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Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx and Code for America Announce Historic Partnership to Automatically Clear Convictions

CHICAGO DEFENDER — Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly M. Foxx and Code for America today announced a cutting-edge partnership to use Clear My Record technology to automatically seal tens of thousands of eligible cannabis convictions in Cook County under a newly passed Illinois law.

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Attorney Kimberly M. Foxx

Tens Of Thousands Of Convictions Will Be Cleared By Using Clear My Record Technology To Implement New Cannabis Law

By The Chicago Defender

Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly M. Foxx and Code for America today announced a cutting-edge partnership to use Clear My Record technology to automatically seal tens of thousands of eligible cannabis convictions in Cook County under a newly passed Illinois law.

Signed into law in June, the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act will provide relief to tens of thousands of Illinois residents.  Cook County is the first county outside of California to take part in Code for America’s Clear My Record program to help government automatically clear convictions eligible for relief under the law. By providing proactive and automatic record clearance services, Illinois has an opportunity to address the wrongs caused by the failed war on drugs, felt most acutely in communities of color, and fulfill the promise of the reforms aimed at remedying the legacy of mass incarceration in Illinois.

“The technology and innovation made possible through our partnership with Code for America will help us provide broad and equitable conviction relief for tens of thousands of people while ensuring that more of our time and resources can be used to combat violent crime,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. “This partnership is one of many steps Cook County is taking to leverage technology in order to better serve our community and bring our criminal justice system into the 21st century.”

“Code for America’s partnership with Cook County expands our Clear My Record program to a second state and further proves that justice can happen at the scale and speed we know is possible in the digital age,” said Jennifer Pahlka, Founder and Executive Director, Code for America. “Thanks to the leadership of State’s Attorney Foxx, we’ll provide conviction relief expeditiously, at reduced cost, and in bulk in Illinois, and help tens of thousands of individuals get a fresh start.  And we’ll continue to show that government can work as it should for all people, when we bring government into the 21st century.”

 The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act

Illinois recently legalized the sale and use of recreational marijuana and created an opt-in process for the Illinois Attorney General and State’s Attorneys to clear convictions in their jurisdictions. Now, State’s Attorneys can receive a list of eligible convictions from the Illinois State Police to review and grant relief by submitting those eligible convictions to the courts for final approval.

Record Clearance for the Digital Age

With the aid of Code for America’s Clear My Record technology, an office can automatically and securely evaluate eligibility for record clearance by reading and interpreting conviction data in just a few minutes.  This requires no action on the part of the individual and greatly reduces staff time and resources — two obstacles to record clearance. Streamlining conviction data processing also will make it easier for courts to update records, ensuring that individuals can obtain relief as soon as possible.

By rethinking the clearance process from top to bottom and using digital tools to examine criminal record data, this partnership will create a statewide technology and policy blueprint in Illinois.

This partnership demonstrates a growing momentum for automatic record clearance across the nation. It builds on recent announcements that Code for America’s Clear My Record technology is helping counties in California dismiss and seal more than approximately 75,000 cannabis convictions.  Once this pilot is completed, Cook County will share its findings with the state and other Illinois counties.

Code for America has been making it easier for people to remove eligible convictions from their records through their Clear My Record technology since 2016. Code for America has set a goal of clearing 250,000 eligible convictions nationwide by the end of 2019.

This article originally appeared in the Chicago Defender.

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Op-Ed: Biden Needs a Reparations Commission for 2024

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Leaders within the Democratic Party in the last Congress demonstrated their political will for a reparations commission. 217 confirmed yes votes in the House and half of the Senate Committee chairs, along with the Senate Leader, and many of their colleagues, signed on to the Senate bill.
The post Op-Ed: Biden Needs a Reparations Commission for 2024 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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President Biden

Mr. President, the call for justice in America is at a historic high. This current call for justice is founded squarely on the issue of Reparations. This is an American call for justice – not only has it been identified as the major issue by Black Americans via a 2021 Congressional Black Caucus poll, but in a recent USA Today poll, 83 % of Americans said racism is a problem facing the US. This explains why an array of Americans has enthusiastically joined this call for reparatory justice – allied ethnic groups, many of the largest social justice organizations in the country, a diversity of religious orders, America’s most prestigious universities, major US corporations, some of the largest philanthropies in America, and of immense importance, following Evanston, Illinois – numerous municipalities and States within the Union. This is proof that much of America wants to see this issue addressed and resolved now!

