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North Carolina Attorney Says States Are “Criminalizing” Protests

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “Looking at the current administration, we are going to have an uptick in protests because the president’s policies are not only affecting African Americans and minority communities, he’s affecting women now and you have more than just one outraged community,” said North Carolina attorney Darlene Harris.

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By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

With protests growing increasingly common around the country, the movement to silence those who exercise their First Amendment Rights is fast gaining traction.

At least that’s the opinion of one North Carolina attorney who said the wave of legislation to criminalize protests has hit Charlotte where a controversial ordinance known as the “Extraordinary Event” law even led to a city councilman being charged for carrying a water bottle and a gas mask.

“That ordinace permits police to stop and search residents based on what they deem are extraordinary events, which is an exceedingly vague phrase,” said attorney Darlene Harris.

“For instance, in 2016, my client, Braxton Winston, who was attending demonstrations following the fatal police shooting of a black man, Keith Lamont Scott, was arrested for having a water bottle and a mask – items apparently prohibited by law enforcement,” she said.

“It’s one of those laws that people hardly know about and, of course, ignorance is no defense for breaking the law, but even another client of mine, Gloria Merriweather, who attended the same protest, was charged with inciting a riot for just being in attendance,” Harris said.

The charges against both Winston and Merriweather were eventually dropped but Harris said it’s because of their standing in the community and because they had a good lawyer.

“If it were a public defender and someone of little means or impoverished, they would have a difficult time fighting the charges because you think about the many days they’d need to take off from work to go to court and the loss of income,” Harris said.

Harris recently defended Rayquan Borum, whom prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder and they sought to use the theory of felony murder in convicting him.

Typically, felony murder is applied when someone is in the process of committing an inherently dangerous felony.

In North Carolina, felony murder is punishable by life without parole.

In the Borum instance, the underlying felony was rioting at the 2016 protests connected to the Scott shooting.

“Rioting was used as the underlying felony but it raises legal questions like whether all of those at the protest were engaged in a riot just because of their presence and if someone dies by means other than intentional homicide, are all the attendees responsible,” Harris said.

While Borum was convicted of second-degree murder, the jury failed to convict him on the more serious first-degree murder charge.

“It was a 9-3 split for conviction, but thank God we had four black women on that jury who just wasn’t going for that,” Harris said.

She noted that since President Donald Trump took office, protests have become even more commonplace and not just among African Americans.

“Latinos and women are becoming more involved in protests,” Harris said.

“Looking at the current administration, we are going to have an uptick in protests because the president’s policies are not only affecting African Americans and minority communities, he’s affecting women now and you have more than just one outraged community,” she said.

So, as states and municipalities attempt to criminalize or make demonstrations more difficult, Harris said it’s her job as a defense attorney to keep fighting against such laws.

“You’re seeing this strong rise in people who are dissatisfied in what’s happening,” she said.

“[Governments] are trying to keep control and when you have someone in office like Trump who is causing so much of a stir and so many issues and problems, you’re going to have mass amounts of protests because he has no plans to change his behavior.”

Harris said if legislators and police are allowed to criminalize protests, America’s democracy is imperiled.

“Had North Carolina been successful in convicting my client under the felony murder theory, it would have set a precedent that would have reverberated across the country,” she said.

“I fear the growing anti-protest sentiment coupled with deeply entrenched racism will only invalidate citizens’ First Amendment rights but will also criminalize people who choose to take a stand against injustice,” Harris said.

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Trump Set to Sign Largest Cut to Medicaid After a Marathon Protest Speech by Leader Jeffries

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S.

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By Lauren Burke

By a vote of 218 to 214, the GOP-controlled U.S. House passed President Trump’s massive budget and spending bill that will add $3.5 trillion to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S. With $175 billion allocated in spending for immigration enforcement, the money for more police officers eclipsed the 2026 budget for the U.S. Marines, which is $57 billion. Almost all of the policy focus from the Trump Administration has focused on deporting immigrants of color from Mexico and Haiti.

The vote occurred as members were pressed to complete their work before the arbitrary deadline of the July 4 holiday set by President Trump. It also occurred after Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries took the House floor for over 8 hours in protest. Leader Jeffries broke the record in the U.S. House for the longest floor speech in history on the House floor. The Senate passed the bill days before and was tied at 50-50, with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski saying that, “my hope is that the House is gonna look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.” There were no changes made to the Senate bill by the House. A series of overnight phone calls to Republicans voting against, not changes, was what won over enough Republicans to pass the legislation, even though it adds trillions to the debt. The Trump spending bill also cuts money to Pell grants.

