Rural residents raise hell at Moral Monday protest

Scores of Moral Monday protesters came to tiny Yadkinville, N.C., last night to fight the repressive anti-worker policies approved by Gov. Pat McCrory and his legislative allies this year. The rally was the 19th such event held since late April. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested at weekly protests held in the state capital earlier this year.

Laid-off worker Philip Diehl addresses crowd at rally.

Jobs and education were again at the top of the agenda for demonstrators. Several said the event gave those living in rural North Carolina the chance to have their voices heard in Raleigh. They oppose decisions to cut unemployment benefits and public education and the failure to expand Medicaid coverage for 600,000 residents.

Philip Diehl, who was laid off his job with Freightliner Trucks, said workers are hurting while McCrory doles out fat salaries to his staff. Protesters are just trying to make a difference, he told the Winston-Salem Journal:

You are fed up with the way things are going. You are trying to peacefully change things.

Christopher Petree, president of the Yakin County Association of Educators, tweeted that the governor and the Legislature are motivating the public to action:

Shout out to the @NCLeg and @PatMcCroryNC for bringing out the activist in me. You all know how to rally the masses!

The event closed with a candlelight vigil to remember all state residents who have been damaged by the extreme policies approved by lawmakers this year.

Week after week, North Carolina residents are pushing back on an agenda crafted by state budget director Art Pope, a multimillionaire who helped underwrite the campaigns of Gov. McCrory and his cronies in the Legislature. It is largely modeled on the pro-corporate, anti-worker platform of the American Legislative Exchange Council.

And more demonstrations are expected. In addition to the ongoing Moral Monday events, North Carolina teachers are currently mulling whether to hold a statewide walkout Nov. 4 to protest policy changes and poor working conditions in the classroom.

Stay tuned.

Moral Monday protests gain momentum in North Carolina



Students took the lead on the march around the governor's mansion.

Two Moral Monday events drew more than 500 people who protested North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and his legislative allies for curbing voting rights, slashing education spending and refusing federal dollars to expand Medicaid. The rallies held yesterday marked the 18th week since late April that North Carolinians gathered to protest the state government’s actions. About 925 people were arrested during the demonstrations for nonviolent civil disobedience.

At a youth-led demonstration in Raleigh, some 250 people marched around the governor’s mansion to demand a roll back on the voter suppression and education cuts enacted in July. Some also carried three children’s coffins to honor the memory of four little African-American girls killed in a Birmingham, Ala. church bombing 50 years ago yesterday during the height of the civil rights movement in the South.

College students from around the area came to the protest to show they are concerned about the state’s future. They held signs reading “We will fight for our future,” “Reinvest in public education,” and “Take your hands off our voting rights.” Dylan Su-Chun Mott, a member of the University of North Carolina’s Student Power group, said students need to stand up and be heard:

[The UNC-system Board of Governors] is trying to tell us that the only thing we are in school for is to get jobs. … More importantly, we are learning to be fully participatory citizens in this, our great democracy.

Meanwhile, about 300 people gathered in the small town of Wentworth in north-central North Carolina. to protest education and Medicaid cuts. The event was held in the district of Senate leader Phil Berger.

Rev. Nelson Johnson of Greensboro’s Beloved Community Center said that Berger and other elected officials have forgotten the main purpose of government:

Mr. Berger, government and our democracy is supposed to work for the people and not against the people.

 Week after week, North Carolina residents are pushing back on an agenda crafted by state budget director Art Pope, a multimillionaire who helped underwrite the campaigns of Gov. McCrory and his cronies in the Legislature. It is largely modeled on the pro-corporate, anti-worker platform of the American Legislative Exchange Council.

McCrory says the changes will help everyone in the state, the numbers just don’t bear this out.  In fact, they show the state spent $100 million less on public schools, cut taxes only on out-of-state corporations and the wealth and made benefit cuts that hurt low-income citizens, not help them.

The next rally is scheduled for Yadkinville on Sept. 23.

Two NC Moral Monday protests draw hundreds

Hundreds of Moral Monday demonstrators turned out in two North Carolina counties yesterday to demand better wages and an end to attacks on workers, voter suppression and education cuts.



Protesters want to clean up the state capital.

Some 300 people turned out at a protest in Southern Pines in the central part of the state, while about 30 gathered in Jacksonville, in eastern North Carolina. In both places, people said they want their voices heard in Raleigh. They said they felt locked out of the legislative process, which resulted in cuts to unemployment benefits and Medicaid as well as tax increases for the middle class.

