How can Carrboro fight back against oppression? Residents have some ideas.

GOVERNMENT

CARRBORO–“It’s never been so clear what the right side of history is,” Carrboro resident Sara Peach told Town Manager Patrice Toney and some of their fellow citizens in a recent town hall meeting. “It’s never been so frightening, in the past month, to see so many citizens caving.”

The March 29 gathering at the Drakeford Library Complex gave residents a chance to weigh in on how Carrboro — a college town known for prioritizing diversity and racial justice — should respond to a federal government that opposes diversity, frowns on discussions of race, and has revoked some student visas without warning.

“Of course we should fight back,” said Peach. “We should fight back as much as we can.”

“If the town caves in, you’re on a slippery slope,” said resident Chris Van Hasselt. “A lot of people are already on it.”

Mayor Barbara Foushee said in a video presentation that the town’s concerns included the state government and President Trump’s Administration. House Bill 171 would prohibit spending government funds in support of DEI. HB 244 would prohibit flags on government property supporting groups or events (for example, Pride Week or Juneteenth).

“If one of us is impacted, we all are,” said Foushee. “We are one community.”

Chief Equity Officer Anita Jones-McNair ran through a list of DEI accomplishments from recent years: updating sidewalks with curb cuts, a free weatherization program for low-income residents, the Boost Carrboro business support program, and seeing the Fire Department recruit people speaking different languages to help communicate with citizens who don’t speak English well.

Carrboro’s citizens speak

Town Manager Toney served as moderator for the gathering but encouraged the citizens to speak their mind on the topic. They did.

“My brain explodes every day,” said resident Lori Carter. She told the group that local food banks got food from the area’s largest food bank, which just received an $11 million budget cut. “How do we continue to take care of people?”

Carter said she wanted to go to Washington D.C. and scream at the nation’s leaders but also to stay home, pull everyone around her tighter, and care for them as best she could. She worried about people on the margins of society and, “frankly, even folks in this room with advanced degrees are looking for a job right now.”

Disability and public transit advocate Isaac Woolsey said the cost of homes and rentals has risen to the point that even people with jobs struggle to pay for housing. People with disabilities often end up either homeless or living in a “slumlord apartment.”

Twenty-year resident Kerry Bullock-Ozkan asked what policies the town was developing to protect immigrants, including legal residents with green cards or visas. She said her spouse is in England and has been working through the green card process since September 2023. “If you have any friends who tell you ‘just get married,’ tell them you have heard from a white person whose spouse is English and white, and it took them two years.”

Bullock-Ozkan added that as a trans, non-binary person with a non-binary partner, the Trump Administration’s hostility to LGBTQ rights left her afraid for herself and her family. “How soon before they get to us?”

Residents had no shortage of ideas where Carrboro’s town government should go from here:

Organize a petition or some sort of unified opposition to the state bills.
Look for lawyers willing to defend the town pro bono if the federal or state governments crack down.
Pay for lawyers or find pro bono representation for undocumented immigrants working in Carrboro.
What happens if UNC students who speak out are arrested or disappear for policies the government doesn’t approve of?
To influence representatives of other districts, reach across district boundaries to find allies who can address them.
Provide training on what citizens can do if they see an immigrant or a trans person harassed on the street.
Make immigrants aware of their rights.

Residents also asked about other topics: Were there ways the town could beautify the Drakeford parking deck? Given the impact of climate change, can the town upgrade its infrastructure to handle more frequent, more severe storms? Can the bus stop signs be updated with accurate timetables?

Toney said that Carrboro’s DEI would continue unless the town had to comply with a legal order. Getting the public’s feedback would help. “We’ll take notes and try to think through what’s the best strategy to move forward.”

You can watch the town hall on YouTube.

Fraser Sherman has worked for newspapers, including the Destin Log, the Pensacola News-Journal and the Raleigh Public Record. Born in England, he’d still live in Florida if he hadn’t met the perfect woman and moved to Durham to marry her. He’s the author of several film reference books and has published one novel and several short story collections. This reporter can be reached at: Information@TheLocal Reporter.press