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“We commend the city for making these important revisions to its involuntary commitment policy,” said attorney Ian Mance. “It was important to the Strayhorns to see something positive come from this difficult experience. The family is gratified to now have a policy in place that should prevent an incident like this from happening again.”

Dawn Blagrove: “We already had at least a 30 percent understaffing in prisons across the state. We have had to relocate those folks from those western prisons to prisons where they were already at capacity, where there wasn’t enough staff. And the conditions have only gotten worse.”

"Prisons are not designed to rehabilitate. They are not designed to fix broken people. They are designed to punish and to be punitive and to keep their doors open to make sure that people are coming back. The fact that this child was able to have a flawless record while he was, with no infractions, incarcerated is nothing short of a miracle," said Dawn BLagrove, Emancipate NC.

“What needs to happen in order to avoid unconstitutional conditions within our prisons in North Carolina is for people to be let out of cages,” said Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC.

"The same coalition of folks during COVID asked for very similar relief and received it," Blagrove said. "Thousands of people were released early to help create more healthy and humane conditions during COVID. And guess what? The sky didn't fall. The streets weren't run amok with crime."

Kerwin Pittman, executive director of the group, said the goal is to challenge the belief harsher penalties create safer communities. "It just won't work," Pittman asserted. "Dispelling that narrative that 'locking them up and throwing away the key' is the way to combat or the way to have public safety, it's not. It's investing in incarcerated people."

“Too much harm has happened,” said Dawn Blagrove, the director of Emancipate NC. “A demotion itself is almost a slap in the face. If an officer with a record like D.C. Twiddy is not the perfect candidate to be fired and thrown out of the law enforcement community, I can’t imagine who is.”

“Politics is about creating a better society,” she said. “When the people are a community that relies on one another, our power is amplified so that our democracy stays strong.”

“The recidivism rate is so high because [reentry] is hard, and it’s even harder when you lack resources and when you don’t have connection to those resources,” Pittman said. “That’s where we hope to make a difference.”

erwin Pittman grew up in Raleigh. He wears many hats, advocating for the city he calls home..."We have to address the root causes of why these individuals are committing their crimes in the first place," Pittman said. "Until we do that, it will be a vicious cycle."

“This grossly increases the number of children who will grow into and become a lifelong criminal, or at least, will never be able to get out under the thumb of the criminal justice system." - Dawn Blagrove

"I feel like the department doesn't listen, and this is someone we've been ringing the bell on for years," Pittman said.

"I just wonder when his reign of terror is going to end," questioned social justice activist Kerwin Pittman.

UNC officials made the request knowing it would chill free speech and make people afraid to participate in protests, [said Miller, a staff attorney for the civil rights organization Emancipate NC.] “I think just when it comes to this specific conflict, there seems to be a deep desire to crush out the movement at its core.”

Kerwin Pittman with Emancipate NC, lobbied lawmakers to vote against the legislation.

“This bill strips away the rehabilitative nature for these juveniles, essentially, it will transfer these juveniles to adult court without even having a hearing to determine should they be there in the first place,” said Pittman.

Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director of Emancipate NC, said HB 237 actually weakens democracy.

Dawn Blagrove, executive director of the criminal justice organization Emancipate North Carolina, called her state’s new restrictions on mask-wearing a “dog whistle” to “frighten the community” against protest. “They are creating a narrative that they know will have a chilling effect on people exercising their constitutional rights to protest,” she said.

Kerwin Pittman of Emancipate NC — a group that advocates for the rights of people in the prison and jail system — told North Carolina Health News he worried that without access to autopsy reports, public malfeasance, such as in cases when law enforcement officers kill someone, might not be exposed.

"Having them start in juvenile court creates a whole plethora of other resources that are available to help these children," said Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director of Emancipate NC.

Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, speaks during a press conference against House Bill 237, the anti-mask and campaign finance bill, outside the Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, June 11, 2024.

“Our General Assembly and a few men here have decided that we should no longer be able to protest if we are not protesting for the things that uphold and support white supremacy; That is an infringement on everyone’s democracy,” said Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director of Emancipate NC.

“It is imperative on the people that we are able to exercise our right to peacefully protest,” said Dawn Blagrove, executive director of criminal justice organization Emancipate NC.

Their attorneys -- Pooyan Ordoubadi of Lopez-Cobb and Ordoubadi, PLLC; and Jaelyn D. Miller of Emancipate NC -- said they want all these charges dropped, calling it a 'violation of their First Amendment at the hands of the police and university leaders'.

