Friday, April 3, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Felons' voting rights back on agenda
Felons' voting rights back on agenda
By Markeshia Ricks • March 2, 2009
Two bills currently in the state Legislature could clear up the decades-old debate about whether felons should be allowed to vote, but advocates for felons' voting rights say the bills would be worse than the existing law.
The Rev. Kenneth Glasgow, founder of The Ordinary People Society, which is based in
Dothan, said the bills would roll back gains made under the current law that gives felons who haven't committed crimes of "moral turpitude" a chance to vote. Last year Glasgow, with the backing of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, sued the state Department of Corrections so he could provide voter registration information to incarcerated people who were eligible to vote.
"Until 2003 when Dr. Yvonne Kennedy brought up the restoration bill no one ever wanted to pay this issue any attention," said Glasgow, a felon who had his voting rights restored in 2004. "For 105 years it wasn't even noted, quoted or talked about and now that we have a president who wants to bring about equality and change some people in the Alabama Legislature want to set us back in time."
"It appalls me now that at this particular time in history, after we have crossed so many barriers that anyone would want to put up anything that would cause another human being to have rights taken away."
The House Constitution and Election Committee advanced a bill during the second week of the session that would define moral turpitude and which crimes involve it.
The proposed bill would increase the number of crimes that involve moral turpitude from about 15 to more than 70 and revoke the voting rights of people who commit those crimes. The same committee also will decide the fate of a bill on Attorney General Troy King's agenda that would go even further than the moral turpitude bill, revoking the voting rights of anyone who commits a felony.
State Rep. Randy Wood, R-Anniston, the House sponsor for the King bill, said it would eliminate much of the confusion over moral turpitude by returning things to the way
they were before the state Legislature changed the law in 2003. Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, is the Senate sponsor of the bill.
Wood said felons who would lose their right to vote under the King bill would truly show that they are interested in being a part of society by applying to the state Pardons and Parole Board to have their rights restored.
"I'm not saying I don't want people to have the right to vote, but losing the right to vote is part of the punishment," he said. "This way, if you serve your time and paid your debts to society, you can apply to have your voting rights restored and go vote."
Though both bills would make the question of who loses their voting rights clearer, the bills could make it more difficult for felons to vote than it is for them under existing law.
The bills likely will face stiff opposition from members of the Black Caucus and others.
State Rep. Yvonne Kennedy, D-Mobile, sponsored the legislation that made it easier for certain felons to get their voting rights back. She said she would adamantly oppose any bill that would roll back the rights that the existing law now provides.
"I think the legislation that we worked on to give ex-felons the right to vote should stand," she said.
Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, was the Senate sponsor of the 2003 Kennedy bill and said he was unaware of legislation introduced this session that would change the law. He said he is drafting a bill that would do exactly the opposite of the King bill by giving felons who have completed their sentences automatic voter restoration.
He said he would be more inclined to support the bill that would define crimes of moral turpitude and a bill in the Senate that would specify that a felon only had to pay restitution associated with the disenfranchising crime to be eligible to have his or her rights restored. Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, is sponsoring the Senate versions of both of the bills Singleton mentioned.
"I haven't seen the bill so I can't offer a lot of comment, but based on what I've heard about the attorney general's bill I can't say that I would support it," he said. "But I'd be glad to get to the table with him and work on a compromise."
Though historians have claimed that the moral turpitude clause was used to disenfranchise poor whites and blacks in the 1901 Constitution, Glasgow is an advocate of the 21st century interpretations that do not revoke the voting rights of many felons and provides an avenue of restoration for others.
Glasgow said civic participation is a part of rehabilitation and if the state wants to reduce recidivism and overcrowding in prisons, it could start by allowing felons to vote. A bill that treats all felons equally by taking voting rights away is a step in the wrong direction, he added.
"Once they have their rights as a citizen they can start acting like a citizen," Glasgow said. "If the state would adhere to giving people their rights back, they would become productive citizens."
