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Local Community Leaders Discuss Need to Restore Ex-Felons'
Voting Rights on Live, Call-in Show on Channel 36
Voting Rights on Live, Call-in Show on Channel 36
May 7, 2002
MIAMI ? The mass disenfranchisement of ex-felons in Florida will be the topic of discussion May 8 on the ACLU's weekly cable access show where viewers can call-in and speak their minds.
Attorney Randall Berg, who heads the Florida Justice Institute, will be a guest on the hour-long show, Freedom's Watchdog. Berg is the lead attorney in the class action lawsuit against the Department of Corrections for its failure to assist ex-felons in applying for the restoration of their civil rights prior to their release from supervision as required by state law.
Berg will be joined on the show by Timothy Milton, an ex-felon and community activist who founded the youth-oriented, non-profit Youth Achieving and Succeeding. Milton has been actively campaigning against Florida's disenfranchisement system.
A representative from the office of Florida Senator Kendrick B. Meek will also participate in the discussion, which will focus on government barriers to restoring the right to vote and legislative efforts to streamline the Clemency Application process for individuals with past convictions.
The live television show, produced by the ACLU of Florida, will air from 3 to 4 p.m. May 8 on WLRN's Community Channel 36. (The Community Channel is seen on Channel 36 except for 24 on Miami TCI, 15 on Media One, 55 on Strategic Technology, and 31 on TCI North/South.) The WLRN studio is located at the Cable-TAP studios, 172 NE 15th St. During the show, viewers can call (305) 995-2111 to comment on the issue, debate with the guests or ask questions.
The ACLU of Florida, working with its own chapters and grassroots organizations across the state, has led a campaign to restore ex-felons' voting rights by organizing dozens of hands-on rights restoration workshops in cities across the state. There will be a Redemption Project Workshop to help with applications for rights restoration and forms for sealing and expunging records from 5 to 7 p.m. May 14 at the Caleb Center, 5400 NW 22nd Ave. Volunteer training will be from 4 to 5 p.m. The event is co-hosted by the ACLU of Florida, state Senator Kendrick B. Meek (District 36), the Law Offices of Public Defender Bennett H. Brummer, MADDADS, NAACP, the Black Lawyers Association of Dade County, the Dade County Bar Association, the State Attorney's Office and others. For more information on the workshop call Courtenay Strickland, ACLU of Florida, (305) 576-2337 ext. 18 or Shirlee LaFleur, Senator Meek's Office, (305) 655-3671.
The ACLU's educational series is airing under the auspices of the MiamiDade County Cable Television Access Project (CableTAP), a joint venture of MiamiDade County Public Schools, MiamiDade County government, and WLRN. Together they operate the largest cable system in the country, interconnecting to almost 500,000 households in MiamiDade County.
Media Contact:
Alessandra Soler Meetze, ACLU-FL Communications Director, (305) 576-2337
ext. 16
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