Emancipate North Carolina and North Carolina For the People Action have joined with the NC NAACP and ACLU of NC to condemn HB 237, the current anti-protest bill being discussed in the state legislature.

"It's really a racially hostile environment for them at this point in the county because they're well known for having spoken out against this statute," said Jaelyn Miller, attorney for Concerned Citizens of Tyrrell County. "It's made some folks fearful to continue doing rallies and demonstrations because of that."

Jaelyn Miller, an attorney with Emancipate NC, is one of the lawyers representing some of the people charged.

“I just challenge folks to remember that the First Amendment belongs to everyone, not just those who agree with you, and without it, we could not continue to be the democracy that we are,” Miller said.

Ian Mance, another attorney for the group, said the location of the monument was intentional. “It was put up in the front yard of what was soon to be the Tyrrell County Courthouse, which opened a few months later, to communicate to people that members of the Black community could not expect to get justice inside of that courthouse,” Mance said.

Ian Mance, another attorney for the plaintiffs, said the historical record is clear that the monument was meant to send a message. “It was put up in the front yard of what was soon to be the Tyrrell County Courthouse, which opened a few months later, to communicate to people that members of the Black community could not expect to get justice inside of that courthouse,” he said.

Emancipate NC, a nonprofit organization, joined with Concerned Citizens of Tyrrell County to raise a billboard as a call to action against a Confederate monument in Columbia.

Advocates and organizations including Disability Rights NC, Emancipate NC, and the ACLU of North Carolina spoke out against the bill at last week’s committee hearing, criticizing both the mask ban and provisions that target protesters.

Kerwin Pittman, director of policy and program for Emancipate NC, told the Senate Judiciary committee last week that the change would potentially put juveniles in a position to where they “would no longer be able to gain a sense of restorative justice.” “The science still rings true that juveniles that go through the juvenile legal system are less likely to reoffend,” he said.

Kerwin Pittman of Emancipate NC said Britt and other gatekeepers of the criminal justice system are preventing the public from obtaining information it has the right to know. “To shield those things from individuals shows a lack of compassion for the citizens he’s supposed to serve,” Pittman said.

"The Silent Struggle" featured an expert panel of guests talking for an hour about various mental health challenges and resources available...Mark Simon, Mary Wise, and Kerwin Pittman rounded out the guests featured at the town hall.

Kerwin Pittman, a social justice advocate in Raleigh, said he also has concerns about how the bill will disproportionately affect people of color. “With this bill passed, law enforcement will begin to stop Black and brown people in their communities who may be wearing masks for health concerns or safety concerns,” Pittman said

Advocates from other organizations including Disability Rights NC, Emancipate NC, and the ACLU of North Carolina all spoke out against provisions in the bill that target protesters.

Public testimony came from individuals representing the Emancipate NC, ACLU of North Carolina, the NC Justice Center, and Disability Rights North Carolina. They were all opposed to the rule, including several state legislators who voiced their concerns.

“It is absolutely unconscionable to create a law where you build in exceptions or assume that there is a certain portion of the population that will be protected simply because of who they are,” Blagrove said. “If that is true, then so is the opposite. There is a certain part of the population that is more exposed to harm, who has less Constitutional rights because of this bill. We asked this committee to pull this bill from consideration, take more time and do what is right, not just for the white grannies, but for all grannies.”

"The science still rings true that juveniles that go through the juvenile legal system are less likely to reoffend, to recommit crimes," Pittman told the committee Tuesday. "So why are we starting them off, expediting them, to the adult criminal system? It just doesn't make sense."

“What it should do is send a very strong indicator to the people of North Carolina, to our legislators, to our district attorneys and law enforcement...that there is no longer an appetite for criminalizing this kind of behavior,” said Dawn Blagrove, the executive director of Emancipate NC.

The situation can be particularly frustrating for people who are trying to clear their name after a clash with police. That’s because history has shown that courts and the general public often believe police officers, said Ian Mance, an attorney for the civil rights organization Emancipate NC.

“One of the kind of insidious things about this body cam law is it creates a situation where police officials can miss characterize your actions, and you can’t tell your side of the story,” Mance said.

"We know that there is a racial element to the way that these crimes are charged. We know that that racial element and disproportionality impacts not just people's everyday lives, but also their rights to vote their right, their ability to be able to find affordable housing," said Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director of Emancipate NC.