By Markeshia Ricks • March 2, 2009
Two bills currently in the state Legislature could clear up the decades-old debate about whether felons should be allowed to vote, but advocates for felons' voting rights say the bills would be worse than the existing law.
The Rev. Kenneth Glasgow, founder of The Ordinary People Society, which is based in
Dothan, said the bills would roll back gains made under the current law that gives felons who haven't committed crimes of "moral turpitude" a chance to vote. Last year Glasgow, with the backing of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, sued the state Department of Corrections so he could provide voter registration information to incarcerated people who were eligible to vote.
"Until 2003 when Dr. Yvonne Kennedy brought up the restoration bill no one ever wanted to pay this issue any attention," said Glasgow, a felon who had his voting rights restored in 2004. "For 105 years it wasn't even noted, quoted or talked about and now that we have a president who wants to bring about equality and change some people in the Alabama Legislature want to set us back in time."
"It appalls me now that at this particular time in history, after we have crossed so many barriers that anyone would want to put up anything that would cause another human being to have rights taken away."
The House Constitution and Election Committee advanced a bill during the second week of the session that would define moral turpitude and which crimes involve it.
The proposed bill would increase the number of crimes that involve moral turpitude from about 15 to more than 70 and revoke the voting rights of people who commit those crimes. The same committee also will decide the fate of a bill on Attorney General Troy King's agenda that would go even further than the moral turpitude bill, revoking the voting rights of anyone who commits a felony.
State Rep. Randy Wood, R-Anniston, the House sponsor for the King bill, said it would eliminate much of the confusion over moral turpitude by returning things to the way
they were before the state Legislature changed the law in 2003. Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, is the Senate sponsor of the bill.
Wood said felons who would lose their right to vote under the King bill would truly show that they are interested in being a part of society by applying to the state Pardons and Parole Board to have their rights restored.
"I'm not saying I don't want people to have the right to vote, but losing the right to vote is part of the punishment," he said. "This way, if you serve your time and paid your debts to society, you can apply to have your voting rights restored and go vote."
Though both bills would make the question of who loses their voting rights clearer, the bills could make it more difficult for felons to vote than it is for them under existing law.
The bills likely will face stiff opposition from members of the Black Caucus and others.
State Rep. Yvonne Kennedy, D-Mobile, sponsored the legislation that made it easier for certain felons to get their voting rights back. She said she would adamantly oppose any bill that would roll back the rights that the existing law now provides.
"I think the legislation that we worked on to give ex-felons the right to vote should stand," she said.
Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, was the Senate sponsor of the 2003 Kennedy bill and said he was unaware of legislation introduced this session that would change the law. He said he is drafting a bill that would do exactly the opposite of the King bill by giving felons who have completed their sentences automatic voter restoration.
He said he would be more inclined to support the bill that would define crimes of moral turpitude and a bill in the Senate that would specify that a felon only had to pay restitution associated with the disenfranchising crime to be eligible to have his or her rights restored. Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, is sponsoring the Senate versions of both of the bills Singleton mentioned.
"I haven't seen the bill so I can't offer a lot of comment, but based on what I've heard about the attorney general's bill I can't say that I would support it," he said. "But I'd be glad to get to the table with him and work on a compromise."
Though historians have claimed that the moral turpitude clause was used to disenfranchise poor whites and blacks in the 1901 Constitution, Glasgow is an advocate of the 21st century interpretations that do not revoke the voting rights of many felons and provides an avenue of restoration for others.
Glasgow said civic participation is a part of rehabilitation and if the state wants to reduce recidivism and overcrowding in prisons, it could start by allowing felons to vote. A bill that treats all felons equally by taking voting rights away is a step in the wrong direction, he added.
"Once they have their rights as a citizen they can start acting like a citizen," Glasgow said. "If the state would adhere to giving people their rights back, they would become productive citizens."
