The North Carolina NAACP and Clergy Members Representative of the Broader Forward Together Movement Clergy Deliver Letter to State Political Leadership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 20, 2014

Contact: Sarah Bufkin, NC NAACP - smbufkin@gmail.com or 404.285.3413

A promotional video for the upcoming Moral Week of Action was also released

Moral Week of Action Promo | Forward Together Movement

RALEIGH - After speaking about the moral urgency of acting now at the state legislature to turn North Carolina away from a regressive public policy agenda, the North Carolina NAACP and clergy members representing the broader Forward Together Moral Movement coalition delivered a letter to Gov. Pat McCrory, Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate Leader Phil Berger today.

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The NC NAACP Joins Latino and Immigrant Advocacy Groups in Condemning Governor's Media Misinformation Campaign about Central American Children Fleeing to the US

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 7, 2014

Contact: Sarah Bufkin, NC NAACP - smbufkin@gmail.com or 404.285.3413

The North Carolina NAACP Joins Latino and Immigrant Advocacy Groups in Condemning Governor's Media Misinformation Campaign about Central American Children Fleeing to the US

News Conference

Friday Aug. 8

1 pm

Pullen Memorial Baptist Church

1801 Hillsborough St.

Raleigh, NC 27605

DURHAM, NC - The North Carolina NAACP, the Forward Together Moral Movement and Latino rights organizations in North Carolina will stand together to challenge North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory for pandering to racial fears in statements about Central American children fleeing violence at home and coming to the United States.

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Moral Movement Call on Governor and Legislative Allies to Repent, Repeal and Restore

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 3, 2014

Contact: Sarah Bufkin, NC NAACP - smbufkin@gmail.com or 404.285.3413

Even as North Carolina General Assembly Locks Its Doors on Moral Monday,

11 Protesters Arrested Yesterday for Sit In at Gov. McCrory's Office 

NC NAACP and the Forward Together Moral Movement Call on Governor and Legislative Allies to Repent, Repeal and Restore

RALEIGH, NC - People from all across North Carolina rallied at the General Assembly yesterday for the latest Moral Monday protest of harmful legislation passed last year by Gov. Pat McCrory and the legislature. Despite the legislature locking the doors in an attempt to keep petitioners out, a group of 11 people - everyday North Carolinians impacted by a lack of heath care access and environmentally polluting policies - staged a sit-in at the governor's office.

The 'McCrory 11' were arrested and charged with second-degree trespassing around 7 pm Monday after refusing to leave until McCrory agreed to meet with them about the impact of his policies on the health of the land and people of North Carolina.

Yesterday's Moral Monday went on despite the Senate's decision to hold a midnight session on Friday, allowing them to avoid returning to the General Assembly until Wednesday and miss the demonstration. The group changed plans by instead focusing on the governor, to whom they also delivered a letter calling on him to repeal the extreme policies; repent for the impact they are currently having on North Carolina's poor and working class and to restore a legislative commitment to governing for the betterment of the state.

"Speaker Tillis and Senate Leader Berger knew we were coming, and they locked the doors to the General Assembly building to prevent us from coming in," said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, president of the North Carolina NAACP. "But we would not be moved from our purpose - calling upon them and Gov. McCrory to repeal these disastrous policies that are hurting the very people God loves - the sick, the poor, the women and children, the elderly, the least of these. Our eleven moral witnesses would not be moved from their attempts to petition the governor directly. If we expand Medicaid in our state, we would save 2,800 lives. If we cleaned up coal ash and blocked fracking in our state, we would save lives. That is what this moral witness today was about. To our governor and our state lawmakers, we say: if you are going to engage in premeditated political ideology that hurts the least of these, then we will give no quarter. These are matters of life and death, and the blood will be on their hands."

Other speakers illuminated the damage inflicted by various policies, including a new bill passed last week in the House and Senate to end North Carolina's moratorium on fracking, along with the current denial of health care access to 500,000 North Carolinians because of the refusal to expand Medicaid.

"These legislators are setting us up for a perfect storm of disasters while they simultaneously knock down our protections," said the NC Environmental Justice Network's John Wagner, of the bill to rapidly expand the polluting business of shale gas mining, or fracking, along with other environmentally damaging policies. "Our legislators weakened local landfill laws and regulations last year, right before they planned to flood our communities with toxic fracking landfills. We are facing terribly hard times imposed by cruel and blatantly immoral legislation, but together - and it has to be together - we have to fight."

