Desmond Meade: The Hypocrisy Behind Amendment 4
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 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 !!!!