        H.B.    959     Streamline DOT Sale of Unused Properties.      
COMMERCE AND JOB DEVELOPMENT    643     10:00 am       
        H.B.    462     Contingency Contracts For Audits/Assessments.  
        S.B.    447     Rewrite Landscape Contractor Laws.     
        S.B.    808     Changes to Commerce Reporting Requirements.    
FINANCE 1228/1327       9:00 am
        H.B.    1077    Increase DOT Public-Private Partnerships. (PCS)
        H.B.    1104    Scholarship Funding Corporate Tax Credit.      
        H.B.    1180    Video Sweepstakes Entertainment Tax.   
        S.B.    231     Municipal Incorporation Standards. (PCS)       
JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE B        421     10:00 am       
        S.B.    141     Law Enforcement/Various Other Changes. 
        S.B.    910     Sale of a Child/Felony Offense.
JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE C        415     10:00 am       
        S.B.    26      North Carolina Benefit Corporation Act.

Eligible to file in 2012 but no deadlines:

(1)      Appointments to/confirmation of members of State boards/commissions

(2)      State Constitutional amendments

(3)      Resolutions not prohibited by House or Senate rules

(4)      Joint resolutions authorizing other bills (two-thirds vote required)

(5)     Redistricting bills for House, Senate or Congress

(6)      Election law bills

(7)      Adjournment resolution sine die

                                                        Denise G. Weeks

                                                        Principal Clerk

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Top Ten Examples of Legislation that Exacerbate Racial and Class Disparities

June 21, 2012

Top Ten Examples of

Legislation that Exacerbate Racial and Class Disparities

1) They want less people to vote. They passed one of the most restrictive voter suppression laws in the country which was vetoed by Gov. Perdue, though lawmakers are still threatening another try at overriding her veto. In a baffling and audacious move of regression, this legislature has frozen $4 million dollars from the federal Help America Vote Act, also known as HAVA, that would be used to help our elections run smoothly by training poll workers, upgrading voting equipment and increasing accessibility for people with disabilities. Republican leaders refused to include $660,000 for the State Board of Elections that would trigger the release the funds. The $4 million remains in a North Carolina bank unable to be used! They also passed the most race-based redistricting maps since the 19^th Century, which we are challenging in court right now.

2) Ultra-Conservative lawmakers aggressively advanced the far right's cherished objective of marginalizing and privatizing public education. They slashed essential funding, which will further demoralize and lower confidence in the public schools. Right wing conservatives pushed through specific bills to introduce school vouchers. This gives corporations the ability to send their tax dollars to other corporations and private schools, thereby reducing funds available to struggling public schools. They dramatically expand the state's unproven experiment with charter schools, including for-profit virtual charters.  This is part of their efforts to transfer schools from centers of learning for children to centers of profit for corporations. They also pounced on an opportunity to override a veto when certain Democratic members of the House were absent, ensuring they had enough votes. The legislation denies affordable loans to needy community college students and slashes need-based scholarships to public universities, including HBCUs.  

3) Maybe most disturbing of all, they passed punitive budgets that fire teachers and teacher assistants, lock at-risk kids out of Pre-K and Smart Start, slash services to people with mental illness. etc., all while giving that tax break to the wealthiest lawyers and doctors in the state.

4) They are punishing workers. This includes the month-and-half long "hostage crisis" that legislators instigated last spring in which deserving unemployed workers were denied essential benefits for weeks in order to abet the Republicans' budget negotiating strategy and the current push to slash worker benefits to repay a federal loan while ignoring the cuts in the unemployment taxes businesses pay that caused the problem.

5) Instead of getting North Carolinians back to work and addressing the fact that 1.6 million people live in stark poverty in our state, they are pushing regressive tax policies that help the wealthy and corporations at the expense of the majority. At the heart of much of the damage inflicted during the session was the majority's rigid and nonsensical push to cut state taxes at a time of severe budget shortfalls and in which a large majority of the public opposed the idea. Not only that, they then voted to give millionaires a tax cut that was supposed to be targeted at small businesses, even defeating an amendment on the Senate floor that would have limited the tax cut and used the savings to prevent teacher layoffs and to fund compensation for eugenics victims.

6) The final budget tragically removed a provision to address the utter violation of human dignity and human bodies through forcible sterilization by the North Carolina Eugenics Board of mostly poor and disproportionally African American women. This was passed with bi-partisan support in the House and was not even allowed to go before the Senate for a full discussion with a trick legislative move that removed it from the agenda. This is unconscionable and a slap in the face to victims and their families.

