Desmond Meade is the face of the Florida movement to restore voting rights to some previously convicted felons who have served their time and are disenfranchised by the state. He serves as the head of the “Florida Rights Restoration Coalition” and “Floridians for a Fair Democracy”. All of which advocate for the passage of Amendment 4 – the November ballot initiative that would restore voting rights to people who have served their time for felony offenses… except charges involving murder or sex offenses.
Both the ironically named “Floridians for a Fair Democracy” and FRCC claim they are “committed to ending the disenfranchisement and discrimination against people with convictions.” But that is untrue. By virtue of their categorical exclusion of certain offenses, they, by definition, discriminate. How is that fair?
Meade, who had previously done prison time and has a history of drug, aggravated battery and firearm offenses, would like to have you think he’s one of the “good felons” who are deserving of having his rights restored, while the population he seeks to throw under the bus are not as deserving as he is. In fact, according to US Government Statistics, over two-thirds (76.9%) of state drug offenders released from state prison were rearrested within five years and violent offenders recidivate more that most non-violent offenders, while the recidivism rate for sex offenses ranges around only 5%! So Mr. Meade is hypocritically asking to restore the right to those with astronomically higher recidivism rates than those significantly less likely to reoffend! And if that was not hypocritical enough he writes in a letter to the community “When a debt is paid, it’s paid”. What he really means is that it is paid only when he pays it, and not someone else less likely to reoffend. If that is not the definition of hypocritical what is?
We have asked Mr. Meade repeatedly why his discriminatory stand and we wondered why Mr. Meade was so prejudiced against a certain class of former felon. One clue came when we realized that he formerly served on the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust Board with Ron Book. It started to make more sense to us.
For a long time the Florida Action Committee stood silent on Amendment 4, but we have reached our boiling point. In a recent mailer sent by Floridians for a Fair Democracy to generate support for Amendment 4, Mr. Meade, felt it necessary, in bold font nonetheless, to highlight that his measure excludes sex offenders and murderers. Sad!
Mr. Meade and his organizations are hardly committed to ending discrimination and are anything but for a “fair” democracy.
Anyone who feels it necessary to so aggressively step on other people in order to make themselves appear bigger, perhaps is not all that deserving of civil rights after all!
Below is a copy of the letter sent to Floridians for a Fair Democracy:
I’m noticing the comment is ambiguous. Let me clarify: As a country, we are a constitutional republic – not a democracy. Democracy has been cleverly thrown by politicians. This has put the constitution at great risk. But we’re steadily bringing back the original constitutional republic we were intended to be originally. Old schemes are dying away. These are new and very exciting times. As a constitutional republic, there’d be no registry.
Our founding fathers believed that democracy would ‘morph’ into mob rule and for that reason they established our nation as a Constitutional Republic. Established laws guided policies, not hourly whelms. I still do not understand how a state can establish elements of its constitution that are in conflict with the US Constitution??? We see it all the time. Anytime you hear a politician rely on the term ‘democracy’ to support a position, you can know that politician is clueless as to foundation principles.
Very happy to see your awareness. It’s key to keep this in mind. “Democracy” was a clever trick, wasn’t it? If anything, it’s unpatriotic.
Ladies and gentleman we are the equivalent of a high school football team vs. and NFL team. This is a game of inches, and if we want some wins we have to work on our short game alot. Getting this through puts us right at the goal line.
If we work on things like public urination shouldn’t be a sex offense and win we’re closer to the next group and then the next group. Sex offenders are the devil in most peoples eyes because they are not informed. So lets move the ball even if just by a few inches.
James – you do understand this is not a move forward for sex offenders. It condones discrimination against them. It’s a HUGE setback!
Maybe I see it wrong, but I believe this is still a move in the right direction. It’s a step forward for felons which we are.
Good for felons, bad for sex offenders, mixed for felony sex offenders.
The thing most people don’t understand about Amendment 4, despite repeated explanation, is that the authority to discriminate against sex offenders will become a part of our state’s constitution.
We can no longer say that it’s unconstitutional to deprive sex offenders of a particular right or benefit afforded others, because if this passes our constitution will expressly allow it.
It’s a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE, step backwards for our population and anyone who supports it should just wait and see how it manifests. I promise you! Go try and challenge a law that discriminates against sex offenders in the future and the counter argument will be that if a right as fundamental as voting can discriminate, other benefits that are not “rights” can surely exclude registrants.
Forgive my ignorance if I’m wrong about my understanding of Bills of Attainder, but isn’t granting voting rights to some and disallowing a very specific group the same rights the very definition of a Bill of Attainder?
does anyone have any idea how manslaughter falls under amendment 4. does manslaughter fall under Murder? THOUGHTS?
no on #4
It does not
I’m curious if it will extend to folks who have not been ‘Convicted’ but rather, still have to register even though their charges are ‘withheld adjudication’
My probation was terminated a week ago. I already have and plan to submit the paperwork to have my voting rights restored…timeframes be damned. I will not be asking Florida to give me something…my voting rights…but to return something to me that I spent 29 years earning. This phony 5-7 year delay tacked on by Governor Highness Scott is nothing but his effort to weed out potential democrat voters…assuming that most ex-felons will vote democratic.
