Durham Dispatch

Trade unions, environmental groups, and left-wing parties are preparing to rally and march in central Durham on May 1st, 2024 to celebrate International Workers Day [1]. The May Day rally is being organized by Durham Workers Assembly, United for a Fair Economy, Raising Wages NC, UE Local 150, and other groups. The rest of the world celebrates May 1st as a worker’s holiday. The day was chosen to honor of the victims of the 1886 Haymarket Massacre in Chicago, where four demonstrators were killed by police during a rally for an eight-hour work day. In the US, May 1st is designated as Law Day. “Attacks on workers’ standard of living and working conditions have intensified. During the COVID-19 pandemic, employers made record profits at our collective expense,” the organizers of the May Day wrote in a statement, “Our labor continues to be stolen and used to fund increasingly brutal police and military forces across the planet, all while the costs of living climbs higher and higher.” Haymarket Massacre in Chicago. Image credit: Illinois Labor History Society The May Day rally and march will put forward four demands and themes: 1.     Local minimum wage of $25 per hour for all workers, particularly for city workers. Only the state government can raise the overall minimum wage, while the City Council controls the pay of city workers. These bodies are only likely to act if trade unions press for better pay and conditions. 2.     Measures to make housing more affordable. Various state laws make it almost impossible to pursue the normal methods for creating affordable housing - rent control and public housing. In North Carolina, rent control is illegal under GS 42‑14.1 [2]. Cities in North Carolina are allowed to create public housing, but only for a low-income market that the private sector has no interest in. The state government is similarly bound, unable to help create affordable housing for the majority of the population due to a 1939 state law called the Umstead Act that bars the state government from competing with the private sector [3]. 3.     Payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) from Duke University. The university owns at least $1.7 billion of property but pays only $3.7 million in property taxes, since most of their properties are tax exempt [4 , 5]. However, universities across the US such as Yale and UPenn make voluntary PILOTs worth tens of millions of dollars per year [6, 7]. 4.     Support for the Palestinian people with a call for a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment from Israel, as well as a demand to reallocate military funds to social needs. In February 2024, Durham’s City Council passed a resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza by a vote of 5-2, with Mayor Pro Tem Mark Antony-Middleton and Mayor Leonardo Williams voting against. During the City Council debate, Mayor Williams said that “ignorance is not always intentional, so I ask for your grace” before voting against the resolution [8, 5:45:47]. The other vote against the resolution was Mayor Pro Tem Middleton, who commented during the debate that in 2023 he’d been on a trip to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Knesset [8, 5:24:03]. Ceasefire event at Durham City Council. Image credit: Leslie St. Dre / IndyWeek The May Day event hopes to help change a grim status quo for workers in North Carolina. According to Oxfam America, the state holds the 2023 title for “worst state to work in” and “last place position in the Working Women index”. The low ranking is based on North Carolina's $7.25 minimum wage, lack of paid leave, and “right-to-work” laws that undermine the finances of trade unions (and do not guarantee employment) [9]. North Carolina has a unionization rate of 3.6 percent, slightly lower than the 67 percent rate of Denmark but trouncing the 2.7 percent rate of South Carolina. The May Day statement said that “the city of Durham has the highest eviction rate in the state.” EvictionLab numbers run out in 2016 when the city had an eviction rate of 5.2 percent per year, ranked sixth out of nine tracked cities [10]. According to DataWorks, Durham’s eviction rate rose to 9.4 percent during the 2016-2020 period [11, pg. 8]. During that time, the eviction rate for Black people was 15.8 percent, triple the rate of any other group. The data show the source of the anguished pleas to alleviate “gentrification” heard every election cycle in Durham. 