7) They voted to repeal the Racial Justice Act, not once but twice. The most recent bill that was shamefully passed this week goes beyond just repealing the Racial Justice Act. The right wing bill writers snuck other provisions into the bill to make it easier to kill people. They took power from the Council of State to control the method of killing defendants. They made sure a jury and judge cannot consider the race of the victim in a capital trial, which every study has proven is a significant factor in whether someone is given the death penalty. If we do use the death penalty, we demand that race has nothing to with it. They don't care if race has anything to do with someone's death. If we do use the death penalty, we demand it is as humane as possible. They don't care how the State murders the convicts. If we do use the death penalty, we demand we are absolutely sure they are guilty. In North Carolina alone, seven men have been exonerated from death row, five of them African American and one of them Latino. They would be dead if the system worked faster and protections like the ones the right wing is trying to destroy were not in place.

8) They voted to prevent Planned Parenthood from using state funds to provide health screenings and family planning services to low-income women and families.

9) They expanded the spread and use of guns. Anxious to kowtow to the powerful gun lobby, conservative lawmakers pushed through a bill that includes twelve pages of new changes to liberalize state firearm laws. Among the most notable provisions: changes to state law that would encourage home and vehicle owners to shoot those who they believe to be intruders and an expansion of the places to which gun owners with "concealed carry" permits may take firearms - including public parks. A bill to allow guns in bars and restaurants is still pending.

10) They are poisoning our rivers and our land. Lawmakers passed a bevy of bills at the request of polluters and other corporate special interests, including slashing regulations that protect local communities and voting to legalize fracking. They did so after admitting that the oil and gas industry may fund the people who will be charged with regulating the environment and safety protections put in place for fracking companies.

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Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.  

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WOW, So True: Woman’s Logic

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NC NAACP Urges Speaker Pro Tem to Fund Compensation for Eugenics Victims

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 19, 2012

For More Information:             Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700

DURHAM - The North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP delivered a letter this afternoon to Senator Phil Berger's office urging him and his colleagues to include compensation for victims of forced sterilization in the final budget.  The letter can be downloaded here and is copied below.

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NAACP Commends President Obama on Immigration Executive Order

(Washington, DC) – The NAACP commended President Barack Obama on his executive order to defer deportation of promising youth and students eligible for the DREAM Act.

“President Obama is taking an affirmative step toward addressing our nation’s immigration concerns while protecting our supply of intellectual capital,” stated NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “This decision ensures that America retains a future generation of well-educated workers and thinkers who can offer diverse perspectives on the challenges of the twenty-first century.”

The NAACP has strongly supported the “Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act”, or DREAM Act. The DREAM Act would allow thousands of young immigrants to become permanent citizens if they demonstrated good moral character and met other educational or military requirements.

“This decision allow hundreds of thousands of young people – people who have worked hard, integrated themselves into the American culture and into American communities and stayed away from trouble – to fulfill their dream and the dreams of their parents and to become American citizens,” stated Hilary O. Shelton, NAACP Sr. Vice President for Advocacy and Policy and Director of the NAACP Washington Bureau. “While Congress is stuck in gridlock, this is a good first step toward that goal.”

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

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NAACP: Justice for John McNeil on the Wilson County Courthouse steps

John McNeil was sentenced to life in a Georgia prison because he defended himself and his family’s 'castle' against an armed white trespasser’s assault.
His conviction was appealed.
Justice did not prevail.
One Justice

also let it be known that,

Six Georgia Supreme Court Justices reviewed the cold record of John
McNeil’s trial and found no errors in his conviction of felony murder
and life sentence. The seventh justice, Chief Justice Leah Ward
Sears, had major problems with the case.

Chief Justice Sears wrote1: “I conclude that no rational trier of fact
could find, based on the evidence presented at trial, that the State
disproved McNeil’s claim of self‐defense beyond a reasonable doubt.
Accordingly, I must dissent…

Because my examination of the record shows that the State failed to
disprove John McNeil’s claim of self‐defense beyond a reasonable
doubt, I respectfully dissent to the Court’s affirmance of McNeil’s
conviction for murder.”

The officers determined that John McNeil acted in self defense and did not arrest him. Later, however, the District Attorney brought the matter before a grand jury. Indictments were brought. The man who tried to defend himself and his home was tried, convicted of felony murder and sentenced to life in prison.

He was solely convicted because Epps was a white man, and in Georgia no matter what, they can’t allow a black man to kill a white man ever, even in self defense.

Race still play a huge part in our legal system,

In calling for a reexamination of the case, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous said, “ Unfortunately, this court and prosecutor  - who overruled local police to pursue this case – is more influenced by Georgia’s legacy of racism than current law.  This appears to be opportunism on the part of the prosecutor.  I find it curious that no white man is serving time under similar circumstances in the state.”