Blagrove described the scheduling change as "a step in the right direction," but urged state lawmakers to take further action.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill law students Nikolai Wise and John Schengber argued before the judge on behalf of Emancipate NC.

"The jail is a public institution, taxpayer funded,” Schengber said. “So, the jail should be regulated in a way that the public is aware of."

“Durham has set a precedent over a large number of years that if the chambers are full, there is overflow in the lobby,” Simpson says. “That is what the public has come to expect as part of the accommodation for access in-person. Once you open it up to the public … and create this expectation that this is part of the accommodation for an open meeting, they need to continue doing that unless they have a really good justification.”

“Individuals looking for re-entry resources and services can call into this call center via this hotline and reach somebody, a live agent,” Kerwin Pittman, the Executive Director of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services Inc., also known as RREPS, said.

Simpson also disputed the RPD’s claim that there was no misconduct: “The officers did engage in unlawful conduct by entering the home simultaneously with their announcement. North Carolina law requires ‘Knock and Announce’ for warrant execution.”

...according to Elizabeth Simpson, an adjunct law professor and director of the civil legal assistance clinic at UNC. “A main driver for the Abboud family’s petition for general public release of the body-camera footage is to make other families aware of what’s going on in their neighborhoods, and to pressure the police into higher standards that would prevent situations like what occurred at the Abbouds’ residence that day,” the plaintiffs’ legal defense said in a statement.

Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, said that they filed the lawsuit because Raleigh leaders refuse to hold officers accountable for this and other interactions.

“Because everyone who you elect and pay to create accountability is failing to do it,” Blagrove said.

Blagrove - also the executive director of Emancipate NC - said this case is not only about accountability, but it also aims to make sure that this doesn't happen to anyone else in the future.

It aims to make a change in the way tasers are handled.

"To ensure that this lawsuit is litigated in a way that is fair and just for this family," said Blagrove, "but more importantly, in a way that results in getting a change in policies, a change in practices, a change in procedures. "

“What we see from these programs is that when resources, police resources, are not being depleted by these mental health calls, they're able to be diverted and focused on violent crime,” Miller said. “And that's why we see a reduction in the crime rate.”

"We have no doubt this lawsuit is strong," Attorney Dawn Blagrove with Emancipate NC said. "We take no joy in this, There's no doubt the city of Raleigh has turned a blind eye to negligence over and over again."

Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, a nonprofit social activist organization, sent a letter in April to the DOJ about patterns and practices in policing.

"We are excited and pleased that the Department of Justice took our concerns seriously and selected Raleigh Police Department to be one of the participants in one of these crime-prevention programs."

Dawn Blagrove, executive director for Emancipate NC, says she’s skeptical about the impact.

"Raleigh Police Department does not have a problem with training; it has a problem with culture,” Blagrove said.

Social activist Kerwin Pittman believes these copays are a step in the wrong direction. He was incarcerated for 11.5 years and said he had his own experiences with copays while serving his time.

“On its face, $5 to $20 may not seem like a lot to us. But when you are incarcerated, and you’re only making 40 cents a day, this is a lot of money for copaying and medical attention,” he said.

"I'm not surprised Raleigh is keeping this close to the chest, because they definitely have a problem with transparency," said Emancipate NC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove "The Raleigh Police Department is either incapable or unwilling to learn from its own mistakes."

Emancipate NC, which advocates against mass incarceration and racism in the criminal justice system, submitted a public records request in April for “all written Durham jail policies.” The sheriff’s office took six months to fulfill the request, and put blocks of black ink over many sections, including most of the rules about restraining devices.

Racial justice organizations Emancipate NC and the North Carolina Black Alliance held a press conference after Earls dropped the lawsuit, praising the power of collective, organized action in defending against the “racism behind the attack on Justice Earls.”

Emancipate NC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove confirmed to ABC11 that they are working with Williams' family to file a lawsuit against Raleigh Police in the next two months.

Accountability organizer Kerwin pittman with Emancipate NC was disappointed with Wake County DA's decision to not file charges against the officers involved.

Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, speaks at a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., last August, defending Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls.

“We still need accountability,” activist Kerwin Pittman said. “Demanding justice non-stop until we get it.”

“There is no way for you to watch the video without essentially going into the belly of the beast,” said Dawn Blagrove, who crisscrosses the state to accompany relatives to police stations to view footage.

