Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 4-8-16 Edition

Feature
Hundreds Attend Town Hall Meeting To Address Juveniles And Marijuana And Housing Issues
Officers of HOPE, Rev. Bernice Powell Jackson and Rev. Joe Johnson.
More than 1,500 people filled Higgins Hall at St. Lawrence Catholic Church on Monday evening for the HOPE Nehemiah Action meeting.
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Several hundred people committed to reducing the ar- rest of children for first-time misdemeanor marijuana pos- session packed a church hall on Monday to hear testi- monies from those affected and solutions from public of- ficials.
One key elected official, Hillsborough County Sheriff, David Gee, would not support a proposal from the Hillsbor- ough Organization for Progress and Equality (HOPE) to serve civil cita- tions to youths who are caught with small amounts of mari- juana.
Sheriff Gee did not at- tend HOPE’s Nehemiah Ac- tion Town Hall meeting at St. Lawrence Catholic Church (Higgins Hall), but had a rep- resentative read a statement outlining his opposition on his behalf.
“I strongly oppose this so- lution because those who re- ceive civil citations do not get services to help them with their drug use...they only pay a small fine,” the letter read. Sheriff Gee also declined to meet with HOPE members to discuss a plan to implement civil citation policy.
According to HOPE’s re- search, a majority of counties and the City of Tampa issue civil citations, instead of ar- resting minors for misde- meanor marijuana possession.
It would be wise for the Sheriff to do the same, said Rev. Janet Lee of Allen Temple A. M. E. Church.
“Arresting children does not help them develop into re- sponsible adults,” she said. “We can discipline children
without arresting them.” HOPE is a multi-issue, grassroots, community organ- ization founded in 1988 that consists of 20 multicultural and interfaith member con- gregations throughout Hills- borough County. Its mission is to improve the quality of life in the county by identifying community issues and re- search solutions, and engage decision makers in imple-
menting those solutions.
Past issues addressed by HOPE include fair hiring, homelessness, public trans- portation, and education re-
form.
While Sheriff Gee’s de-
cline to implement a civil cita- tion policy was disappointing, HOPE will continue to press the issue, said Rev. Anthony White, pastor of Bible-Based Fellowship Church of Carroll- wood.
“We have righteous anger that our children are arrested for misdemeanors,” he said. “We will keep working for families and our children. We still need action from our Sheriff.”
Along with reducing arrest of children, the group also championed affordable hous- ing. One out of seven families in the county make $30,000 or less a year and pay more than half of their income for housing.
In her testimony, Karen Rudder said she often goes without the medicine she needs so that she can pay her rent.
“The truth is, my income is not going to increase,” she said. “In fact, my rent in- creased $200 over the last year. It’s just overwhelming.” Hillsborough County commis- sioners, Victor Crist and
Kevin Beckner both agreed to begin the process of estab- lishing a public trust that would finance the construc- tion and rehabilitation of housing that is affordable for working families. (Photos by Julia Jackson)
Hillsborough County Commissioners Victor Crist, left, and Kevin Beckner attended the HOPE Meeting. Joining them is Dr. Bertha Baker, who represented Allen Temple AME Church.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A