Several hundred people attended a town hall in Charlotte directed at a cardboard cutout of Senator Thom Tillis, who was invited but was not in attendance. A coalition of local groups, including Indivisible Charlotte, Common Cause NC, Red Wine & Blue NC, Democracy North Carolina, and New Rural Project, hosted the “Empty Chair Town Hall.”
In North Carolina, communities from the western to eastern parts of the state participated in the national movement, condemning Trump’s harmful policies and billionaire Elon Musk’s federal purging.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein and Attorney General Jeff Jackson recently joined advocates and law enforcement officers at the SAFEChild Advocacy Center to raise awareness of the ongoing tragedy of child abuse and neglect.
Chants echoed throughout communities in North Carolina and across the United States as thousands of Americans spoke out against federal cuts, Constitutional concerns, and human rights violations.
The press conference featured current and future health care professionals as well as community activists who have experience working with Medicaid, a program that provides affordable health care to over 2.6 million working-class, elderly, and disabled North Carolinians.
The move has left hundreds of school systems and food banks reeling. They already face rising food prices and are struggling to help community members with growing food insecurity.
“Losing this support is devastating, not merely because of the financial setback, but because it directly affects an essential lifeline connecting agriculture, regional economic well-being, and the health of WNC families,” Claire Neal, CEO of MANNA FoodBank, told Asheville Citizen-Times.
“Protect the legitimate ballots cast by over 65,000 North Carolinians, including those of our fellow service members and military families – we’re urging the North Carolina Court of Appeals to step up with us to protect the rule of law, to protect the rights of our fellow citizens and their desire to participate in our democracy and to protect our Constitution.”
Days after the Trump administration announced plans to cut funding and jobs from the Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans across the country joined together to rally against the attack on the crucial federal agency. According to PBS, these cuts come at a time when veterans’ healthcare needs are increasing, hundreds of VA centers are facing staff shortages, and approximately 400,000 veterans are uninsured.
Many residents were concerned about Trump’s handling of negotiations with Ukraine and called for the end to billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which has initiated significant cuts to crucial agencies such as Veterans Affairs, the National Park Service, and other federal programs.