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Felons work to get rights restored
By MICHAEL SANDLER
© St. Petersburg Times, TAMPA -- Derrick Williams recalls without hesitation the day his life changed. On July 1, 1988, three weeks from his 22nd birthday, he was arrested for possessing a small amount of cocaine. That night has become the single most important moment in his past every time he interviews for a job. It has also kept him from voting. "You've paid your debt to society," said Williams, a West Tampa man who served three years of probation. "But you keep paying." On Saturday, Williams, now 35, began the process of regaining his legal status as a member of society. He was one of more than 100 convicted felons who attended a workshop at the Allen Temple AME Church in Ybor City to learn how to have their civil rights restored. State Rep. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, and the American Civil Liberties Union organized the informal session hoping to guide the group through a bureaucratic but necessary process. The workshop was also attended by Pam Iorio, Hillsborough County's supervisor of elections; a representative from the Florida Parole Commission; and several volunteer attorneys. "It takes time," said Joyner, who also is a lawyer. "Hopefully, in a year, several of these people will be voting again." It was the second time the ACLU held the workshop in Tampa since George W. Bush narrowly defeated Al Gore in Florida to win the 2000 presidential election. Amid calls for recounts in several parts of the state, groups of voters, many of them African-American, complained they were turned away from the polls because of past troubles with the law. Some said they were denied the right to vote because of confusion by poll workers over the restoration of their civil rights. Others said they had to wait hours at their polling places for confirmation their rights had been restored. Florida is one of a few states to require people convicted of felonies to apply for restoration of their civil rights with the state's clemency board. The process can take years and involves sending detailed forms to court clerks, judges and attorneys. "It's meant to be complicated," said Mike Phenger, secretary of Florida's chapter of the ACLU. "Unless you have a lawyer, and even then it's not easy." The majority of those attending Saturday's workshop had yet to begin the process and were hoping to get a head start on the next election and avoid confusion at the polls. They talked about how losing one's civil rights means a lot more than losing the right to vote. The circumstances of a felony must be documented on just about every job application. For some occupations that require licensing, such as cutting hair or working at a betting track, no civil rights often means no job. "I know how important voting is, but you only do it every two years," said Lionel Garcia, regional administrator for the Florida Parole Commission. "You have to go to work each day." Williams knows what it is like to be turned down based on his record. It took time to find his current job loading and unloading trucks for Cott Beverage, where he has worked the past three years. "When you go to fill out an application, that's basically the first thing they get to," said Williams, who is married with three children. "A lot of people, their attitude changes (once they learn about an arrest), regardless of how long ago it was." Williams now wants to vote. He said this past election inspired him, but he always wished he could regain his right. "It's really something I've been wanting to do for a long time," he said. "But it's one of those things where you don't know where to start." Anthony Robinson would like to vote, too. But he lost his rights in 1993, when he was 19 years old and arrested for cocaine possession. He served three years of probation and now works in the press room of the Tampa Tribune. On Saturday, he took the first step toward having his say. "I'd like to give it a try," said Robinson, 27, who has two children. "I've always wanted to be a part of that." -- Michael Sandler can be reached at (813) 226-3472 or sandler@sptimes.com.
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