Protests Inspire Fundraisers, Donors, Volunteers – and PLSE’s Transformation!
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The death of George Floyd got our society up and out of our seats and into the streets; the arrests and tear gassing of peaceful protesters, not just in DC but here in Philly, caused outrage and calls for major reform. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were filled with demands for reform. And thanks to Black Lives Matter and others who know of our work, the racial justice spotlight found PLSE.
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On June 1, Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook announced that they would be donating to PLSE 100% of the net proceeds from one week from their family of restaurants
CookNSolo
– Zahav, Abe Fisher, Goldie, and so many more. Inspired by them, Jon Myerow announced he would donate a portion of the profits from two weeks of operations at his three
Tria Restaurants
. Alex and Dan Greenberg followed with a gift from
Tela’s Market
. Then,
Kalaya Thai Kitchen
.
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Between June 1 and July 10, these businesses and an astonishing 269 more
individual
donors – almost all of them new to us – used
PayPal
to contribute over $50,000 to our work.
AND
we’ve been flooded – honestly
swamped
– with people emailing, calling and texting us, asking to help! Because of this support, PLSE is able to think about bringing on someone to develop and coordinate a real volunteer program - which would truly be transformative for PLSE.
Social justice requires social action.
Thank you all!
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PLSE Leads Volunteer Effort to Represent BLM Protestors
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Philadelphians were justifiably outraged to learn that hundreds of people peacefully protesting with Black Lives Matter were arrested, transported from the scene, and and issued citations for various offenses, many of which were not even valid. While the charges were civil and not criminal, they still carried significant fines and the possibility of jail for non-payment. Coordinating with the First Amendment Defense Coalition and
Up Against The Law
PLSE rose to the challenge, to organize volunteers, contact clients, and submit objection letters. As of last week, we were working with over 30 volunteers and helping over 50 people… when
the Mayor cancelled all of the citations
.
While that was clearly the right thing to do, we urge the City to take the next step and ask the obvious questions, Why were these arrests even made? More urgently, how can we be sure our police don’t again repress free speech in the City that should be the exemplar in guaranteeing our national liberties?
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Merck, Chubb Legal Departments Become First Corporate Pro Bono Pardon Projects in the Nation
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Law firms and corporate law departments are more than just lawyers – and not only lawyers can help people fill out pardon applications. That’s why the legal leadership in two of the region’s larger business sectors – Merck (pharmaceuticals) and Chubb (insurance) – decided to volunteer with PLSE’s Pardon Project. Using Zoom and Webex, PLSE trained over 50 people! Chubb took clients from PLSE, and in another first-ever, Merck (located in Montgomery and Bucks Counties) took clients referred from Legal Aid of Southeastern PA- which is going to be the model that PLSE uses to spread the Pardon Project statewide. Thanks to Merck and Chubb for their leadership!
If your law firm or corporate law department wants to help,
contact us
! On average, cases take only about 10-12 hours, and your service is over once the pardon application is filed.
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NEW! Virtual “Wednesday Walk-Ins” To Start Next Month!
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Pre-covid, PLSE met our clients individually, in neighborhood clinics, explaining their rights and the options they might have to clean up their criminal records. Post-covid, we’ve been zooming away with community presentations, “know your rights” workshops, and volunteer training programs. And starting August 5, we’ll be holding regular 1:1 counseling sessions – first, on Wednesdays with our staff (alternating between afternoons and evenings), and then, starting in the fall, expanding to other days and times using volunteers. Starting next week, spots can be reserved via email (
info@plsephilly.org
) or our website (
plsephilly.org/advice
).
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Many thanks to
BB&T/Truist
, which awarded PLSE a technology grant that is allowing us to move – in so many different ways, all more quickly than we ever thought! – into our new future.
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Weed Speed! BOP Holds First-Ever Expedited Hearings
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History was again made by the PA Board of Pardons last month when it granted its first-ever “expedited pardons” to people whose only convictions were for possession of small amounts of marijuana and/or paraphernalia. The program was only announced last September, and the first 26 applications were considered (and all approved) on June 18. It was a break-through moment for the Board: until then, no one had been allowed to “jump the line” which (before this current Board) had been taking upwards of 4-5 years. Now there is real hope not only for the thousands of people for whom this minor drug conviction imposes huge life barriers, but for others whose crimes are so far in the past that they deserve a fast track to a new future.
