RALEIGH – After nearly 50 arrests so far— the North Carolina NAACP plans to risk it again Monday evening at the General Assembly with its third consecutive week of protests.

Members of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, joined by other community members, have been protesting and even arrested in recent rallies.

State Chapter President Rev. William Barber is now calling the event “Moral Mondays.” It’s happening at 5:30 outside the State Legislative Building.

Thirty people were arrested last Monday, a week after 17 protesters were taken into custody.

The NAACP and other activists say the Republican majorities in the legislature are backing a regressive agenda on social programs, voting rights, education and tax policy. The civil rights groups and others say the GOP actions disproportionately hurt the poor and minorities.

Barber won’t say how long protests will continue. He says they’re a part of a wider strategy that includes legal action and political organizing.