In 2019, members of the group Never Again Action held a traditional Jewish mourning ceremony outside the Alamance County Detention Center. The vigil was organized to honor the memory of immigrants who died in ICE custody during the first Trump administration.
Without cause, Graham police officers and Alamance County sheriff’s deputies blocked the group from approaching the jail. In response, the demonstrators sat down and began to sing Jewish prayers. Despite the lawful nature of the protest, several were arrested without justification.
After Attorney Scott Holmes defended the arrestees in criminal court, Emancipate NC took up the cause in 2022, filing a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of the protesters. Attorneys Jaelyn Miller and Ian Mance led the effort — and last week, they won. City and county officials agreed to settle the case for $120,000.
In her coverage for the News & Observer, reporter Virginia Bridges noted that this is just the latest in a series of lawsuits against Alamance County for unconstitutional treatment of protesters — and the county keeps paying.