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NAACP to Hold News Conference on Wilson Courthouse Steps Demanding Justice for John McNeil

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 14, 2012

For More Information:             Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

Mrs. Amina Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700

NAACP to Hold News Conference on Wilson Courthouse Steps Demanding Justice for John McNeil

WILSON, NC - Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, President of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, leaders of the Wilson NAACP Branch, and members of John McNeil's family will hold a news conference on the Wilson County Courthouse Steps (115 E. Nash Street, Wilson, NC 27894) on Friday, June 15, at 11 a.m.

John McNeil, a former basketball star for Fike High School (see photos and more information here) has been incarcerated in Georgia prisons for 5 ½ years, for shooting an advancing trespasser just outside the back door of the McNeil family home in Cobb County, Georgia.   The McNeils were the only African American family living in the up-scale suburban community. The trespasser, who was armed and had marijuana in his vehicle, had threatened John and Anita McNeil's son minutes before with a knife, refused twice to leave the McNeil's property and continued to advance, despite a warning shot into the ground by McNeil.   

The McNeil family requested the NAACP get involved to and while there are signs of new interest in the Free John McNeil movement, his wife, Mrs. Anita McNeil of Wilson, N.C., has suffered a recurrence of cancer. She is fighting for her own life and for her husband's return to her side. She will attend the news conference.

The North Carolina and the Georgia State Conferences of the NAACP have led the struggle to free McNeil. The National NAACP has thrown its full weight behind the campaign as well. Both Rev. Barber and Mr. Ed DuBois, president of the Georgia NAACP, have met with John and are committed to fighting for his life until justice is done. They will bring National NAACP President and CEO Ben Jealous to meet with him later this summer.     

The Wilson NAACP Branch and the John McNeil Defense Committee will also be represented. The Defense Committee retained a Georgia attorney who recently argued to an appellate judge that there was strong evidence of inadequate counsel and unfairness in McNeil's trial. The Court's decision is pending.

"The McNeil case is a prime example of the age-old unequal justice in the court system," said Rev. Barber. "Here we have a man who did everything right. A high school athletic and academic all-star who went on to graduate from Elizabeth City State University. An outstanding father and businessman with no criminal record. Two white police officers testified on his behalf saying it was a clear example of self-defense and was protected by castle doctrine.  It was only 275 days after the incident that the District Attorney disagreed with the police officers and decided to arrest him. A former Georgia Supreme Court Justice said the same thing in a powerful dissent opinion. One white eye-witness supported John's story and said he was innocent and only acted in self defense. What happened to John McNeil is an obscenity to justice. The "Castle Doctrine" doesn't appear to apply to him. In Georgia, a black man's home is not a castle, his home means nothing before the law."

The news conference also coincides with a major silent march against the racist and discriminatory Stop and Frisk policies of the NYC police department. Over 87% of the people stopped under this practice are Black and Latino men. Also, this week, ultra-right legislators are trying again to repeal the South's first Racial Justice Act, in North Carolina. The NC NAACP will send a delegation of members to Georgia this weekend for events surrounding McNeil's case. 

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NC NAACP Statement on the NC House of Representatives' Decision to Maintain and Preserve a Racially Biased Death Penalty System

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 14, 2012

For More Information:             Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

Mrs. Amina Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700

As read by Erin Dale Byrd, Political Action Committee Chair, on Behalf of the  

North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP

at a 

News Conference Hosted by Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation (MVFR) at the NC General Assembly

June 14, 2012  

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NC NAACP Statement on the NC House of Representatives' Decision to Maintain and Preserve a Racially Biased Death Penalty System

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 13, 2012

For More Information:             Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

Mrs. Amina Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700

NC NAACP Statement on the NC House of Representatives' Decision to Maintain and Preserve a Racially Biased Death Penalty System

Yesterday's shameful vote by the NC House of Representatives to gut the Racial Justice Act, with Paul Stam's RJA-repeal bill cleverly disguised as an amendment bill, is a refusal to deal with the systemic racism and racial disparities that have already been proven by the court of law to exist in our judicial system as it relates to the application of the death penalty

We know the evidence of this racial disparity is true from history, we know it's true from certified studies and we know it's true because two judges have ruled in favor of the legislation. The death penalty cannot be reversed, and everyone should want to be sure as possible that there is absolutely no bias in its application. That is why proponents and opponents of the Death Penalty supported the RJA in its current format.

The only conclusion one can come to when you have legislators gut a bill that has already been used in the courts to prove systemic racism exists, is that those legislators do not care about, nor do they want to address, the reality of racial bias in our current legal system. And a refusal to use every tool necessary to root out the racist application of the death penalty is to in fact participate in the injustice itself.

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