2020 photo of Lutrenda Sumpter, who has dealt with multiple Durham Housing Authority eviction filings. Image credit: Maydha Devarajan / Durham Voice A mini awakening of Durham’s working class will be on display at the May 1st event. Old unions are stronger and new unions have appeared. The groups that will march from CCB Plaza include “Durham city workers (UE Local 150), school workers (Durham Association of Educators), Duke graduate workers (DGSU), Starbucks workers (SBWU), Amazon workers (CAUSE), REI workers (UFCW), Waffle House workers (USSW)”. In August 2023, graduate workers at Duke University won their NLRB election by an astonishing vote of 1000-131. That victory turned the DGSU into the largest union of graduate workers at a private university in the South [12]. Image credit: DGSU / The Nation In a lesser-known development from 2023, the Starbucks on Fayetteville Road voted 16-2 to unionize with SBWU, joining a wave of 420 stores across the US [13]. Recently, the store’s workers called for community help when managers cut the hours of pro-union baristas to as low as four hours per pay period. The May Day march and rally has been endorsed by dozens of groups including 7 Directions of Service, Black Workers for Justice, NC Environmental Justice Network, and Jubilee Baptist Church. The organizers have encouraged community members and groups to RSVP and endorse the May 1st event with this form. People looking to keep track of updates should follow the social media accounts of Durham Workers Assembly. Work Cited 1.     May Day 2024 - Durham Endorsement and Interest Form. actionnetwork.org/forms/may-day-2024-durham-endorsement-interest-form. 2.     “GS 42‑14.1. Rent Control.” NC Legislature, www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_42/GS_42-14.1.pdf. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024. 3.     Mulligan, Tyler. Local Government Support for Privately Owned Affordable Housing | Community and Economic Development - Blog by UNC School of Government. 16 May 2022, ced.sog.unc.edu/2022/05/local-government-support-for-privately-owned-affordable-housing. 4.     Burness, John. “Dismiss Durham'S Idea to Tax Duke'S Dime.” The Chronicle, 15 Apr. 1998, www.dukechronicle.com/article/dismiss-durhams-idea-tax-dukes-dime. 5.     Mungai, Mary. Durham City Councilman Proposes Duke Pay “Fair Share” in Property Taxes | the Durham VOICE. 14 Mar. 2024, durhamvoice.org/durham-city-councilman-proposes-duke-pay-fair-share-in-property-taxes. 6.     Basler, Cassandra. “Yale Announces ‘Historic’ $135 Million Payment to New Haven.” Connecticut Public, 9 Mar. 2023, www.ctpublic.org/education-news/2021-11-17/yale-announces-historic-135-million-payment-to-new-haven. 7.     Stellino, Molly. “Activists Question Whether Wealthy Universities Should Be Exempt From Property Taxes.” The Hechinger Report, 18 Dec. 2020, hechingerreport.org/activists-question-whether-wealthy-universities-should-be-exempt-from-property-taxes. 8.    City of Durham NC. “Durham City Council Feb 19 2024.” YouTube, 20 Feb. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwgMfJf8bp4. 9.     Work in America: The Best and Worst States in 2023. 30 Aug. 2023, www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/best-worst-states-work-us-2023. 10.   “Eviction Rankings.” Eviction Lab, evictionlab.org/rankings/#/evictions?r=North%20Carolina&a=0&d=evictionRate&lang=en. 11.   DataWorks. Tenant Demographics and Eviction Filings in Durham County. 2023, dataworks-nc.org/wp-content/uploads/Tenant-Demographics-and-Eviction-Filings-in-Durham-County.pdf. 12.  Schlemmer, Liz. “Duke University Graduate Students Win Union Election in a Landslide.” WUNC, 22 Aug. 2023, www.wunc.org/news/2023-08-22/duke-university-graduate-students-win-union-election-in-a-landslide. 13.  Cranford, Claire. “‘Starbucks Works Because We Work’: Inside the Formation of Durham’s First Starbucks Union.” The Chronicle, 12 Jan. 2024, www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/01/duke-university-starbucks-durham-union-formation.