Currently, applications will be returned as ineligible to apply until 7 years after release from all sanctions (including probation). Once the 7 year period has lapsed (in your case, September of 2025), you can apply.
So I finished any remaining sentence 12 years ago. If I can apply for my voting rights back then where exactly can I find that form to send in?
JA, the address is:
Coordinator, Office of Executive Clemency
4070 Esplanade Way
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2450
I will keep applying. The delay is wrong and I will take a stand on that injustice. I didn’t serve my country for 29 years so some ‘tin horn’ bureaucrat could keep me from voting. They will get to know me well until my voting rights are returned. It’s war!!
If you are denied you must wait 2 years. Make sure you don’t apply within 2 years of your 7 year finish line so you don’t have to wait any time beyond that.
From my many years of management experience I have come to know that there has never been a law/rule made that can’t be waived. If we want to win a battle, we have to get out of the bleachers and on to the field. Spectators don’t win games; the team players do.
You tell ‘me skipper. I feel the same way.
I applied anyway. My 15 minutes of failure in life does not ‘trump’ 29 years of military service.
Please POST the website or email address for “Floridians for a Fair Democracy”. I could only find the discriminatory idiots: https://secondchancesfl.org
I’ve emailed them ^ an email already showing their own discriminatory practices. No reply of course.
Has Mr. Meade or Ron Book ever served in the U.S. Military. Just curious. I did during the first Gulf War. No Combat. Wasn’t even deployed in theater. Sent on an “Extreme Cold Weather Op” called “Battle Griffith” But I was willing to bleed out for the Constitutional rights of all Americans; including my own for crying out loud.
Some SO’s are combat veterans. Some murderers are. I would submit they have more invested in, and as deserving of the right to vote than Ron Book or Mr. Meade. Wasn’t this nation born due to “Taxation without Representation” ???
I’m counting on “the good people” of Floriduh, who have a long history of rejecting any kind of justice reform, not to pass this amendment.
It is trending to pass
Meade, I’m sure has self-esteem issues, but trying to talk to him is like trying to talk to a ‘Book’ Bot. He seems to think he and Ron did a noble thing in ‘relocating’ the registered citizens from the Julia Tuttle Causeway bridge to a ‘better’ place. Every voter and coming of age Florida resident should be shown David Feige’s ‘Untouchable’ documentary. The most important thing that came out of that production is that Ron had to watch it ‘more than once’ before he decided he didn’t like it. Next time you watch it pay close attention to the part where the captain of the FL capitol police was talking to me and David’s camera guy caught Ron Book in the background coming out from behind a tree and watching. It came back to us that he ‘hates’ Women Against Registry. Fair enough…we have little regard for bullies such as the Books and Desmond Meade!
This is a sad event for organizations who represent themselves as “for felons” rights. It seems they want to continue to perpetuate the publics view that all sex offenders are horrible child molesters, and rapists hiding in the bushes waiting to commit their next offense.
Your letter is deservedly written and I hope opens some of their members eyes to the plight of the SO.
Equally deserving of a “high five” and a pat on the back letter, are other organizations such as Prison Legal News and Human Rights Defense center who oppose this amendment and have written strong oppositions against Amendment 4, due to the obvious discrimination against a class of felons.
IF this Amendment passes (BIG IF) I think it could be overturned on the grounds of being discriminatory
No – it is to amend the Constitution. It will become constitutional to discriminate.
Exactly. You can’t challenge the constitutionality of the Constitution in the jurisdiction to which it belongs.
It could, I assumed, be challenged against the US Constitution, though, right?
Would SCOTUS allow Floriduh to pass such a blatant “Bill of Attainder?”
It is clear that he is all about his needs, his wants and if he has to show ” us voters” why his voting rights are worth it, then he has to show who’s rights must not be restored. It’s obvious….the voters who he is courting needs a “bad crime” to take their mind of ” the good guy ” crimes…seen it in Prison every day in every way possible.
I have to wonder what Ron Book has hidden in his closet!!!
To FAC,
Very well written letter. I can see that the slime-ball Ron Book is still trying to subvert our rights anyway he can.
I actually pity Mr. Book. His guilt over him not taking the role of father and raising his child, instead of “pawning her off to a nanny”, to look out for his own future, negating hers.
As far as this “worm”, Mr. Meade, he, like Ron Book, is only out for himself.
Gail, your letter reminds me of an old Bevis & Butthead quote….
“Kick his @$$ Bevis—KICK IT !!!!