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For the past fifteen years, Hawk Aavan Jonsson has been obsessed with becoming a firefighter. After graduating from a fire academy, he became a member of a volunteer firefighting team, began teaching, and was eventually promoted to chief of the department. He earned an EMT license and seventeen other first-responder certifications. A figurine of a firefighter helping a child sits next to his bed, as do a stack of firefighting equipment and textbooks. He lives across the street from a fire department. Even his girlfriend is a firefighter. So, in 2006, when he made it to the last round in the notoriously competitive application process for the Oakland Fire Department, Jonsson thought he was finally achieving his dream. But it turned out that no amount of experience was going to be enough, because the only thing on his résumé that mattered was the small box: "prior felony conviction." It didn't matter that Jonsson had been out of prison for fifteen years and had lived a straight life. He was turned down because of his criminal past, which continues to haunt him.
This is an issue I am passionate about. I find this as being one of the biggest issues with the flawed US justice system. What is the point of “rehabilitation”? It conveys a mixed message when the correction system feels confident enough to release an ex-felon into the population, however, does not feel confident enough to allow them the opportunity to attain a decent job. It’s part of the trap, hence the southern slang phrase. The older I get I realize that the political system and structure is not really for the people. The constitution is not really for the people. It is part of the show.
I have family members that have drug related felony convictions on their record. I am appalled that the justice system would think that after living a life of free-flowing money and obtaining anything they basically desire they are supposed to be okay with making $11 an hour at best?
I am always inspired by people who turn their past criminal convictions into ways to be successful. Like the men and women in this article, the former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, and others. As a result of this article I am going to look into the Ban the Box laws and what I can do to support their initiatives. With black males aged 30 to 34 having the highest incarceration rate of any ethnicity group I cannot stand aside and watch as they continuously tell our men that they are not good enough people based on their past indiscretions, even when they work extremely hard to prove otherwise. None of us are without blemish, including the judges and politicians sitting on pedestals and casting judgment.
Posted on October 14, 2010 via The Smithian
Source: thesmithian
Microphone Check 1, 2 what is this? They call me Rap. I'm receiving a Masters in Urban Affairs. I'm the co-owner of CooperLane Vintage Boutique.Obsessions Are: Brooklyn, Natural Hair and Vinyl Records. Essentially a southern girl flourishing in NYC.. Brooklyn to be exact.