Monday, February 23, 2009
44TH Re-enactment Selma Ala. ( please RSVP )
I want all of you to participate on Friday March 6th at our press conference and meeting/ rally ( see schedule )We also have two of T.O.P.S. members Daris Johnson and Kenyetta Rich who will be receiving awards at the banquet on Sat. March 7th at the Freedom Flame Awards.SEE SCHEDULE BELOW!!!
2009 Jubilee Schedule
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Saturday March 7, 2009
Welcome Reception
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Selma Performing Arts Center
Special Guest: SCLC President Byron Clay
4th Annual Jubilee Golf Tournament
Breakfast and Registration: 6:30 a.m.
Sponsored by Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Contact: Dr. Leroy Maxwell or Aubrey Larkin, Sr. at 334-872-2321.
Location: Valley Grande Golf Course
Mass Meeting
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Keynote speaker: Dr. Jeremiah Wright
The Original Freedom Singers will be in attendance
Tabernacle Baptist Church
Foot Soldier's Breakfast
8 a.m.- 10 a..m.
C.H.A.T. Academy
Jubilee Parade
Departing from Selma High School
9:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.
Selma Ave to Edmund Pettus Bridge
Induction into Hall of Resistance
10:30 am
Location: Slavery and Civil Rights Museum
Battle of the Bands
10:45 – 11:00
Location: School of Discovery Parking Lot
Miss Jubilee Pageant
Fee: $5
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Selma Performing Arts Center
Jubilee Festival
Gospel Stage- Headliner: TBA/Local Talent
Blues Stage - Marvin Sease
Hip Hop Stage- Mike Jones
11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Fee $10 (advance) / $15 gate
Location: Water Avenue
Economic Empowerment Summit
12:00 noon – 2:00 pm
Confirmed guests: Dr. Farrah Gray(Millionare before age of 25) /Dr. Ron Daniels/ T.I. and many more
Location- Performing Arts Center
Intergenerational Hip Hop Summit
Professor Griff of Public Enemy, Latosha Brown, T.I. and other various music artists – TBA
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Location: School of Discovery
Friday March 6, 2007
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FILM FESTIVAL
3:00 p.m.- 9 p.m.
Films: TBA
Location: Slavery and Civil War Museum
Invisible Giants Conference
Class of 64-65
9:00 am – 11:00am
Selma Performing Arts Center
Freedom Flame Award Dinner
Sponsored by the Selma Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Special Guest: Host Johnathon Slocumb
Honoring: Dr. Joseph Lowery
Location: Selma Convention Center
Tickets: $50.00
PLAY Presentation:
If Martin Luther King Jr. was alive today...What would he say?
by: Robert Haynes
12:00 noon -2:00 p.m.
Selma Performing Arts Center
Late Night Pow-Wow
Slavery Museum
10:00 pm – 12:00 am
Children’s Sojourn ($7)
Various Speakers and Presentations
9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Slavery Civil War Museum, Shiloh, Pickard Auditorium
Sunday, March 8, 2009
PRESS CONFERENCE:
American Slavery in the 20th Century: The Untold Story
11:00 a.m.
Dr. Ryan Walters-Director of African American Institute in Maryland
Antoinette Harrell-Geneologist/Peonage Reasearcher
Location: Slavery and Civil War Museum MLK Jr. & Corretta S. King Unity Breakfast - $25
Sponsored by the Selma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Wallace Community College
7:30am – 9:30 am
Special Guest: Attorney General Eric Holder
PRESS CONFERENCE:
Ex-Felons Voting Rights/Reinstatement
12:00 noon
Rev. Kenneth Glasgow, T.I., Lady Freedom
T.O.P.S. Society
The New Bottom Line Coalition
Prodigal Child Project
Location: Freedom Park/Edmund Pettus Bridge
Sunday Morning Services:
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Attorney General Eric Holder-Brown Chapel AME Church
Rev. Al Sharpton- Tabernacle Baptist Church
Shiloh Baptist Speaker: TBA
Various Movement Speakers
Various Movement Churches
Educational Symposium
Education, The Civil Rights Issue of the 21st Century-Our Challenges and Responsibilities
12:15 pm – 2:45 pm
Panelists Include:
State Superintendent Dr. Joseph Morton
Senator Hank Sanders
Dr. Adelaide Sanford- Former President of NY BOR
Dr. Iva Carruthers-Gen. Secretary for SDP Conference
LOCATION: School Of Discovery
Pre-March Rally
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Guest Speakers: TBA
Brown Chapel A. M. E. Church
410 Martin Luther King Street
Criminal Justice Summit
1:00 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.
