Asheville-Buncombe County NAACP News – April 2018

by Carmen Ramos-Kennedy –

The end of February was a painful and disappointing time as our community learned about the brutal beating of Johnnie Jermaine Rush through the release of the Asheville Police Department bodycam video of former APD officer Chris Hickman.

Hickman’s actions, and those of officers witnessing it, is evidence that the work done by many in the community on the use-of-force and de-escalation policy implemented in the spring of 2017 is not enough. Officers must be held accountable for their actions. No one is above the law.

Along with two other community activists, I attended the two-day NC State Police Accountability Network in Greensboro. There we learned what communities across the state are doing. One of the most important efforts is getting HB165 submitted in the long session (2019) of the General Assembly. If passed into law, the bill will give NC municipalities the right to form citizen police oversight committees that have teeth.

The NAACP Criminal Justice Reform Committee, under the leadership of its former chair, Dee Williams, consulted with Ian Mance, attorney with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, who provided a number of no-cost low cost recommendations to the City of Asheville and APD.

Among them is written-consent-to-search, which has made a difference in the disparate traffic-stop data in multiple municipalities in NC (that stop at a higher volume than APD), while our communities continue to see an uptick of African Americans being pulled over. The committee has pushed hard on written consent and enhanced traffic- stop data input forms.

At City Council the Racial Justice Coalition, which includes the Asheville Buncombe County NAACP, made several recommendations for APD that relate to accountability and use-of-force:

• Mandate written consent to search for all consent-based searches. Multiple police agencies across North Carolina, including those in Chapel Hill, Durham, and Fayetteville, currently require officers to obtain written authorization from the party to be searched for all consent-based searches. Written consent-to-search policies make it more difficult for officers to engage in abusive search practices and can help drive down racial search disparities.
• Open a criminal investigation of every excessive use of force incident
• Establish a hotline for complaints from the public
• Respond to all complaints against law enforcement within 48 hours
• Undertake a strong effort to recruit black and brown officers
• Support HB165 establishing citizen review boards with decision-making power across the state

We will continue to push for meaningful changes in APD that reflect an institution that serves and protects all. Disparate treatment and over policing of communities of color must end!

Upcoming Events

Racial Justice Coalition Buncombe County Sheriff Candidate Forum

Thursday, April 12

6 p.m. at Hill Street Baptist Church, 135 Hill St., Asheville

Be an informed voter: use your voice to speak up for your community. Remember: the sheriff works for all of us. All candidates have been invited. Childcare and translation will be provided. The Racial Justice Coalition comes together in a commitment to racial equity and to advocate for the rights of people of color.

Members are ACLU of WNC, ABIPA, Asheville Buncombe Branch of the NAACP, Asheville City Schools Foundation, Building Bridges of Asheville, Carolina Jews for Justice/West, Center for Diversity Education at UNC Asheville, Children First/CIS, Christians for a United Community, Democracy North Carolina, Elders Fierce for Justice, Mountain People’s Assembly, and YWCA of Asheville and WNC. Questions, contact Carmen at [email protected].

Faith in Democracy

Tuesday, April 17

6 p.m. at St. James AME Sanctuary, 44 Hildebrand St., Asheville

Find out all the ways your faith community can get involved in this year’s important elections. Please join us in rebuilding and defending “Faith in Democracy.” Session will include answers to the following questions:

Legally, what can faith communities and faith leaders discuss about the social/political issues? Morally, what are leaders feeling compelled to do? What are the real risks, especially to minority faith and non-faith groups? How is this work rooted in standing up for racial justice?

Why is almost all current state and federal legislation so extreme? How does it threaten our own religious freedom? How can leaders enable their communities, both inside and outside of the church, to see “political” issues through the lens of faith and become advocates for the good of all, especially for “the least of these”? What does meaningful, ecumenical coalition look like?

Questions? Contact JaNesha by calling (704) 493-2042, or email [email protected].

Early Voting for the Primary Election

Thursday, April 19 through Saturday, May 5

You can register and vote on the same day at an early voting site. Primary Election Day is May 8. For a list of locations, visit buncombecounty.org

Vote Protector Training in Asheville

Saturday, April 28

10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville 28801

Join the team helping protect voters during the May 2018 Primary. Attend Vote Protector Training to help ensure that your family, friends, and neighbors have an equal opportunity to participate in the political process in 2018. Vote Protector = Poll Monitor for the May 2018 Primary. Questions, contact Darlene at [email protected] or (828) 216-3430.

Souls to the Polls Early Voting March

Sunday, April 29

1 p.m. at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Rd., Asheville 28806

Learn the steps needed to help mobilize local congregations to vote together this spring.

The Asheville-Buncombe NAACP, Branch #5363, meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Sanctuary of Hill Street Baptist Church, 135 Hill Street in Asheville. For information: [email protected]; Buncombe County NAACP, PO Box 2881, Asheville, NC 28802​; facebook.com/buncombecountynaacp.