Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Community Files Lawsuit Over Stokes County Data Center Rezoning Community groups and Walnut Cove area residents filed a lawsuit today in an effort to protect the Dan River corridor from the development of an AI data center.

Community groups and Walnut Cove residents filed a lawsuit today to protect the Dan River corridor's way of life — built around farms, forests, and rural communities — now threatened by the county's approval of a massive, loud, polluting AI data center. southerncoalition.org/community-gr...

Trump Wants to ‘Take Over’ Elections. These States Are Prime Targets.

A recent New York Times article names NC as a prime target for federal election interference. Our Chief Counsel Jeff Loperfido warns that past attempts to invalidate votes could serve as a blueprint for what comes next — but advocates now know how to prepare. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/08/u...

Taking ICE to Court A new federal lawsuit alleges immigration agents are making wrongful warrantless arrests, including a U.S. citizen who said agents stopped him twice and smashed his truck window.

North Carolina communities deserve to live without fear. Operation Charlotte's Web led to federal agents racially profiling, smashing windows, and detaining U.S. citizens without cause — we're standing alongside the five NC residents demanding accountability. www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...

U.S. Citizen Files Federal Claims After Violent Immigration Stop A U.S. citizen filed federal damages claims after a confrontation in Charlotte late last year where ICE agents violently and wrongfully detained him.

Willy Wender Aceituno, a U.S. citizen, has filed federal damages claims after armed and masked immigration agents in Charlotte shattered his car window, pulled him from his vehicle, and wrongfully detained him — despite having already confirmed his citizenship. southerncoalition.org/u-s-citizen-...

Individuals Launch Lawsuit Over Warrantless N.C. Immigration Arrests A lawsuit was filed today on behalf of five individuals to prevent unlawful warrantless immigration arrests across North Carolina.

This week we joined a lawsuit on behalf of five individuals — and a class of similarly situated people — to prevent unlawful warrantless immigration arrests across North Carolina by DHS and its agencies, ICE, CBP, and U.S. Border Patrol. southerncoalition.org/five-individ...

2025 Impact Report | Southern Coalition for Social Justice This impact report captures a year defined by resilience, collective power, and forward momentum.

Our 2025 Impact Report is here!

The year showed the strength of communities across the South who showed up for one another and demanded change. Dive into the stories, wins, and lessons that shaped our work in 2025.
southerncoalition.org/resources/20...

Reframing Public Safety | Southern Coalition for Social Justice SCSJ’s Reframing Public Safety series explores, interrogates, lifts up, and shares policies and practices that increase public safety and justice for all.

According to FBI Data, homicide offenses in North Carolina dropped 22.83% from 2024 to 2025. Real public safety comes from evidence-based solutions, not fear-driven policies. southerncoalition.org/justice-syst...

Judge Denies Companies’ Bid to Hide River Pollution A federal judge has blocked an attempt by Chemours and DuPont to hide documents related to the release of harmful substances into the Cape Fear River.

A federal judge has blocked an attempt by Chemours and DuPont to hide documents related to the release of harmful substances into the Cape Fear River. southerncoalition.org/judge-denies...

Federal Judges Allow Map to Stand Despite Harms to Black Voters A panel of federal judges will not block the North Carolina General Assembly’s latest congressional map.

A panel of federal judges will not block the North Carolina General Assembly’s latest congressional map, which changes Congressional Districts 1 and 3 and disproportionately impacts Black voters. southerncoalition.org/federal-judg...

North Carolina utilities are spending billions on methane gas infrastructure Billions of dollars of pipelines, power plants, compressor stations and other methane gas infrastructure are at various stages of development across our state.  We can rise up against this irresponsible surge of new fossil fuels that would increase electric bills while damaging public health and our land, air and water.

Duke Energy wants customers to pay billions for new methane gas plants and pipelines for big tech. Power companies have nothing to lose, but we do. 🚫 Help us rise up against this irresponsible surge of new fossil fuels!
https://loom.ly/N8-Ol_g

Reframing Public Safety | Southern Coalition for Social Justice SCSJ’s Reframing Public Safety series explores, interrogates, lifts up, and shares policies and practices that increase public safety and justice for all.

H307 is political theater. Communities deserve prevention, crisis response, reentry services, and legal aid — not faster and brutal executions and more people needlessly sitting in jails. southerncoalition.org/justice-syst...

Housing, healthcare, SNAP = proven public-safety tools. H307 focuses on punishments instead of investments that stop violence before it starts. We can have more safety and more justice.

The person charged in Iryna Zarutska’s case had repeated mental-health crises that weren’t met with treatment — he was arrested instead. H307 doesn’t expand crisis teams or mental-health responses (like HEART or Raleigh CARES) that prevent violence. We need experts at the scene — not just arrests.

H307 reverses successful pretrial reforms that reduced unnecessary jailing. Rolling back reforms and limiting judicial discretion will keep more people jailed just because they’re poor — not because they pose a danger. Evidence
shows bail reform doesn’t increase crime.