Chris and Katherine Stevenson, who attended the Southern Pines event, were both arrested during protests at the Statehouse earlier this year. Mrs. Stevenson said it is important to let lawmakers know that people across the state want change:

What is happening now is not going to solve the problems.

Greg Humphries, who came to the Jacksonville rally, agreed. Jobs and equality are essential, he said:

There ought to be equality in all aspects of government especially in pay. I believe that all people ought to get a good salary.

The demonstrations were just the latest in the effort to bring the Moral Monday movement statewide. The protests began in April in the state capital and continued through July, resulting in about 925 arrests. The state chapter of the NAACP, which served as main organizer, then took the rallies across the state to both rural and urban locations. An event held in Asheville last month drew about 10,000 people.

Gov. McCrory and the Legislature are fulfilling the corporate policies pushed by greedy billionaire Art Pope, an ALEC disciple and Benedict Arnold Koch brothers buddy who got himself appointed state budget director after financing a number of radical politicians’ campaigns.

The Legislature's attacks on middle-class North Carolinians are spreading through the state. A small coastal hospital announced it was closing down in the coming months because Gov. McCrory decided not to expand Medicaid. The expansion would have been funded by the federal government.

NC Moral Monday protests go statewide

N.C. NAACP President William Barber addresses crowd in Manteo.

Three Moral Monday rallies held across North Carolina yesterday drew upwards of 3,800 people to protest the anti-worker agenda approved by Gov. Pat McCrory and the Legislature this year. Protesters took aim at the new voter suppression law as well as severe cuts to unemployment benefits,  Medicaid and education.


Police estimated the event in Charlotte drew as many as 3,000 people, while smaller demonstrations in the mountain community of Burnsville and coastal community of Manteo drew about 500 and 300 people, respectively. At the center of all the rallies were regular people sounding off against pro-corporate policies pushed by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and state budget director Art Pope, a top money-man for Gov. McCrory and his legislative cronies.

Jeanne Milliken Bonds (Twitter handle @JeanneBonds4NC) was among many who shared their disgust with the state’s political leadership on social media:

#moralmonday grows; state #brand declines. 7 months #gop #ncga #ncgov Moderate, modern state #brand replaced w right-wing economic failure

Curtis King (Twitter handle @piecesofceekay) hailed the Charlotte protest, saying it showed the resolve of the state’s residents:

Rain didn’t stop the enthusiasm of Moral Monday. Thank U #NCNAACP & other advocates for speaking out. “Forward & Not One Step Back.”

Yesterday’s events were a continuation of weekly protests that began in Raleigh in late April and resulted in about 925 arrests. Since the events ended in the state capital late last month, the state NAACP has begun taking the event on the road, and two weeks ago a demonstration in Asheville drew nearly 10,000 people. Organizers say they intend to hold rallies in all of the state’s congressional districts in the coming months.

ALEC and Pope have stoked the anger of many in the state this year by helping to jam through the Legislature a big business agenda that raises taxes on average workers to help companies, while at the same time axing essential programs that benefit the middle class.

NC claims voter suppression championship, faces lawsuits

North Carolina is No. 1 -- in voter suppression. Gov. Pat McCrory ensured that yesterday when he signed into law legislation that makes it harder for the poor, minorities, young people, seniors and the disabled to vote.



It's back to the future for voting rights in North Carolina.

Two separate lawsuits were filed in federal court just hours after the governor signed the measure, and a third is expected to be filed in state court today. Meanwhile, Rep. G.K. Butterfield is asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to weigh in to protect voting rights in North Carolina.

Following the lead of a repressive Legislature that also gutted unemployment benefits, Medicaid and education spending this year, McCrory inked a measure that supposedly cracks down on illegal voting in the state. Problem is North Carolina has only had two such cases between 2000 and 2010, as Ari Berman points out in The Nation.

The facts, however, are irrelevant to those behind the effort. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) pushed the entire corporate-empowerment agenda approved by state lawmakers this year.  The Legislature’s attacks on working people in North Carolina sparked a backlash as thousands have joined weekly Moral Monday demonstrations. More than 900 protesters have been arrested since April for acts of civil disobedience. The governor and his cronies -- such as state budget director and campaign money-man Art Pope -- have succeeded in disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of state voters who noticeably tilt against the political party that instituted the changes:

316,000 registered voters don’t have state-issued ID; 34 percent are African-American and 55 percent are registered Democrats. Of the 138,000 voters without ID who cast a ballot in the 2012 election, 36 percent were African-American and 59 registered percent Democrats. The new [law] does not allow student IDs for voting, and would charge $10 to obtain an ID unless a voter signs a form saying they cannot afford it under penalty of perjury, making it among the most restrictive laws in the country.

