Page 2 The Skanner January 4, 2017
Challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now
Bernie Foster
Founder/Publisher
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Executive Editor
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Opinion
A Call for the Economic Boycott of North Carolina
I
n recent years, since ex-
tremists took over the
GOP in North Carolina,
my home state has gained
a worldwide reputation for
intolerance and bigoted nar-
row-mindedness. Controlling
all three branches of state
government since 2012, they
have remade the Old North
State in an image that would
be unrecognizable to Abra-
ham Lincoln or to the Repub-
licans and Democrats who
stood together in America to
resist the Dixiecrats and pass
the Civil Rights Act and the
Voting Rights Act.
A broad moral coalition of
North Carolinians represent-
ing many colors, creeds, po-
litical affiliations have fought
back hard against this extrem-
ism, and we have won—both
in federal court and in the
most recent election, when ex-
tremists lost control of the ex-
ecutive and judicial branches.
But the extremist leadership
in the General Assembly, who
face a special court ordered
election next year, have up-
ended the democratic process
and engaged in nothing short
of a modern-day political and
policy coup d’état.
GOP legislators have not
only conspired to suppress
the will of the voters, but also
to seize power from a new-
ly-elected Democratic gov-
ernor in a special Christmas
Rev. Dr.
William J.
Barber II
NAACP
Pres., North
Carolina
session.
They have stripped pow-
er from the state Supreme
Court, to which a second Afri-
can American was just elect-
ed.
They have consistently
passed laws that harm the
poor and working people of
“
legislators will do more than
wipe away the rights of mil-
lions of North Carolinians;
they will spread the virus
of injustice throughout the
body politic of the entire na-
tion. Their actions will sig-
nal to other would-be tyrants
that they can get away with
non-democratic power grabs
with impunity. The results
could set civil, social, and eco-
nomic rights back more than
50 years.
In light of all the wrongs
perpetrated by a radically
regressive legislature that
violate our Constitution, our
GOP legislators have not only con-
spired to suppress the will of the vot-
ers, but also to seize power from a
newly-elected Democratic governor
the state. And they have done
all of this despite the federal
and state courts ruling their
actions unconstitutional on
13 separate occasions. This
unprecedented scheme to
enact major changes in the
structure and functioning
of government without the
consent of the people or the
authority of the Constitution
should alarm the entire na-
tion.
If such a blatant abuse of
power goes unchallenged
by people of good will, these
civil rights commitments
and our moral values, we as
the North Carolina chapter
of the NAACP will meet and
complete a formal proposal
endorsed by the state execu-
tive committee to put before
the national board that asks
approval of and calls for an
economic boycott of the state.
We observe that such enti-
ties as the National Basketball
Association, the National Col-
legiate Athletic Association,
and the Atlantic Coast Confer-
ence have already chosen to
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boycott the state in response
to the law known as HB2,
which in part discriminates
against the LGBTQ communi-
ty.
This law also discriminates
against workers in need of
higher wages and those in
need of access to state courts
for employment discrimina-
tion cases.
Now in a session called un-
der the guise of helping flood
and hurricane victims many
other injustices have been
added to that outrage and
pushed forward in the final
weeks of 2016 which demands
that we respond with
every nonviolent tactic
available to us.
We will ask that com-
panies, government offi-
cials, and individuals of
conscience throughout
the country stand togeth-
er and refuse to do business
with the Tar Heel state until
the bigotry and inequality
pursued by an extreme group
of Republican legislators and
an outgoing governor are
ended and the rights of the
people are restored.
We will call for this boycott
to be effective until such time
as the North Carolina General
Assembly complies with our
list of requests.
Read the rest of this commentary at
TheSkanner.com
Fair Lending to be CFPB’s Top Priority in 2017
A
s a New Year approach-
es, fair lending will be
the priority for the na-
tion’s consumer finan-
cial cop on the beat. Mortgage
and student loan servicing
along with redlining and
small business lending will
be a triple-focus in 2017 for
the Consumer Financial Pro-
tection Bureau (CFPB).
“While the Bureau has tak-
en important strides in our
efforts to protect consumers
from credit discrimination
and broaden access to credit,
we continue to identify new
and emerging fair lending
risks and we will monitor in-
stitutions for compliance,”
said Patrice Ficklin, CFPB’s
associate director for fair
lending.
Specifically, CFPB will eval-
uate whether lenders have
practiced one or more of the
following:
• Intentionally avoided lend-
ing in minority neighbor-
hoods;
• Whether racial or ethnic
concerns affect how loan
servicers work with bor-
rowers who are behind on
either a mortgage or stu-
dent loan; and
• Whether discriminatory
practices affected access
to credit for minority and
women-owned businesses.
For all consumers, CFPB’s
Charlene
Crowell
NNPA
Columnist
2017 priorities are an encour-
aging sign. But for Black, Lati-
no and other consumers of
color, heightened fair lending
enforcement could signal less
predatory and discriminato-
“
among national civil rights
groups. On December 21,
the Leadership Conference
on Civil and Human Rights,
NAACP, National Council of
La Raza and the National Ur-
ban League released a joint
statement in support of the
Bureau.
“If the 2008 financial crisis
showed us anything, it’s that
consumers need a strong
and independent regulator
to look after the interests of
consumers. The civil rights
cial disparities in earnings
and income are worsened by
business practices and deci-
sions that deny consumers a
chance to get ahead financial-
ly. Hence, no one should be
surprised to learn that many
consumers of color struggle
to attain financial stability.
For example, on December
28, the Department of Justice
announced a $9 million set-
tlement to end a lawsuit alleg-
ing that Union Savings Bank
and Guardian Savings Bank
redlined predominantly
Black neighborhoods in
Indianapolis and three
Ohio cities – Cincinnati,
Columbus and Dayton.
The two banks share
ownership and management
from their joint base in Cin-
cinnati.
An opposite outcome oc-
curred in early December
when 10 lawsuits filed by a
group of Black businesses in
Michigan were dismissed.
As reported, the plaintiffs al-
leged that Mercantile Bank
violated the Equal Credit Op-
portunity Act with practices
and loan terms that resulted
in diminished commercial
lending. According to U.S.
Judge Robert Homes Bell, the
charges that alleged viola-
tions occurred from 2007 to
2009 were beyond the statu-
tory limitation. The lawsuits
were filed in 2013.
CFPB has recovered more than $11
billion for 27 million consumers who
were harmed by illegal financial ploys
ry lending that robs people
of their hard-earned livings.
With heightened monitoring
and related enforcement ac-
tions, lenders and creditors
who violate fair lending laws
will pay a price, and consum-
ers will hold on to more of
their own money.
To date, CFPB has recovered
more than $11 billion for 27
million consumers who were
harmed by illegal financial
ploys. These enforcement
actions have affected a wide
range of lending areas from
mortgages to student loans,
auto finance and more.
The cumulative clout of
CFPB enforcements has also
attracted united support
community stands behind Di-
rector [Richard] Cordray as
he continues to lead the CFPB
in the fourth year of his five-
year tenure,” wrote the lead-
ers.
“Any effort to weaken the
agency or undermine its
leadership would risk severe
impacts on our communities
– including communities of
color and low-income fami-
lies who are most vulnerable
to financial abuse,” the lead-
ers continued.
Unfortunately, many com-
munities of color that were
hardest hit financially during
the Great Recession are also
targeted for discriminatory
and predatory lending. Ra-