T.O.P.S. Society/The New Bottom Line Coalition/ Prodigal Child Project
"From Second Class Citizens to Second Chance Citizens"
Location: Wallace College Hank Sanders Technology Center-Meeting Room 105
Bridge Crossing Re-Enactment
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Edmund Pettus Bridge
Revealing of Bloody Sunday Exhibit
Mock Trial
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Placing Education on Trial
Presiding Judge: TBA
Dallas County Court House
Museum Hall of Fame Inductions
Bridge Crossing Speakers
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Civil Rights Memorial Park
A Public Conversation
Confirmed Guest: Rev. Al Sharpton
Other guest co-hosts to attend: TBA
Wallace College Gymnasium
7:15 pm – 9:00 pm
YES WE DID! -
Z105.3 Commemoration Banquet
5:00 p.m.
Selma Convention Center
$15
"Stomp out to Vote" Step Show($10)
Special Guest: T.I.
7:00 p.m. - 9:00
Location: Pickard Auditorium
Monday, March 9, 2009
Slow Ride from Selma to Montgomery
9:00 am - 1pm
Foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge
Montgomery Re-Enactment Rally
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Montgomery, AL
2009 Jubilee Schedule
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Saturday March 7, 2009
Welcome Reception
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Selma Performing Arts Center
Special Guest: SCLC President Byron Clay
4th Annual Jubilee Golf Tournament
Breakfast and Registration: 6:30 a.m.
Sponsored by Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Contact: Dr. Leroy Maxwell or Aubrey Larkin, Sr. at 334-872-2321.
Location: Valley Grande Golf Course
Mass Meeting
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Keynote speaker: Dr. Jeremiah Wright
The Original Freedom Singers will be in attendance
Tabernacle Baptist Church
Foot Soldier's Breakfast
8 a.m.- 10 a..m.
C.H.A.T. Academy
Jubilee Parade
Departing from Selma High School
9:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.
Selma Ave to Edmund Pettus Bridge
Induction into Hall of Resistance
10:30 am
Location: Slavery and Civil Rights Museum
Battle of the Bands
10:45 – 11:00
Location: School of Discovery Parking Lot
Miss Jubilee Pageant
Fee: $5
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Selma Performing Arts Center
Jubilee Festival
Gospel Stage- Headliner: TBA/Local Talent
Blues Stage - Marvin Sease
Hip Hop Stage- Mike Jones
11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Fee $10 (advance) / $15 gate
Location: Water Avenue
Economic Empowerment Summit
12:00 noon – 2:00 pm
Confirmed guests: Dr. Farrah Gray(Millionare before age of 25) /Dr. Ron Daniels/ T.I. and many more
Location- Performing Arts Center
Intergenerational Hip Hop Summit
Professor Griff of Public Enemy, Latosha Brown, T.I. and other various music artists – TBA
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Location: School of Discovery
Friday March 6, 2007
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FILM FESTIVAL
3:00 p.m.- 9 p.m.
Films: TBA
Location: Slavery and Civil War Museum
Invisible Giants Conference
Class of 64-65
9:00 am – 11:00am
Selma Performing Arts Center
Freedom Flame Award Dinner
Sponsored by the Selma Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Special Guest: Host Johnathon Slocumb
Honoring: Dr. Joseph Lowery
Location: Selma Convention Center
Tickets: $50.00
PLAY Presentation:
If Martin Luther King Jr. was alive today...What would he say?
by: Robert Haynes
12:00 noon -2:00 p.m.
