CALL TO ACTION: Amendment 4 Passed: Now what about us?
NOTE Given the response to this post we are including a preamble.
The ACLU is a friend. The ACLU of Florida (and national) represents the homeless registrants in Miami-Dade and the ACLU of Michigan has done great things for it’s state and those in the 6th Circuit. The point is here is not to bash the ACLU, but sometimes nudging a friend is different than pushing the opposition. That means acknowledging and respecting their help over the years while making principled criticisms.
As an organization that has been involved in the legal challenges, ACLU has first hand knowledge of how registrants have been treated, which is all the more reason they should be embarrassed over Amendment 4.
These organization are now celebrating the victory without mention of those who are now subject to further stigma.
Now that they have their victory on Amendment 4, let’s urge them to take action to ensure that a fundamental right like voting is not taken away from anyone. They have their victory on Amendment 4… now what about us?
This past Tuesday, voters in Florida passed Amendment 4. Now the Florida Constitution will be amended to restore the voting rights of former felons who have completed their sentences…
… except people convicted of murder or sex offenders.
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and the ACLU invested millions into getting this amendment passed and they were successful.
They were also successful in discriminating against us!
For organizations like FRRC which claims to be, “committed to ending the disenfranchisement and discrimination against people with convictions”, or the ACLU which, “works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties” they certainly threw us under the bus quite easily!
Contact the ACLU and FRRC and let them know you don’t appreciate being discriminated against.
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I’m worried this is part of a one-two punch: We cant vote, so let’s take away any chance of food stamps too ! It’s not related, but it’s out there NOW. Just Google “Holding Amendment”. It’s part of the passed House version of the SNAP part of the Farm Bill, which is now in the combined Conference Committee. There is serious talk of getting it done by the lame duck Congress. I sure hope the Demos can stall it to next year or just extend the existing Farm Bill.
That is a VERY valid concern. They already bar convicted drug dealers from receiving food assistance under SNAP. It almost forces them to resort to illegal activities in order to survive. I saw it happen 2 years ago to a guy on parole here in Michigan. He got caught stealing from a woman’s purse in an apartment downstairs from his, and he went back to prison. They already ban lifetime registered sex offenders from Section 8 housing assistance, even though we are some of the neediest people in the community.
@Hank I read that article very scary….. I notice the person who wrote the bill he needs to be removed from office I don’t have any love any more for the Republican party. They want to build prisons I commit my crime 30 years ago and I am on food stamps and disabilty. The Registry took my home,friends,family,college education, employment. Will it now be food stamps? 19 year old kid got sent to prison for have of his adult life just wanna a second chance in life I been arrest free and conviction free for 8 years. Can’t petition the Court for any relief.Hopefully Gundy in SCOTUS can change the tier system
@Hank
Derek has written a good article about this on the WAR site:
https://ww1.womenagainstregistry.org/action-alert-the-fight-to-remove-the-2018-farm-bills-ban-on-registered-citizens-from-snap
We all should worry about this……..I’m so glad the crats took back the house so maybe it won’t pass……this time.
It seems to me that when a court decision goes our way, it is usually because of the work of the ACLU. They aren’t making a lot of friends by defending the rights of sex offenders, and they certainly aren’t making a lot of money from it. Litigation is expensive. They are out there handling cases on a multitude of issues. But they also see the big picture. They need to build enough victories in federal districts where they have a chance to win, and gather enough good precedent to succeed in the Supreme Court eventually. They don’t owe us anything. They are a private organization. But they work on unpopular causes that other lawyers won’t touch because it’s the right thing to do. They also have to put up with constant attacks from the far right. It takes a lot of courage to do what they do. They fight for the rights of women, of gays, of minorities, of inmates, of sex offenders, of homeless people, etc., without demanding a fat fee. We should save our disdain for the lawmakers who pile on these senseless regulations. They would have backed the Florida amendment if murderers and sex offenders had been included. However, they are not the ones who drafted the amendment. In fact, the rules probably prevent them from such political activities. Without the ACLU, who would stick up for any of the little guys.