Kerwin Pittman of the group Emancipate NC said that can prevent some violent or deadly interactions with police and save resources.

"We definitely know that this program, if implemented correctly, will save lives," Pittman said.

Since 2018, North Carolina courts have terminated the rights of nearly 1,200 parents per year, including an average of 32 per year in Durham, according to state records. Only 30 percent of the 5,020 North Carolina children who left foster care in the 2022-23 fiscal year were reunited with their parents. In Durham, the reunification rate was just 22 percent, less than half of the national average.

Jaelyn Miller is a staff attorney with Emancipate NC, which is one of the organizations that make up Raleigh’s HEART Coalition. The coalition pushed for community response teams, similar to Durham’s H.E.A.R.T program.

“We want those community response teams for sure,” Miller said. “That’s typically mental health clinicians, paramedics, EMTs. That is the crux, I think, of the program we’re seeking.”

"It puts us in line with other cities across the South and across the nation that are taking these steps toward recognizing what these monuments stand for and coming up with a way to see the future differently.”

Miles and Vance Monument Taskforce co-chair Oralene Simmons are organizing a media briefing in Raleigh following the Nov. 1 arguments and will be joined by Noel Nickle, a local Vance family descendant; Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer; and Jaelyn Miller, community lawyering fellow at Emancipate NC.

Holmes said the case “sends a message to law enforcement and policy makers about the continued need to treat people with respect and protect their Constitutional rights during traffic stops.”

Holmes, who directs the civil litigation clinic at the North Carolina Central University School of Law, was assisted in the long-running case by at least 20 of his law students, he said. Bottom was also represented by Ian Mance, an attorney for Emancipate NC, a Durham-based civil right organization.

Dawn Blagrove, who leads the civil rights group Emancipate NC, said the investigation is not only an attempt to remove Earls from office, but is part of a broad, Republican-backed effort to silence Black people and politicians with recent bills and laws making it easier for police to charge protesters with felony crimes, or to enact stricter voting rules.

“We are currently under a regime that is dead set on taking us back to Jim Crow,” she said.

"What is happening to Justice Earls is a microcosm of what is happening to every Black, brown and marginalized person in North Carolina at the hands of elected officials who are determined to drag this state back to the days of Jim Crow," commentator Dawn Blagrove said.

"If these were white children riding their bikes, trying to get home, the situation would have been handled very differently," [Emancipate NC's] Attorney Dawn Blagrove contended. "I really believe that, because these are Black boys, this district attorney is using this situation to try to appear 'tough on crime' in a way that is having an absolutely absurd result."

“I came here to talk about proactive policing,” said Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC. “And I have the perfect solution: Instead of having 15 Raleigh police officers show up to harass people in southeast Raleigh, why don’t you send them to pick up some of these blind folks that are waiting for four hours at a time?”

“It’s just cooking people alive,” said Cierra Cobb, the prison/jail coordinator, family advocate and a podcast host for the advocacy group Emancipate NC. “Some days were unbearable. Everybody was in there sweating...It was causing tension in the block because everybody’s hot.”

"Apparently, we have to add 'riding a bike while Black' to the list of activities that can subject Black children to state sanctioned violence," Emancipate NC executive director and attorney Dawn Blagrove.

"Clearly, in Gaston County, as well as Gastonia, there are two types of legal systems… One for black and brown people, and another for those who are not black and brown," Kerwin Pittman said. "(The boys) were unjustly targeted, arrested, brutalized, humiliated... All they wanted to do was go home."

Emancipate N.C. executive director Dawn Blagrove said she knows leaders on both sides are having discussions about possible changes but she doesn’t feel like change will happen anytime soon.

“There’s simply not political will to create the changes to make a fair and equitable criminal justice system here in North Carolina,” Blagrove said.

“It is sad that we have to file a lawsuit, a public records lawsuit, just to get a video released," Ben Crump told the crowd. "You know, transparency leads to truth."

Emancipate's Dawn Blagrove joined other speakers calling for justice for Shanquella Robinson.

“We have a process in place to extradite people who have come to America from Mexico ... and from all over the world to seek a better life,” said Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC. “Why can we not employ those same resources and those same processes [with] people who are a danger to folks in ... Charlotte ...?"

"Essentially [this bill] intimidates individuals from coming out to participate and exercise their constitutional rights," said Kerwen Pittman with Emancipate NC.

