Tuesday, Oct. 20, we held a press conference at City Hall in Manhattan to highlight the plight of housing for the formerly incarcerated. We all showed up on the steps of the seat of city government to support Sharon Richardson and her request to rent an apartment through Goldfarb Properties. We believe that she has met all of the requirements, and yet her application has been rejected. Therefore, we are forced to conclude that the only reason she has been denied is because of her former imprisonment.
We not only support Richardson but also support all formerly incarcerated people whose number, we believe, is substantial. They are twice penalized—incarceration, and upon release, denial of housing, jobs and/or other social amenities.
I first met Richardson around 1990, while she was incarcerated in the Bedford Hills Women’s Prison. She had done 10 years on a 25-to-life sentence for hiring a gunman to kill her abusive husband. Through the years, we stayed in touch via visits and correspondence. In 2000, she was paroled.
I was at the prison when she was released. She became a member of my church, the House of the Lord Church, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Immediately, I assisted in finding her employment through our re-entry program, the Lazarus Douglass Tubman Community Program, an affiliate of the Downtown Brooklyn Neighborhood Alliance. Since then, she has started her own prison-related organization. In 2003, the parole board ended her parole for exemplary behavior. Her credibility is highlighted by her receiving permission to re-enter the prisons for humanitarian and rehabilitation initiatives.
She is still a member of good standing at my church with her daughter and grandson. It is instructive to note that Richardson’s daughter had problems as she sought employment as a Correctional Officer. Because of my intervention, she was able to secure the job she desired.
Surely, there are innumerable formerly incarcerated persons who experienced housing and job discrimination because of their past imprisonment. The whole criminal justice system needs to be reviewed and revamped. Mass incarceration is a huge issue, and, ironically, thousands of people are in prison with long sentences for what is now legal in some places and marginal in other places.
There are thousands who are innocent. Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson has established a review committee for the release of innocent people. The release of innocent people so far shows how deep and extensive this problem is in the country, particularly in our communities.
We implore every district attorney in the five boroughs to copy Thompson’s example and establish a review committee. Additionally, there are aging prisoners who are old and feeble, and even dying in some instances, yet the parole board still refuses to release them, despite an annual cost to taxpayers of $60,000 per inmate.
The inhumane treatment of prisoners is yet another concern America should address. A person already in prison is sometimes put into a worse condition for minor infractions or no infraction at all, and sometimes falls victim to the whims of hostile prison guards.
The bail system is still another problem. We are told a person is “innocent until proven guilty.” Yet there are God only knows how many people kept in jail because they do not have the money that is required for bail. Surely, this incarceration cannot be viewed as “innocent until proven guilty.” Many years ago, the late Judge Bruce Wright was severely castigated because he tried to adhere to legal and fair practices. He would release people who he believed would return to court for trial but did not have bail money.
The massive examples of police misconduct across the United States needs no comment. It is indisputable evidence that demonstrates the imperative for radical change. It is encouraging that in some places there are attempts at police, sentencing, release and bail reforms, which are directly related to the mass movements across the country.
We are determined to continue demonstrating and advocating for Sharon, the incarcerated and the formerly incarcerated. Thursday, Oct. 22 at noon, we will be demonstrating in front of Goldfarb Properties at 939 Woodycrest Ave., Bronx, N.Y., near 162nd Street.