The System Is Not Designed to Protect You

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Good morning, readers.

After Nabeel Al Halaf was shot, he and his family, refugees from Iraq, learned a harsh lesson about American justice: “The system is not designed to protect you.”

That stark assessment came from Durham District Attorney Satana Deberry during a meeting about the plea deals that would ultimately give the defendants suspended sentences and probation. (“The system is not designed to protect you. It’s designed to hold people accountable,” she reportedly told the couple.)

Instead of finding the support they sought through official channels, the couple relied on a loosely connected web of community organizations and volunteers who stepped in to install security cameras, navigate medical appointments, and provide language support. That network of support is now stretched dangerously thin amid federal cuts.

The couple found critical support through Refugee Community Partnership (RCP), a Carrboro-based organization that operates without federal funding, relying instead on private donations. But as federally funded organizations like Church World Service Durham furlough most of their staff amid recent refugee program suspensions, organizations like RCP are buckling under the pressure to fill these gaps.

“The impact of these political attacks on migrant and refugee communities cannot be overstated,” says Ash Nuckols, RCP’s communications manager. 

Read the full story below and have a good Wednesday.

 —Lena

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Durham

John Feinstein, a prolific sports writer whose career began at Duke, died earlier this month, The Chronicle reports.

Wake

Kevin Howell has been chosen as North Carolina State University’s next chancellor, The Assembly reports. Howell, a UNC Health executive, will also be the school’s first Black chancellor.

Orange

The Chapel Hill Town Council approved a brownfields agreement limiting how the town’s old police HQ property can be redeveloped. Whether it will remove toxic coal ash at the site is yet to be determined, INDY’s Chase Pellegrini de Paur reports.

North Carolina

A bill that would repeal the requirement to obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun is advancing in the state Senate with support from key Republican legislators, NC Newsline reports.

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