By Emily Chambliss Durham County resident Susanna Strasser speaks about her experiences with construction and development. Image credit: Pam Andrews with Preserve Rural Durham. In 2022, a few weeks before Thanksgiving, Susanna Strasser put framed family photos in her new rental home while the walls shook around her. The floor vibrated beneath her feet, and the few belongings she brought into the home rattled in their boxes. Smoke drifted through her backyard from the construction site behind the 1300 block of Junction Road in Durham, N.C. Construction in the area was nothing new, so Strasser paid it no mind. But weeks later, when dark brown, sour-smelling water poured from her faucet, she knew something was wrong. ー As the fifth largest county in North Carolina, Durham County saw over 25% population growth in the last 14 years, welcoming over 60,000 new residents in that time. To accommodate this growth, the city plans to expand into rural Durham. In November, the Durham City Council voted in favor of amendments to the Simplified Code for Affordable Housing. The code removed many barriers to development, and opponents claimed it encouraged gentrification of the area. Urban developers can acquire farmland and forests in Durham County, and petition the city for voluntary annexation of the land into the city. In November, the city council approved the controversial Perry Farm project, allowing McAdams civil engineering firm to convert 280-plus acres of forested land into 665 new residential units in southeast Durham. In the firm’s rezoning application, it designated 3 percent of the units as affordable housing at 80 percent area median income for 30 years. This is less than 20 affordable units for low-income residents. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a family of four is considered low-income if they bring in less than $30,000 a year. Buyers at 80 percent AMI in Durham would make about $76,000 a year for a family of four. “Public officials and developers want growth in Durham,” Pamela Andrews, founder of Preserve Rural Durham, said. “They want the money. They want the taxes. They don’t care about anything else.” With Durham’s population expected to increase by over 100,000 in the next 20 years, the city council and the Durham Board of County Commissioners have promoted high density housing as a way for all Durham residents to live affordably in the area. High density housing, like apartments and townhomes, increases pollution and pressure on the natural environment. High density development strips land of trees, roots and other vegetation. Deforestation and infrastructure expansion increase the risk of severe flooding and create urban “heat islands.” Structures like roads and buildings re-emit heat from the sun at a higher rate than natural landscapes. These “heat islands” contribute to higher daytime temperatures and increased air pollution. Environmental concerns continue to grow as new annexations push city boundaries further into Durham County. “We need a promise from Durham that they’re going to protect our waters and our environment,” Samantha Krop, Neuse riverkeeper and director of advocacy at grassroots organization Sound Rivers said. “And we don’t have that right now.” During construction, developers blast away rocks to make room for the concrete slab foundations houses are built on. Uncontrolled blasting can produce structural damage to neighboring buildings and structures. The city of Durham has strict blasting regulations, requiring the notification of nearby residents and a safety plan. Durham County does not require either. This construction can also contribute to water pollution from metals, chemicals and sediment eroded by deforestation, blasting and drilling. On Sept. 7, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit on behalf of grassroots organization Sound Rivers to stop ongoing pollution into Martin Branch Creek, which connects into major drinking water source Falls Lake. The lawsuit alleges Clayton Properties Group, Inc. has committed more than 16 Clean Water Act violations in its development in southeast Durham. Water samples collected by Krop show the developer has discharged sediment into the creek at over 20 times over permit limit. This excess sediment has turned creek water bright orange. The SELC notified Clayton Properties Group of their intent to sue in May 2023, but the lawsuit claims water samples collected 60 days after notification “confirmed” ongoing violations. “We weren’t receiving the response we were hoping for in terms of stopping the pollution,” Krop said. “We’re hoping to encourage developers to value and protect our creeks. We believe we can have responsible development that provides housing that Durham needs while also protecting its water resources.” Krop said Durham’s environmental issues come down to a lack of development oversight, and insufficient regulation enforcement. In October, Sound Rivers filed a lawsuit against Mungo Homes, claiming the development company violated the Clean Water Act over 20 times as it builds homes along Olive Branch Road. “What has happened to Durham that we don’t care about our water systems?” Andrews said. “That used to be taboo. It makes no sense.” Much of Durham falls into critical watersheds, or areas where water supply protection is considered crucial, like Falls Lake and Jordan Lake. Durham developers have, according to the Sound Rivers lawsuits, polluted essential sources of water for drinking, irrigation, flood control or hydroelectric projects. Susanna Strasser, who said she has been without clean water since November 2022, claims excessive construction and development is the cause. ー On the 1300 block of Junction Road, near Walmart Supercenter and Glenn Elementary School, many homes have been without clean water since their wells failed around Thanksgiving 2022. Preserve Rural Durham and residents of the area said the issues started weeks after local developer KB Homes blasted rock behind their homes. Strasser noticed weak water pressure and a “horrible” smell she described as rotten eggs. The water came out of sinks and showers a dark brown. Strasser tried using a water filter, but said it did not last a day. Residents believe the nearby blasting collapsed their wells and ruptured surrounding sewer lines, contaminating their remaining water supply. Despite efforts from landlord Elmo Yancey, little has been done to mitigate the issue. “The county [does] not care what’s happening. The city [does] not care what’s happening,” Strasser said. “We don’t have the money for them to care.” Residents can only use the water for