Unfortunately: i would argue that there IS an expectation. the American CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION needs to be all encompassing. Our system promotes justice being blind. The aclu took it upon itself to defend that principle and defend from justice picking and choosing what is right for who. The aclu has defended “racists” whom we may have a moral issue with but they and their ideas are protected. This picking and chosing has severely underminded that even handed and universal approach to unbiased protections under the constitution. By alienating these groups they by default fed us to the lions. This is damaging to the original principles of what they now say they stand for. Have they sold out to the very system they supposedly were sheilding and protecting all peoples from…..
Well said.
Yet on deaf ears instead of blind justice….
Gerald
I have a question? If the ACLU is really looking after our interests too and someone contests amendment 4 on the basis of bias and the state courts decide to take it . Then the decision is made that it is biased then would that not just make the whole amendment be thrown out with everyone loosing there rights . So it would be a lose lose situation no matter what happens now. Leaving SO with no winning no matter what . So how could this amendment possibly be okay no matter what .
The good thing is 1.4 million felons will be able to vote now. I think Rick Scott will be a senator just for one term. How many ex felons are going to vote for him? I really believe he’s toast in Florida!
how’s this for a start? Don’t sit back and bitch about it….
Jason and I have passed along your concerns regarding the Sexual Offender Registry to Senator Rouson. In his efforts to restore felon rights, he has encountered other individuals like yourself. The Senator is supporting the passage of Constitutional Amendment #4 which would restore felon rights to vote. At this time, he encourages you to reach out to your area Representative to start the bill process to change the language in FL Statute 943.0435. If you can get this done on the State House of Representative’s side, the Senator will consider co-sponsoring a bill on the Senate side.
I lost all respect for ACLU they threw us to the curb like trash even acknowledged to our foes and to our fellow peers we are less then human
Can’t it be amended in the future to include everyone? or am i naive in my thinking?
You are naive to think the voters would approve a constitutional amendment specific to people required to register and people who have committed murder.
I could care less about voting, I just want off the registry. I already know that every other felon has more rights than a sex offender, even a murderer. It stings, but not that bad.
If i had to choose between being able to vote or off the registry for good, well… you just expressed that answer for me. I pick the latter all day every day. lol
Dear FAC,
Any thoughts on how Amendment 4 will actually be implemented? I’m sure there will be lots of court cases involved. Also, I ask again, Do you think there might be an avenue in the courts for someone like me who pled to an attempt at a sexual offense. – like an attempt at murder seems to be eligible for receiving voting rights. Thanks!!
It could be written to be all emcompassing noone left out noone specifically included:
For FAC because its off topic but another officer of the law got caught. so once again the people keeping us down are getting caught doing what they abuse us for having done in the past. A police sergeant arrested last week encouraged a person he thought was a 15-year-old girl to pretend she was 18, the criminal complaint against him says.
Howell Police Sgt. Richard Conte, 47, was arrested and charged Thursday with second-degree attempted luring or enticing of a child. Authorities announced the arrest the next day.
Lets see what happens to him
@no hope
https://www.facebook.com/howellpolice/posts/incident-notification-howell-officer-arrested-chief-of-police-statement-my-commu/1722639921119134/
This arrest occurred September 7, 2018. Nothing more on the incident has been released by Howell Township………..however, in the comments:
“How do you tell the good officers from the bad? By how they treat fellow officers who commit crimes.
The fact that this officer has only been suspended and is already out of jail is very telling. 7w · Edited”
“The guy had condoms in his pocket. Get real. 8w · Edited”
And on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx-GVaFXf1g
Wow The chief of police recommended suspense without pay what happen to no bail?, or jail?
they spun the advertisement in the most innocent way. The way the woman in the commercial said “felony” was the tone a teenager would use to describe something that is no big deal.
@ no hope
I’m also not naive to think new elected Governor Desatanist and his new clemency panel which includes Ashley Moody now, to give me or anyone of our kind a pass (only RSOs and murderers now have to beg to them). Not even going to waste my time and try.