"Refusing to expand Medicaid has forced several hospitals in North Carolina onto life support," said Nicole Dozier, assistant project director with the Health Access Project at the NC Justice Center. "Hospitals in expansion states have already seen big increases in the numbers of insured patients they see and big decreases in their shares of uninsured patients... I'm here today with a caution to the governor and the legislature: In your race to win power, don't lose your soul. Expand Medicaid now."

"Governor McCrory, Speaker Tillis and Senator Berger's refusal to accept federal dollars to pay for the care of the uninsured is not rational, is fiscally irresponsible and lacks moral standing," said former Congresswoman Eva Clayton, who made the economic case for Medicaid expansion. "This is especially difficult to understand given North Carolina's current budget shortfall."

Speakers also lifted up the devastation caused by the Dan River coal ash spill earlier this year, in which Duke Energy spilled tons of toxic coal ash into a river in Eden, NC - disproportionately affecting the poor and communities of color. 

"The quality of the air, water and land - and most importantly, the quality of life for North Carolina's people - is in jeopardy," said Connie Leeper, lead organizer for the environmental nonprofit NC WARN, who also called on legislators to hold Duke Energy accountable with a substantial plan for cleaning up coal ash.

Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman of Clinton Tabernacle AME Zion Church and Rev. Joe Hoffman of Asheville's First Congregational United Church of Christ closed the rally by speaking to the moral mandate that motivates the Forward Together Movement to continue its campaign against these extreme policies in our state. 

"We are not the kind of people that shrink back when times get rough," Dr. Spearman told the assembled. "Because of the moral conviction you bring, you are presently the best thing going for the State of North Carolina. I heard somewhere recently that those who appear to be in power will never have ALL the power. There will always be a residual power, an unconsumed, unused, surplus power in community enabling us to shift the center of political gravity and further bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice."

In addition to delivering a letter to Gov. McCrory calling on him to "Repeal, Repent and Restore," protesters delivered similar letters to Speaker Tillis and Senator Berger yesterday, leaving them wedged under and around the General Assembly's locked doors. The Forward Together Moral Movement vowed to return the General Assembly every week until their demands are met.

The letter delivered to Gov. McCrory's office can be accessed HERE.

The letter to Speaker Tillis and Senate Leader Berger that the Forward Together Movement left wedged under the doors to the General Assembly today can be accessed HERE. 

The list of the 'McCrory 11' moral witnesses includes:

1. Jodi Lasseter

2. Serena Sebring Wadlington

3. James Tyson

4. Manju Rajendran

5. Justin Miller

6. Rakhee Devasthali

7. Deborah Ferruccio

8. Colin Miller

9. Kriti Sharma

10. Marie Garlock

11. Sedrick Harris

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Patty Claims he has mingled among Moral Monday Protest, do you Believe him?

#RALEIGH: Gov. McCrory says he has mingled among protesters? | http://t.co/75YyDiqSE4 - http://t.co/2qoRy1ej1Q #MoralMonday #NC

— Latinos in DeepSouth (@LatinoDeepSouth) July 12, 2013

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Open Response to Governor McCrory's Comments Regarding Moral Monday Protestors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

9 July 2013

Contact:         Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, President, 919-394-8137

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

          Atty. Jamie Phillips Cole, Public Policy Coordinator, 919-682-4700

Governor McCrory is being disingenuous. Now that the legislative session is winding down, Governor McCrory is trying to play nice and move away from his original comments about Moral Monday protestors being outsiders.  His original words echoed the Old south politics of George Wallace, who said of segregation, "We have never had a problem in the South except in a few very isolated instances, and these have been the result of outside agitators."

McCrory now says he respects the way Moral Monday protestors act, but he still refuses to respect their position on his policies.  He also says we shouldn't call those policies immoral, claiming that the remarks are a personal attack.  McCrory knows we are attacking his policies, and his policies only.  It is immoral to pass policies that hurt the working poor, hurt the unemployed, hurt poor children, create voter suppression and allow known discrimination to exist in our judicial system even when applying the death penalty.

And he, himself in his inaugural speech said, "God bless the State of North Carolina." You cannot ask God's blessing and then enact laws that hurt the poor, the sick, and children - those on the margins whom God has said is His primary concern.

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Pat McCrory to the Unemployed, F-off I only have time for Special interest groups for now.

