Blog
Racial Profiling Data Leads to Dismissal of Felony Charge in Wake County
In a powerful example of how data can expose racial profiling and change legal outcomes, Emancipate NC Senior Counsel Ian Mance recently played a key role in a Wake County criminal case that ended with the dismissal of a serious felony charge. Mance was called as an...
The Cage Comes with Conditions: Durham Jail’s Father’s Day “Visitation” Highlights Dehumanizing Carceral Control
Commentary By Dedan Waciuri & Emancipate NC As Durham County prepares for its annual in-person jail visitation window from June 9 to 13—a gesture marketed as a compassionate opportunity for families to reconnect—it becomes clear that this policy is not about...
Justice for Tyrone Mason
The family of Tyrone Mason, a 31-year-old Black man who died during a North Carolina Highway Patrol pursuit in Raleigh on October 7, 2024, is demanding justice after prosecutors declined to charge the trooper involved. Their call for accountability comes after body...
Tenant Justice Served in Durham
In a victory for tenants’ rights, Emancipate NC Attorney Jaelyn Miller secured justice for Ms. Griffin and Mr. Marrow, two Durham residents forced to leave their home due to dangerous, unlivable conditions. Despite the property being declared uninhabitable by the City...
GREENVILLE BLOCK PARTY
Join Amani Collective and Emancipate NC for a Community Block Party on Saturday, May 31, from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM! Enjoy a day of food, drinks, music, and family-friendly fun, including bounce houses and...
Victory for Amazon Union Organizer: Charges Dismissed
On May 16, 2025, Emancipate NC Attorney Dillon Sharpe successfully defended an Amazon labor organizer who had been arrested at Amazon RDU1 by the Garner Police Department earlier this year. Our client, a ranking member of the Amazon Labor...
Another DPW Win in Wake County
On May 14, 2025, Emancipate NC Attorney Dillon Sharpe secured another win for a Don’t Plead to Weed client in Wake County District Court. Our client was pulled over for driving slightly below the speed limit. She cooperated fully and answered...
Victory for Equal Protection in Tyrrell County
In a ground-breaking win for Equal Protection, a U.S. district judge, James Denver III, ruled that Black residents of Tyrrell County may proceed with their lawsuit to remove the Confederate monument in front of their courthouse. The County tried to dismiss the...
Community Gathers for Cannabis Reform Conversation
On May 19, 2025, the Child and Family Action Coalition hosted a powerful community forum focused on Cannabis Reform — highlighting how current cannabis laws are harming Black and Brown families across North Carolina. The conversation, led...
Sheriff Birkhead Dodges Accountability at Town Hall in Bahama
This week, Emancipate NC traveled to the Bahama Ruritan Club to attend a town hall held by Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead. Despite repeated requests from community leaders to hold public dialogue in central Durham, the Sheriff chose instead to speak in Bahama...
Don’t Ask Me Shit: Why Black People Shouldn’t Talk to the Police
The police are not broken. They’re doing exactly what they were designed to do: protect property, enforce white supremacy, and crush resistance. For Black people, especially those who understand our struggle through a revolutionary lens, talking to the police is not...
Cannabis Reform Issue Forum
Join the Child & Family Action Coalition for our next community meeting on Monday, May 19, as we dive into the urgent issue of how cannabis laws are weaponized to surveil families and justify family separation. We’ll share updates on the coalition’s work to...
With, Without, and Against the State
“We keep us safe” is a familiar refrain in progressive spaces — and one we hold close at Emancipate NC. Like so many of our partners across North Carolina and beyond, we fight every day — with everything we’ve got — to ensure safety and justice for our communities....
Crisis at Vance County Jail: Unsafe Conditions, Staffing Shortages, and State Intervention
The Vance County Jail is under urgent scrutiny after the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) flagged dangerous conditions inside the facility — including malfunctioning fire alarms, broken cell locks, rampant contraband, and severe...
Support Meaningful Opportunities for Rehabilitation
Commentary by Phillip Vance Smith, II North Carolina lawmakers sponsored the Prison Resources Repurposing Act (PRRA) for the third time as NC Senate Bill 681 on March 25. As an incarcerated man who has been serving life without parole (LWOP) for murder since 2002,...