Public says NC needs to move decisively to make justice system fair

A state panel tasked with trying to eliminate racial inequality in North Carolina's justice system needs to act more aggressively, people said Tuesday.

The North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice has already made three recommendations two weeks after forming:

• Requiring law enforcement to intervene and take action when they see another officer using excessive force or abusing someone in custody
• Prohibiting the use of neck holds by law enforcement
• Asking the state Supreme Court to require that judges assess someone's ability to pay before any fines or fees are levied in court

But during a two-hour virtual public comment period on Tuesday morning, people called for more citizen oversight of police forces, including the power to investigate misconduct.

Fayetteville activist Shaun McMillan said elected officials need to be more willing to listen to the voices of those who say they've been the victim of police violence.

"If you can talk to your sheriffs and police chiefs daily, why be afraid to talk to the people who allege misconduct or who mourn the loss of family and friends to a police shooting?" McMillan said. "As community advocates, their cries are the fuel for our fire."

Criminal justice reform activist Elizabeth Crudup called in from outside Lumberton Correctional Institution, where some 200 inmates have been infected by coronavirus. She pushed for the task force to free some and treat the rest better.

"Relieve these men who are dying, who are sick, who are infected, who are in hot boxes and confined to their beds worse than dogs in a shelter. At least dogs in a shelter get to exercise," Crudup said. "If these were animals, we wouldn’t treat them like this. These are human beings."

Attorney Maria Perry said the state should stop law enforcement from seizing and selling assets involved in a criminal investigation, sometimes when the owner isn’t even charged with a crime. She said the tactic is disproportionately used against people of color.

"Only where a criminal conviction has been obtained and after a hearing before a judge should forfeiture be an option," Perry said.

About three dozen people sounded off during the hearing. One common theme was the legalization, or at least decriminalization, of marijuana possession – Black people are three times more likely than white people to be arrested for a low-level marijuana offense.

Some commenters pushed for better treatment of people with disabilities in both the justice system and in schools, while others called for the return of a parole system to allow incarcerated people win release if they're rehabilitated. But some said they fear crime victims' rights could be violated by too much reform.

Gov. Roy Cooper created the task force last month, following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minnesota, which sparked protests around the world calling for more police accountability and reform in the criminal justice system.