Raleigh, N.C. — State House and Senate Democrats are calling on Gov. Pat McCrory to save federal unemployment benefits scheduled to end July 1 for 71,000 people in North Carolina.

McCrory says that call won't be answered. 

Well Pat is living it up at his so-called serect fund raiser event in Greenboro, NC. Where donors will shell out between $5000.00 to $35,000.00. I bet anything folks from the payday lending group, internet sweepstakes group and other special interest will be there.

The event at the Grandover Resort is part of a retreat for the Renew North Carolina Foundation, a nonprofit that some of McCrory’s supporters formed after his election. Under federal rules, the 501(c)(4) group doesn’t have to reveal its donors, is not constrained by traditional political 
donation limits, and can spend money to promote “social welfare” causes, including political ones.

What is being said about this event,

The Grandover event concerns North Carolina good government groups, particularly since the timing lines up with the waning weeks of the current state legislative session.

Major bills — including the state budget and proposals to tinker with the state tax code — are headed soon to McCrory’s desk.

“It’s, again, another instance of big money politics,” said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina. “People with agendas, who have lots of money, will have access to the governor.”

Pat goal it to get people into jobs, not to continue unemployment, well this is great ideal, but the NC GOP has fail to produce any job bills what would do just that. Remember this is the same guy who gave his staff very large raises while many other state employees haven’t seen a raise in years.

Remember,

The benefits are 100 percent federally funded, and cutting them off will mean the loss of more than $500 million, most of it flowing into the state's worst-hit economic areas --said State Democrats.

once its done this will happen,

The overhaul takes effect next Monday. Under federal rules, states that change their unemployment benefits lose eligibility for federal extended benefits, paid to long-time jobless workers who have exhausted other assistance.

Rep Joe Sam Queen had this to say,

"We are not recovering, and what we're doing at this General Assembly is not creating jobs,"

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Can you believe this

Gov. McCrory is hosting a high-priced retreat for wealthy supporters four days before unemployment benefits run out for 70,000 North Carolinians. Progress NC is planning a protest:

Progress NC to protest McCrory retreat

www.carolinamercury.com

Four days before 70,000 North Carolinians lose their unemployment benefits, Gov. McCrory is hosting a retreat for wealthy donors at the Grandover Resort in

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3 Arrested, Then UN-arrested at NC Governor's office

Our so called Governor once again refuse to meet with the people of NC, Instead he is chasing  those brown envelopes fill with money from special interest groups, like the payday lenders, internet sweepstakes groups or any other group will to give him money..

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Gov. McCrory don’t have time for Kids, but has time for??????

Progress NC has this to say on the matter,

Gov. McCrory Ducks Kids Delivering an Education Petition

On June 10, 2013, a parade of young children pulling wagons filled with over 16,000 signatures of North Carolinians calling on our Governor to protect our schools attempted to deliver the signatures to the Governor's Office. A secretary came out to inform the crowd that Gov. McCrory was busy and in a meeting until 5:00 PM. However, a pair of women walking by to join our rally noticed the Governor playing catch with a state trooper and Chief of Staff Thomas Stith, not 50 feet around the corner from the rally, outside a side entrance to the state Capitol. You can see the photos below, as well as the time stamps proving when they were taken.

By: Progress North Carolina

Photos: 6

Well now nice Pat can’t meet with the Kids, cause he is ball playing with his male staff around the corner.. Now we are all sure this was an over sight, right, NOT!

McCrory only have time for those very rich friends who brought him his job.. After all, McCrory is Art Pope property now, after Pope spent all those millions getting him elected..

So Kids don’t matter to Pats, only those green backs do.. $$$$$$$

so is he a jerk or a coward for not meeting with the kids????

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McCrory to Replace NC Board of Elections Over his involvement in Sweepstakes Money

1 day after NC Elections Bd says it will probe donations to McCrory by sweepstakes mogul, he clears the board: bit.ly/17nFP1P #ncga

RALEIGH — Gov. Pat McCrory on Friday evening announced he was replacing all members of the State Board of Elections. The appointments take effect Wednesday – just as an investigation into political contributions made to McCrory and other top Republicans’ officeholders’ campaigns is getting underway.

Three Republicans and two Democrats will replace the current three-Democrat, two-Republican board. The board’s majority represents the governor’s party.

The move puts the progress of the board’s investigation into campaign contributions from an indicted sweepstakes software company owner in question.

Not surprising at all, he got caught and now he replace the Dem control board with a Republican control.. so he can cover up his illegal actions.. Thanks NC for electing a Crook as the Governor of NC..

