03-26-12 Common Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING MARCH 26, 2012 from jury’s; and are a part of a social stigma; they are confined to the margins of Main Street society and denied access to the Main Street economy. They are legally denied the ability to obtain employment because of the acts that they committed, housing and public benefits, much as Aftrican-Americans were once forced into segregated second class citizenship in the Jim Crow era. In less than 30 years the U.S. Penal System population exploding from around 300,000 to more than 2 million with drug convictions (non- violent offenders) accounting for the majority of the increase. The United States now has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, nearly every developed country, even surpassing those in highly repression regimes like Russian, China and Iran. He stated that 93 people are in prison for every 1,000 adults and children. In the United States the rate is roughly eight times that or 750 per 100,000. Today, due to recent decline, U.S. Crime Rates have dipped below international norm. Nevertheless, the United States is 6 to 10 times greater in incarceration than that of any industrialized nation. A development directly traceable to the drug war, non-violent offense again. The only country in a world that even comes close to America’s way of incarceration is Russia. No other country in the world incarcerates in such a high percentage of ethnic racial minority. He stated that when people are released from Illinois prisons they are given as little as $10 (gate money) a bus ticket to anywhere in the United States of America most returned to impoverished neighborhoods in the Chicago area bringing very few resources and bearing the stigma of a prison record. In Chicago as in most cities across the country ex-offenders are banned are severally restricted from employment and in large numbers of professions, job categories, licensing, statutes, rules potentially discriminating against the individuals with felony records. According to a study conducted by DePauw University in 2002 in the 98 occupations requiring licenses in Illinois 57 place stipulations or restrictions on applications with a criminal record. Even when not being barred from certain jobs and employment ex-offenders find it extra-ordinarily difficult to find employers who will hire them. Regardless of the nature of their conviction, they are routinely denied public housing, welfare benefits, and is increasingly difficult to obtain education, especially now that the funding for public education has been hard hit to the exploding prison budgets. Young black men are more likely to go to prison than college. As of June 2002, there were nearly 20,000 more black men in the Illinois State Prison system than enrolled in state public universities. This is called all legalized discrimination, we grapple about GLBT issues, and grapple about all these other issues, but in South Bend, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Elkhart County as well have been hit very hard with the re-entry of those who are coming back home who are looking for jobs, employment opportunities, housing and all the other things that we kind of overlook. He stated that he has some people in the audience tonight who came out tonight in solidarity for this issue. He stated that he is bringing this issue to everyone’s attention because it affects us greatly. Councilmember Henry Davis stated that the bill needs to be amended to include ex- felons. He stated that after they are released back into society they are discriminated against when they apply for employment, housing and education. Councilmember Henry Davis made a motion to add ex-offenders to the ordinance. Councilmember Dieter seconded the motion. The motion was defeated. Councilmember Dr. Fred Ferlic stated that he thinks this motion is ill advised. He stated that there are many multi-cultural problems in this nation. He stated that this issue should not be mixed in together with the bill that is before the Council tonight. Councilmember White stated that she has had one discussion with Mr. Lonnie Douglas from the Human Rights Commission on the motion that Councilmember Henry Davis, Jr. has made. She stated that she believes that there is some movement from the State to address this issue. She stated that she would like to have the opportunity to come back to the Council to address this issue. She stated that she did not know the status of the movement and believes that it is a very important issue. Councilmember Ferlic thanked Councilmember Henry Davis for bringing this issue to light. He stated that he concurs with Councilmember White that the Council should work collectively with Mr. Douglas from the Human Rights Commission but does not believe tonight is the time to do this. 30