the toilet. They have been purchasing bottled water or collecting rainwater for cleaning, showering, cooking and drinking. Lludiz Velazquez said her daughter complained of dry, itchy skin and rashes before halting showering in the well water. “I’m sure it was that terrible, nasty water,” she said. Several neighbors reported the same issue. Now, Velazquez and her family buy water from Walmart, heat it on the stove and pour water on themselves from a container as they sit on a medical shower chair. The family stopped showering every day, reducing to twice a week. “We will shower three times if we can afford it,” Velazquez said. She said it embarrasses her daughter at school to be without water, and that she gets excited to use an actual shower when staying with family. “She’ll say ‘Mommy I wish we can move to another house,’ I say ‘We cannot afford to live in another house,’” Velazquez said. Velazquez collects rainwater for dishes and buys the rest in gallon jugs. According to a study by DigDeep, a nonprofit aimed at improving universal clean water access, purchasing drinking water costs a family an average of $1,350 a year, or about $112.50 per month. The average water bill in Durham comes out to approximately $40 a month for 5,000 gallons of water for all uses. The DigDeep study states households without adequate water and sanitation access spend over $15,000 a year on healthcare costs and other related expenses. Seventy-nine year old Strasser said the water has deteriorated her health. “I have to eat out every day. I can’t lift the water I bought from the store. I can’t always get to my son’s house to use his water, especially when it’s cold,” she said. “So I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” In May 2023, Durham County provided a tanker truck to supply water to the homes with failed wells. Residents said there wasn’t enough water for everyone. In November, the county removed the tanker without providing a permanent solution. A few days before the removal of the tanker, Strasser said she received a bill for the water because it was on her property. She said the bill charged her $500 per day. “I don’t know where they think I am going to get that money,” Strasser said. “The people who did the damage haven’t had to pay nothing,” The Durham Voice reached out to Durham County about the issue, but received no response. Few options remain for Junction Road residents to regain access to safe water. The property owners can petition for annexation of the area into the city of Durham and petition for an extension of the city’s water services. Or, they can petition for annexation and extend the water line at their own cost. It can take weeks to months to design, assess and install any kind of water line extension. Velazquez reached out to the Durham City Council about a quicker solution. She said city council members expressed interest in solving the issue; even going as far as to visit the Junction Road homes for themselves. Velazquez has not heard from any council members since, despite several attempts to contact them. “Lot’s of promises. Lot’s of hope,” she said. “But still there is nothing.” Almost a year and a half after their wells failed, residents of Junction Road have not found a solution. Renters and property owners continue to hope the issue will soon be resolved. “Nobody is fighting for us. We are the only ones fighting for us,” Velazquez said. “It’s been a nightmare. But we’ve gotten used to a nightmare.” Edited by Phillip Le This article was published first in The Durham Voice

An aerial view of the Moriah Energy Center in Person County shows 74 acres of clearcut land which is now impacting local creeks. Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop and Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman took to the air last week to check in on several pollution concerns in the upper Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds. From the air, they took in Dominion’s Moriah Energy Center, currently under construction in Person County, the Upper Piedmont landfill near Roxboro, and a number of development sites in the Lick Creek watershed. “The most notable thing we saw was that the Moriah Energy Center has completed the initial land-clearing phase of construction, and all trees have been removed from the construction site,” Sam said. “It was alarming to see the vast swath of barren land where there used to be forest — seeing it all from above really puts into perspective how significant 74 acres of clearcut land is.” Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop, Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman and SouthWings pilot Rolf Wallin mid-flight. Though no water quality permits were required for the MEC project, because the facility will not encroach on the network of streams and wetlands on the site, Sam, with the help of landowners adjacent to the site, has been tracking sediment runoff into those streams. “Recent turbidity samples taken after this past weekend’s rains found levels of turbidity in receiving creeks, downstream of the facility, at 110 and 750NTU, respectively. That’s over twice and 15 times the state standard. The creek that was at 110NTU this weekend, after around .5 inches of rain, was just 10NTU after roughly 1.5 inches of rain in March, before all of the land clearing was complete,” she said. “If Dominion’s sediment and erosion control practices were working, we would not be seeing this elevated sediment in creeks next to the construction site, where these creeks ran clear in the past. Now more than ever, it is critical for locals to keep an eye out for sediment and erosion control violations on this site, especially sediment leaving the site, and to report violations to the Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources when seen.” In the Upper Tar River watershed, Katey has been keeping tabs on the Upper Piedmont Landfill since September of last year, when Sound Rivers received a report of discolored, murky water on Cub Creek, which is downstream of the landfill. An aerial view of the Upper Piedmont Landfill near Roxboro, in the upper Tar River watershed. The aerial surveillance came courtesy of SouthWings and volunteer pilot Rolf Wallin. SouthWings partners with conservation groups, community groups, media and decision-makers to provide a unique perspective to better understand and solve pressing environmental issues in the Southeast. For more information, visit southwings.org. This article was published first in Sound Rivers Sediment runoff from a housing development impacts an adjacent wetland in the Lick Creek watershed.

