Afrikans & Law

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Comment by JOHN D HENRY on August 9, 2008 at 7:20pm

thank you for having me,some laws were made to be broken and some not. but what do we do when GODS law need to come 1st, if we are not going to change then GOD will change it for US. FEEL ME

PEACE,LOVE, COMPASSION,LAW,

Comment by Leonard S. on July 24, 2008 at 10:36am

Dear Brothers and Sistas,

This message was posted by bro Olushola Camara back in June in the Economics and Finance section he mentioned about "Jurisdictionary" and their law program.

http://livinginblack.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=2019163%3ATopic%3A139676

I also know a couple of people who have invested in this course who say they don't and won't never deal with a lawyer again.

Please also take a look at the "Rule of Law" link that was posted by me this is a radio show that comes on 3 times a week and gives good info on how to proceed with issues of law without having to hire a attorney.

If you are interested in law this show will teach you how to go after and deal with bad cops, judges, laws, and individuals.

They have an archive section so you won't have to miss LIB... :)

Peace


http://livinginblack.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=2019163%3ATopic%3A139676

Comment by Bro. Dr. Ahmses Maat on July 24, 2008 at 10:01am

Please also work with the LIB group "Legal".

Comment by Bro. Dr. Ahmses Maat on July 24, 2008 at 9:29am

Are we set within this group to inform the LIB members about critical issues and how to legally defend ourselves... We just got another family member tazered 14 times in nine minutes. The last two times he was already dead...

How can we use this group to connect to other legal organizations and be our legal advocate?

Comment by KashaHeru on July 24, 2008 at 7:13am

Thanks for sharing and keeping the League in the loop.

This is how we in the community did it organization within
i personally am making a move out of the USA however, because i love all of my hardworking people i chose to fight this battle for those who cannot, will not, or choose not to leave....i am my sister/brothers keeper..hand up not hand out. Sabes?



Helen Credle, Director

Department of Mature Worker Services

Urban League of Eastern MA

88 Warren Street, Roxbury, MA 02119

Bus #: (617) 442-4519

Cell #: (617) 935-5151

Fax #: (617) 427-1302



“IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE GREAT”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: aaron.tanaka@gmail.com [mailto:aaron.tanaka@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Aaron Tanaka
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 1:57 PM
To: bostonworkersalliance@lists.riseup.net
Subject: [bostonworkersalliance] Banner Article on Governor's CORI Proposal



Greetings,

Please see this week's Banner article on CORI reform developments.

For youth and youth advocates interested in working on getting youth demands into the CORI reforms, please join us for a meeting:

Youth Justice CORI Meeting:
Friday, Jan 25th - 3:30pm @ City Hall 5th Floor Curly Room.

Thank you for your continued support. We are starting to see the results of our hard work.

Peace, Aaron
---

Patrick announces bill, order to reform CORI
By Yawu Miller
January 17, 2007 — Vol. 43, No. 23

Gov. Deval Patrick last week announced a bill and an executive order, both aimed at stemming what some have called excesses in the state's Criminal Offender Records Information (CORI) law.

Patrick's bill would reduce the amount of time ex-offenders would have to wait to have their records sealed and remove barriers to state agencies seeking to hire job applicants with criminal records.

"CORI was never intended to turn every offense into a life sentence," said Patrick in a statement announcing the proposed reforms. "All but a handful of people incarcerated are eventually released, and they need to get back to work. These reforms require decision-makers to make an individual determination about whether an applicant is rehabilitated, rather than excluding ex-offenders categorically. If we want to reduce crime and help people re-integrate successfully, this is a smarter approach."

Many of those working for CORI reform hailed Patrick's support, but stressed that more changes are necessary to make it possible for ex-offenders to find gainful employment.

"This moves the reform process forward," said City Councilor Chuck Turner. "But it's not as much as we wanted."

As it stands, according to Wilnelia Rivera, an organizer with the statewide grassroots organization Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts, CORIs are "like scarlet letters that marginalize" ex-offenders by preventing them from accessing employment and housing opportunities. Her organization says individuals who were found innocent or against whom charges were dropped should not have CORI records.

"This is a significant step towards opening the door … for people with CORI records, but much more work needs to be done," said Rivera in a statement.

Patrick's bill would allow ex-offenders to have their records sealed after 10 years for a felony conviction or five years after a misdemeanor, down from the 15 years and 10 years currently called for by state law.

Activists working with the Boston Workers Alliance (BWA) and the Massachusetts Alliance to Reform CORI (MARC) called for the waiting time to seal records to be reduced to seven years for felonies and three years for a misdemeanor.

Patrick's proposed changes to the state's CORI law are more modest than those called for in House Bill 1416, a reform package endorsed by MARC and the BWA, as well as black elected officials and Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

Calling the governor's announcement "promising," Menino lauded the bill's provision for "a more comprehensive way to approach re-entry" and expanded opportunities for ex-offenders to verify the accuracy of their reports. He did, however, emphasize his support for other related reforms.

"As the Legislature considers this important issue, I hope that they will also consider the needed training and education eliminated from prison programs over the past decade, and that they will add provisions that serve juveniles as well," said Menino in a statement.