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PA Auditor General Joins Call For Faster Pardon Hearings
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Last month, PA’s Auditor General released a report on
Criminal Justice: Reforms to Improve Lives & Save Money
. In it, State Auditor Eugene DePasquale included pardon reform among his top recommendations, saying they merited “continued bipartisan interest and cooperation.” His reason? “Delays in receiving pardons or clemency create barriers to housing, employment and other opportunities.” This report follows on the pathbreaking report issued in April by the Economy League on “Pardons as an Economic Investment Strategy”
economyleague.org/pardonimpact
. We applaud Auditor General DePasquale for championing the change in how our society and state need to think about pardons.
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Dauphin County Bar Joins Call For Pardon Reform
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On June 24, the Dauphin County Bar Association joined the statewide list of law organizations calling for pardon reform. In a letter to the Board’s chairman, DCBA President Lisa Benzie made her members’ position clear: “Let it be known that the Dauphin County Bar Association calls upon the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons to refrain from requesting, investigating or considering juvenile court records in pardon proceedings involving non-incarcerated applicants.” The DCBA joins the Allegheny, Philadelphia and
Pennsylvania Bar Association
in calling on the Board to honor the law’s promise of confidentiality. Fingers tightly crossed the Board will now do the right thing.
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Federal Judge Finds Exclusion for Criminal Record “Arbitrary and Capricious”
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90% of employers, 80% of landlords, and 67% of educational institutions check criminal records before accepting applications. As a result, people with records often have no option but to go into business for themselves. Covid hit small businesses very hard, which is why the Congress adopted the Payroll Protection Plan (PPP).
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In an appalling display of prejudice, the Small Business Administration adopted a regulation that made it impossible for people with criminal records to participate in the PPP. Thanks to a lawsuit filed quickly by Philadelphia’s Public Interest Law Center and others,
a federal judge has ruled that the exclusion had no reasonable basis
. Kudos to our sister agency for its quick and effective national advocacy!
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Wonderful Words from Donors
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Seeing contributions come in via PayPal is TERRIFIC! But what makes them even more special is when we hear from our supporters. Here are two we’d like to share (with their permission):
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“I’m happy that I can make a difference in people’s lives some way. I’m very lucky to have a small social media platform that I was able to use to raise some money for a few causes. I appreciate the work you guys are doing.” -
Jeremy Dean, D.E.S. Studio
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“My sons and I wanted to make a meaningful contribution in the wake of the Black Lives Matter/George Floyd protests. As we were researching, I came across the Inquirer article about CookNSolo's gift to you of a week's net proceeds. We read your mission, and it was clear that your ongoing, important work has and can continue to make a huge difference.” -
Crystal Gurin
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This Month’s Tip - Letters of reference
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Simply put, letters of reference are essential (and clearly not “optional”): they vouch for who you are today and why you deserve a pardon. Get as many as you can, and keep sending them in. But to whom should they be addressed? There are two ways to go, and a member of PLSE’s Steering Committee offers this advice:
- Use this as a chance to build up your portfolio for jobs, etc. A "to whom it may concern" letter works then for the Board as well as for the potential employer, and helps you regain your identity. That’s why this is my preference. But you should tell the writer what it's being used for -- see below.
- A letter addressed “to the Board of Pardons" limits the use, but makes it clear that you have been open and honest with the writer, and that the writer is sending a letter to a government agency, and is therefore less likely to lie.
Either way, the person writing the letter should be told that a parole agent is likely to call and ask to verify the information in the letter; so it should be truthful.
Also, be sure the letter is dated (to show it is current) and has contact info for the writer. Relying on the parole agent to try to figure out how to reach your reference will, at best, delay the process, and could cause the letter not to be considered.
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Three Ways You Can Help:
- Tell someone with a criminal record to see if PLSE can help them: www.plsephilly.org/intake
- Forward this newsletter to a friend, and have them subscribe
- Visit our website to see how you can help!
Stay energized, optimistic and healthy,
Tobey Oxholm
Executive Director
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Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity
1501 Cherry Street Philadelphia, PA 19102
(267) 519-5323
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