Thread by @lekhashupeck

I'm here at FTCC in Fayetteville for the last scheduled public hearing. The front door of the building was locked when I got here - apparently we were supposed to park in the back but there was zero signage to that effect as usual. 🙄 #ncpol

15 minutes to go and the room is filling up.

They are lining up speakers ahead of time.

They haven't done this at any of the other hearings AFAIK. The sergeant at arms is treating people like children IMHO. Wonder if it's any coincidence that this is a majority non-white room.

Rep. Szoka is opening the meeting.

Jo Nicholas of LWV - asks for fair and inclusive process. Transparency and public participation. Hearing after draft maps. Draw in public view over livestream. Disclose all parties that participate in mapping.

Kurt Arehart of Raleigh wants to speak for communities of interest. Drew a district for his own area. Adds Raleigh to Durham for a congressional district. People commute and shop between the two communities.

Says 2011 district took top half of Raleigh and went all the way out to 95. He felt disenfranchised. His Rep didn’t respond.

Kathy Griggs of Fayetteville PACT and a volunteer with AOTL NC. Fort Bragg should be kept whole in a district. The people should determine how the maps are drawn. Maps are probably being drawn behind closed doors. This hearing was not accessible to people.

Next is a speaker from Cumberland GOP who says that Fayetteville is trying to encroach on her area of Southern Cumberland County. That area should have it's own house and senate districts. Cites GenX poisoning as a shared issue.

Says Hope Mills and Steadman are the main towns of that areA

Amanda Williams says fair maps are important, she doesn't trust legislators of either party to draw fairly. Wants independent commission. Maps should reflect communities not be drawn to elect incumbents.

She expects legislators to leave their party allegiance at the door when drawing. We need hearings after proposed maps.

Elizabeth of Moore County Democratic Women. Lives in Aberdeen. There's a constant flow between Cumberland and Moore for many reasons. Moore needs to be kept whole and paired with Cumberland in a congressional district. Current district stretches to Charlotte.

Shawn Taylor of Cumberland County - Steadman and hope mills should be in the same district. Also cites GenX. One house district and one Senate district.

Rodney Anderson of Fayetteville, retired major general. Both the military and legislature make an oath to serve the people. Talks about the common interests of the military community in the area. Asks for a Sandhills Congressional district. No splitting precincts.

Rebecca Brock of Harnett Democratic Party. This hearing was the closest to them. Wake, Cumberland, and Moore are the main places people work. Maps should give precedent to underserved minority communities.

Nathan Church is new to Fayetteville. Farm to market community and a center of educational and economic opportunities in the area. Has unique needs. Draw district maps that reflect the community.

Carmella Mckellar Smith - supports a Sandhills Congressional district built around Cumberland, Moore and Hoke. Share Healthcare systems. GenX poisoning, hurricanes are some of the shared issues.

Dollars travel between these counties, we are a community. Don't deny us representation, create a Sandhills Congressional district.

Manuel Diaz of Democracy NC asks for transparency, communities of interest kept whole. Cumberland County whole in Congressional districts. Cumberland should be in a congressional district with other southeastern counties.

State districts should be compact - calls out Senate 46

Not enough hearings, hearings are publicized - we need hearings after proposed maps. Bad maps lead to litigation that takes resources away from communities.

Charles Mckellan, veteran, asks fellow veterans to raise hands. They have taken an oath to protect the constitution.

He is asking for a Sandhills district including Moore, Hoke, Scotland, Robeson and Cumberland Counties

Chair of Cumberland Democrats asks for a Sandhills district containing Cumberland, Hoke, Moore, Scotland, and Robeson. Talks about shared environmental concerns, educational institutions, and Healthcare.

Asks for Cumberland towns to be kept whole in state legislative districts and not to split the historic communities around FTCC

Next speaker is currently precinct chair and of Cross Creek 26. Wants Fayetteville and Cumberland to be the hub of a Sandhills Congressional district including Hoke, Moore and other surrounding district. This region has earned that representation.

