New North Carolina Project Weekly Bulletin

July general and run off elections, gutting of another constitutional amendment, and a note about Uvalde from Dr. Aimy Steele and more from the desk of our digital director, Kristen Havlik.

The Supreme Court of the United States Gutted the Sixth Amendment

This week has been a blur and so you might have missed that the Supreme Court issued an opinion that obliterates your sixth amendment right on Monday. 

The Sixth Amendment reads:

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

The decision for Shinn v. Martinez, bars federal courts from hearing new evidence not presented in a state court as a result of ineffective legal counsel. The gist of it is that if you are currently incarcerate and you had poor legal counsel previously, then a court does not need to hear your case again, even if you can prove you are innocent of the crime they were convicted of.

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July 26, 2022 Election

The May primary resulted in some run off elections and some municipalities have a general election on July 26. This will not be a high turn out election unless we organize and get people to the polls!

General Municipal Elections: Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Hickory, Mooresville and Sanford

Municipal Run Off Elections: Cary, Elizabeth City, Erwin, Henderson, New Bern, Rocky Mount and Statesville

Board of Education Run Off Elections: Caswell County, Edgecombe County, Franklin County, Granville County and Orange County

Important Dates to Know:

Mail In Ballot Portal Open Now!
June 26 - Mail-In Ballots will start to be mailed out 
July 1 - Voter Registration Deadline to vote on July 26
July 7 - Early Voting/Same Day Registration Starts (Check your county board of elections website for locations and hours)
July 19 - Deadline to request a mail-in ballot
July 23 - Early Voting/Same Day Registration Ends
July 26 - Election Day and all mail-in ballots must be postmarked by July 26

Request an Absentee Ballot>>[link removed]

In the Media
Enlace Latino NC

One of our regional organizers, MJ, based in the Charlotte area, recently spoke to Enlace Latino NC about our work throughout North Carolina. There's over a million Latinx people in NC that we need to reach to help mobilize them to the polls!

Read the Article Here>> [link removed]

We Stand with Uvalde

Education. The last great equalizer. Schools across our nation are preparing for the end of the school year. Administrators, teachers, and students alike are looking forward to their summers and exploring various parts of their towns and cities or attending summer camps as available. Some are headed off to vacations while others are visiting relatives. Whatever the plans are for the majority of our nation, those in Uvalde, Texas will have a summer like they have never experienced before. On the heels of Robb Elementary School's award ceremony on Sunday, May 22nd, the student body was turned upside down. A lone gunman entered the school on Tuesday, May 24th, and proceeded to brutally injure several and murder 19 children and 2 teachers before being killed by the police. This is a principal's worst nightmare. This is a parent's worst nightmare. This is our nation's recurring and inevitable truth: Gun violence is real and WE MUST BE MORE PROACTIVE ABOUT FIXING IT.

As a former Spanish teacher and K-12 School Principal, we prepared for various school and environmental issues including tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, and yes-active shooters. During my 12-year stint in my last school district, the rules changed on how to deal with active shooters. I remember having conversations with kids around how we used to "hide and barricade" but now we must "duck and run". Either strategy is NOT something we should actually be responsible for teaching but the sad reality is that if we don't teach it, our kids would not know how to prepare for such a tragedy as Sandy Hook Elementary, Majory Stoneman Douglas, and now Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. PAUSE. Ask yourself this: Can you really prepare for something like this? The answer is a resounding NO.

You can't prepare for this.
You can PREVENT this.
WE can prevent this.

Sensible gun safety laws have already been proposed in state legislatures across the nation. Urge your state legislatures to pass them. Urge your leaders to pass measures to require the appropriate background checks for those seeking gun purchases. There are a host of additional policies and legislation around gun safety and violence prevention that we should implement based on research, best practices, and expert recommendations.

Join the New North Carolina Project as we partner with other groups to advocate for gun safety and reform so we don't have to continue enduring tragedies similar to this week. Let's do right by our kids in schools. Let's not stand by while parents anxiously send their kids to schools praying and hoping they come home again. Let's do our part to contact our leaders and DEMAND a different outcome. We stand with Uvalde.

Dr. Aimy Steele
Former Spanish Teacher
Former K-12 School Principal

Call Senator Thom Tillis: 202-224-6342
Call Senator Richard Burr: 202-224-3154

Sample Script: 

Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME HERE]. I am calling you to urge support for gun reform like universal background checks, requiring mandatory training before receiving a permit to carry, and requiring safe and secure storage, because it represents important steps toward making us all safer by reducing gun violence and senseless deaths. 90% of  Americans, even those who are gun owners, support universal background checks. It is far past time for us to make sure gun owners will be responsible gun owners. This issue is vitally important to me. I live in your district, and I have the power to fire you with my vote.

Find your NC General Assembly Representatives and Contact Them>>[link removed]

Remembering George Floyd

It's been two years since George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officers. George should still be alive today. There is no justice until our Black neighbors can exist in peace, without fear of being gunned down for the color of their skin. 

Join the Poor People's Campaign in DC Next Month>>[link removed]

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