Blog
Free Legal Info Friday in Greenville Updates
Team Emancipate NC has been hard at work in Greenville and beyond through Free Legal Fridays. Over the past several weeks, Dedan Waciuri and Attorney Dillon Sharpe have met with community members to: Answer questions about staying safe during police encounters Provide...
Emancipate NC Files Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Against N.C. Highway Patrol Sergeant
On May 25, 2024, Thomas J. Simmons, a 44-year-old Native American man from Pitt County, suffered an epileptic seizure while driving in Greenville. His car sideswiped another vehicle and crashed into a utility pole. Witnesses told responding officer Sgt. Ashley B....
Emancipate NC Pushes Back on Harmful Legislative Proposals
Following the fatal stabbing at the Charlotte train station, lawmakers have floated proposals that would further expand pretrial detention by limiting or eliminating cash bail. Emancipate NC’s Executive Director, Dawn Blagrove, strongly opposed these measures, warning...
Know Thyself: Black Power Radio 🎙️
Emancipate NC’s Dawn Blagrove recently joined the radio show Know Thyself: Black Power Radio for a powerful conversation on justice, community, and liberation. 📺 Watch the full show here→ And don’t miss Dawn’s next live appearance on October 5th—tune in and be part of...
Justice for Anthony Drayton: Court Update
On September 17, 2025, Attorney Dillon Sharpe filed a Notice of Appeal in Anthony Drayton’s case, moving his misdemeanor conviction for Resisting a Public Officer to Pitt County Superior Court for a jury trial. At the District Court level, the Pitt County DA’s Office...
Emancipate NC and Blueprint for a Stronger Democracy
We are proud to share that Emancipate NC has joined with a broad coalition of organizations to release the Blueprint for a Stronger Democracy. This comprehensive report lays out strategies to strengthen democratic institutions in North Carolina and ensure that every...
WUNC Highlights Launch of Mobile Recidivism Reduction Center
Kerwin Pittman, executive director of the nonprofit Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services and Policy and Program Lead at Emancipate NC, has launched North Carolina’s first Mobile Recidivism Reduction Center. Launched in January, this innovative mobile unit...
Read the Op-Ed: NC Police Shouldn’t Use Marijuana Smell as a Pretext for Searches
Elizabeth Simpson, Strategic Director for Emancipate NC, recently authored an op-ed published in the News & Observer making the case against allowing police to use the odor of marijuana as justification for searches. She writes: “The N.C. Supreme Court should hold...
All Charges Dismissed for the Durham 5 NCCU Protesters!
On September 22, 2025, Attorney Dillon Sharpe appeared in Durham County District Court with one of our clients facing serious charges—Felony Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, Misdemeanor Failure to Disperse, and Misdemeanor Resisting a Public Officer—stemming from...
Our 50-Years Celebration and Fundraiser is THIS Saturday, September 27th!
Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored our event and purchased tickets. We have raised over $25,000 so far and have just under $10,000 to go. Can you help us reach our goal? Buy tickets, sponsor the event, and spread the word. We can’t wait to see you...
Get Your Tickets Today for Our 50-Year Celebration!
We can’t wait to see you on September 27th at 6 p.m. at 1809 Chapel Hill Rd, Durham, NC, for our 50 Years of Resistance, 50 Years of Resilience celebration. Last week, we shared the first piece of art that will be featured in our silent auction. This week, we’re...
Anthony Drayton, Spatial Control, and the Geography of Black Repression
by Emancipate NC Organizer Dedan Waciuri Introduction: A Local Assault with Global Meaning In Greenville, North Carolina, Anthony Drayton was brutally assaulted by Greenville Police inside a local McDonald’s. To the casual observer, this may appear as just another...
Victory for Mr. Hannon
On Friday, September 5, 2025, Emancipate NC Attorney Dillon Sharpe secured a full acquittal for his client, Mr. Hannon, who had been wrongfully charged after a violent encounter with Wake County Sheriff’s Deputies. Mr. Hannon was assaulted by deputies after being held...
Confederate Monument Removed after Years of Advocacy and Protest
Late on the night of August 30, the Confederate monument that loomed over downtown Edenton for generations was finally taken down. The removal—quiet, unannounced, and carried out under cover of darkness—came only after nearly three years of relentless protest and...
Article in The Assembly Highlights Emancipate NC Case
A recent article in The Assembly shines a spotlight on the injustice that Emancipate NC clients—and countless others across North Carolina—continue to face. Ten years after the state legalized hemp, North Carolina still hasn’t updated its crime lab testing methods....