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2 <br /> 1 Public Defender Committee on Race and Equity, the Criminal Justice Resource Office, the NC <br /> 2 Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities and the District 15B Racial Justice Taskforce; and <br /> 3 <br /> 4 WHEREAS, Mr. Williams consistently challenged racial and socioeconomic disparities in the <br /> 5 criminal justice system in North Carolina, including racial bias in policing, unfair public housing <br /> 6 admission provisions, high court costs and fees for indigent clients, inequitable pre-trial release <br /> 7 and bail policies, institutional barriers to re-entry for formerly incarcerated persons, and police <br /> 8 practices that target low-level crimes; and <br /> 9 <br /> 10 WHEREAS, James dedicated his career to working with other lawyers, judges, law enforcement <br /> 11 officers, elected officials, and the community to address those disparities through efforts to bring <br /> 12 transparency to policing decisions and judicial practices, promote body worn cameras for law <br /> 13 enforcement officers and policies regarding broader access to police videos, and by leading <br /> 14 public education initiatives and engaged community dialogue around racial bias in the criminal <br /> 15 justice system; and <br /> 16 <br /> 17 WHEREAS, James undertook these efforts while also tirelessly and zealously representing his <br /> 18 clients, including defendants in some of the most high-profile and controversial cases in our <br /> 19 community, all of which were resolved without death penalty verdicts and in ways that helped <br /> 20 the community begin to heal; and <br /> 21 <br /> 22 WHEREAS, Mr. Williams is a fearless advocate who cares deeply about the indigent clients that <br /> 23 the Office of the Public Defender represents, and is dedicated to investigating every fact, <br /> 24 developing compelling mitigation, retaining high-quality experts and filing every motion so that <br /> 25 his clients receive the highest quality legal representation, as well as providing guidance, <br /> 26 inspiration, and mentorship to those around him; <br /> 27 <br /> 28 NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners does <br /> 29 hereby extend to James E. Williams, Jr., our sincere and steadfast appreciation for his <br /> 30 dedicated service to the Office of the Public Defender and to the residents of Orange County, <br /> 31 for helping our community be a more just and equitable place, and for embodying the words of <br /> 32 Thurgood Marshall, who said "You do what you think is right, and let the law catch up". <br /> 33 <br /> 34 This the 6th day of June, 2017. <br /> 35 <br /> 36 A motion was made by Chair Dorosin, seconded by Commissioner Rich for the Board to <br /> 37 adopt the resolution and authorized the Chair to sign the Resolution. <br /> 38 <br /> 39 VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> 40 <br /> 41 James Williams thanked Chair Dorosin and the Board of County Commissioners for this <br /> 42 acknowledgement. He said this Board should be proud of the groundbreaking decisions it is <br /> 43 making to affect the criminal justice system and reform. He asked if the Board would <br /> 44 communicate to its judicial stakeholders the importance of completing the second phase of the <br /> 45 School of Government study on reforms in jury pool diversity. <br /> 46 <br /> 47 PUBLIC CHARGE <br /> 48 <br /> 49 Chair Dorosin dispensed with the reading of the Public Charge. <br /> 50 <br /> 51 2. Public Comments <br />