Selma Performing Arts Center
Late Night Pow-Wow
Slavery Museum
10:00 pm – 12:00 am
Children’s Sojourn ($7)
Various Speakers and Presentations
9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Slavery Civil War Museum, Shiloh, Pickard Auditorium
Sunday, March 8, 2009
PRESS CONFERENCE:
American Slavery in the 20th Century: The Untold Story
11:00 a.m.
Dr. Ryan Walters-Director of African American Institute in Maryland
Antoinette Harrell-Geneologist/Peonage Reasearcher
Location: Slavery and Civil War Museum MLK Jr. & Corretta S. King Unity Breakfast - $25
Sponsored by the Selma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Wallace Community College
7:30am – 9:30 am
Special Guest: Attorney General Eric Holder
PRESS CONFERENCE:
Ex-Felons Voting Rights/Reinstatement
12:00 noon
Rev. Kenneth Glasgow, T.I., Lady Freedom
T.O.P.S. Society
The New Bottom Line Coalition
Prodigal Child Project
Location: Freedom Park/Edmund Pettus Bridge
Sunday Morning Services:
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Attorney General Eric Holder-Brown Chapel AME Church
Rev. Al Sharpton- Tabernacle Baptist Church
Shiloh Baptist Speaker: TBA
Various Movement Speakers
Various Movement Churches
Educational Symposium
Education, The Civil Rights Issue of the 21st Century-Our Challenges and Responsibilities
12:15 pm – 2:45 pm
Panelists Include:
State Superintendent Dr. Joseph Morton
Senator Hank Sanders
Dr. Adelaide Sanford- Former President of NY BOR
Dr. Iva Carruthers-Gen. Secretary for SDP Conference
LOCATION: School Of Discovery
Pre-March Rally
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Guest Speakers: TBA
Brown Chapel A. M. E. Church
410 Martin Luther King Street
Criminal Justice Summit
1:00 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.
T.O.P.S. Society/The New Bottom Line Coalition/ Prodigal Child Project
"From Second Class Citizens to Second Chance Citizens"
Location: Wallace College Hank Sanders Technology Center-Meeting Room 105
Bridge Crossing Re-Enactment
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Edmund Pettus Bridge
Revealing of Bloody Sunday Exhibit
Mock Trial
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Placing Education on Trial
Presiding Judge: TBA
Dallas County Court House
Museum Hall of Fame Inductions
Bridge Crossing Speakers
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Civil Rights Memorial Park
A Public Conversation
Confirmed Guest: Rev. Al Sharpton
Other guest co-hosts to attend: TBA
Wallace College Gymnasium
7:15 pm – 9:00 pm
YES WE DID! -
Z105.3 Commemoration Banquet
5:00 p.m.
Selma Convention Center
$15
"Stomp out to Vote" Step Show($10)
Special Guest: T.I.
7:00 p.m. - 9:00
Location: Pickard Auditorium
Monday, March 9, 2009
Slow Ride from Selma to Montgomery
9:00 am - 1pm
Foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge
Montgomery Re-Enactment Rally
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Montgomery, AL
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Lobby Day March 3rd 2009 Alabama StateHouse
We are having our Lobby Day at the Alabama State House on March 3rd starting about 10.00am until. We will be going there to talk to our Legislatures about our 3 bills which are: Treatment instead of Incarceration, Probation and Parole, and our Restoration of Voting Rights Bill.Please RSVP so we can have a count and set up appointments with Legislatures in your areas. We also need a count for food!!!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
T.O.P.S. Empowerment Center ( thanks Ron Wilson )
William Singer, left, is interviewed by Pastor Maurice Graham, right, Wednesday afternoon at the TOPS Community Empowerment Center in Dothan.