The death penalty doesn’t make us safer.

H307 fast-tracks capital cases and introduces brutal methods like firing squads — despite decades of evidence that the death penalty is not a deterrent and risks killing innocent people. We deserve policies rooted in evidence, not outrage

North Carolina's H307 Is NOT a Public Safety Plan.

Headline-driven law < real solutions. H307 pushes more jail, prison, and executions — but it doesn’t fix what actually makes communities safe: housing, healthcare, and prevention. 🧵

Voters, Pro-Democracy Groups Seek to Stop Retaliatory Redistricting Individual voters and two pro-democracy groups are challenging the NC General Assembly’s latest congressional map that targets the state’s historic Black belt.

We are joining voters and pro-democracy partners to challenge North Carolina’s retaliatory map that targets Black voters in the Black Belt. North Carolinians deserve fair maps.

Learn more: southerncoalition.org/voters-pro-d...

While this won't guarantee parole for Abrams or anyone else, it ensures their reviews will be based on accurate, complete, and fair information. A step that will provide hope that NC's parole review process will be fairer moving forward.

Now, under the settlement, the NC Parole Commission must:
✔️ Provide notice and guidance so parole candidates can submit complete records
✔️ Clearly identify sources of information
✔️ Distinguish between fact, opinion, and rumor in their reports

The Abrams lawsuit revealed serious flaws in NC’s parole system including:
– Missing and incomplete files
– Incorrect information in reviews
– Rumors treated as fact
These failures meant children sentenced to life had little chance at a fair parole review.

Settlement in Abrams Lawsuit, Securing Parole Reforms SCSJ reached a settlement with the NC Parole Commission, securing changes to how it conducts parole reviews for people sentenced as children in NC.

At 14, Brett Abrams was sentenced to life in prison.

After 42 years, his case will help secure parole reforms and give people sentenced as kids a real chance to prove their growth and rehabilitation. southerncoalition.org/settlement-r...

Challenges to voter rolls impacted millions of voters in recent election cycles—and disproportionately removed people of color.

We're working to implement evidence-based solutions that help election administrators and ensure no one is unjustly blocked from voting. Learn more: ucs.org/election-recs

SCSJ, Partners Push for Changes to Alcoa Business Park Permit Renewal SCSJ and partners are urging stronger protections in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit renewal for the former Alcoa Badin Works facility.

For decades, West Badin’s predominantly African American residents have borne the brunt of this contamination. The former Alcoa smelter, which operated from 1916 until 2010, left hazardous waste buried near homes and local waterways.

We're demanding change.
southerncoalition.org/scsj-partner...

🗳️Election Day is just ten weeks from today. We know that too often, eligible voters face undue burdens that make it harder to vote.

We’re working with partners and election officials to implement science-backed solutions to improve access to the polls. Learn more at: ucs.org/election-recs

Civil Rights Groups Headed to Trial Over Senate Bill 747 A federal judge has denied lawmakers’ requests to prevent trial in a lawsuit asserting Senate Bill 747 infringes on the fundamental right to vote.

We're headed to court! Our case against SB 747, a law that targets the votes of young North Carolinians, will head to trial this October.

Young voters deserve to have their voices heard, and we're taking the fight to court to protect their rights. southerncoalition.org/civil-rights...

NC sheriff says deputies OK to cover faces, critics raise concerns The sheriff of Iredell County said many deputies choose to wear face coverings to protect their identities from future threats. He doesn’t have a policy on it.

Agencies should have a clear policy for the instances in which it’s appropriate for officers to conceal their identities. Otherwise, it could lead to lack of transparency from law enforcement and the inability to hold people accountable.

Read more at: www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

‘Compromised’ Video Got Him Life in Prison. He Wants a New Trial. A prosecutor used low-quality video to convict a former pro-basketball player in a double murder. Now he's getting another shot in court.

On August 26, a judge will hear new evidence in a case built on shaky video and testimony that’s since been recanted.
We believe James deserves a new trial. Share his story.

www.theassemblync.com/politics/cri...

#freejamesrichardson

Innocent Man Heads to Court After 16 Years Behind Bars James Richardson, a man wrongfully convicted for the murders of two people nearly two decades ago in Pitt County, will have his case back in court this month.

James Richardson, an innocent North Carolina man wrongfully convicted for the murders of two people nearly two decades ago in Pitt County, will have his case back in court later this month as he continues to fight for his freedom. southerncoalition.org/innocent-gre...

The system failed James Richardson. It has one more chance to make it right.

Watch the trailer for "Is It Just Me?", a mini doc on his wrongful conviction and the community standing behind him.

📽️ Watch + Share:

SCSJ mourns the loss of our esteemed founding board member, James “Fergie” Ferguson, who passed away Monday.

Ferguson’s legacy of civil rights advocacy and community lawyering is woven deeply into the fabric of racial justice across NC and the nation.

More: southerncoalition.org/scsj-extends...