VOLUME 8 ISSUE 8
|
WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
Footage shows police planned arrests of protesters at 2020 ReOpen NC event By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Footage posted online by an independent journalist shows police in Raleigh discussing tactics for arresting ReOpen NC protesters in 2020 as well as joking about COVID-19 PPE use to “support” the idea the protest was a “public health hazard.”
Independent journalist Stephen Horn tweeted out a video containing clips of police interactions prior to the arrest of a single protester, Monica Ussery. Horn’s tweet contained a link to a longer video where two unidentified law enforcement officers are seen joking around about how ReOpen NC protesters told Raleigh Police Captain Dedric Bond to “go pound sand”
after Bond had told protesters they would be arrested if they didn’t disperse. “They basically told him [Bond] to go pound sand,” an unidentified female officer says in the video. “So we’re going to go arrest some motherf**kers. Alright, let’s go.” The unidentified female offiSee PROTEST, page A2
the
BRIEF this week
Tillis reintroduces bill to block federal funding of Confucius Institutes Raleigh Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and several of his colleagues reintroduced the CONFUCIUS Act aimed at preventing federal funding of institutes on college campuses backed and often operated by Communist China. “Any institution in the United States connected to the Chinese Communist Party should be stripped of federal funding,” Tillis said. “They are echo chambers for an adversarial regime and threaten free speech in American colleges and universities.” The Act will restrict funding to any higher education institution that has a relationship with a “Communist Chinese entity of concern” or a Confucius Institute. North Carolina had at least two CI’s which are now closed down; one at North Carolina State University and another at UNC Charlotte. A.P. DILLON
Air Force to review base where airman leaked documents Washington, D.C. The Air Force has opened its own investigation into how a lone airman could access and distribute possibly hundreds of highly classified documents, top Air Force leaders told Congress on Tuesday. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said he has directed the Air Force inspector general to go look at the Air National Guard unit based in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira served and “anything associated with this leak that could have gone wrong” and allowed the leak to happen. Teixeira, 21, was charged Friday in the U.S. District Court in Boston with unauthorized removal and retention of classified and national defense information. He is expected back in court for a hearing Wednesday. The leaks have raised questions as to how a single airman could have removed so many documents without being detected, why there were not safety checks in place and how the documents could have lingered online undetected for months. In addition, the Air Force is conducting a service-wide review of how each command handles classified information, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown told committee members. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Southwest passengers face delays after nationwide grounding Dallas Southwest Airlines planes were briefly grounded nationwide Tuesday for what the airline called an intermittent technology issue, leading to more than 1,800 delayed flights just four months after the carrier suffered a much bigger meltdown over the Christmas travel rush. By midday on the East Coast, more than 40% of all Southwest flights were delayed, and the airline accounted for nearly twothirds of all delays nationwide. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AP PHOTO
Students march across the campus of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on Thursday, April 13, 2023, to protest school officials’ decision to ban a law student from school grounds.
UNC Law students ‘walkout’ over classmate’s removal The students protested the removal of Jamie Marsicano due to domestic terrorism charges By Matt Mercer North State Journal CHAPEL HILL — Students at the University of North Carolina School of Law organized a ‘walkout’ over the school’s apparent decision to remove Jamie Marsicano from the school. Marsicano, who most recently was arrested and charged with domestic terrorism in March for his role at an anti-law enforcement riot in Atlanta, has a lengthy arrest record in violent left-wing activism. He has been arrested five times around Mecklenburg County in the past several years.
Marsicano was booked under the name “James Marsicana” according to NewsNation and identifies as a “white trans femme organizer” online. A petition filed by some of the students confirms that Marsicano was barred from campus following his arrest in connection with the Atlanta riot. “We, the undersigned, are writing in response to the EEAC’s recommendation, and Chancellor Guskiewicz’s subsequent order, barring our dear classmate, friend, and colleague, Jamie Marsicano, from UNC’s campus. We object to the EEAC committee’s findings and ask that you consider our voices as evidence in reconsidering Jamie’s ability to come to campus and attend classes in person,” the petition read. On Thursday, April 13, more
than 100 protesters marched across the school’s campus chanting, “Jamie’s not in class! We are not in class!” The demonstrators then entered an administrative building and read aloud an open letter urging university officials to reverse the decision against Marsicano, the Associated Press reported. The students also added that they want Marsicano be allowed to finish the semester and return to in-person classes with no conditions. A student at the law school who wants Marsicano back on campus said he is barred from attending in-person classes or participating virtually via Zoom, but can watch livestream feeds of classes. The law school has promoted Marsicano on their dean’s follow list, perhaps in part due to his sta-
tus as the son of well-known Charlotte philanthropist Michael Marsicano. The elder Marsicano was the long-time leader of the Foundation for the Carolinas and is currently leading Charlotte mayor Vi Lyles’ $250 million ‘Racial Equity Initiative.’ Atlanta Police said about the riot on March 5 the group of “violent agitators” used the cover of a peaceful protest of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers. They changed into black clothing and entered the construction area and began to throw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers. The agitators destroyed multiple pieces of construction equipment by fire and vandalism. According to documents obtained by North State Journal the decision to remove Marsicano from the rests with the university’s top leadership including Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz. Marsicano appears to have been subject to the university’s EmerSee WALKOUT, page A8
Dark money group report shows heavy grant distribution in North Carolina Chapel Hill-based States Newsroom received funds from subgroup of Arabella Advisors By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — A report issued in February by a dark money grant-making group shows heavy funds distribution in North Carolina. Arabella Advisors describes itself as a “philanthropic advising firm” that is a “Certified B Corporation that provides guidance and support to the world’s leading philanthropists and impact investors.” The organization houses several “grantmaking” organizations that include the Sixteen Thirty Fund, The Hopewell Fund, and the New Venture Fund. These grantmaking subgroups redistribute funds from dark money sources to other groups and non-profits. On Feb. 7, Arabella Advisors released its latest impact report that spans work done by the
group between 2001 to 2022. The report details four primary ways Arabella helped “changemakers achieve greater impact” that include “moving more resources, using the right vehicles, operating efficiently and effectively, and elevating equity.” “Like our previous impact report, this report shows the remarkable diversity and scale of the work Arabella does for our various clients,” Arabella CEO Rick Cruz said in a press release. “The Arabella team works with foundations and philanthropists, helping them find better ways to achieve the changes they envision. We work with nonprofit organizations and leaders, taking on complex challenges and arduous tasks to enable them to focus more squarely on their missions.” According to the press release, Arabella helped its nonprofit clients make more than 10,000 grants to more than 4,000 grantees located in more than 100 countries and in all 50 US states, plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. The organization’s grant distribution breakdown con-
“The report shows the remarkable diversity and scale of work Arabella does for our various clients.” Arabella CEO Rick Cruz firmed that the number of grants for North Carolina were in the 201-800 range for the period of 2017 to 2021. Examples of projects in the Impact Report include “Rewiring America: Paving the way for a historic federal deal to support electrification;” “Fund for a Safer Future: Joining forces to advocate for common-sense gun reform,” “Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund: Leveraging fiscal sponsorship to jumpstart massive investments to fight climate change,” and “Google. org Environmental Justice Data Fund: Designing an inclusive See GRANTS, page A2
5
20177 52016 $0.50
8