Blog
The Problem with Criminalizing Childhood Trauma
by Tessa Hale, Emancipate NC Board Member Years ago, I worked as a mitigation specialist on death penalty cases. In that role, I constructed humanizing social histories for defendants in cases that would be presented at the sentencing phases of their...
Protecting the Right to Protest
Today, Emancipate NC joined with our partners at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the ACLU of North Carolina to protect the rights of protesters in North Carolina. First, on behalf of community groups including, Raleigh Police Accountability...
Court Rules that North Carolina State Officials Must Protect Incarcerated People from COVID-19
A North Carolina Superior Court judge announced a ruling in favor of plaintiffs today, finding that plaintiffs were likely to win their claim that people incarcerated in North Carolina prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic are being held under unconstitutional...
The State of Things: How Do We Hold Police Officers Accountable In NC?
On June 2, Emancipate NC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove spoke with host Frank Stasio on the State of Things. They discussed the ongoing protests in downtown Raleigh, how to hold police accountable, and what policies activists are pushing for. Blagrove also provided...
Emancipate NC Named Recipient of the NJJN & Annie E. Casey Foundation COVID-19 Youth Justice Response Fund
Emancipate NC is proud to announce that we have been selected as one of five organizations nationally to receive funding for COVID-19 Youth Justice Response. This project is a partnership between the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) and the Annie E. Casey...
Deadly Discretion: How Police Departments are Failing to Protect Basic and Fundamental Human Rights
by Noah Mlyn “Deadly Discretion: The Failure of Police Use of Force Policies to Meet Fundamental International Human Rights Law and Standards,” published this week by the University of Chicago’s International Human Rights Clinic, evaluates the use of force policies in...
Why I Believe Change is Actually Gonna Come This Time
by Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director As Sam Cooke sang — a change is gonna come. Never have these words been more true in my lifetime. Never have I been more sure that a radical reimagining and rebuilding of the American criminal justice system is...
Ask Your Local City Council Members to Reduce Police Violence in Your Community
No matter where you live in North Carolina, we encourage you to use this moment to contact your local city council members to demand change. City Council members have the power to make lasting policy changes that will reduce police violence. You can use and adapt our...
Police Accountability is a Human Right
George Floyd was murdered by a man who had so little value for the life he was snuffing out that he casually put his hand in his pocket as he waited for Mr. Floyd to die. Renegade cops do not start dehumanizing people by murdering people. No. A murderer starts...
Court Orders Strong COVID-19 Protections for Incarcerated People
Big news today in our COVID-19 prison litigation! Judge Rozier has ordered the Department of Public Safety to take immediate steps to keep incarcerated people safe from COVID-19 -- including moving beds six feet apart, providing full access to...
The Night Police Officers Almost Killed Me
by Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director I was 16 years old, living in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. I was in the car with my mother, on a dark road, picking my father up from his second shift job. Two police officers pulled us over for a trumped up traffic violation. We were...
A Vision for Schools Without Cops
by Aneesha Tucker, EmancipateNC Intern Dignity in Schools is launching a vision called “Counselors Not Cops: Ending the Regular Presence of Law Enforcement” that imagines an alternative to the regular occupation of law enforcement in schools. The data on arrests and...
#RaleighDemandsJustice Coalition Issues Response to Raleigh City Council Meeting
On June 2, the Raleigh City Council held a special meeting, one in which they failed to make any significant progress towards preventing police violence and holding officers accountable for civil rights violations or excessive force. Emancipate NC, along with other...
Join North Carolina’s Virtual Day of Action to Protect Our Votes Tomorrow!
On May 27, 2020, Emancipate NC is uniting with a broad coalition of North Carolina organizations and advocates for the #ProtectOurVoteNC Virtual Day of Action. This day-long event is timed to highlight and impact state and federal legislative fights for...
A First Hand Account: Incarcerated with At-Risk Health Conditions During a Global Pandemic
by Savannah Baker, Contributing Writer “I need your help.” Those were words from a friend on one of our regularly scheduled Facetime calls. They knew I was involved in criminal justice reform work, but being a student, they were not sure if I would be able to help....