Sheriffs’ Association Switches Stance in Weekly News Roundup

After originally opposing the proposed N.C. House Bill 370, which would have held local sheriffs financially responsible if they refused to honor ICE detainers, the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association (NCSA) voiced support for the bill this week after it was altered to give judges the power to decide whether to honor ICE detainers and to remove local sheriffs who don’t abide by that decision from office.

The new bill is written in a way that doesn’t leave the judge much decision at all, however, if the suspect’s name matches that on the ICE detainer. The new bill would also extend maximum amount of time a sheriff’s office would be asked to hold an undocumented immigrant who otherwise would be free to leave from 48 hours to 96.

In a media release announcing the NCSA’s endorsement of the bill, the organization’s vice president Eddie Caldwell Jr. confirmed that the NCSA worked with lawmakers to fix the bill to their liking. 

“The association requested the General Assembly to work with us cooperatively to craft a mutually acceptable alternative to the original [HB 370],” he stated. “We appreciate the willingness of the bill sponsors and legislative leaders in the House and Senate to do so.” 

In an open letter published by 16 state immigrant, faith and civil rights groups on Wednesday, the members of those groups voiced their opposition to the new bill. 

“Our state has become an epicenter for immigration raids and enforcement,” the letter stated. “Our local officials should not be collaborating with such a morally wrong and rogue agency. This is why HB 370 would be so devastating if it became law. The bill would enlist the sheriffs of every county into Trump’s deportation force. It turns any police interaction into an immigration status check and cause of deportation. With sheriff deputies forced to work for ICE, HB 370 would dramatically increase detentions and deportations, causing long-term damage to North Carolina families and communities.” 

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden has repeatedly stated that he will not honor ICE detainers, as they are not federal warrants and have no jurisdiction in his office. At a press conference last week, he demanded that federal authorities file warrants against undocumented immigrants that he has in custody if they want him to hold them in custody until ICE can take them. 

Charlotte City Council approved a new $2.6 billion budget on Monday night — one that allows the city to take in more revenue than the previous year, despite dropping the tax rate. 

Thanks to a recent surge in property values, most homeowners will be paying more despite the lower tax rate. 

The budget includes an increase in the minimum wage to $16 an hour for city employees; total funding of more than $55 million toward implementation of the city’s affordable housing strategy, $7 million of which to be used primarily for Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing; and $1.8 million for investment in neighborhoods in Charlotte’s east and west side. 

The budget also increases funding for the JumpStart microgrant program, which aims to end community violence, from $100,000 to $500,000 and establishes the Office of Equity, Mobility, and Immigrant Integration, which will leverage existing resources to enhance access to government services and economic opportunity. 

A couple of Charlotte breweries have announced expansions in June, beginning with Legion Brewing announcing its third location, which will open on West Morehead Street near Pinky’s Westside Grill and Bryant Neighborhood Park in fall 2020. 

Legion’s original location in Plaza Midwood opened in 2015, with a second location in SouthPark opening in 2018. The new location will include a production facility and tap room.

“We are appreciative of Charlotte’s growing demand for our products,” Legion co-owner Phil Buchy stated in a press release. “However, that is not the sole purpose for growth. We firmly believe that with every new location there is opportunity for new friends in new neighborhoods.” 

This week, Free Range Brewing announced it will be opening its second location at Camp North End this summer. The 1,544-square-foot tap room will be adjacent to Goodyear Arts, and will be one of four new businesses opening up in Camp North End this summer. The others are a workshop, retail showroom and coworking space for creatives called OTPST Station; Birch Fine Tea, offering more than 100 loose-leaf teas; and an expansion of the existing TM Studio into a trailer sitting outside the existing 2,200-square-foot concept in the Boileryard.

Police have released new video of a man who killed Ismael Doumbia in cold blood on June 3 while attempting to rob the convenience store where Doumbia worked. 

Doumbia’s family held a press conference with police on Thursday in front of the Shell gas station on Freedom Drive where he worked. “This man was an angel to us,” said Doumbia’s brother Abdul Cisse, tearfully. 

The FBI is helping with the investigation, and along with CMPD, has offered up a total award of $15,000 for information leading to an arrest. Detectives ask that anyone with information about the murder call 704-334-1600. 

Doumbia’s family has started a GoFundMe to help send his 16-year-old son Youssef Doumbia to college. 

“He wasn’t just my dad, he was my best friend,” Youssef said at Thursday’s press conference. 

The newly released video shows Ismael’s killer, who was wearing a mask, fire in his direction and then walk out of the store. 

A video released earlier this month shows the shooting from another angle. 

One homicide occurred in Charlotte this week, putting the 2019 total for the city at 55. Just before 1 a.m. on Wednesday, police responded to a shooting at the Post Uptown Place apartments at the intersection of North Graham and West 6th streets and found four victims suffering from gunshot wounds in the complex stairwell. Calvin Haines, 24, was pronounced dead on the scene while three others — aged 16, 19 and 22 — were taken to the hospital. The victims were reportedly attending a graduation party when the shooting occurred.