By Lance Griffin
Published: January 28, 2009
Debra Thomas walked Kenneth Glasgow from room to room in the old Evergreen Plaza on North Lena Street, breaking down a big vision into chunks of attainable goals.“OK, this is where the computer lab is going to be,” Thomas said, pointing into a room consisting of a few computer parts on carts.She continues pointing and walking.“Now, we’re going to have computers in the classroom, but I want the lab available for people who need to come in during the day and use the computers, or learn computer skills.”Not much has taken place at the old office buildings since WAGF Radio moved out several years ago. But Glasgow wants to change the mostly vacant structure into “an oasis of learning,” complete with GED training, life skills classes, spiritual counseling, mentoring, job skills training and a recording studio lab of sorts.He shakes his head in agreement as Thomas continues to walk down the hall, assigning purposes for every room.“Yes. Yes. Yes,” said Glasgow, founder of a local social activist group known as The Ordinary People Society (TOPS). “I want to have something going on day and night.”Glasgow said the place will be known as the TOPS Community Empowerment Center, a place where people can come to better themselves emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.GED training classes are already being held at the center, and a GED pre-test is scheduled for next week. But Thomas said it’s just the beginning.“There are good things going on in the community and we want to build on that,” said Thomas, the center’s development director. “We have the soup kitchens in town and that is a good thing, but what we want to do is teach people to feed themselves.”Wallace College is also exploring the possibility of offering adult education classes at the center, Wallace spokesperson Sally Buchanan said.Along with the plans for counseling, classes and mentoring, Glasgow said one of the offices could be turned into a recording studio to allow interested residents to explore recording, as well as the marketing side of the recording business.People interested in taking advantage of the services offered can come to the center and fill out an assessment form that will determine the person’s needs.Thomas said she is seeking donations of equipment such as computers and school desks as well as volunteers with electrical and plumbing experience.
THANKS TO RON WILSON WE CAN EMPOWER OUR PEOPLE!!!
By Lance Griffin
Published: January 28, 2009
Debra Thomas walked Kenneth Glasgow from room to room in the old Evergreen Plaza on North Lena Street, breaking down a big vision into chunks of attainable goals.“OK, this is where the computer lab is going to be,” Thomas said, pointing into a room consisting of a few computer parts on carts.She continues pointing and walking.“Now, we’re going to have computers in the classroom, but I want the lab available for people who need to come in during the day and use the computers, or learn computer skills.”Not much has taken place at the old office buildings since WAGF Radio moved out several years ago. But Glasgow wants to change the mostly vacant structure into “an oasis of learning,” complete with GED training, life skills classes, spiritual counseling, mentoring, job skills training and a recording studio lab of sorts.He shakes his head in agreement as Thomas continues to walk down the hall, assigning purposes for every room.“Yes. Yes. Yes,” said Glasgow, founder of a local social activist group known as The Ordinary People Society (TOPS). “I want to have something going on day and night.”Glasgow said the place will be known as the TOPS Community Empowerment Center, a place where people can come to better themselves emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.GED training classes are already being held at the center, and a GED pre-test is scheduled for next week. But Thomas said it’s just the beginning.“There are good things going on in the community and we want to build on that,” said Thomas, the center’s development director. “We have the soup kitchens in town and that is a good thing, but what we want to do is teach people to feed themselves.”Wallace College is also exploring the possibility of offering adult education classes at the center, Wallace spokesperson Sally Buchanan said.Along with the plans for counseling, classes and mentoring, Glasgow said one of the offices could be turned into a recording studio to allow interested residents to explore recording, as well as the marketing side of the recording business.People interested in taking advantage of the services offered can come to the center and fill out an assessment form that will determine the person’s needs.Thomas said she is seeking donations of equipment such as computers and school desks as well as volunteers with electrical and plumbing experience.
THANKS TO RON WILSON WE CAN EMPOWER OUR PEOPLE!!!
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