Impacts of felony disenfranchisement discussed at Stetson
Desmond Meade recently completed law school at Florida International University, studied for and passed the bar exam, but is not permitted to apply to the bar.
Desmond Meade spoke with Stetson students about felony disenfranchisement. Photo by Brittany Brochard.
Meade is a former homeless man who is among the more than one million people in the state of Florida who have been convicted of a felony and lost civil rights for life.
On March 10, Meade led an afternoon talk, “Felony Disenfranchisement and the Florida Constitution,” for students at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida. Stetson’s student organization, Dream Defenders, hosted the talk.
Meade said that the majority of people who are disenfranchised are convicted of nonviolent felonies. The process of rights restoration after a felony conviction includes a lengthy waiting period after completion of a sentence and a hearing.
“Restoration of civil rights is an important part of re-entry,” Meade said. “One out of every four African-American males in the state of Florida cannot vote.”
In his current role as state director for the Faith in Florida Live Free Campaign, Meade is leading efforts to restore the civil rights of Floridians, empower and re-engage local communities, and reshape local, state and national policies.
Meade discussed a constitutional amendment petition, the Voting Restoration Amendment, sponsored by Floridians for a Fair Democracy, Inc., that would be a constitutional amendment to Article VI, § 4 of the Florida constitution. The amendment would restore civil rights to people convicted of felonies, with the exception of persons convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense, who complete all terms of their sentences including parole or probation.
Meade is also engaged in a national campaign to reduce mass incarceration, reduce gun violence in urban communities, and re-enfranchise the millions of citizens across the nation who served time and are prevented from voting.
The outgoing president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Meade chairs the Florida Coalition on Black Civic Participation’s Black Men’s Roundtable. He has testified before the United Nations in Geneva as well as the U.S. Congress concerning felony disfranchisement.
Post date: March 25, 2015
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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