Dawn Blagrove, the executive director of Emancipate NC, said HB 40 was a “racist” bill “designed to harm and limit the voices of Black, brown and marginalized people.”

“The impact will be to stifle the voices of the most marginalized communities. Make no mistake about it,” said Kerwin Pittman, a criminal justice advocate and organizer with Emancipate NC, adding that peaceful protesters wrongly arrested could lose their jobs if they are forced to be held for 24 hours.

For people struggling to find their way out of the gang lifestyle, [Kerwin] Pittman had one key statement of advice:

"Find somebody who is doing somebody positive and stick with them like your life depends on," he said. "I'm a Black man coming back to redeem the community I once helped to destroy."

Dawn Blagrove argues against token justice in prosecuting Raleigh's police department, saying, "The only person who’s being held accountable at all for any wrongdoing is Abdullah. Even Abdullah [isn't] really being held accountable. It’s just that [Wake County DA Freeman] knew that she had to bring some ... charge."

"Emancipate NC, an advocacy group, has issued yet another call for reforms."

“I was literally placed on this planet to do this,” Jatoia Potts says. “I’ll continue to share my story. My kids will grow up and see later that their mom was still out there, still doing stuff, still fighting for them.”

“DSS has done so many things that have caused so much harm and so much trauma and so much damage,” Toia Potts said.

"Emancipate NC’s Dawn Blagrove spoke loud and clear on Feb. 8 against North Carolina Republicans’ latest 'anti-rioting' bill. She told a legislative committee that the intent of House Bill 40 was to target 'Black, brown, and marginalized people' engaging in nonviolent protests."

“What we want to see is real accountability. Accountability that is acceptable to the people. Accountability that has real teeth and can bring real consequences,” Dawn Blagrove, the executive director of Emancipate NC, said.

“The fact that they claim to have seen an open container and marijuana in the car sounds good and is a practice that we see repeatedly,” Dawn Blagrove said, CNN reported, adding that it’s a move not just from RPD “but from police departments across the country, where they retroactively create scenarios that protect them from the accountability and appearance of impropriety.”

“It’s heartbreaking to think about any person being electrocuted to death for nothing. In a parking lot, alone, begging, screaming and pleading for mercy that the Raleigh Police Department could not and would not offer him. They need to be held accountable for that,” Dawn Blagrove told CNN.

"Emancipate NC and other advocacy groups this week presented a list of demands to the Raleigh City Council. They include firing the officers involved in the arrest, retooling the city’s police advisory board and discontinuing for now the use of Tasers."

“Darryl Williams should not be dead,” Kerwin Pittman said, noting the officers’ use of force “struck me as extremely excessive.”

"There needs to be accountability. These officers, there was no reason that Darryl should be dead right now. And we want to see the city of Raleigh finally take seriously the need to bring real accountability to the Raleigh Police Department," said Dawn Blagrove.

Emancipate NC and Raleigh Demands Justice are calling for the creation of a new committee to look into police accountability. Click below to view the list of demands we delivered to Raleigh city council.

"North Carolina courts are behind other neighboring states in terms of enforcing a 1996 U.S. Supreme Court decision that prevents prosecutors from excluding jurors on the basis of race, Ian Mance, an attorney for civil rights organization Emancipate NC, wrote."

"What we know is that proactive policing, a.k.a. stop and frisk, is a very lazy way to do it, and it is proven to be ineffective and impacting the rate of crime," said Dawn Blagrove of Emancipate NC, denouncing RPD's tactics.

Click to read the full list of demands Emancipate NC and Raleigh Demands Justice made to Raleigh City Council.

"Raleigh Demands Justice, which includes Emancipate NC, ... gave city leaders a packet of information that included eight demands ranging from firing the police officers involved in Williams’ death to dismantling and rebuilding the current police advisory board."

The post highlights Team Emancipate's work, describing our dedication to "providing community education and mobilizing against racialized mass incarceration," and more.

"We should not be harming or hurting, or passing any legislation, that further marginalizes already marginalized people,” said Dawn Blagrove.

“This bill is racist,” said Dawn Blagrove, executive director of the group Emancipate NC. “This bill is designed to harm and limit the voices of Black, brown and marginalized people.”

Dawn Blagrove denounced Raleigh's "proactive patrols," saying, "It doesn’t matter what they found in his car. What matters is that on that night, he was bothering no one. He was minding his own business.”

