http://www.wral.com/-moral-mondays-forcing-changes-in-how-wake-processes-arrests/12594377/

Sounds like But Francis DeLuca, president of Civitas Institute thinks the courts aren't being harsh enough on those arrested.

[Edited on June 26, 2013 at 3:42 PM. Reason : ]

6/26/2013 3:41:28 PM

http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/naacp_field_director_2_others_arrested_at_state_capitol

Quote :

"The trio made it clear they expected to be taken into custody, locking arms, singing spirituals and refusing to leave the building after it closed. It was the culmination of an hour-long event organized by the NAACP in which about 30 young people went to the Capitol to present the governor with a list of pledges they want him to sign. The issues were the same that have drawn weeks of mass protests at the nearby Legislative Building – including jobs, health care, education and voting rights."

Quote :

"An officer told them someone would be out to speak with them, but 10 minutes later announced that it was 5 p.m. and the building would close. The trio of protesters refused to budge, and about 20 minutes later officers told the news media and others who were filming the event to leave."

I think they are trying to shift attention to the Governor as the legislative session draws to a close, to see if he's really going to sign some of this legislation that's coming out of the General Assembly.

According to those who got the citations, they were put under arrest, and they tried to take them out several different doors in the capitol building, but when they saw media at each of the exits, they took off the handcuffs, took them out of arrest, and issued citations instead.

[Edited on June 28, 2013 at 10:55 AM. Reason : .]

6/28/2013 10:37:59 AM

linking arms and not leaving is a start, these protesters need to start being more disruptive.

If you want to leave when they tell you on Monday that's fine, but doors open back at 7:00 and the gallery is open to the public. come back inside and fill it.

6/28/2013 11:25:22 AM

^Exactly!

6/28/2013 11:58:26 AM

i hope these people are all fined heavily enough to pay for all the increased security at these events.

6/28/2013 12:34:27 PM

6/28/2013 12:38:22 PM

part of civil disobedience is to show you are willing to pay the price of your illegal actions. is it too much we ask them to... well... pay the price?

6/28/2013 12:40:50 PM

6/28/2013 12:41:04 PM

They haven't been disobedient enough yet.

6/28/2013 2:03:21 PM

My form of protest would be to go to Smath74's house, have a beer, watch some Star Trek, meet his cute little baby, and totally forget to air my grievances with the NCGA except for the landfill and hard structures on the beach issues.

6/28/2013 3:11:17 PM

haha

but seriously this nc legislature is terrible.

(I'm actually watching an episode of DS9 with her right now )

[Edited on June 28, 2013 at 3:16 PM. Reason : ]

6/28/2013 3:15:06 PM

Good! Learn her up right! My 26 year old fiancee has only been exposed to Voyager, so she thinks that one is the best. I have a LOT of work to do.

6/28/2013 4:09:50 PM

https://twitter.com/YourAnonNews

Anonymous has picked up on the protests and have been tweeting about it today

7/1/2013 7:20:15 PM

More protests in Raleigh:





[Edited on July 3, 2013 at 11:04 AM. Reason : .]

7/3/2013 11:03:46 AM

^ yep in a surprise the NCGA tacked on anti-abortion measures to the Sharia Law bill. Oh the irony. Hundreds of women showed up and men as well. Unlike Moral Monday it wasn't overly staged. They chanted shame! right after it passed and 1 person was arrested for yelling inside the gallery as it was being cleared by police. Then outside they blocked the front entrance as the anger level rose for a bit. They chanted some more before finally moving across the street after several orders to disperse (at first they were ignoring the orders).

7/3/2013 1:02:36 PM

I saw someone from ABC11 tweeting about an arrest:

7/3/2013 1:09:38 PM

abortions kill almost as many women as men. (since some people use it for sex selection)

7/3/2013 1:23:31 PM

this "sex selection" boogeyman is just as dumb as the sharia law one.

7/3/2013 1:41:53 PM

Quote :

"abortions kill almost as many women as men."

female embryos and fetuses are not women. Heck, a female child isn't even a woman. Your statement is extra wrong.

[Edited on July 3, 2013 at 2:04 PM. Reason : .]

