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Protestors Call For Restoration Of Civil Rights For Convicted Criminals
March 20, 2014
Faith leaders and ex-felons marched to the Florida Capitol on Wednesday, calling for Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet to reverse a policy and restore the civil rights of people who have served their time.
The protesters wore gags to symbolize the loss by ex-offenders of the right to vote, sit on juries or hold public office, saying Florida’s disenfranchisement rate is the highest in the country — with more than 10 percent of voting-age residents unable to cast ballots, including 23 percent of black Floridians.
Gathered on the Old Capitol steps, speakers said the lives of ex-felons are hard and that some give up and go back behind bars.
LaShanna Tyson, who served 13 years, said she watched other women get out of prison before her “and come right back, telling me ‘It’s easier for me in prison than it is out there.’ I couldn’t understand it, but now I do.”
Tyson added, “To our governor: We’ve all made mistakes, including you. But you know what? Right now I’m seeking that second chance, just like you.”
The clemency board, which consists of Scott and the Cabinet, voted in early 2011 to reverse a policy change four years earlier that allowed felons who had completed their sentences and all other requirements of the criminal-justice system to more easily gain the right to vote.
In 2007, then-Gov. Charlie Crist began the process by which non-violent offenders could regain their civil rights and others could have their cases reviewed. Scott’s administration reversed Crist’s changes and added a waiting period. The new rules require offenders to wait between five and seven years after completing their obligations, including restitution, to apply for their rights to be restored.
Supporters of changing the Crist-era policy said Florida had made it too easy for ex-felons to have their civil rights restored.
“Felons seeking the restoration of rights must show they desire and deserve clemency by applying only after they have shown they are willing to abide by the law,” Scott said in introducing the 2011 change.
According to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which helped organize the rally, an additional application processing time takes about six years, making the total wait as much as 13 years. Even then, based on the current pattern, the group said in a statement, individuals have less than a 1 percent chance of having their civil rights restored.
The coalition said 1.5 million Floridians are affected.
One speaker, Michael Orlando, 26, said he was still paying for mistakes he’d made at 20.
“There are people who don’t know better, because they’ve never been shown better,” he said. “And for some people like myself, that light don’t click on until later on in life. But the state of Florida is saying, ‘It doesn’t matter when the light clicks on. If you made a mistake in your past, you must suffer for a lifetime.’ ”
Jessica Chiappone, who was busted at age 20 on a drug charge and served her time, came to the podium with her 1-year-old. Now 36, Chiappone said she applied for the restoration of her civil rights when she entered Nova Southeastern Law School, but didn’t get them until well after graduation. Now she’s struggling to support three boys on a legal assistant’s salary and can’t afford $3,000 to take the Bar exam.
“I know the common response is that I should have thought of these issues when I broke the law,” Chiappone said. “I was 20 years old. I obviously did not know what I was doing. I also did not know that when I took a plea, I’d be punished for the rest of my life.”
After their rally, the protesters went to the Cabinet room, where Scott was presiding over the clemency board.
They sat quietly with their gags on, but applauded when petitioner Anna Lowe told the governor, “Please don’t judge me for my past. Judge me for my future.”
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and PICO United Florida marched to the capitol Wednesday in Tallahassee to call on Gov. Rick Scott and Cabinet members to restore the civil rights of people who have been convicted of felonies in the past. Photo by Tom Urban for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
15 Responses to “Protestors Call For Restoration Of Civil Rights For Convicted Criminals”
I got in trouble in 89 . I was nineteen . End of my sentence was July of 93 . I havent been convicted of any crimes since . Other than speeding or seTbelt ticket. . Twenty five years . Im still paying . Even though my probation office told me i should of killed them , atleast id got something out of it . Yea , twenty years . But dont cry when my fellow felon robs you at gun point . Dont h old it against him . Prob doin what he has to do to survive . Who do you think makes up most of our high unemployment rate . Come on guess . Prob hard for ya . Its felons . Just something to think about .