“Why are you not righting this wrong?” asked Kerwin Pittman, Emancipate NC’s Policy & Program director, during the press conference. “Why are you continuing to victimize this family that was already victimized the first time by Raleigh Police Department?”

“[This] speaks to a larger issue, a systemic issue with the Raleigh Police Department and the culture of the city of Raleigh, it’s seeming that it’s to continue the brutalization of marginalized communities,” Kerwin Pittman said.

"We call on the people of Raleigh to demand that the folks that you have given your power to use it in a way that is fair and is equitable and is just," said Dawn Blagrove. "It's systemic racism that allows police all over the country and specifically here in Raleigh to create special units and give them so much leeway that they think and behave as they are above the law."

Emancipate helped organize the protest and supported protestors calling for justice for Darryl Williams and Tyre Nichols.

Kerwin Pittman of Emancipate NC speaks to protesters gathered to march in downtown Raleigh, N.C. in the wake of the deaths of Daryl Williams in Raleigh and Tyre Nichols in Memphis.

A group protesting Edenton’s Confederate monument and pushing for its removal from the town’s waterfront area is taking its case to new heights... Read the full article.

“Our plan is that it stays up until the monument comes down,” local Move the Monument Coalition activist Rod Phillips said.

"We stand here before you with demands that are not utopian. They are real, they are tangible, and they can be achieved," said Dawn Blagrove. "Black folks in southeast Raleigh can be safe, and they deserve that."

“This report is designed to malign the victim, to malign the murder victim ... What matters is that on that night, he was bothering no one,” said Dawn Blagrove, denouncing RPD's "proactive policing" as nothing more than racial profiling.

"Darryl Williams should not be dead," Kerwin Pittman said. "Their initial encounter with Mr. Williams was unwarranted and unjustifiable."

“Why, when Mr. Williams expressed he had heart conditions, why did they still choose to tase this man again?” asked Kerwin Pittman.

Kerwin Pittman described how "proactive policing" leads to racial profiling: "Law enforcement wasn’t called to the scene. [Officers] just so happened to arrive on the scene, determined certain people were suspicious and wanted to pursue those people. That’s when things escalated."

“In defending this case, the City of Raleigh has elected to use taxpayer money to pay four private law firms, along with two City Attorneys, to employ a defense strategy that has included accusing these innocent mothers and children of criminal wrongdoing and subjected them to a battery of invasive and inappropriate questions,” Emancipate NC wrote.

"[The City of Raleigh] accused the mothers and their children of 'criminal wrongdoings' and asked them about gang activity," said Emancipate NC.

“When a policy lacks specifics about how you are supposed to operate, it leaves room for a lot of error. It leaves it up to the officers’ interpretation … and we know when they lean on their own interpretation, as we’ve seen in the past, they make mistakes,” Kerwin Pittman says.

Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, speaks during a press conference against House Bill 237, the anti-mask and campaign finance bill, outside the Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, June 11, 2024.

Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director of Emancipate NC: “And then, in an ironic twist of fate and an absolute nod to the unflinching, unwavering desire of this General Assembly to uphold white supremacy and white supremacist systems, they put into this deal with no oversight, with no input from the people, a measure that will make it easier for folks to hide their faces when they are donating and participating in the financial support of our political election.”

“It is imperative on the people that we are able to exercise our right to peacefully protest,” said Dawn Blagrove, executive director of criminal justice organization Emancipate NC.

Their attorneys -- Pooyan Ordoubadi of Lopez-Cobb and Ordoubadi, PLLC; and Jaelyn D. Miller of Emancipate NC -- said they want all these charges dropped, calling it a 'violation of their First Amendment at the hands of the police and university leaders'.

Emancipate North Carolina and North Carolina For the People Action have joined with the NC NAACP and ACLU of NC to condemn HB 237, the current anti-protest bill being discussed in the state legislature.

"It's really a racially hostile environment for them at this point in the county because they're well known for having spoken out against this statute," said Jaelyn Miller, attorney for Concerned Citizens of Tyrrell County. "It's made some folks fearful to continue doing rallies and demonstrations because of that."

Jaelyn Miller, an attorney with Emancipate NC, is one of the lawyers representing some of the people charged.

“I just challenge folks to remember that the First Amendment belongs to everyone, not just those who agree with you, and without it, we could not continue to be the democracy that we are,” Miller said.