Devon Newton is a military spouse who had lived on Fort Bragg since 2009. Fayetteville is the sixth largest city but unlike comparable cities it doesn't have its own Congressional district. It is currently in a district with areas 112 miles away that don't share interests.

Moore, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland should be in this district. Cumberland and Hoke should be paired bc Fort Bragg goes into both.

Susan Thompson of Sampson County. 2019 court redraw created a majority minority district 21 and minority opportunity district 22. She doesn't want to see change in this area.

Jim Womack is chair of Lee County Republicans. Says that 14th district should be where population growth is - wake, Franklin, Vance, Johnston. Keep small counties whole - Lee is currently split. Says that undocumented people shouldn't be counted in the population for redistrictin

Frank McNeil of Aberdeen - Moore and Cumberland are in a senate grouping. Gives specific instructions for how Senate districts should be drawn. Moore should be in a district with the closer areas of Cumberland.

Sandhills deserves a cong districts anchored by Fort Bragg - Cumberland, Moore, Scotland Robeson and Hoke. It doesn't make sense for Robeson and Mecklenburg to be in the same district. Sandhills deserves it's own district.

Michael Jackson (makes a joke) advocating for a Sandhills district - ft Bragg is the major employer for Cumberland and contiguous counties. We have 14 districts now but only 10 [it's actually 13] public hearing sites. Needs more hearings at more sites after proposed maps

Roberta Wattle asks for compact districts with limited as much as possible county city and precinct splits. Cumberland was divided into 3 Congressional districts in the past - discouraging to voters

Sandhills needs it's own Congressional district - Cumberland Scotland Hoke and Moore. Precincts around HBCU Fayetteville State shouldn't be split.

Robert Tabor teacher at Fayetteville State - the students who use that school are part of a community of interest. Cumberland County should be in one district with other Sandhills counties.don't divide precincts cities or communities or pack Black voters

Rev. Dr Floyd Wicker of Fayetteville - committee has an opportunity to demonstrate that they have the political will to create maps that don't pack Black voters. Packing deprives minorities or representation and diminishes the contributions of those communities

Leaders aren't fighting hate or expanding Medicaid - winning an election is the only thing that seems important to legislators. Don't split precincts.

Orlando of Columbus County - no citizen should have to pay to contribute to this process - every citizen should be mailed an explanation of the process. Fayetteville is in an economic development region and districts should reflect that region

Ted Moan veteran and former city council member. Cumberland districts don't need to be adjusted much. Fayetteville and hope mills should be kept together. Ft. Bragg should be paired with Moore. Cumberland County should be the anchor of a new Sandhills Congressional district.

Cumberland Hoke Moore Robeson and Scotland should be in that district. Hopes to see same process as 2019 and that the committee follows guidance court has already given

Sarah Tabor agricultural worker from Fayetteville - needs a district centered on ft. Bragg - stop putting us with Charlotte!

Olynda Watkins of Moore County NAACP - Moore was one of only 9 counties to be split in Congressional. Keep Moore County whole in Congressional district - keep the Sandhills whole. Lists all the previous splits of Sandhills counties. Divides natural communities.

Asks for competitive state legislative districts in Moore County to make legislators more responsive.

Charles Allen of Cumberland County - currently four state house districts - he's from the 45th - lists populations of the districts. Asks to move 500 voters from 45 to 43 and then all districts would be equal. Steadman and Eastover should be in the same district

These areas should not be paired with hope mills.

Alan Mcshirley is a civil rights lawyer working with NAACP - says he writes a column in a local paper Wilmington Journal and will enter it into the record. Agrees with people who want a district for the cape fear area. Ahistorical = racist.

We need to look at the history of racism in NC before we do any redistricting.

Grimes - Member of Cumberland Board of elections, immigrant, business owner. The maps matter - make decisions that restore faith in our electoral system. Local boards battle misinformation constantly.

