Moral Monday protests returning soon to NC legislature, Rev. William Barber says

Moral Mondays are coming back to the state legislature in December, with a "mass mobilization" expected Dec. 9.

That was the word Monday from Rev. William Barber, the original founder of the 2013 movement. He says principled lawmakers must reject a bill passed last week changing the power structure of state government and giving Republicans control over election administration.

In 2013, Republicans held the governor’s mansion and both the House and Senate. Progressives at the time couldn’t do much more than protest against GOP policies they disagreed with.

That's exactly what the Moral Monday movement did, bringing hundreds or thousands of people into the legislative building, where they sang, chanted, prayed and held sit-ins nearly every week during session for more than a year.

Over time, nearly 1,000 protesters were arrested for trespassing when they refused to disperse at the command of the General Assembly police.

"Right now, it's time again for the reconstitution and coming together of Moral Monday," Barber said Monday.

Flanked by a crowd of supporters from a list of left-leaning groups, Barber accused lawmakers of doing little to help storm victims in western North Carolina, focusing instead on stripping power from newly-elected Democratic state officials and taking control over the election process.

"This bill for the most part doesn't have a damn thing to do with disaster relief," Barber said, holding up a copy of Senate Bill 382.

"This amounts to a political coup against duly elected government officials. It is an attempt by a super-majority to use that majority to thwart the will of the voters, and they are doing it in a lame-duck session," Barber said. "They have buried this coup and cover-up behind the cynical pretext of disaster relief in western North Carolina."

Republican lawmakers said little in public last week about the changes they made in SB 382, saying only that they are aimed at improving government and election efficiency. Legislative leaders also said they’ve done a lot for Helene victims and will do more next year.

Helene victim Leslie Boyd, a Barber supporter, said she was "furious" that SB 382 does not provide emergency housing aid, rental assistance or a moratorium on the evictions she says are already leaving even more people in Asheville with no roof over their heads as winter comes.

"We need at least double, triple what they're offering us," Boyd said. "They've got all this huge surplus they're so damned proud of. Well, why don't we spend some of it on people who've lost everything and who don't have any means to get it back? That's what we need."

WRAL News asked Republican legislative leaders for comment on Barber's announcement. They did not immediately respond.

Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to veto the bill by the end of the week. State lawmakers will come back over the next two weeks to try to override that veto. The Senate is expected to vote on Dec. 2, and the House will follow on Dec. 9.

Barber called on the three western North Carolina Republicans who voted against the bill in the House last week to stand their ground and uphold the veto.

"If there's ever a time that you need to put down the title of Republican and Democrat and pick up the title of human beings and moral leaders, it's right now," he urged.

Meantime, Barber called on supporters to fill the public areas of the building on the coming two Mondays, when the override votes are expected to happen.

"Every North Carolinian that believes in justice and believes in democracy," he said, "it's time to show up nonviolently and show out."