Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 2-6-18

Features
Pastors On Patrol Appeals For Calm In Wake Of Acquittal
REV. FAVORITE
When Reginald Bow- man was found not guilty of murder in the shooting death of Lyfe Coleman on January 24, it sparked an angry response by Cole- man’s father, LIFE Mal- colm, that some consider to be a threat against Bow- man and his father.
Among other things, Mr. Malcolm stated that “the community will see that jus- tice is done” after a jury de- cided that Bowman acted in self-defense when he shot Coleman twice in the wake of a gun sale gone wrong.
This sparked concern
REGINALD BOWMAN
among Pastors on Patrol. P.O.P. President W. James Favorite, Pastor of Beulah Baptist Church, said, “We’re urging the commu- nity to remain calm and ob- serve the verdict of the
court.”
He believes that Mr.
Malcolm’s comments have created a real threat that could be acted upon in a manner that substitutes vig- ilante justice for the rule of law, and adds that “this would show our community in a light that does not accu- rately reflect its true na- ture.”
Judge Strikes Voting System Denying Voting Rights
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
“Florida strips the right to vote from every man and woman who commits a felony. To vote again, disen- franchised citizens must kowtow before a panel of high level government offi- cials over which Florida’s Governor has absolute veto authority. No standards guide the panel.
“Its members alone must be satisfied that these citi- zens deserve restoration. Until that moment (if it ever comes), these citizens cannot legally vote ... The question now is whether such a sys- tem passes Constitutional muster. It does not,” U. S. Federal Judge Mark Walker wrote in a stinging decision about Florida’s Voter Restoration policy.
Judge Walker referred to the current policy as a “scheme” that unfairly relies on the personal support of Governor Rick Scott and the Clemency Board.
Under the current rights restoration system, after a person completes all court- ordered sanctions, he or she must wait at least 5 years be- fore applying for rights restoration. Governor Scott has the final decision on whether that person’s rights are restored.
During his eight-year tenure as Florida governor, approximately 3,000 people have been successful. How- ever, there is a waiting list of more than 10,000 felons who are seeking voter rights restoration. The board meets four times per year.
Prior to his being elected governor, former Florida Governor Charlie Crist had instituted a system that would allow automatic restoration without having to apply or have a hearing. The automatic restoration did not apply to those convicted of murder or sex crimes.
Judge Walker further wrote, “One need not search long to find alarming illustra- tions of this scheme in action. In 2010, a white man, Steven Warner, cast an il- legal ballot. Three years later, he sought the restoration of his voting rights. He went be- fore the state’s Executive Clemency Board, where Governor Scott asked him
U. S. JUDGE MARK WALKER
about his illegal voting. “Actually, I voted for you,” he said. The Governor laughed... A few seconds passed, the Governor then granted the former felon his
voting rights,” he wrote. Judge Walker further found that “Similar dispari- ties arise when applicants criticize the system. For ex- ample, a Navy veteran de- cried felon disenfranchisement before the Governor rejected his ap- plication because of traffic in- fractions. But ten former felons who did not speak out against felony disenfran- chisement were re-enfran- chised despite less-than-perfect traffic
records.”
The Court also found that,
“Florida’s voter restoration scheme is crushingly restric- tive. The scheme crumbles under strict scrutiny because it risks —- if not covertly au- thorizes the practice of —- ar- bitrary and discriminatory vote restoration.”
“... When a scheme allows government officials to ‘do whatever (they) want,’ view- point discrimination can slip through the cracks of a seem- ingly impartial process.”
Judge Walker also looked at the number of vot-
ers who are disenfranchised. “More than one-tenth of Florida’s voting population — - nearly 1.7 million as of 2016 —- cannot vote because they have been decimated from the body politic. More than one in five of Florida’s African American voting-age population cannot vote.
“If any one of these citi- zens wishes to earn back their fundamental right to vote, they must plod through a gauntlet of constitutionally infirm hurdles. No more. When the risk of state-sanc- tioned viewpoint discrimina- tion skulks near the franchise, it is the province and duty of this Court to ex- cise such potential bias from infecting the clemency process.”
John Tupps, Gover- nor Rick Scott’s Commu- nications Director released the following statement in re- sponse to the ruling: “The discretion of the clemency board over the restoration of felons’ rights in Florida has been in place for decades and overseen by multiple gover- nors. The process is outlined in Florida’s Constitution, and the ruling departs from precedent set by the United States Supreme Court.
“The Governor believes that convicted felons should show that they can lead a life free of crime and be account- able to their victims and our communities. While we are reviewing the ruling, we will continue to defend this process in the court.”
The ruling, released on February 1st, followed on the tails of a signature petition that had garnered enough votes to have the issue of rights restoration placed on the November 2018 voting ballot.
PAGE 2 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2018