Let ‘em vote while they’re still in prison.
The’ll have plenty of time to study the candidates.
It would be fun listening to candidates seeking their support.
Let them serve jury duty too, should eliminate prison overcrowding.
Besides, that would be a true jury of their peers.
Over and over we are hearing “everyone makes mistakes” and that is true. But these are crimes. Deliberate acts. Acts committed with no regard to their short or long term effects.
They were NOT mistakes!!!!! I’ve always viewed restoring civil rights to convicted felons with mixed emotions. If they have ‘done their time’ and made restitution and shown remorse for their actions maybe some their civil rights should be restored………but how far should this go?
I don’t have a problem with having them apply for reinstatement of voting rights after 5-10 years of not committing crimes. But when Crist decided to allow them to apply as they’re walking out of prison, despite the rate of repeat offenders, this is destructive. They have put the screws to us by committing the crime in the first place, and then to allow them to vote that quickly without knowing if they’re going to go right back and commit these crimes again, puts the screws to us again…. who wants criminals deciding who is going to represent us in government?
I do feel everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, we have people committing crimes because they were never taught the difference between right and wrong as they were growing upin the home could be a possibile contributing factor. At some point even if this is the case in your life, you can take and make responsible choices and decisions as easily as you once made some irresponsible choices and decisions. It is very possible that in the home your parents, foster parents, adoptive parents ( if one is that fortunate ) didn’t do as great of a job as you thought or think they should’ve, that they actually did or done the very best of their ability that they knew to do. It can go either way for us in life, it could’ve always been “WORSE,” but at some point we have to be that responsible citizen before irresponsible citizen when asking for “Privileged Rights” to be restored especially when we intentionally gave up that “Privileged Right” by our own actions. When we find ourselves in these positions in “LIFE”, we sometimes have to find ourselves approved or restore the “TRUST” of the “Judicial System” and many other people’s trust ( family, friends, etc.) also.
Quote, Author Unknown: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard
battle.” Love one another as you love your ownself
Sorry, but once you commit a felony, REGARDLESS of time served, you gave up that right when you committed the crime.
Felonies are sentence by society they served that time with their lives in prisons they up held their duties to societ. These laws of taking away their rights as citizenship. Now society laws says you must pay us back for the rest of your life nojons no voting we are taking away your citizenship. Wrong Laws only makes these States that have these kind of laws look hard and mean citizens. We here in Illinois gives Felonies full citizenship once they have served their time we welcome them back into our communities with full citizen ship.
“Florida’s disenfranchisement rate is the highest in the country — with more than 10 percent of voting-age residents unable to cast ballots, including 23 percent of black Floridians.”
Sounds to me like this should be the concern, not whether they should be allowed to vote. The action needed is the one that will reduce this sad statistic.
I agree with them if they have served their time they should have their rights restored. We have become a nation that makes people pay forever for making a mistake. We used to let them serve their time and give them a clean slate to start over. And for those who are so UNFORGIVING I hope one of your children or your self does something to get arrested and see how the shoe fits!
Boo hoo hoo!
This is NOTHING compared to what they have done to their victims.
Do right said it all.
All cases should be reviewed as some of these felons are working to improve their condition in society, through honest efforts, some. I think that the nature of the offense should be the prime factor of consideration, i.e. paper hangers (bad checks) vs child murderers, rapist ect.
Some of these people should never have their Liberties restored. A monster should be condemned to wander as a warning to those who would contemplate such acts.
So if you cant vote, sit on a jury, or run for public office you’re doomed to a life of crime? Sounds like grandstanding by some activists.
Here is an idea…don’t get arrested! Just do right and you keep your civil rights.
GOVERNOR SCOTT STAND YOUR GROUND ON THIS .
Too damn bad! they knew the deal when they commited the felony act that took away their civil rights. Maybe a 1 year course on U.S constitutional law first,then we’ll have this talk again…..