Climate non-profit NC WARN tells state leaders to end suppression of local solar, says that all customers can benefit by sharing solar costs through the rate system With the global climate crisis at a point of desperation, power bills soaring and Duke Energy stifling renewables while aggressively expanding fossil fuels, clean energy group NC WARN and allies are calling for state leaders to finally consider – instead of suppressing – the fastest, cheapest and most equitable way to phase out climate-wrecking power plants. At a press conference today, NC WARN proposed a major shift for the state [1]. The 36-year-old nonprofit says the costs and benefits of local solar-plus-storage (SPS) – including lower power bills – should be shared by all customers the same way we all pay for polluting power. There would be no up-front cost, plus financial incentives for adding solar power and battery storage on homes, businesses and others. Today NC WARN released a two-page summary of its "Sharing Solar" proposal [2]. It says locating solar panels and storage batteries where power is used, particularly rooftops and parking areas, will generate jobs in towns and cities across the state, add protections during emergencies, and help all customers avoid annual rate increases while reducing climate pollution instead of expanding fossil fuels. The proposal calls for prioritizing low-income customers. NC WARN will soon file engineer Konidena’s testimony critical of Duke’s proposed Carbon Plan for gambling on high-risk, climate-wrecking approaches for future power generation. He also explains how other utilities are using solar-plus-storage to create “virtual power plants” that help phase out fossil fuels and save millions. The NCUC already approved Duke Energy’s plans to expand solar power many years from now. Duke assumes this would be larger-than-ever solar farms near rural communities, preceded by billions of dollars in new transmission projects that would drive up the cost of the solar. NC WARN argues that most of it should be local SPS, where the benefits of generating and storing power where it's used could begin right away, expand quickly and be shared statewide. Jim Warren, director of NC WARN said today at a press conference, “A key hindrance for expanding rooftop solar has long been the up-front cost. But NC electricity users don’t pay a large up-front cost to build giant fossil fuel and nuclear power plants. We all share the cost of kilowatt-hours on our monthly power bills, and polls show that, overwhelmingly, North Carolinians and businesses would rather be buying clean power.” Warren said the new proposal will launch a new statewide campaign with clean energy allies to lift up rooftop solar just as Duke tries to bury it. Scores of solar companies and advocacy groups have already called to expand local solar instead of bulldozing farms and forests under Duke’s plan. A verdict is expected by the NC Court of Appeals in a case where NC WARN and allies seek to reverse a ruling that allowed Duke Energy to stunt the economics of rooftop solar. Bobby Jones, President of the Down East Coal Ash Environmental and Social Justice Coalition, said at the press conference that his group is excited about the possibilities of the shared solar proposal. “It’s exactly what we need to address our climate and energy crisis.  Right now, we’re at the mercy of the Duke monopoly and its unclean energy … and what they charge us for it. We’re paying for our own demise.” His group is joining NC WARN, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP and Robeson County’s Seeds of Hope as intervenors in the Carbon Plan docket. The allies will promote local SPS and challenge Duke’s plans for billions in new transmission corridors through disadvantaged rural communities. Duke remains secretive about where it would seek to locate those corridors. Sharing Solar will help all customers avoid constant rate hikes caused by the tens of billions of dollars Duke wants to spend on high-risk power plants and new transmission [3]. SPS also adds much-needed resiliency for all power users – such as emergency facilities – during outages. “Not enough roof space”? Duke Energy and others have long claimed rooftop solar can’t help slow the climate crisis. In fact, North Carolina has twice the practical space needed to meet climate goals on rooftops, parking areas, contaminated brownfields and vacant land close to towns and cities, according to federal data [4, pg. 6]. NC WARN has been proposing SPS since 2017 [5]. With the new payment approach, the group says its way past time for the NC Utilities Commission (NCUC) and Duke Energy to finally agree to a fair consideration of local SPS – especially because Duke can profit from it. Image credit: NC WARN [4, pg. 8] NC WARN says Duke leaders’ “pro-Carbon Plan” would ensure that North Carolina remains