Already, there are signs that the suppression of voting in the state is being implemented at the local level. The Wataugh County Board of Elections jammed through changes yesterday that closed a polling place on the Appalachian State University campus, even though the move creates a super-precinct that is more than double the size of the next largest one.

The decision brought shouts and boos from the 60 people in attendance and disgust from one board member, Kathleen Campbell. She opposed the move and said she was not told of the plan beforehand.

You can’t just come in here like gangbusters. You guys are really out of line.

Well said.

NC Teamsters in biggest Moral Monday protest yet

Moral Monday protesters rallied against the anti-worker Legislature.

Teamsters were among the 10,000 Moral Monday protesters who marched through the streets of Raleigh, N.C., last night to voice their disgust for a slate of anti-worker initiatives approved by the Legislature this year.  It was the largest of the weekly protests that resulted in 925 arrests for civil disobedience.


Lawmakers gutted public education, cut taxes for corporations while raising them for working and middle-class families more and suppressed voting. They cut unemployment and Medicaid benefits. While elected officials disappeared after recessing for the year last week, demonstrators at the 13^th Moral Monday event met on the Statehouse grounds before marching downtown through the state capital. Organizers plan to take the show on the road with similar protests scheduled to be held across the state in the weeks to come. The first is planned for Asheville, N.C., on Monday.

Randy Conrad, a Teamsters Local 71 organizer in Charlotte, said several of his members were in attendance yesterday to express their outrage at the direction Gov. Pat McCrory and legislators are taking the state:

We are pretty upset, even those people who voted for them. I can’t wrap my head around what they are trying to accomplish.

Many protesters yesterday were teachers outraged about budget provisions that freeze their pay – already among the lowest in the nation – while ending tenure and taking away salary incentives for them to earn master’s degrees. Several said they could be forced to move elsewhere is search of fairer wages.

Forsyth County teacher Frankie Santoro, who attended the march with fellow teacher Sara Thompson, said:

Without a doubt, we are both thinking of leaving the state. And we believe there will be a mass exodus of teachers from North Carolina.

Denise Jordan, a Guilford County parent who came to the rally with several of her local teachers, said the Legislature went too far:

Enough is enough. You can’t make a state better if we’re going to totally destroy education.

Gov. McCrory and the Legislature are fulfilling the anti-worker agenda pushed by greedy billionaire Art Pope, an ALEC disciple and Benedict Arnold Koch brothers buddy who got himself appointed state budget director after financing a number of radical politicians’ campaigns.

However, Moral Monday organizers -- led by the NAACP’s state chapter -- said they are not backing down and will continue through next year’s election.

NC turns against GOP as Moral Monday protests continue

Police arrested 101 demonstrators last night during the 11th Moral Monday protest in Raleigh, N.C., one of the biggest yet. More than 800 people have been arrested during the rallies at the Statehouse since they began in late April to bring attention to the anti-worker policies of the Republican-led state government.

Last night's protest focused on women's issues, and more than two-thirds of those arrested were women. Organizers said the protest drew 5,000 people. They're traveling from all around North Carolina to raise awareness about the Legislature's cut to unemployment and health benefits, its push to disenfranchise women and minorities and its attempt to raise taxes on the working class while lowering them for corporations.

Crowd gathers in N.C. Statehouse yesterday.

Grace Stitt, 65, traveled more than eight hours on a bus to attend and said regular people need to be heard:

I felt like I needed to do something more than write an e-mail to a senator or representative because I'm not sure those are ever read. I guess I felt like I haven't spoken up enough and it's time to make my statement.

Others took to social media to declare the movement's continued success. Twitter user @TheMountain_Goats tweeted:

Moral Monday is powerful. THIS is North Carolina.

There are signs that the continued rallies are taking a toll on Gov. Pat McCrory's popularity. The governor has largely dismissed the demonstrators as out-of-state rabble-rousers, even though arrest records show more than 98 percent of those taken into custody are from North Carolina. But a new  Public Policy Polling survey shows he is the one with a negative approval rating:

For the first time since taking office we find that McCrory has a negative approval rating this month. Only 40% of voters are happy with the job he's doing to 49% who disapprove. That's down a net 15 points from June when he was at a 45/39 spread. While McCrory's numbers are pretty steady with Republicans, he continues to lose ground with Democrats (down a net 17 points from -36 at 24/60 last month to now -53 at 17/70) and independents (down a net 20 points from +12 at 46/34 last month to -8 at 41/49 now). Only 68% of people who voted for McCrory last fall continue to approve of his job performance.