American and North Carolinianby choice - believe in ideals of the country - what you do matters.

Nestor Gomez of New Life community - some confusion because he wasn't called up - he thought he heard his name.

He continues with an interpreter - I am here because the last Census showed the Latinx community has grown - a significant voting block in NC. Asks for the community to be included in the redistricting process - he says he can speak and read English

But he's using an interpreter to demonstrate that we need interpreters paid for by the state. [His interpreter is the Democracy NC organizer]

Our own @bribrough is next - she is here to organize engagement in this process. These hearings are not accessible - no livestreams despite covid. Locations are difficult to find and there have been last minute venue changes.

NCIANS are giving you valuable information - speakers ask you not to pack Black and brown voters. Students asked for colleges to be kept whole. Many speakers from this area have said districts that stretch from here to Charlotte make no sense.

The most common request has been for hearings after proposed maps - people deserve to be heard.

Carmen Rodriguez (with interpreter) Latinx pop has grown more than 40% - all communities must be included - people who don't speak English as their first language need to be included - fair maps can only happen when all are included. Interpreter must be provided for all

The redistricting website must be improved and maps must be drawn in the sight of everyone.

Monica Deangeles - talks about the economic group which studies democracies around the world - say that North Carolina is no longer a democracy. This is unacceptable. If a legislator needs to gerrymander to get elected they shouldn't be in office.

Keep small counties whole, cities whole. Give us back our democracy.

Charles Carter Jr. - just got off work and hasn't been able to get food - Common Cause fellow and Fayetteville State student. Lives in historic Murchison. The Congressional election will have a huge impact on me and everyone in the community.

Packing and cracking should not be allowed.

Next speaker - framework for redistricting since 2010 has been designed to disenfranchise Black and other racial minority communities. Shelby vs. Holder enabled this - citizens no longer have the redress of the VRA.

We only have state courts now. We ask - everything should be transparent and open.

Nakiyah Smith asks for Robeson Hoke and Cumberland to be in a congressional district together. Keep Cumberland whole. A Sandhills district is needed - we don't need to be split for partisan reasons.

More transparency is necessary - 13 meetings in a pandemic in the middle of the afternoon with no virtual option or interpreters is not transparent. Growing POC population has driven NC's growth - deserve representation.

Linda Devore from Cumberland Board of elections - during her time she's been in 4 Congressional districts - Cumberland is manipulated to serve other people's interests. The 14th districts should be anchored by Cumberland.

Ages been represented by reps from Wilmington, Concord, or even the northeast. She's sick of it. The new 14th district should be anchored in Cumberland.

Geddes Coyne (?) from Johnston County - the fastest growing county in the state. In the past it has been divided into 2 Congressional districts. Currently have 3 senators and 3 state house members. This confuses voters

He's a retired Healthcare provider - Johnston has never in 50 years been able to elect anyone to represent the county whole. Also people incarcerated there should be allowed to vote.

John Blackwell film district 43 - wants his area kept the same. Likes his current Rep. Says there's hatred here and people should come together as a community.

Bell Applewhite former Fayetteville city council member. Cites the Hise and Lewis article and the infamous 10-3 quote. She's been to so many of these forums and is tired - legislators only pretend to listen. Go back to Raleigh and draw whatever maps you want.

Was a plaintiff in Covington. In Federalist 10 we were warned against factions.

Shirley Cohen of Johnston - there was no hearing near her so had to come here - do what is right and respect communities of interest. Be transparent - we have no information about the maps. We need to be able to comment on proposed maps.

David Mann precinct chair of Cross Creek - had experience of district line drawn straight down his street. He was a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit. He thinks that's what it's going to take for fair maps now.

Szoka says that legislators do care about the comments - says people who couldn't attend can make online comments (comments are not public) - he says he reads the comments. Adjourns meeting.