a top driver of the climate crisis. Thousands of state residents are still reeling from past superstorms even as scientists warn that the coming hurricane season could be our worst ever. Jim Warren added, “Duke Energy leaders and state officials simply must, finally, break out of the years of appalling pretense that North Carolina is ‘making a clean transition’. The climate situation is desperate, this state is failing its duty, and local solar could quickly begin to change that.” This article was published first in NC WARN. Work Cited NC WARN. “NC WARN Proposes Sweeping New Solar Approach for NC Electricity System.” YouTube, 15 May 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=asCr2BPtqio. “The Quickest, Most Affordable Way to Tackle the Climate Crisis and Cut Power Bills - NC WARN.” NC WARN, 14 May 2024, www.ncwarn.org/sharing-solar-summ. Heilman, Sara. “84 Solar Companies, Targeted Groups and Allies Call for Investigation of Duke Energy — NC WARN News Release.” NC WARN, 13 Dec. 2023, www.ncwarn.org/2023/12/84-solar-companies-targeted-groups-and-allies-call-for-investigation-of-duke-energy-nc-warn-news-release. NC WARN. Moving North Carolina Forward: The Case for Local Solar-Plus-Storage. 26 June 2023, www.ncwarn.org/wp-content/uploads/MovingNC-Forward.pdf. Powers, Bill. “North Carolina Clean Path 2025: Achieving an Economical Clean Energy Future.” NC WARN, by NC WARN, report, Aug. 2017, www.ncwarn.org/wp-content/uploads/NC-CLEAN-PATH-2025-FINAL-8-9-17.pdf.

Around 100 anti-war demonstrators came to the State Capitol for a ceasefire rally on Sunday, May 19th. Along with calls for an end to the US-Israeli attack on Gaza, the protestors criticized three bills moving quickly through the North Carolina political system – HB 942, HB 10, and HB 237. Speakers for the rally came from the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Muslim Women For, Raleigh United for Gaza, and other groups. WRAL interviewed Hadeel Hamoud, a member of Muslim Women For, about the purpose of Sunday’s action [x]. The quote is lightly edited for clarity. “The Shalom Act (HB 942) will potentially thwart free speech and allow law enforcement to criminalize the pro-Palestinian movement,” said Hamoud, “The ICE bill (HB 10) will criminalize immigrants, the masking bill (HB 237) will make it illegal for us to wear masks for health and safety reasons, all of these things are seeking to undermine and inhibit the movement.” The pro-Palestine group assembled at 3 o’clock on Wilmington Street. They formed a long line on the sidewalk, kept off the Capitol Grounds grass by a few police officers. The rally’s organizers led a few practice chants and then led a short march down the street to the Legislative Building. On the way, people waved Palestinian flags as well as signs with messages like “Free Palestine”, “End the Occupation”, and “Say NO To Repressive Laws.” “End the occupation now!” chanted the crowd, “And if we don’t get it, shut it down!” The rally-goers warmed to the last line and repetitively roared, “Shut it down! Shut it down!” Ceasefire rallies have been held in Raleigh, mostly at Moore Square, every weekend for many months. The crowd knew their slogans well, often correcting chant leaders who missed a word or beat. The marchers stopped in front of the Legislative Building and organizers made speeches about three proposed North Carolina laws that they called repressive. Women circulated in the crowd, handing out huge posters with images of murdered Gazan children. “The Shalom Act uses the IHRA definition of antisemitism which says it may be antisemitic to call Israel a racist state,” said a speaker from the UNC Chapel Hill encampment, “But that’s just the truth. Israel is a racist state!” A leader from Raleigh United for Gaza gave a speech, outlining the new group’s plans to raise campaign funds to protect elected officials who supported a ceasefire. To that end, the speaker asked the crowd to come to a silent auction in early June. When the anti-war demonstrators began to march again, police on motorbikes put up their kickstands and rode off to the next intersection. The crowd marched down Salisbury Street and then Morgan Street to return to the starting place. On the way back, the chants continued. “We will honor all our martyrs … all the children, sons, and daughters!” Sunday’s event wasn’t marred by police violence or counter-protestors. People who walked past the march were a mix of supportive, curious, or unconcerned, but never openly hostile. There were a few confused looks whenever the activists chanted in Arabic. The crowd began to disperse around 5 o’clock, returning to life in a rich city in the most powerful country on earth. The next day, May 20th, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested arrest warrants for the Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Israel, as