I foresee no more probe on this matter..

McCrory spokeswoman Kim Genardo said the timing of the appointments had nothing to do with the investigation. All five members’ terms expire April 30, and McCrory’s office wants new appointments to be made on time. The governor selects members from a list of five candidates submitted by each party. McCrory selected the top two Democrats, Genardo said.

Just what the hell has she been smoking?? this is a clear attempt to make sure there is no investigation in this matter..

The three Republican appointees donated at least $16,000 to GOP candidates and causes in recent elections, according to state and federal campaign finance records.

Cover-up in the works.

 

If anyone believe this crap I have a bridge I would like to sell you, its located in VA and has a very large yearly income..

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NC NAACP Open Letter To Governor McCrory and NC Legislative Leadership:

 

Do Not Reject Medicaid Expansion and Create Healthcare Apartheid

18 February 2013

Hon. Pat McCrory, Governor of All the People of North Carolina

Hon. Phil Berger, Leader of N.C. Senate sworn to govern for the good of the whole.

Hon. Tom Tillis,  Leader of the N.C. House sworn to govern for the good of the whole.

Hon. Skip Stam, Leader of the N.C. House sworn to govern for the good of the whole.

Re: Senate Bill 4 Creates Healthcare Apartheid

Dear Gov. McCrory, Sen. Berger, Speaker Tillis, and House Leader Stam:

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Pat McCrory claim he did a good Job in Charlotte, Really!

@PatMcCroryNC says he did "such a good job" as mayor of #CLT. Doubling the debt to $3.3 Billion? Good Job? #ncgovow.ly/ebNm3

see the video for a different take on his job performance in Charlotte.

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Pat McCrory Fundraiser in Wilson NC

Well it would seem that ex-sheriff of Wilson County will be hosting a fundraiser for Pat McCrory at his home.  Yes, it’s lovely home, well back in 1995 it was.. Been there seen it..

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Email from NC Democratic - Tillis, McCrory and Berger: Turning Back The Clock On NC Schools

Last week, Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly decided to challenge a court ruling on pre-kindergarten access could lead to an appeal of the landmark Leandro school-quality case.

A recent court ruling overturned the Republican's attempt to charge the parents of at-risk children a premium fee to send their 4 year olds to pre-K programs offered by public schools. Now, in GOP challenge to that ruling, Senate Republican leader Phil Berger's chief of staff said in a memo to Senate Republicans that, by appealing the ruling, the GOP’s ultimate goal of overturning the Leandro case could be a possible benefit of such action.

Governor Perdue acted swiftly in response to the court ruling by issuing an executive order restoring the high standards and accessibility of the ‘More at Four’ program for all at-risk children. Sen. Berger's Chief of Staff's reaction was to personally insult the Governor by suggesting that she is a 2-year old who needs to attend day care. Shameful.

Republicans clearly believe that slashing schools budgets, eliminating pre-k programs for as-risk children and decimating our public colleges and universities are all things to laugh about—Democrats don't think there is anything funny about this destructive agenda. 

This effort by the GOP is nothing more than a Trojan horse designed to turn back the clock on decades of progress and excellence in North Carolina’s public education system. I have no doubt that the ultimate goal for the Republicans is to overturn the Leandro case, de-fund our schools and completely dismantle public education in North Carolina.

The Leandro case is the legal foundation that provides for a sound basic education for every public school student in North Carolina. By attempting to overturn the case, Republicans in the General Assembly are attempting to return to an era of extreme inequality in public education.

You don’t have to look far to find journalists, citizens and experts from all across the state who not only support the ‘More at Four’ program; they also oppose overturning the Leandro case. It’s destructive, it’s immoral and it’s against everything that we stand for in North Carolina. 

It has become painfully clear that Tillis, McCrory, Berger and their allies in the General Assembly are out of control and must be stopped—Speaker Thom Tillis was even quoted recently as saying that he will "do whatever the hell he wants". 

A simple penny would have would have prevented the Tillis, McCrory and Berger team cuts to pre-K programs like More at Four, and would have protected teacher and teaching assistant positions in the classroom. Make no mistake about it, the Republicans are dead-set on turning the clock back on North Carolina—unfortunately for them, Democrats will simply not let it happen.