MARC founder Horace Small, executive director of the Union of Minority Neighborhoods, said his organization views Patrick's bill and executive order as initial steps.

"A lot of people are asking why did we push for an executive order," Small said. "It's a simple reason: to save the movement. After two years of lobbying, we knew the Legislature wasn't going to budge. We understood that if we didn't come out with anything, we'd start losing people."

In 2006 and 2007, activists from across the state marched on the State House, held rallies on Boston Common and lobbied legislators to support House Bill 1416. But the bill has been held in the Joint Committee on the Judiciary by its chairman, state Rep. Eugene L. O'Flaherty, D-Chelsea, who has been cool to CORI reform.

In addition to shortening the waiting time for sealing records, the provisions in House Bill 1416 would seal records of arrests that did not end in convictions; seal juvenile records; and create clear procedures for people to appeal mistakes on their records. The bill would also make it illegal for companies to discriminate against job applicants solely on the basis of having a record.

Under the present system, employers are able to check whether prospective employees have records when they apply for jobs. Many refuse to hire applicants who have arrest records, regardless of whether the applicant was convicted of committing a crime.

Teenagers are particularly hard hit by the law, which effectively bars many people from retail jobs, even for offenses considered minor, such as trespassing.

Patrick's executive order and bill draw in part from a May 2007 report cosponsored by The Boston Foundation and the Crime and Justice Institute. Entitled "CORI: Opening Doors of Opportunity: A Workforce and Public Safety Imperative," the report recommended changes in the way CORI information is used to remove unnecessary barriers to employment for ex-offenders.

Paul S. Grogan, president and CEO of The Boston Foundation, echoed the report's findings following the governor's announcement, highlighting the importance of removing those barriers in financially troubled times.

"In this economy, we need all hands on deck," said Grogan in a statement. "The administration has found a way to create economic opportunity while protecting vulnerable populations. That is an achievement with two compelling parts."

While Patrick's bill leans toward incremental changes to the state's CORI law, his executive order brings major changes to the way the state uses CORIs.

Patrick's executive order governing state hiring policies would bar state agencies from considering an applicant's criminal record for a job unless an applicant is determined to be qualified for a job and the content of a criminal record is relevant to a job.

Patrick's executive order also directs the state's Executive Office of Health and Human Services (HHS) to revise its CORI regulations to allow job applicants with criminal backgrounds to be employed in its agencies and in vendor programs that receive HHS funding.

Under the administration of former Gov. Paul Cellucci, HHS and its vendors fired many outreach workers who had criminal records in 2001.

That same year, Turner and other activists were arrested during a sit-in protest the HHS regulations.

"People were being fired from jobs they had been working in for years," Turner said.

Another provision in Patrick's executive order directs the Criminal History Systems Board (CHSB) — a body created to oversee the use and maintenance of the state's CORI records — to require employers to undergo training and pass a written examination on how to properly read a criminal record as a requirement for obtaining or renewing certification to access the records.

The CHSB is also directed to study the cost of updating the procedures for sealing and correcting CORI reports. Now, sealing CORI records requires the approval of a judge and can take years, even if the record exists as the result of a clerical error.

The CORI reform movement has scored minor victories in recent years, with the cities of Boston and Cambridge enacting laws barring contractors doing business with them from discriminating against job applicants on the basis of an arrest record.

Small says MARC will push for more cities to adopt similar measures, in addition to continuing the push for passage of House Bill 1416.

CORI reform activists are also planning to work more closely with youth groups to push for the sealing of juvenile records, beginning with a Jan. 23 meeting in Boston.

"Kids are still being denied jobs," said Small. "This can't continue."



--
Aaron Tanaka
Boston Workers Alliance
51 Roxbury St.
Roxbury, MA 02119

p. 617.427.8108
c. 617.359.0336
f. 617. 442.9404
atanaka@bostonworkersalliance.org
www.BostonWorkersAlliance.org

Comment by KashaHeru on July 24, 2008 at 6:52am

Please read the article justice for ex -offenders on this site it is about the Cori laws

Comment by W. Kabaila on July 6, 2008 at 3:20am

We are looking for Black Conscious Attorneys who can consult on dwawing up a Constitution for the National African American Congress. HELPPPPPP!!!!!

Comment by Kala Mujibha on July 4, 2008 at 12:42am

The u.s. is lobbying for an Embargo on Iran to be voted on next Week (week of July 8th 2008). Read the resolution that outlines this embargo within the discussion "H.Con Resolution 362" (above). An embargo on Iran may be considered an aggressive act of war on Iran- which could possibly incite attacks on u.s. soil. At the very least it is likely to bring up gas prices, and therefore cause economic and social instability. The repercussions could be grave for Afrikans on u.s. soil.

Comment by JC Callaway on June 20, 2008 at 7:53pm

While the Federal Gang Bill S-1735, was passed to curve gang violence, it will have an tremendous affect on young Afrikan men, ages 15-24, and affect our next generation immensely. Many will be imprisoned for 20-40 years, although they made not have committed the accused crime. This law could eventually become detrimental to Afrikan-Americans in the future.
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_1569.shtml