Leaders within the Democratic Party in the last Congress demonstrated their political will for a reparations commission. 217 confirmed yes votes in the House and half of the Senate Committee chairs, along with the Senate Leader, and many of their colleagues, signed on to the Senate bill. However, as you are aware, Mr. President, the bipartisanship that is needed to pass the bill in the Senate does not exist. Thus, the only way to move this issue forward, which much of America is demanding, is through an Executive Order.

This must be done immediately as the next Presidential election is approaching. On one side of this issue are those calling for “No Reparations No Vote”, in their attempt to drive Black voters to the Republican Party. On the other side, are those of us who fully understand the significance of the Black vote for a Democratic Party win. Statistics have shown that since 1960, except for 1964, the Black vote was the deciding factor in each of the Democratic Party’s wins in presidential elections. In essence, the Black vote gave American Presidents Kennedy, Carter, Clinton, Obama, and you Mr. Biden.

A growing number of major publications have recognized this dependence of the Democratic Party on the Black vote. Immediately after your election, Vox reported – “The Black Vote is key to Democratic success”- saying you “could not have been competitive without it.” At this same time, the New York Magazine shouted, Joe Biden Owes It All to African American Voters. In April of this year, Time Magazine wrote, Black Voters Gave Biden the White House. They May Determine Whether He Stays There – the writer concluded “Put plainly: you can’t win the nomination or the White House as a Democrat without the Black vote. And finally, just last month, the Washington Post echoed the Times writer, by saying the Black vote “will be crucial in a Biden bid for reelection.”

We are 20% of your base Mr. President,  more than all other people of color combined. When we come out and vote, Democrats win! Certainly, Mr. Bidden, the Republicans are fully aware of this as they have directed enormous resources to suppress the Black vote– by spending nearly $1 billion in the last election and introducing over 900 pieces of legislation, according to Marc Morial of the National Urban League. The Democratic Party needs to both counter these efforts by Republicans and address the low enthusiasm for the Democratic Party in the Black community.

This counter-offensive must be an immediate statement announcing the implementation of an HR 40-like Reparations Commission via Executive Order by the President of the United States of America. This, and only this, will generate the turnout in the Black community necessary for a Democratic Party victory in 2024. The Democratic Party can no longer waffle on this issue of reparations. We need a Reparations Commission Now! You, Mr. President, need a Reparations Commission now – for any hope of a 2024 victory.

EO40 Now!. EO 40 now! EO40 now!

Reparations Now

Text – Reparations Now to 202-347-9797 to support this call.

The post Op-Ed: Biden Needs a Reparations Commission for 2024 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Sport Mode

The 2023 Dodge Hornet GT, priced at an MSRP of $33,585.00, offers a lot of vehicle for the money. With a surprisingly spirited engine, comfortable ride quality, and a well-equipped interior, it makes a compelling case for those entering the small SUV segment for the first time.
The post Sport Mode first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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The 2023 Dodge Hornet GT, priced at an MSRP of $33,585.00, offers a lot of vehicle for the money. With a surprisingly spirited engine, comfortable ride quality, and a well-equipped interior, it makes a compelling case for those entering the small SUV segment for the first time.

The post Sport Mode first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Evs more satisfying…Prologue

Special guest Chris Martin, Automobile Public Relations, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Honda Hydrogen Fuel Cells, solid-state batteries and new products Prologue EV, ZDX EV, and more.
The post Evs more satisfying…Prologue first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Special guest Chris Martin, Automobile Public Relations, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Honda Hydrogen Fuel Cells, solid-state batteries and new products Prologue EV, ZDX EV, and more.

The post Evs more satisfying…Prologue first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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