7/3/2013 2:03:54 PM

10th and maybe final wave of Moral Monday today (should be big with the abortion issue at hand). Tomorrow morning at 9am the women return as HB 695 goes to the house (That was a real solid protest with hundreds showing up with just hours notice last week). Finally in Morganton NC protesters occupied an industrial site that manufactures a component needed for fracking as an another pening salvo against it coming to NC.

7/8/2013 2:23:36 PM

Huge turnout today for the 10th wave!

7/8/2013 5:53:34 PM

^Yeah, I think there's something about round numbers that makes people want to take part. Here are a few pics I snapped at the 10th Moral Monday.

Though if you count the May Day protests arrests, the Witness Wednesday arrests, the Women's rights protest arrest, and the like then there have been a lot more than 10 rounds at this point.

I just heard them talking about Moral Mondays on Marketplace on NPR which is a national program and not generally a program about state level legislative issues. I think those in power need to be careful about what kind of image they are portraying the business and investment community.

7/8/2013 7:28:33 PM

Only violent protests are effective.

[Edited on July 8, 2013 at 8:21 PM. Reason : The business and investment community love republicans and Kai Ryysdal.]

7/8/2013 8:19:58 PM

did anyone at least sit down and link arms today?

7/8/2013 8:55:23 PM

^Nope, nobody stepped outside the box. The one time they did something spontaneous Barber yelled at the crowd. That was when they booed the dispersal order. With that many people in attendance they could have easily shut down the 7pm session. Of course they seem to be running out of willing arrestees.

On side note this also occurred today and you can expect it will only increase as fracking comes closer to reality in NC:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/07/08/3016720/nc-chemical-plant-blocked-in-anti.html




[Edited on July 9, 2013 at 12:08 AM. Reason : .]

7/9/2013 12:00:53 AM

^To my knowledge there has only been one instance of arm linking before arrests, and 2 instances of filling the gallery related specifically to these protests, but there have been other times the gallery has been filled this session based on various issues, and people testifying at public hearings as well.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/07/08/3017742/sea-of-pink-in-moral-monday-crowd.html

Quote :

"RALEIGH — Demonstrators gathered at the North Carolina Legislative Building as they have for 10 Mondays now, but many women wore pink this week to protest what they described as an assault on women’s rights and access to health care. The demonstration, organized by the state NAACP and drawing national media attention, came five days after the state Senate adopted an omnibus bill that would essentially close down all but one of the state’s abortion clinics. Police estimated the crowd to be about 2,000 people. Organizers estimated nearly 4,000."

I think that makes it the biggest one yet.

Quote :

"Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, McCrory seemed to retreat from his language that they were “outsiders” trying to stir up trouble. He asked that the discourse be respectful, citing himself as an example."

Quote :

"McCrory used the term “respect” often – apparently moving away from his earlier comments about “outsiders” that insulted the demonstrators after a survey of those in attendance proved it untrue. “There is respectful debate and respectful differences of how we achieve our goals in this state and this nation,” he said. “One thing I’ve always done in public service is show respect to those who disagree with me.”"

http://www.wral.com/-moral-monday-protest-bolstered-by-abortion-restriction-outrage/12638680/

Quote :

"In anticipation for Monday evening's arrests, the Wake County Magistrate's Office more than doubled its staff from three to seven employees – pulling some off other shifts because there is no overtime – something it has done for the past several weeks to help handle the influx of arrests. Chief Magistrate Dexter Williams said he is now scheduling five to 15 first court appearances every day until November at the Wake County Justice Center. Up until now, protesters have made court appearances in groups. The move is the latest attempt by Wake County law enforcement and justice officials to help ease the strain put on what they say is an already under-budgeted and over-burdened justice system. Recently, the City-County Bureau of Identification – a county law enforcement agency that books, fingerprints and photographs alleged offenders before they go before the magistrate – stopped fingerprinting and photographing Moral Monday protesters – an action allowed under state law for people arrested for misdemeanors – to help cut costs. Those arrested are of all ages and come from all walks of life. Rev. Frederick Battle was last arrested in 1962's historic Woolworth's department store sit-in in Greensboro – a pivotal moment in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement."

[Edited on July 9, 2013 at 12:20 AM. Reason : .]