Ian Mance, another attorney for the group, said the location of the monument was intentional. “It was put up in the front yard of what was soon to be the Tyrrell County Courthouse, which opened a few months later, to communicate to people that members of the Black community could not expect to get justice inside of that courthouse,” Mance said.

Ian Mance, another attorney for the plaintiffs, said the historical record is clear that the monument was meant to send a message. “It was put up in the front yard of what was soon to be the Tyrrell County Courthouse, which opened a few months later, to communicate to people that members of the Black community could not expect to get justice inside of that courthouse,” he said.

Emancipate NC, a nonprofit organization, joined with Concerned Citizens of Tyrrell County to raise a billboard as a call to action against a Confederate monument in Columbia.

Advocates and organizations including Disability Rights NC, Emancipate NC, and the ACLU of North Carolina spoke out against the bill at last week’s committee hearing, criticizing both the mask ban and provisions that target protesters.

Kerwin Pittman, director of policy and program for Emancipate NC, told the Senate Judiciary committee last week that the change would potentially put juveniles in a position to where they “would no longer be able to gain a sense of restorative justice.” “The science still rings true that juveniles that go through the juvenile legal system are less likely to reoffend,” he said.

Kerwin Pittman of Emancipate NC said Britt and other gatekeepers of the criminal justice system are preventing the public from obtaining information it has the right to know. “To shield those things from individuals shows a lack of compassion for the citizens he’s supposed to serve,” Pittman said.

"The Silent Struggle" featured an expert panel of guests talking for an hour about various mental health challenges and resources available...Mark Simon, Mary Wise, and Kerwin Pittman rounded out the guests featured at the town hall.

Kerwin Pittman, a social justice advocate in Raleigh, said he also has concerns about how the bill will disproportionately affect people of color. “With this bill passed, law enforcement will begin to stop Black and brown people in their communities who may be wearing masks for health concerns or safety concerns,” Pittman said

Advocates from other organizations including Disability Rights NC, Emancipate NC, and the ACLU of North Carolina all spoke out against provisions in the bill that target protesters.

Public testimony came from individuals representing the Emancipate NC, ACLU of North Carolina, the NC Justice Center, and Disability Rights North Carolina. They were all opposed to the rule, including several state legislators who voiced their concerns.

“It is absolutely unconscionable to create a law where you build in exceptions or assume that there is a certain portion of the population that will be protected simply because of who they are,” Blagrove said. “If that is true, then so is the opposite. There is a certain part of the population that is more exposed to harm, who has less Constitutional rights because of this bill. We asked this committee to pull this bill from consideration, take more time and do what is right, not just for the white grannies, but for all grannies.”

"The science still rings true that juveniles that go through the juvenile legal system are less likely to reoffend, to recommit crimes," Pittman told the committee Tuesday. "So why are we starting them off, expediting them, to the adult criminal system? It just doesn't make sense."

“What it should do is send a very strong indicator to the people of North Carolina, to our legislators, to our district attorneys and law enforcement...that there is no longer an appetite for criminalizing this kind of behavior,” said Dawn Blagrove, the executive director of Emancipate NC.

The situation can be particularly frustrating for people who are trying to clear their name after a clash with police. That’s because history has shown that courts and the general public often believe police officers, said Ian Mance, an attorney for the civil rights organization Emancipate NC.

“One of the kind of insidious things about this body cam law is it creates a situation where police officials can miss characterize your actions, and you can’t tell your side of the story,” Mance said.

"We know that there is a racial element to the way that these crimes are charged. We know that that racial element and disproportionality impacts not just people's everyday lives, but also their rights to vote their right, their ability to be able to find affordable housing," said Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director of Emancipate NC.

Blagrove described the scheduling change as "a step in the right direction," but urged state lawmakers to take further action.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill law students Nikolai Wise and John Schengber argued before the judge on behalf of Emancipate NC.

"The jail is a public institution, taxpayer funded,” Schengber said. “So, the jail should be regulated in a way that the public is aware of."

“Durham has set a precedent over a large number of years that if the chambers are full, there is overflow in the lobby,” Simpson says. “That is what the public has come to expect as part of the accommodation for access in-person. Once you open it up to the public … and create this expectation that this is part of the accommodation for an open meeting, they need to continue doing that unless they have a really good justification.”

“Individuals looking for re-entry resources and services can call into this call center via this hotline and reach somebody, a live agent,” Kerwin Pittman, the Executive Director of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services Inc., also known as RREPS, said.

