A few weeks ago, Emancipate NC, alongside ACLU of North Carolina and Muslim Advocates, filed a lawsuit against UNC-Chapel Hill for violating the constitutional rights of student protesters during the 2023–2024 campus demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine.
These protests were lawful. The response was not.
UNC administrators invited police departments from across the state — including from as far as Boone — to use violent, excessive force against students and community members who were exercising their First Amendment rights. This, despite local police in Carrboro and Chapel Hill refusing to comply with UNC’s request for escalation.
“Despite Carrboro and Chapel Hill police emphatically rejecting UNC’s request, police departments all over the State… eagerly showed up to engage in violent, excessive force against individuals who were peaceful and committing no crime,” said Emancipate NC staff attorney Jaelyn Miller.
In a time of rising authoritarianism, the Constitution is our last line of defense. We must protect it — without exceptions.
📢 Stay informed. Stand with us. Defend the First Amendment.