7/9/2013 12:14:55 AM

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/11/moral-monday-protests-why-i-participated

7/11/2013 4:13:10 PM

"Respect" from the governor is a bad thing. You don't want respect. Respect is just a political tool to help him appear gracious to his electorate and portray your grievances as petty and under consideration. Respect defuses the situation. Respect makes the public forget about the protests. You want hate. You want official condemnation and a fight to death. You want leaders that are so frightened by you and their tenuous grip on control that they can't even fathom acknowledging their position might be flawed, lest an avalanche of public disapproval carry them away.

Oh well, too late now. You can try again next year.

7/11/2013 4:36:54 PM

7/15/2013 8:15:39 PM

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/politics&id=9172669

Quote :

"More than 100 arrested protesting North Carolina GOP actions RALEIGH -- Police say 101 people were arrested Monday after their singing and clapping protest outside the state Senate chamber was declared an unlawful assembly, in what has become a weekly demonstration against Republican initiatives. More than two-thirds of those arrested were women, as organizers focused on women's rights while legislation that could close most of the state's abortion clinics nears a final vote. More than 800 people have been arrested at the Legislative Building in expressions of civil disobedience since the "Moral Monday" protests began in April."

7/15/2013 10:08:39 PM

The GOP is launching Thankful Tuesday as a counterpoint to Moral Mondays. Many on the right spent a long time saying rallies like this are meaningless, and now they're doing their own, and making it officially partisan.

Personally I would have gone with Thankful Thursdays, just for the stronger alliteration.

"GOP to rally in response to 'Moral Monday'"
http://www.wral.com/gop-to-rally-in-response-to-moral-monday-/12663492/

Quote :

"Claude Pope, chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, sent an email to party supporters, whom he called "patriots," on Monday, outlining plans for the Tuesday rally."

Notice the last name of the chair of the party. Funny, our State Budget Director has the same last name. One of the Popes is organizing a rally to be thankful for Pope's policies.

[Edited on July 15, 2013 at 10:25 PM. Reason : .]

7/15/2013 10:22:06 PM

theyre having a luncheon afterwards in the capital too

7/15/2013 10:29:34 PM

Quote :

"Personally I would have gone with Thankful Thursdays, just for the stronger alliteration."

7/15/2013 11:58:30 PM

Always follow the money. The real impetus for these constant protests for Barber, DemocracyNC, and the other leftist "non-profit" leaders - the taxpayer funded spigot is about to be cut off. See below:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/07/18/3038017/rural-center-president-resigns.html

7/19/2013 5:09:31 AM

I'm not following...........

7/19/2013 6:32:41 AM

^ It's not complicated. Read the N&O story above and then follow the money. These protests are merely a front, a sideshow if you will. The rank-and-file protester showing up on the Mall every Monday most likely genuinely believes they're there to fight the good fight and restore stolen rights to the citizens of this state. But these protests were not spontaneous, they were orchestrated by leaders of the various leftist non-profits throughout this state who know the taxpayer funded spigot is about to be shut off - and with it their salaries. This move yesterday to immediately freeze funding to the NC Rural Development Center is just the start.

7/19/2013 10:19:34 AM

So your saying that this is the Democrat (excuse me, "leftist") version of the Tea Party?

7/19/2013 10:52:06 AM

^^So you are reducing the multitudes that showed up or were arrested at Moral Mondays down to non-profit workers that are worried the NCGOP isn't going to fund their organization? I'm not even sure most of the participating orgs even get a significant amount of state money.


FYI I actually approve of McCrory's actions to freeze those funds. There was some sketch stuff going on.

But by far the BEST part of the Rural Center fiasco is that Art Pope's company has directly benefited from the Center. You know, the guy that beats his chest about how bad government incentives are every chance he gets.

7/19/2013 11:36:53 AM

@GoldieQ I'm not sure I see the connection that you propose, but I agree that McCrory did the right move by immediately cutting off funding to the Rural Center. I'm not against grant funding in general if it is accountable, which it was not in this case.

Civitas, in an effort to paint Moral Monday as a money-making racket, did post an article a while back about how some of the NPOs that back Moral Monday have collectively received nearly $100 million in grant funding. If that article is what you were referring to, then those funds should not be immune to our state audits either.

