December 25, 2016

Boycott of North Carolina planned

Think Progress - Late Wednesday night, North Carolina Republicans reneged on their promise to repeal HB2, known colloquially as the “bathroom bill.” The legislation contained a number of controversial provisions, but chiefly banned transgender people from using the bathroom of the gender with which they identify and barred cities from passing laws protecting LGBT people from discrimination. The law has already cost the state hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars.

On Thursday, the North Carolina NAACP announced it will turn up the heat on the state. The group plans to file lawsuits against the state, organize mass protests, and call for an economic boycott to pressure lawmakers to repeal HB2 and other legislation they say infringes on civil rights.

“Enough is enough,” said Reverend Dr. William Barber, the president of the North Carolina NAACP.... Barber said soon after Christmas, his state conference will send a request to the national NAACP board calling for a national economic boycott of North Carolina. The boycott would continue until state lawmakers fulfill three demands: repeal HB2 in its entirety, repeal another bill Republicans passed in a special session last week giving themselves power over all state and county boards of elections in every year a major election is held, and redraw the state’s racially gerrymandered district maps that have allowed Republicans to maintain a super-majority in the statehouse.

A federal court ruled in November that North Carolina Republicans had intentionally and illegally drawn their voting maps to limit the political power of African-American voters and preserve GOP control over the state legislature. The court ordered legislators to draw new maps by March and hold special elections in the redrawn districts or face contempt of court.

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