“The Big Ugly Bill steals food out of the hands of starving children, steals medicine from the cabinets of cancer patients, and equips ICE with more funding and more weapons of war than the United States Marine Corps. Is there any question of who those agents will be going to war for, or who they will be going to war against? Beyond these sadistic provisions, Republicans just voted nearly unanimously to close urban and rural hospitals, cripple the child tax credit, and to top it all off, add $3.3 trillion to the ticking time bomb that is the federal deficit – all from a party that embarrassingly pretends to stand for fiscal responsibility and lowering costs,” wrote Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) in a statement on July 3.

“The Congressional Budget Office predicts that 17 million people will lose their health insurance, including over 322,000 Virginians. It will make college less affordable.  Three million people will lose access to food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). And up to 16 million students could lose access to free school meals. The Republican bill does all of this to fund tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations,” wrote Education and Workforce Committee ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) in a statement. The bill’s passage has prompted Democrats to start thinking about 2026 and the next election cycle. With the margins of victory in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate being so narrow, many are convinced that the balance of power and the question of millions being able to enjoy health care come down to only several thousand votes in congressional elections. But currently, Republicans controlled by the MAGA movement control all three branches of government. That reality was never made more stark and more clear than the last seven days of activity in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

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WATCH: NNPA Publishers Pivot To Survive

7.2.25 via NBC 4 Washington

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7.2.25 via NBC 4 Washington

https://youtube.com/watch?v=9oZc5Sz0jQQ&feature=oembed

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#NNPA BlackPress

Congressional Black Caucus Challenges Target on Diversity

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted

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By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

Target is grappling with worsening financial and reputational fallout as the national selective buying and public education program launched by the Black Press of America and other national and local leaders continues to erode the retailer’s sales and foot traffic. But a recent meeting that the retailer intended to keep quiet between CEO Brian Cornell and members of the Congressional Black Caucus Diversity Task Force was publicly reported after the Black Press discovered the session, and the CBC later put Target on blast.

“The Congressional Black Caucus met with the leadership of the Target Corporation on Capitol Hill to directly address deep concerns about the impact of the company’s unconscionable decision to end a number of its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” CBC Chair Yvette Clarke stated. “Like many of the coalition leaders and partner organizations that have chosen to boycott their stores across the country, we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted,” Congresswoman emphasized.  “Black consumers contribute overwhelmingly to our economy and the Target Corporation’s bottom line. Our communities deserve to shop at businesses that publicly share our values without sacrificing our dignity. It is no longer acceptable to deliver promises to our communities in private without also demonstrating those values publicly.”

Lauren Burke, Capitol Hill correspondent for Black Press of America, was present when Target CEO Cornell and a contingent of Target officials arrived at the U.S. Capitol last month. “It’s always helpful to have meetings like this and get some candid feedback and continue to evolve our thinking,” Cornell told Burke as he exited the meeting. And walked down a long hallway in the Cannon House Office Building. “We look forward to follow-up conversations,” he stated. When asked if the issue of the ongoing boycott was discussed, Cornell’s response was, “That was not a big area of focus — we’re focused on running a great business each and every day. Take care of our teams. Take care of the guests who shop with us and do the right things in our communities.”

A national public education campaign on Target, spearheaded by Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the NNPA’s board of directors, and with other national African American leaders, has combined consumer education efforts with a call for selective buying. The NNPA is a trade association that represents the more than 220 African American-owned newspapers and media companies known as the Black Press of America, the voice of 50 million African Americans across the nation. The coalition has requested that Target restore and expand its stated commitment to do business with local community-owned businesses inclusive of the Black Press of  America, and to significantly increase investment in Black-owned businesses and media, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU, Black-owned Banks, national Black Church denominations, and grassroots and local organizations committed to improving the quality of life of all Americans, and especially those from underserved communities. According to Target’s latest earnings report, net sales for the first quarter of 2025 fell 2.8 percent to $23.85 billion compared to the same period last year. Comparable store sales dropped 3.8 percent, and in-store foot traffic slid 5.7 percent.

Shares of Target have also struggled under the pressure. The company’s stock traded around $103.85 early Wednesday afternoon, down significantly from roughly $145 before the controversy escalated. Analysts note that Target has lost more than $12 billion in market value since the beginning of the year. “We will continue to inform and to mobilize Black consumers in every state in the United States,” Chavis said. “Target today has a profound opportunity to respond with respect and restorative commitment.”

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