Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Help give a reformed man a second chance

From Care2Petition:

When Sarah Colin-Neaves met Oceo Harris as an AmeriCorps volunteer, she was impressed with his commitment to serving his community. He earned a Master's degree in social work, and was presented with several awards honoring his service.

But the state of Florida won't allow him to work as a licensed social worker and counselor because 18 years ago, Oceo was convicted of nonviolent marijuana drug charges. He served his time and has gone above and beyond to reintegrate into mainstream society, but he's still being punished.

So Sarah started her first Care2 petition asking the Florida Department of Children and Families to allow Oceo to work. In less than a month, her petition collected more than 35,000 signatures. You can learn more about Sarah and Oceo's inspiring story here.
(petition is at the bottom so scroll down until you see it)

I'm sick of this war on drugs. It is a dismal failure. If we condemn this man for his past and deny him the fruits of society even though he has done his time and turned his life around we still condemn him. I'll tell you something society. If we don't give him a second chance he will turn back to crime because that is the only way you'll allow him to feed himself. Florida you have no problem condoning female on male sexual assault but you won't give a man a second chance on a nonviolent crime that took place 18 years ago. A crime that this man has paid penance for and has turned his life around. Give him a second chance. It may be a good idea to contact Governor Rick Scott and tell him about it. Involving him is a good idea. If you live in Florida and/or are legally registered to vote there then contact your House Of Representatives member and your Senator and let them know too because they can be very helpful in situations like this.

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