well as for three Hamas leaders. Although the Israeli leaders will likely never be imprisoned at the Hague, the pro-Palestine movement celebrated the ICC’s actions, eager for any event that could help to lessen the suffering of a tyrannized people. On May 22nd, the governments of Ireland, Spain, and Norway announced their recognition of the State of Palestine, joining 143 other countries. Missing from that list is the United States, which vetoes the two-state solution every year at the United Nations. This year’s General Assembly vote on the topic was 143-9. The pro-Palestine demonstrators in Raleigh are likely to be back on May 26th, demanding that their leaders join the world in calling for an end to the current war, the decades-long imprisonment of Gaza, and the 56-year Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

On May 23rd, workers at the REI store in Durham celebrated the one-year anniversary of their vote to unionize with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1208. The REI employees held a rally at six o'clock on Thursday that was joined by dozens of community supporters, including Durham City Council member Nate Baker. The rally was held in front of the REI store, located in the Renaissance Center on Fayetteville Street. Heavy rain swept in just as the event began but nobody seemed to mind. The REI workers gave heartfelt speeches about better pay and conditions in sopping wet clothing, and perhaps the strongest speech came from a worker whose printed remarks turned to soggy mush in their hands. The crowd included families with small children, who reached out from beneath the umbrellas to feel the rain. UFCW 1208 made it clear they were focused on one demand – that the outdoor retailing company bargain in good faith and sign a fair contract with its 10 unionized stores. The REI Union was established in March 2022, but since then REI has stonewalled on negotiating a union contract. Mitchell Murphy, senior sales specialist at REI Durham, said the following at Thursday’s rally: “One year ago, we did something historic here at REI Durham. We stood up for ourselves and our fellow workers and told REI that we deserve to have a real impact in our workplace. We deserve the ability to make positive changes in our workplace through the required process of the company coming to the table we have built, and bargaining with us over changes that both sides want to make to our combined operations and working conditions.” The sun emerged at 6:30 p.m. and the rally-goers stowed their umbrellas and ponchos. As the speeches continued, the REI workers explained how the company has shifted away from full-time employment, preferring to hire part-time workers without enough pay or training. UFCW 1208 talked about the unique needs of REI customers. One may need to know how to fix their custom-made mountain bike, another might ask what to bring for a hike up Kilimanjaro. Yet, the company has cut trainings where workers get to take part in such outdoor adventures, leading to a drop in customer service that erases the benefits of the cost savings. Si-Hua Chang, sales specialist at REI Durham, also spoke at the May 23rd rally: “I’m confident that REI workers’ efforts to make our voices heard will prevail over REI’s attempts to silence us. We are so proud of the movement we are building, and we look forward to welcoming many more REI stores into the REI union. We are also incredibly grateful for the support of our Durham community, especially from REI members and from our siblings in unions across Durham and the triangle.” The first REI store to unionize was a New York City location that won its NLRB election in March 2022. As the REI Union grew over the next two years, the outdoor retailer has retaliated with a wave of firings against pro-union workers, often on the flimsiest pretexts. The company has also retained Morgan Lewis, a notorious anti-union law firm, for its union-busting drive. Anti-union consultants make hundreds of dollars an hour in their repellent trade, while the REI workers they're attacking make a fraction of that. Despite all challenges, Thursday's one-year anniversary rally at the Renaissance Center was upbeat and optimistic. People driving by honked to show support for UFCW 1208, and each time the crowd cheered in appreciation. After the speeches, the REI workers talked and laughed with supporters from Durham Association of Educators, C.A.U.S.E., Southern Workers Assembly, and other pro-worker groups. The workers handed out slices of cake and cookies decorated with REI Union colors. In their remarks, one of the REI workers wondered if the highly-paid REI executives and Morgan Lewis mercenaries were watching the social media feed from the May 23rd rally. If so, the message from the Bull City was clear - stop union-busting and start negotiating in good faith.