McCrory is paying the price for following the ALEC-inspired agenda of his puppetmaster, greedy billionaire and state budget director Art Pope. Pope, a friend of the Benedict Arnold Koch brothers, is directing the government takeover by corporations and billionaires.

North Carolinians also have an increasingly negative view of their state Republican lawmakers overall, with only 35 percent approving of the job they are doing. The survey also finds that 55 percent of voters are unhappy with legislation that resulted in 700,000 residents losing their unemployment benefits earlier this month.

Voters by a 47 percent to 41 percent margin also state they have a higher opinion of the protesters than the Legislature, and by a 46 percent to 36 percent count believe the Legislature is a "national embarrassment."

We agree.

NC Moral Monday protesters take on unemployment cuts; more than 80 arrested

Police arrested more than 80 people during the ninth Moral Monday protest in Raleigh, N.C,. last night. They were protesting a new state law that cuts off federal unemployment benefits for 70,000 state residents. Since late April, law enforcement has detained about 675 demonstrators for protesting the policies of Gov. Pat McCrory and the Republican-majority Legislature.

North Carolina yesterday became the first state to opt out from collecting extended unemployment benefits. Beyond those immediately affected, another 100,000 state residents could lose their benefits in the coming months. The new law also hacks the maximum weekly benefit a laid-off worker can receive from $535 to $350.

For some in the crowd of 1,200 gathered near the Statehouse, the loss is far more than a statistic. Wayne Bostic said he is unsure whether he will be able to remain in his home:

It means my check, which is the mortgage check, is not going to be there. How is a cut in anybody's money going to help a person?

Chapel Hill resident Kristin Frescoln is the former manager of the state's drug treatment courts who lost her job in 2011 when the Legislature largely defunded the program. She said the protests build awareness of what is going on in North Carolina:

We have to bring attention to what is happening here. It's our obligation in a democracy to speak out.

The state chapter of the NAACP, with the backing of unions, the North Carolina Democratic Party and others, have continued to put pressure on Gov. McCrory and the Legislature. They are dancing to the tune of the state's multimillionaire budget director, Art Pope. Pope is a friend of the Koch brothers and a disciple of ALEC, the escort service for corporations and state lawmakers. Pope helped pay for the 2012 candidacies of the governor and many state GOP lawmakers now in office.

Besides unemployment benefit cuts, the Legislature opted out of participating in the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, which would have covered an additional 500,000 North Carolinians. The Legislature is also proposing tax changes that would favor corporations and the rich over middle-class families and education cuts as well.

Stay tuned...

Good dog!

Dozens more arrested in latest Moral Monday protest in NC

Dozens were arrested yesterday in the weekly Moral Monday protest outside the North Carolina Statehouse, where thousands rallied against the Legislature's anti-worker agenda.

More than 375 people have been arrested over six weeks of protests.

Religious leaders led the charge yesterday against proposals to raise taxes on the middle class, gut public education, suppress voting, further enrich billionaires, weaken workers' rights and eliminate environmental protections.

Catholic, Protestant and Jewish clergy joined in solidarity with the state NAACP, unions, the Democratic Party and others to oppose the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Pat McCrory, the Raleigh News and Observer reported.

The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Durham helped organize the effort and held planning meetings at his church. He told the Herald-Sun newspaper it's important for lawmakers to hear from the religious community about what's going on in North Carolina:

This is a moral stand we’re taking here. We’re ministers and tremendously bothered by legislation being proposed.

Said Jason Williams, a clergyman from Charlotte:

We’re here to stand on the side of the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed.

Seven North Carolina rabbis issued their support for the demonstrations after their efforts to meet with legislative leaders were rebuffed. They said civil disobedience is a worthy vehicle to express disagreement:

We recognize the need for solidarity at this time in North Carolina. The Jewish vision of social justice is broadly shared by all people of faith who are mobilizing this Monday, and now is the time to speak out.

Lawmakers unveiled three new bills late last month that would raise taxes on working families and lower them for rich corporations.

The anti-worker tax policy proposals are the brainchild of North Carolina state budget director Art Pope, a close ally of the Benedict Arnold Koch brothers. The Koch brothers help bankroll ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council that serves as an escort service matching state lawmakers with corporations. 

ALEC's agenda has sparked massive protests throughout the country since 2011, including the Wisconsin uprising in 2011, the fight against SB5 in Ohio and protests in Michigan against No Rights At Work. Now, North Carolina is the key battleground in the fight between billionaires and working families. 

Stay tuned.