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How a Sacramento pop-up expungement clinic is helping to give felons a second chance

Sacramento Bee - 3/9/2021

Mar. 9—Julius Douglas had a record. Employers shied away from his applications because of it.

Douglas, the founder of Oak Park-based nonprofit organization, Ceaze the Moment, was charged with gun possession and gang enhancement.

He hopes things will change since he cleared his record at a Feb. 27 expungement clinic.

Douglas told The Sacramento Bee that he overcame the huge obstacle and relieved a lot of stress — for Douglas — it's been a stepping stone for redemption.

Through his nonprofit, Douglas continues making a change in the Oak Park community. He coaches youth football, hosts community cleanups, feeds the homeless, and holds backpack drives for children. His next project is an Easter basket giveaway.

Despite becoming exposed to the criminal justice system, he was able to grow and move forward with his life. Having a clear record, Douglas says will open doors for him to have a brighter future. He is a role model for his community.

"It's a part of my journey so I use that to help me teach the kids and show them, so they don't make the same mistakes I made," said Douglas.

United CORE Alliance, Ceaze the Moment, The NDICA, A Different Path, One Plant and the Sacramento Unified School District partnered and hosted an expungement and records clearing clinic on Feb. 27.

The process allows eligibility for persons involved with the criminal justice system to clear past felonies and/or reduce them to a misdemeanor.

"Thanks to Khalil, A Different Path, and all the other sponsors, they helped me expunge my records," said Douglas in gratitude for the soon-to-be monthly clinic. "I want everyone to come out and we'll be pushing to help the people get their records and fees handled."

The clinic was hosted at the Fruitridge Community Collaborative (FRCC), a former elementary school turned neighborhood hub, and helped to educate persons impacted by the justice system on clearing or reducing their records of past convictions.

"We got the process started for getting their records expunged," said Khalil Ferguson, president of the United CORE Alliance. "Access to expungement is something that isn't widespread and is not really paramount. People don't realize they're even eligible for expungement."

A 2020 Harvard Law Review surveyed a statewide pool of expungement recipients and comparable non recipients in Michigan. They found that of those eligible for expungement, roughly 6.5% obtain it within five years of eligibility.

Despite there not being an in-depth study in Sacramento, Ferguson said that he took an interest in the initiative because he had friends and family affected and wanted them and others to gain further information on the process.

The clinic started the expungement process which is helping formerly incarcerated people search the California Penal code to determine their charge(s). This authorizes the court to permit individuals to withdraw a previously entered guilty plea and dismiss the case considering the conditions of probation have been fulfilled or discharged.

Once applicants knew what their charges were, clinic volunteers gathered and submitted the information to The NDICA who sent it to the law office of Kevin Gries, a Los Angeles criminal attorney.

Ferguson and the United CORE Alliance want to connect expungement eligible individuals to public defenders or attorneys who can further consult whether there's room to reduce the record or expunge it and take action.

Ferguson and his partners believe that this event is the first of many. Their goal is to provide an expungement clinic at least once a month to residents in Sacramento to assist them in making steps to restoring their rights.

Khalil Ferguson is an author, Pan-African, and political economist whose book, Subservience, discusses the political and economical mechanisms that birthed a Black underclass.

Ferguson is a native of Richmond, California. According to the World Population Review, his native city has a 16% poverty rate amongst Black people and the most unemployed group by race in the city. Ferguson understands there needs to be a focus on the most marginalized community, people living in poverty. The mobilization of this group, Khalil believes, begins with reversing the effects of the war on drugs, crime, and poverty — all which have contributed to the suppression of Black residents and sustaining a lower-working class status.

According to a 2018 report from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, four percent of inmates were incarcerated on drug-related charges.

Ferguson soon realized of the applicants that attended, most had lingering drug charges or gun charges. However, no matter how small the crime, once convicted it's there and lessens the chances of job opportunity, housing opportunities, loans, voting rights, and — depending on the circumstance — the rights to bear arms.

"There's a number of reasons why people get their records expunged. However I can restore rights and allow people back into the workplace — as an economist — that's what I want," said Ferguson.

The Expungement and Records Clearing Clinic and its Black History Month debut is changing lives for residents of Sacramento. At an affordable price, they help provide the resources and accessibility to those who are in need of assistance in starting the expungement process. These are the first steps in wiping away mistakes of the past.

They plan to host the next clinic in late-April. For updates on the next clinic and how you can follow up on the next opportunity, follow the United CORE Alliance and Khalil Ferguson on their Instagram pages.

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