“We all have an agenda. Let me remind each of you good men and women that you campaigned on an agenda when seeking election, some of you re-election.”
Those were the words that I spoke, more or less because the wording may be off, to the Augusta-Richmond County Commission on Jan. 2 when formally introducing myself and bringing my nonprofit’s agenda to the floor.
Ex-Offenders for Reform & Advancement Inc. is a nonprofit designed to help ex-offenders engage in positive initiatives, such as community service, and build healthy relationships with well-respected members of their communities.
During my presentation I also pointed to the lack of opportunities for ex-offenders to earn livable wages and the urgent need to heal the recidivism malady that’s been causing headaches all throughout the Augusta-Richmond area.
What the commissioners and mayor must quickly realize is that ex-offenders are also their constituents. Many ex-offenders pay taxes and are eligible to vote, just like the person next door who’s never been arrested or convicted of committing a crime.
When I volunteered at the Golden Harvest Master’s Table on Jan. 15, I saw Mayor Garnett Johnson. He did his walk-around for the news crew. He took pictures with several volunteers, but I opted not to even ask for the photo-op because I knew he would recognized me and probably wouldn’t want to be caught in a photo with an ex-offender. It’s public relations. It’s politics. It’s quite possible that I will still vote for him whenever he’s up for re-election.
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But it goes to my point about taking politics out of our nonprofit’s agenda. It’s not to be used as a talking point for any candidate. Ex-Offenders for Reform & Advancement Inc. is not requesting any financial assistance from the city or county. I’d like to think I’m doing a fine job investing my own funds into this purpose. All we’re asking for is opportunities to engage in community service; to show the community that a criminal background does not wholly define the individual.
With that said, Senate Bill 63 is an atrocity. State Sen. Randy Robertson, whom I’ll thank for his 30 plus years of public safety service, aimed straight for the poor population, which is largely made up of people of color. As if the jails aren’t already overcrowded, the GOP state legislators now want to add trespassers to the conundrum.
Most trespassers are homeless, and most of the properties they enter are condemned residences owned by slumlords who want nothing to do with resurrecting the properties. I thank state Sens. Josh McLaurin and Kim Jackson for their efforts to expose the inadequate nature of such targeted legislation.
That is why those eligible to vote need to get registered and vote. Do not be hoodwinked by national elections when our issue is right here at home in this Great State of Georgia. The makeup of Georgia’s General Assembly has to change. If not, we can surely expect laws that target disadvantaged and system-impacted populations to only get harsher and more restrictive.
Lawrence Anthony Brannen
Founder/President (Ex-Offenders For Reform & Advancement Inc.)