Simpson also disputed the RPD’s claim that there was no misconduct: “The officers did engage in unlawful conduct by entering the home simultaneously with their announcement. North Carolina law requires ‘Knock and Announce’ for warrant execution.”

...according to Elizabeth Simpson, an adjunct law professor and director of the civil legal assistance clinic at UNC. “A main driver for the Abboud family’s petition for general public release of the body-camera footage is to make other families aware of what’s going on in their neighborhoods, and to pressure the police into higher standards that would prevent situations like what occurred at the Abbouds’ residence that day,” the plaintiffs’ legal defense said in a statement.

Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, said that they filed the lawsuit because Raleigh leaders refuse to hold officers accountable for this and other interactions.

“Because everyone who you elect and pay to create accountability is failing to do it,” Blagrove said.

Blagrove - also the executive director of Emancipate NC - said this case is not only about accountability, but it also aims to make sure that this doesn't happen to anyone else in the future.

It aims to make a change in the way tasers are handled.

"To ensure that this lawsuit is litigated in a way that is fair and just for this family," said Blagrove, "but more importantly, in a way that results in getting a change in policies, a change in practices, a change in procedures. "

“What we see from these programs is that when resources, police resources, are not being depleted by these mental health calls, they're able to be diverted and focused on violent crime,” Miller said. “And that's why we see a reduction in the crime rate.”

"We have no doubt this lawsuit is strong," Attorney Dawn Blagrove with Emancipate NC said. "We take no joy in this, There's no doubt the city of Raleigh has turned a blind eye to negligence over and over again."

Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, a nonprofit social activist organization, sent a letter in April to the DOJ about patterns and practices in policing.

"We are excited and pleased that the Department of Justice took our concerns seriously and selected Raleigh Police Department to be one of the participants in one of these crime-prevention programs."

Dawn Blagrove, executive director for Emancipate NC, says she’s skeptical about the impact.

"Raleigh Police Department does not have a problem with training; it has a problem with culture,” Blagrove said.

Social activist Kerwin Pittman believes these copays are a step in the wrong direction. He was incarcerated for 11.5 years and said he had his own experiences with copays while serving his time.

“On its face, $5 to $20 may not seem like a lot to us. But when you are incarcerated, and you’re only making 40 cents a day, this is a lot of money for copaying and medical attention,” he said.

"I'm not surprised Raleigh is keeping this close to the chest, because they definitely have a problem with transparency," said Emancipate NC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove "The Raleigh Police Department is either incapable or unwilling to learn from its own mistakes."

Emancipate NC, which advocates against mass incarceration and racism in the criminal justice system, submitted a public records request in April for “all written Durham jail policies.” The sheriff’s office took six months to fulfill the request, and put blocks of black ink over many sections, including most of the rules about restraining devices.

Racial justice organizations Emancipate NC and the North Carolina Black Alliance held a press conference after Earls dropped the lawsuit, praising the power of collective, organized action in defending against the “racism behind the attack on Justice Earls.”

Emancipate NC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove confirmed to ABC11 that they are working with Williams' family to file a lawsuit against Raleigh Police in the next two months.

Accountability organizer Kerwin pittman with Emancipate NC was disappointed with Wake County DA's decision to not file charges against the officers involved.

Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, speaks at a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., last August, defending Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls.

“We still need accountability,” activist Kerwin Pittman said. “Demanding justice non-stop until we get it.”

“There is no way for you to watch the video without essentially going into the belly of the beast,” said Dawn Blagrove, who crisscrosses the state to accompany relatives to police stations to view footage.

Kerwin Pittman of the group Emancipate NC said that can prevent some violent or deadly interactions with police and save resources.

"We definitely know that this program, if implemented correctly, will save lives," Pittman said.

Since 2018, North Carolina courts have terminated the rights of nearly 1,200 parents per year, including an average of 32 per year in Durham, according to state records. Only 30 percent of the 5,020 North Carolina children who left foster care in the 2022-23 fiscal year were reunited with their parents. In Durham, the reunification rate was just 22 percent, less than half of the national average.

Jaelyn Miller is a staff attorney with Emancipate NC, which is one of the organizations that make up Raleigh’s HEART Coalition. The coalition pushed for community response teams, similar to Durham’s H.E.A.R.T program.

“We want those community response teams for sure,” Miller said. “That’s typically mental health clinicians, paramedics, EMTs. That is the crux, I think, of the program we’re seeking.”