Sincerely, 

David Parker

Chair, North Carolina Democratic Party

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Thom and Pat talking money

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Republican budget leads to 2,000 jobs cut in the Triangle

Press Release
For Immediate Release
August 2, 2011
Contact:  Kerra Bolton, (919) 821-2777 ext. 217

MCCRORY STORIES – WHEN HE SAID JOBS, JOBS, AND MORE JOBS HE MEANT LOSING THEM
Republican budget leads to 2,000 jobs cut in the Triangle

RALEIGH – It’s a cruel irony that Republicans were bankrolled into office by the shadowy 527 Real Jobs NC and yet their agenda since taking office has hurt real people and killed jobs.

Just today, the Raleigh News & Observer reported that “in June the biggest source of ‘job depletion’ in the Triangle was the loss of more than 2,000 public-sector jobs.”

These job losses were the direct result of Pat McCrory and his fellow Republicans desperately clinging to a right-wing agenda that deprives working families and a stubborn refusal to keep a penny sales tax that would have saved thousands of jobs and continued our progress in education. 

“A job is a job,” said North Carolina Democratic Party Executive Director Jay Parmley. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a public school teacher or a police officer, or a person working in the private sector. From outrageous gerrymandering to pushing restrictive voter ID policies, it’s clear that the only jobs Republicans care about protecting are their own.” 

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McCrory is pissing his pants over the fail veto override of Voter ID Bill

“Sadly, Governor Perdue and her cohorts in the legislature have turned their backs on the wishes of the vast majority of North Carolinians and the integrity of our ballot boxes,” said McCrory, who had conducted a campaign in support of the bill.

Patty, just get over it, and move on..

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Pat McCrory's verbal attacks on the Governor

Via NC Democratic Party Facebook notes,

full text,

CHARLOTTE - NC Democratic Party Executive Director Jay Parmley issued the following statement in response to Pat McCrory's verbal attacks on the Governor in regard to new unemployment numbers.

"Pat McCrory's attack on the Governor is a shame and his solutions-- as far as we can intuit them-- are a sham.  The former Mayor continues to criticize the work of men and women who are leading during the toughest time in our state's modern history while doing nothing to solve those problems.  

He hasn't even announced he's running for governor, which enables him to attack Bev Perdue without facing any scrutiny himself.  That's cowardly and safe-- two things that Bev Perdue hasn't had the luxury to be since she defeated McCrory three years ago.

From McCrory, no solutions.  He gave us a hint about his agenda last week when he issued a robocall urging supporters to demand that their legislators override Bev Perdue's vetoes.  We can presume that he would have rubber stamped everything this republican legislative majority proposed.

This leaves voters triangulating McCrorys positions from one-sided press releases, speeches to tea party gatherings and the GOP agenda.  

On the jobs issue, we can only assume that he would have permanently frozen long term unemployment benefits-- without relief-- as the leaders of his party attempted to do this year.

He would have allowed them to make even deeper cuts to our schools and the public sector, which represent the single greatest job losses government has direct control over.  In this terrible economy, he would have laid off far more teachers than Thom Tillis and Phil Berger did this year already.  

The unemployment rate would be even higher under Governor McCrory.

Meanwhile, the Berger/Tillis/McCrory formula for job creation is "reg reform, med mal and energy" (quoting an @SenatorBerger tweet in response to today's numbers).  Not one of them has hung any details on that scant recipe for recovery.

Regulatory reform this session has taken the form of gutting environmental rules.  Are we to assume that McCrory would entice manufacturers by advertising the most lenient pollution rules in the region?  

Their Med Mal legislation sought to strip patients of their right to seek damages the event of an emergency room error.  This creates job opportunities for whom?  The lousiest doctors in the country, unemployable in states that care about consumer rights?

Finally, their energy plan seeks to open our pristine coasts and the piedmont to drilling and natural gas fracking.  This would welcome Big Oil to the Tarheel State, creating a revenue stream for Republican politicians looking for political donations, and the potential for environmental disaster and polluted water for the rest of us.  

Republican office holders and also-maybe-might-of-rans like Pat McCrory are pitching the same tired trickle down economics that most of us discounted years ago: tax breaks for millionaires, low wages for workers, zero regulations for polluters and big business.

It's a lie, and Pat McCrory is pushing it with impunity.  If he'd like to announce he's running for office and stand before the people and the press to face our questions, he should do it.  But the unfounded attacks that non-mayor, non-candidate McCrory has become so fond of don't do a thing to help bring down the unemployment rate.  That's cowardice, pure and simple."    

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