Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 3-12-21

Column/Letter To The Editor
A Message To Returning Citizens And Their Loved Ones
The State Of Affairs In East Tampa
n 2018, Amendment 4 was placed on the bal- lot for Florida voters to
decide the fate of 1.5 mil- lion Returning Citizens. 62% of the voters ap- proved Amendment 4, for- mally known as the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative. There was rejoicing as Returning Citizens celebrated their right to vote on election night.
However, their joy was short-lived because Gover- nor Ron DeSantis and some Republican legisla- tors found a loophole in Amendment 4. The loop- hole? According to Florida Statute 98.0751, “a sen- tence is not complete until all fines, fees, court cost, and restitution are paid.”
Governor DeSantis, At- torney General Ashley Moody, and the Republi- can Party actually created a grave problem for the ju- dicial system. They did not account for the number of current inmates and Re- turning Citizens who were unaware of these voting criteria at their sentenc- ing.
Many returning citi- zens entered into a plea bargain without knowing the full extent of their sen- tence. Many of them pled guilty whether they were or not. Consequently, their sentence was extended years after physically serv- ing their time by punishing them with the inability to vote. It is cruel and usual punishment to withhold the right to vote due to the inability to pay their fines, fees, court costs, or resti- tution.
Furthermore, it’s a vio- lation of the 8th and 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution.
I’ll explain. When a per- son is accused of a crime, there are several mandates: a defendant’s guilty plea must be volun- tary, a factual basis of the crime must be established, and the judge must explain the direct consequence of the plea, including all fines, fees, court costs, and restitution must be paid before the defendant can
vote. Plea Bargains should benefit both the judicial system and the defendant.
However, the plea bar- gains must be legal and follow Florida Statute 98.0751, Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure 3.171, 3.172 in the state courts, and Federal Rule 11 in the federal courts.
Also, the plea agree- ment must be recorded electronically or via stere- ographic to support the printed form most defen- dants must sign. The fail- ure of the judge to follow the above rules and statute will render the plea bar- gain illegal. That’s right, il- legal.
Florida citizens are being stripped of their vot- ing rights without their knowledge. Voting rights impact how decisions are made in their city, county, state, and the nation as a whole. It’s a precious right that must be protected.
I write this letter as a Returning Citizen who re- ceived my restoration of voting rights in 1981. I also write this letter as the Founder of the COACH Foundation where we have served the community through affordable hous- ing programs, civic en- gagement initiatives, and prison outreach for over 35 years.
Now, I want to hear from you.
• Are you a returning citi- zen who entered a plea bargain without being in- formed of your rights?
• Do you have a loved one who is incarcerated and impacted this way?
If the answer is yes, please fill out the form in this issue of the paper on Page 8-A, and contact me today. I can be reached via mail at COACH Founda- tion, Inc., P. O. Box 310747, Tampa, FL 33680. My email address is wdixon2558@aol.com.
“Justice delayed is jus- tice denied.”
[Dixon will discuss this further on Bishop Michelle B. Patty’s Show, Saturday, March 13th, 9 a. m., on WTMP Radio Station 1150AM.]
while back, a few
friends and I sat to- gether solving the problems of the world. After a few min- utes, we had them all solved so the conversation turned to East Tampa. With them knowing that I once was the leader of a group called the “East Tampa Partnership,” they began to bombard me with a number of rapid fire questions about the state of affairs in my beloved com- munity. Chief among the questions were: “Is the Part- nership making a difference, and do I agree with them that it does not look or feel like anything has changed In East Tampa?”
Sometime in the early 2000’s, East Tampa, a 7.5 square mile area encompass- ing Hillsborough Avenue to the north, Columbus Drive to the south, Interstate 275 to the west and the Tampa City limits to the east was desig- nated by our city and county governments to be a Com- munity Redevelopment Area (ETCRA). In short, it meant that a portion of the property taxes, referred to as tax in-
cremental funding or TIF, collected in the ETCRA would be set aside for com- munity improvements based on needs assessments and input from East Tampa’s cit- izens and other stakeholders.
The East Tampa Partner- ship was the vehicle through which the community would have its say on a consistent basis about needed changes and how TIF dollars would be spent. The Partnership also serves as a strong advo- cate for the ETCRA. During my tenure, there were three major goals and a number of subsets. The majors were elimination of slum and blight, economic develop- ment and crime reduction.
Many dedicated resi- dents, city staff and commu- nity partners have worked with the Partnership and there have been some accom- plishments. Among them: a comprehensive improvement plan; a number of new busi- nesses; some roadway im- provements; funding for qualified homeowners and businesses to make improve- ments; redevelopment of
three retention ponds into at- tractive walk trails for resi- dents; construction of a police station for the purpose of bringing officers closer to the community for crime re- duction and prevention and improved community rela- tions, and a meeting place for neighborhood groups; two environmental detectives to crack down on illegal dump- ing and creation of a summer employment program for East Tampa youth.
But East Tampa suffers from decades of neglect and poverty and the needs far overshadow the allocated re- sources; it also seems as though many of our commu- nity partners work at cross purposes that make it diffi- cult to accomplish the major goals.
The Housing Authority, some in the private sector, and several nonprofits con- tinually saturate this already poor area with more low in- come housing, which in my opinion, makes the area a magnet for increased poverty and the issues that come with it. And too many landlords, overseers and residents are lacking in property upkeep.
So, how do I answer my friends? As much as I hate to say it, I agree. I travel East Tampa daily and I see much of what existed before the Partnership. There is still slum and blight aplenty, lots of illegal dumping and more than our fair share of crime and poverty. And there are too many residents who are not vested in the community and don’t seem to care.
Every resident can help improve the area by simply ensuring that all in my house will be a part of the solution and not the problem. And every community organiza- tion and church can help by advocating community pride.
Just another view.
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