It is the same thing again, when you murder it is disrespect for the law also disrespect for life. The disrespect is still there, the law is there and being disregarded.

Keeping felons out of government is a good policy, when you begin making acceptation to the rules then you have yet another opportunity for corruption. Offering preferential decision based on the individuals would do just that.

The attorney general enforces the laws passed through the legislative body, they do not rule on the law, they enforce the laws and if not then it is the attorney general that would then be held accountable.

The good news is that the Internet offers the possibility to do just that – and if the print outlet owners can figure that out, we’ll go to the next level of storytelling.

Some nearby wards are fortunate to have coucilwomen like Phyliss Cleveland, Nina Turner and Sabra Pierce Scott. While not perfect, these women possess the intelligence, vision, compassion, and savvy to address the enormous challenges facing their neighborhoods and Cleveland as a whole. Does John Boyd? Are businesses are going to take him seriously? Can he be an effective an advocate for his constituents at all levels?

It’s true that there is a real shortage of black male role models in this city. It’s tragic. There is ONE black male on the Common Pleas Court. None on Juvenile Court. On City Council, men like Joe Jones and Zack Reed have been public failures. John Boyd would be a sincere example for ex-offenders, and he can be – but not as a councilman. What all his constituents need most is a fighter who can play at the big level to change the problems that transcend race, gender, and even crime. Maybe neither of these candidates is that person. But Mamie Mitchell comes closest by far.

One point; the discrepancy about the crime may not be a discrepancy at all as the grocery store may have been also a numbers house.

As a reformed criminal—thief and robber—who served 12 years in maximum security prisons, being released in 1969, going to college and receiving my masters in public administration and now developing leadership tools for reformed criminals through my nonprofit organization, The LampStand Foundation, I am aware of the difficulty John will have with the election and its aftermath, but with his personal history related in the excellent CSM article, he is obviously a person of some grit and will deal with those obstacles as he has dealt with the other barriers—justifiable ones to be sure as the community should be wary of a former murderer and criminal—to becoming a person of worth and dignity.

Criminals can transform themselves and when one does so, all of us who can, should be supportive of him, if for no other reason than to give the larger social aspects of the rehabilitation effort the support it needs.

John thinks he can win, which is why he’s running, and he also thinks the law is on his side. He’s a smart, resourceful guy and does his homework, so maybe he’s right. We’ll have to see what the OAG says, but then again Dann has his own mess ‘o problems right now.

Beyond the legal question, I think he has embraced being the poster boy for the formerly incarcerated. He has a job he enjoys not because someone pitied him, but because he went out and fought for the opportunity that was initially denied him based on his past convictions.

Many other ex-offenders may not be so inspired to do the same. For them, it may be easier to go back to the streets.

My goal was to take a look at one man’s attempt at redemption. We do pay it lip service, but our laws undermine any notion that rehabilitation is truly possible.

The article was wonderful btw.