7/19/2013 12:25:59 PM

No, my post specifically referred to the leaders of the non-profits which organized the protests. I stated that the vast majority of the attendees are likely there in good faith and sincerely believe they're making a difference. I used the term leftist because it defines the non-profits involved, not to make a political comment. I wanted to post the N&O article because it's an example of excellent reporting highlighting fraud and abuse of taxpayer funds which has been ongoing for years.

Art Pope's company - not him directly - did receive money from the NC Rural Center, you are correct. Out of the hundreds of millions handed out by Billy Ray Hall over the past 20 years, Roses got some taxpayer money, a fairly small amount if I recall. We see how well that worked out for them, when's the last time you shopped in a Roses??

Civitas has recently highlight the connection between the various non-profits involved in organizing these protests and the different amounts of state monies they all receive. But I disagree they were attempting to paint the protests as a money-making racket, more an effort at transparency aimed at those involved in organizing.

7/19/2013 3:04:30 PM

What money is Barber receiving from the rural center? You haven't shown a connection between the claim in your post and that link.

(if all McCrory's administration was doing was closing corrupt programs and following his campaign promises, you wouldn't have thousands of people gathering every week. No one is angry about the rural center closing)

7/19/2013 10:26:19 PM

he just has that feeling, man

7/19/2013 10:39:08 PM

The Civitas article has already been referenced. It's more than a feeling, try doing some independent research of your own or remain wilfully ignorant, it doesn't matter to me. Again, my point was not just simply about Barber or the NC Rural Center, rather state monies going to a variety of non-profits who do not perform state functions and are clearly partisan and the incentives of those involved in continuing to receive said monies.

7/20/2013 4:56:42 AM

You made the claim that barber was receiving state money, and that the protests are AstroTurf like the tea party then posted a link about a corrupt agency; what other point was someone supposed to infer?

I've done some googling and can't connect Barber pr the protestors to the rural center, could you connect the dots for me?

7/20/2013 1:28:47 PM

"Authorities: 73 arrests at NC legislative protests"
http://www.wncn.com/story/22897539/authorities-73-arrests-at-nc-legislative-protests

Quote :

"RALEIGH, N.C. - More than 70 protesters were taken to jail during the weekly Moral Monday protests at the North Carolina General Assembly, bringing the total number arrested in the legislative session to 925."

Quote :

"Those include provisions requiring voters to present state-issued photo ID at the polls, curtailing early voting days and a measure that would force parents of college students to pay more in taxes if their children vote in the communities where they go to school. "

"Moral Monday protest focuses on voter rights"
http://triangle.news14.com/content/top_stories/696748/moral-monday-protest-focuses-on-voter-rights

Quote :

"lawmakers' efforts to end same-day voter registration during early voting, reduce the amount of time for early voting, and eliminate all early voting on sundays."

When is the last time nearly 1000 people committed civil disobedience to take a stand on the issues in the US?

7/22/2013 11:04:14 PM

Looks like the Tar Sands Action group has you beat. And at least they were successful in stopping the Keystone Pipeline.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Examples_of_civil_disobedience

Are you making the claim that the 925 arrests made are all unique and no individual has been arrested multiple times?

7/23/2013 3:23:10 AM

Are you making the claim that its the same 100 people every week?

7/23/2013 8:15:56 AM

^^stopping the pipeline? $100 says Obama approves it this year.

Not to say that the protesters aren't there for noble reasons, but does anyone think that after a while of it being done over and over (on Mondays I guess) that nobody cares anyone? That they just kinda fade into just being background noise?

7/23/2013 9:05:03 AM

If they keep proposing and passing legislation like this, protests will stick around in one form or another. Even Republicans are not happy with this.

7/23/2013 9:10:30 AM

I think Supplanter is capable of answering for himself. He seemed to be asserting nearly 1000 (925 actual arrests according to news reports) people have been arrested at the Monday protests and I simply wanted him to state whether those were 1000 unique arrests or multiple arrests of the same people.

^^ I should have said "temporarily" stopping the pipeline.

[Edited on July 23, 2013 at 9:19 AM. Reason : ....]

7/23/2013 9:14:46 AM